How to Meal Prep (and Stick With It) in 2025

Feeding yourself can be a real chore—sometimes, you just don’t have any dinner inspiration or time to cook. That’s when meal prepping some easy recipes and stashing them away for the week can come in handy (and save your wallet from takeout delivery fees).

Meal prep can look different from person to person: For some, it’s chopping a bunch of ingredients up (a.k.a. mise en place) and storing them until you’re ready to assemble your dish; for others, it’s whipping up full meals and portioning out individual servings ahead of time. Whether you’ve never meal prepped before or you just can’t seem to stick with it, we have some easy, expert-approved tips and products to set you on the right path. You might even cancel your Doordash membership after reading (okay, fine, keep it for emergencies).

Our top picks

1. Rubbermaid Brilliance Airtight Food Storage Containers
2. Blue Apron Subscription
3. Farberware Edgekeeper 5-Inch Santoku Knife
4. KitchenIQ Edge Grip 2-Stage Knife Sharpener
5. Hiware Solid Stainless Steel Spider Strainer
6. OTOTO Measuring Spoons Set
7. OXO Good Grips 7-Piece Nesting Measuring Beaker Set
8. Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and ReaLemon 100% Lemon Juice
9. Dash Rapid Egg Cooker
10. W&P Porter Seal Tight Glass Lunch Bowl Container
11. OXO Good Grips Storage Container
12. Joseph Joseph Chop2Pot Plus Folding Cutting Board
13. BUILT Gourmet Getaway Soft Neoprene Lunch Tote
14. Papaya Reusable Paper Towels

FAQs

Rubbermaid Brilliance Airtight Food Storage Container

Pros

• Lockable lids
• Stack nicely
• Freezer-, microwave-, and dishwasher-safe
• Come in a variety of sizes

Cons

• Some reviewers have trouble taking the lids off

Half the battle of meal prepping is finding the right containers to store your food in. Cara Harbstreet, MS, RD, a registered dietitian based in Kansas City, recommends these Rubbermaid ones—she’s even gifted them to people. “What I really like about these is the seal that you get with the click-top lid,” she says. “It actually creates a little bit of a vacuum seal, which is spill-proof. I’ve never had a disaster where they leaked or broke open.”

Depending on the set you buy, you can get a variety of sizes, which comes in handy if you prefer to batch-cook ingredients, store them all separately, and then assemble your dishes on the fly. If you’d rather pre-portion individual meals, you can also get a set that comes with several of only one size. And don’t sleep on the ones with dividers that keep your chicken from running into your broccoli.

Blue Apron Subscription

Pros

• No grocery shopping needed
• Very customizable
• Pre-portioned ingredients prevents food waste

Cons

• You won’t have leftovers unless you pay for more portions than you need

If cutting out grocery store shopping is what you need to get into the swing of things, you can always try a meal kit subscription. That way, food will be delivered right to your door—all you have to do is cook and store it.

Harbstreet has tried several meal kits, but Blue Apron is the one she’s been subscribed to the longest. “What surprised us about Blue Apron was that those meals didn’t necessarily leave us with leftovers, but the portions that they allowed for and provided were actually really filling,” she says, adding that her husband is a former athlete with a hearty appetite. “We really enjoyed the variety of recipes. There were a lot of modifications available, and even though we didn’t always take advantage of making changes or upgrades, we liked the variety and the different cuisine styles.”

Farberware Edgekeeper 5-Inch Santoku Knife

Pros

• Comfortable, versatile design
• Comes with a blade cover
• Budget-friendly

Cons

• Some Amazon reviewers say it dulls quickly
• Hand wash only

You’ll be reaching for a knife over and over again while cooking, so why not invest in a solid one that makes prepping food in large batches easier? Harbstreet recommends using a Japanese santoku knife, which is designed for slicing, chopping, and mincing.

“Its blade is a little bit shorter and curved, so the shape is just slightly different [than a traditional chef’s knife], even though the handle size and weight of the knife is very similar,” she says. “I find that it’s more comfortable to use and also really versatile. It can pretty quickly flip over from dicing up an onion to chopping through a cooked chicken breast.”

KitchenIQ Edge Grip 2-Stage Knife Sharpener

Pros

• Easy to use
• Quickly sharpens blades
• Budget-friendly

Cons

• Some Amazon shoppers say it’s too small and lightweight

If you can’t remember the last time you sharpened your kitchen knives, then it’s probably been too long. “It’s so important to have a well-sharpened, high-quality knife that you’re confident in using,” Harbstreet says. “If you’re nervous about something like a dull knife blade or working with tools that aren’t comfortable for your hand or strength level, then it makes prep work that much less enjoyable.”

SELF’s senior commerce editor has had this knife sharpener for years and says it’s still going strong. “It's easy to hold and the base never slips, so I can sharpen paring and steak knives quickly without worrying about chopping my finger off,” she says. “After a few swipes, I can slice tomatoes paper-thin or dice potatoes in a few seconds. I’ve even bought some for family and friends, who agree that having sharp knives can be utterly life-changing.”

Hiware Solid Stainless Steel Spider Strainer

Pros

• Easy to use
• Dishwasher-safe

Cons

• Handle doesn’t have a grip

Another handy utensil to have is this strainer spoon, which lets you skip the step of dumping pasta into a colander and then pouring it back into the pot to add sauce or toppings. “You can scoop out a serving of it in the spoon, strain it, and then portion it out that way,” Nichols says. Drop the noodles right into your meal prep containers, then add your sauce, meat, or veggies on top.

OTOTO Measuring Spoons Set

Pros

• Dishwasher-safe
• Fun design

Cons

• Doesn’t come with a ¼ teaspoon

Another kitchen staple is a set of measuring spoons that’ll help you quickly and accurately portion out seasonings. Pro tip: “It can make things more efficient to have a duplicate of the ones you use most often,” Harbstreet says. “You might have a tablespoon for your dry ingredients and then a separate tablespoon for your wet ingredients, so you don’t cross over and mix flavors.”

These cherry ones will definitely perk up your utensil drawer. “They’re just really cute and fun,” one SELF editor says. “I always get compliments on them, and I think they’re a cute and affordable gift.”

OXO Good Grips 7-Piece Nesting Measuring Beaker Set

Pros

• Dishwasher-safe
• Spouts make pouring liquids easier
• Won’t take up tons of cabinet space

Cons

• Our tester wishes they had grippy bottoms to prevent slipping

You also need a good set of measuring cups for larger quantities. SELF’s senior commerce writer recommends this set of beakers: “I love that they’re stackable, so they save space in my kitchen,” she says. “Their shape makes it easy to measure and pour out liquids. And as someone who, at one point, lost most of her teaspoons and never replaced them, I appreciate that this set has itty-bitty cups that’ll measure teaspoons for me.”

Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and ReaLemon 100% Lemon Juice

Pros

• Makes food taste fresher
• Easier than keeping fresh citrus on hand

Cons

• Won’t actually preserve freshness

The key to really great prepped food is making it taste like you just whipped it up. To help with that, Harbstreet recommends keeping something acidic, like apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, on hand. “[They give] the illusion of freshness—it’s that acidity that perks up your taste buds,” she says. “It’s also a lot less wasteful than trying to keep a bowl full of fresh lemons in your kitchen at all times.”

Drizzle some lemon juice over your quinoa or veggies to add zest back into the equation when your food falls flat. Or add apple cider vinegar to your homemade salad dressing for a kick.

Dash Rapid Egg Cooker

Pros

• Nonelectric parts are dishwasher-safe
• Doesn’t take up much space
• Also makes poached eggs and omelettes

Cons

• Some Amazon reviewers say the cook time instructions are wrong

Hard-boiled eggs are a great source of protein and an easy snack to reach for between meals. Nichols says she uses the Dash Rapid Egg Cooker to make a bunch at the beginning of the week. It can cook six soft, medium, or hard-boiled eggs in minutes—all you have to do is add water and press a button.

W&P Porter Seal Tight Glass Lunch Bowl Container

Pros

• Microwave- and dishwasher-safe
• Spill-proof lid

Cons

• Not insulated

Nichols points out that sealable glass bowls aren’t that easy to come by, but W&P Porter makes her favorite. “It’s great for overnight oats and it’s an alternative to a mason jar,” she says.

As someone who frequently brings oatmeal or yogurt parfaits into the office for breakfast, I immediately bought this bowl after talking to Nichols. I also love the idea of bringing soup in it, rather than carrying a heftier metal thermos.

OXO Good Grips Storage Container

Pros

• Keeps produce from getting soggy
• Includes a carbon filter that’s supposed to prevent food from spoiling
• Dishwasher-safe

Cons

• Lid doesn’t lock closed

Berries cost a pretty penny, so I feel guilty any time I don’t eat the full container I bought. I’ve found that the best solution is to wash all of my fruit ahead of time, so I can snack on it or throw it on some yogurt throughout the week.

I use a container like this one—it’s perfect because the inside colander lets any remaining water drain to keep fruit from getting soggy. Nichols highly recommends kitchen gadgets from this brand in general: “I use OXO for dry goods because they’re vacuum-sealed,” she says. “They keep things very airtight.”

Joseph Joseph Chop2Pot Plus Folding Cutting Board

Pros

• Makes scraping food off your cutting board easy
• Dishwasher-safe

Cons

• Amazon reviewers say it gets marked up easily

I was today years old when I learned that a folding cutting board exists. “Basically, it lays out flat and you can chop things on there, then the sides fold up, so you can scrape food into containers, put it in a pot or pan, or toss the scraps,” Nichols says. This one from Amazon is also dishwasher-safe, for easy cleanup.

BUILT Gourmet Getaway Soft Neoprene Lunch Tote

Pros

• Material is flexible to fit more inside
• Machine-washable

Cons

• Some Amazon reviewers say the material has a strange smell

Once her meals are prepped, Nichols tosses them into this neoprene lunch bag from Built to take them on the go. “It can kind of expand to fit whatever you want to put in it,” she says. She also adds that it’s insulated to keep your food cold (or warm)—plus, “it’s machine-washable, which is really nice.”

Papaya Reusable Paper Towels

Pros

• Reduces paper towel waste
• Come in packs of cute designs
• Machine- or dishwasher-safe

Cons

• They’re stiff when dry

To make cleaning up easier (and environmentally friendlier), Harbstreet reaches for these reusable paper towels. “Thinking about the waste that we generate when we’re meal prepping, we were going through more rolls of paper towels than we really wanted to be,” she says. “By having one of these in high traffic areas—one by your sink, maybe one by your stove, and one by your kitchen table (or wherever you sit down to eat)—it replaces a lot of those paper towels you might otherwise just be ripping off the roll, using quickly, and then throwing straight in the trash.”

Related:

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• 24 Tasty, High-Protein Snacks to Keep Your Energy Up
• 10 Clever Fridge Organizers That Will Change Your Life a Little Bit

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