Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you’ve probably heard of meal prepping. There are pictures all over the internet of fitness gurus portioning out every bite of food for the whole week in cheap meal prep containers.
The concept is simple: prepare your meals ahead of time. For some, meal prepping means making a few breakfasts to grab when you’re running behind in the morning. For the more dedicated meal preppers, it means carefully measuring out portions for every meal to last the entire week.
When you’re in college, meal prep is often the only way you can keep on top of a healthy diet and limit the expenses of eating out all the time.
Fortunately, there are a variety of cheap meal prep containers available. They come in different shapes and sizes, so you can pick the container that best fits your personal needs. With that, here are a few of the best cheap meal prep containers I could find.
1. Glass Mason Jars
Price: $9.26 for a 12-pack of pint-sized jars
Mason jars are the perfect vessel for meal-prepped overnight oats, parfaits, and salads of every kind. Because you can be sure the lid is sealed tight, you can arrange your meals in layers to retain freshness then shake to mix everything together right before you eat.
Mason jars are sturdy enough to stand up to months of meal prepping, microwaving, and dishwashing. You don’t have to worry about the harmful chemicals that leech out of plastic containers. Make a one-time investment in quality mason jars and you won’t go back to flimsy plastic.
2. Reusable Single Compartment Plastic Containers
Price: $18.98 for 7 Containers
This set of seven MealPrep brand containers is perfect for week-long meal planning. They are made of sturdy BPA-free plastic that will stand up to both the microwave and dishwasher. They’re lightweight and stackable, so they’ll fit perfectly in the fridge until you put them in a bag to bring to work.
The single compartment configuration is perfect for salads, pastas, and other meals that taste best all mixed up. My personal favorite way to meal prep are Buddha bowls, which are perfect in these single compartment containers.
3. Meal Prep Haven 3-Compartment Containers
Price: $12.95 for 7 Containers
Meal Prep Haven advertises their containers as the number one brand recommended by the fitness community. They are made of sturdy plastic that is microwavable and dishwasher safe. It has one large and two small compartments.
The separate compartments in this set of containers make it perfect for maintaining freshness in separately prepped components. The sauce on your chicken won’t make your veggies or rice soggy in these containers. It’s also ideal for keeping the granola crisp for your morning yogurt.
4. Perfect Portion Kit
Price: $29.99 for one kit (1 breakfast container with spoon, 4 small containers, 4 large containers, 1 snack container, and 5 ice packs)
This meal prep kit is ideal for newcomers to meal prep. Each container is perfectly sized to teach portion control. The containers are made of a sturdy plastic that is BPA-free, microwavable, and dishwasher safe.
This kit is perfect for a meal prepper who gets bored of eating the same meal every day, because there are just enough containers for a full day of eating. My suggestion would be to transfer leftovers from dinner directly into the portion-sized containers to eliminate extra work.
5. Assorted Color Meal Prep Set
Price: $21.99 for an 18 pack (3 of each color)
These single-compartment meal prep containers are made of sturdy BPA-free plastic. They stand up to freezing, dishwashing, and microwaving. Their stackability allows for easy storage when they’re not waiting in your fridge for when the hanger hits.
Because there are three each of six colors, this pack is perfect for meal preppers who like to make all their meals for the entire week at one time. Each color can correspond to a day of the week and, depending on your needs, the three containers can hold three meals or two meals and a snack.
The color coding ensures that you’ll never end up with the wrong container, even when you’re running out the door pre-coffee.
6. Clear Deli Cups
Price: $15.95 for 36 clear pint-sized cups
These lightweight containers are made of BPA-free plastic and are freezer, microwave, and dishwasher safe. They won’t break when you drop them like mason jars would and they’re still completely clear, which makes for easy grab and go without having to label them or open them up to see what’s inside.
These containers are perfect for on-the-go breakfasts and snacks that need to be handheld. Larger sizes are available for prepped meals. They’re also a very cheap investment, so you can use them as disposable cups if you’re not into washing the dishes.
With this list, you’ve got your cheap meal prep containers all sorted out. All you need now is the best meal prep Spotify playlist and you’re ready to meal prep up a storm. Congrats, you’re officially a domestic god(dess).