45+ Freezer-Friendly Recipes for Vegan Meal Prep

Tip: Converting Soup Recipes for Slow Cooker

You can easily freeze any of the “raw” ingredients for the soup, stew, or chili recipes in this post for future slow cooker use! Here’s how:

1. Prep all of the Ingredients, except any liquid or oil. Transfer the prepped ingredients to a freezer-safe gallon bag.
2. Label with any add-ins, but reduce the required liquid. The slow cooker stays covered while it heats up the food, so you do not need to use as much liquid; by rule of thumb I like to reduce the liquid by half (ex: 4 cups of broth becomes 2). I like to use these dissolvable labels that wash away once you’re done with them! If the recipe calls for any canned ingredients (like coconut milk) you can write this down too.
3. Freeze completely. You can store the soup like this for up to 2 months without risk of freezer burn.
4. Dump in the slow cooker & simmer! Add the modified liquid amount and cook on low heat for 8 hours or high heat for 4 hours. Stir the soup occasionally to make sure everything is cooking evenly; if at any point the soup looks too thick, add additional water or broth in 1 cup increments.

Tip: How to Freeze Soups & Stews in Jars

I prefer to store my soups and stews in 4-cup glass jars – it’s easier to stack them in the freezer, and one jar is perfectly portioned to feed me and my husband! Glass can crack in the freezer, but if you follow these tips you should not have any issues.

1. Leave 1″ of empty space at the top of your jars. Liquid expands when it freezes, so this gives the soup plenty of room to “grow” as it chills.
2. Let the soup cool completely at room temperature. Then, transfer to the freezer and freeze completely with the lid off – this also allows the soup to expand without causing pressure issues. I like to place the lids on top of my jars (without screwing them on) for safe keeping.
3. Seal the jar & store for up to 2 months. I like to transfer the frozen jars to the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours before I plan to serve them, which gives them enough time to defrost. You can also choose to let the jar come to room temperature on your counter for 2 to 3 hours before heating and serving.

Any glass jar you have will work, but if you’re in the market for some new ones I really like these wide-mouth quart mason jars paired with these plastic lids (which won’t rust like the metal ones!)

Tip: How to Prep Dump & Bake Casseroles for the Freezer

To Prep a Casserole:

1. Dry Ingredients: Chop all of the dry ingredients and store in a freezer-safe gallon bag along with the beans & uncooked rice or quinoa
2. Wet Ingredients: Add any of the seasonings that would go in with the wet ingredients to a freezer-safe snack bag and store this inside the gallon bag.
3. Label: Write down the liquid ingredients that need to be added to the casserole (I like these dissolvable labels) along with the cooking temp & time, but add 20 minutes to the cook time to accomodate for the frozen ingredients!
4. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months

To Bake a Casserole:

1. Bake: Cover and bake for 20 minutes longer than the original cook time for the recipe; this allows the colder ingredients to warm up and fully cook!
2. Defrost: Remove the bag from the freezer and store in the fridge for 24-48 hours. If you forgot to do this, you can also let the bag defrost on your counter for 2 to 3 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to the temperature written on the bag
4. Wet Ingredients: Add the spices to a small pot along with the remaining wet ingredients written on the bag; bring to a boil on the stovetop
5. Dry Ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to a frozen casserole dish and pour the boiling liquid over the top; use a spoon to break up any remaining frozen chunks, and do your best to make sure the rice is fully submerged in the liquid.