10 Best Meal Prep Containers for the Freshest Food (2024)

Rubbermaid's Brilliance Food Storage Containers continue to impress after testing them for years in our Lab as well as at home. They won a Kitchen Gear Award in 2021 and a Kitchen Gear Award in 2022, and are ranked our best overall food storage containers. This plastic, lightweight set is a good entry point into the brand for people who want to meal prep and have the versatility to use dividers or not.

Both the tray in the mid-size container (that's perfect for salad and even comes with a small dressing container) and the two small containers are removable so you can keep foods separate, portion out your food or just not use them at all. All parts, including the lid (just unlatch them) are microwaveable, giving you the option to just microwave the parts you want. The containers in this line of meal prep containers come in an assortment of sizes and combinations. Plus, most of the lids are interchangeable or significantly different in size, which is super helpful when organizing or in a rush.

In our Lab tests, each offered a good seal and stained less than all of the other plastic containers we tested. Our favorite part about these containers is that they stack neatly in your fridge, cupboard and even your bag when you're packing them for on-the-go.

These glass food storage containers from Rubbermaid come in an assortment of stackable sizes like their plastic counterparts above. This particular set stands out for meal prep because both sizes are relatively slim and compact. The shorter size is perfect for portioning out food like a protein and a side, while the taller one is good for larger items that benefit from a deeper container like salad or a generous portion of veggies. While heavier than plastic, these glass storage containers have the added benefit of being oven-safe up to 450ºF so you can heat your food up in an oven or toaster oven if you wanted to.

In our tests, these glass containers scored amongst the highest. They particularly excelled in the staining test — the glass containers did not stain at all after microwaving them filled with sauce. The plastic lid, which is the same as the plastic Rubbermaid Brilliance container above, stained a little, so we'd recommend microwaving with caution if a perfectly transparent lid is important to you.

Oxo's Smart Seal Glass Food Storage Containers are made from borosilicate glass, which is known for being highly durable and good at withstanding drastic changes in temperature without breaking. The brand even lists the benefits of the material on the bottom of their packaging along with guidelines on how to best use. While we didn't test the brand's claim that they can go straight from the freezer to the oven, they performed well in our freezer to microwave tests by heating the food well and relatively quickly without any noticeable deformations.

The clear material of the base and plastic lids also makes them great for freezing (and storing), so you can always know what's inside and if they've started to develop freezer burn. Plus, they come in an assortment of rectangular and circular sizes that nest inside of each other so you're not limited to one and you can save on space. It also makes them great for meal prepping in large batches or leftovers in general. The lids latch on four sides for confident transporting and they have a little tab that can be used to open them easier. Note that the silicone ring around the inside of the lids removes for cleaning.

If you're a fan of soups and stews for lunch, you'll like this glass container from W&P. It comes in this versatile 24-ounce size as well as a smaller 16-ounce size and various colors. It offers a secure seal and microwaves food well. In our freezer to microwave test, the 16-ounce size heated amongst the quickest. It also remained cool enough to handle thanks to the silicone wrapped lid and base that also offers a good grip for opening and closing, helps prevent slipping, keeps the container a little cooler when microwaving and helps prevent cracking.

In addition to being good for liquids, we've used it for packing tight salads (you'd be surprised how much it fits!) and leftovers.

Made of durable silicone, these collapsible food storage containers won a Kitchen Gear Award in 2021 for being innovative and high-performing. After two years of testing, two of our Lab analysts still use it for transporting food back and forth to the office. One even uses it to transport soups without fear of it leaking. It had held up to countless rounds in the dishwasher and it continues to microwave well. Pro tip: the lid doubles as a tray/trivet of sorts when the bowl itself is too hot to handle. The neatest part is that it collapses when done, perfect for commuting and even storing.

This set includes two 36-ounces bowls. The bowls can also be bought individually and come in an assortment of colors. There's a smaller 24-ounce size as well that's perfect for sandwiches or smaller amounts of food.

Available in several sizes, this double walled stainless steel container from Hydro Flask stands out for its design. It has straight edges and a wide opening that makes it easy to pour into, scoop out of and clean. It comes in an assortment of sizes from eight ounces to 28 ounces, depending on your needs.

This 20-ounce size is a good middle ground for a single portion or a heftier one. It's made with premium stainless steel and a powder coating that Hydro Flask says can hold up to dishwasher use. We've used many of their products with this same coating and can confirm it lasts. In our Lab tests, this container scored a five in our cleanability test and showed no signs of degradation or deformation after five cycles in the dishwasher. It also scored one of the highest for being leakproof.

Meal-prepping parents will appreciate these small containers for Baby. They're clear and durable with measurement markings on the side so you can easily keep track of how much you're storing or how much they're eating. The plastic lid seals well and is easy to unscrew. Plus, they stack, which is helpful when storing in the freezer or fridge, or in your cupboard.

We like this set that offers two sizes, four ounces and eight ounces, so they can grow with your baby or even be used for snacks for the rest of your family.

Whiskware's tall and slim container is actually three meal prep containers in one. The two larger containers hold one cup each while the smaller one holds 1/3 cup. They're the perfect size for portioning out snacks in a neat and compact way. They're lightweight (separately and combined) and the top handle comes in handy when trying to find it in your backpack or bag. Each of the containers screw on to each other in any order, and you can pack them individually if you'd like to as well.

This Whiskware Snack Pack is great for kids, too; they come in all sorts of themed collections like Disney, Marvel and Pixar, to name a few.

We also ran each sample through the dishwasher five times to see how they fared.

We then tested both samples and a new, control sample for leaking by conducting two different tests: we filled each sample with water and shook it for 15 seconds to see if any lost any water and we also filled each with water and left it upside overnight to see if it leaked.

✔️ Material: Glass, plastic and stainless steel are three of the most common meal prep container materials. Glass tends to last longer and be less prone to staining, but it can be heavier and even the strongest ones can crack or chip. Plastic is lightweight and often less expensive but stains easily and some people prefer not to microwave food in it. Stainless steel is another option that's durable and long lasting but can't be microwaved. We tend to use an assortment based on our needs but glass is the most versatile option.

✔️ Shape: Most meal prep containers are rectangular and stack easily and neatly. Some can be round but we find them a little trickier to transport. Some also come with dividers for portioning out food. These dividers can feel helpful to some people but limiting to others.

✔️ Size: If you're looking to meal prep individual portions of food, consider one size that can neatly stack in your fridge. If you like variety or to cook in batches, look for a meal prep container set that comes with different size and shape options. While some of the containers in these type of sets may seem too big or too small to take back and forth with, there will include at least a few suitable options.

✔️ Seal: It's become more common for food storage and meal prep containers to have clasps that offer additional leak protection but keep in mind that they can often be bulky to store. Lids that press down to close are often thinner and easier to store but don't always offer the best leak-proof assurance.

✔️ Versatility: All of the above features affect how versatile a meal prep container is. Other features to consider are whether they're freezer-, dishwasher- and microwave safe. Some glass containers are even oven-safe if you prefer heating (or even cooking!) your food that way.

The type of meal prep container you use is a matter of preference. Some people may like how lightweight plastic is while others may prefer glass that feels more durable. Plastic tends to stain but glass can break. Both can usually be microwaved but glass is often more heat-resistant. Glass also tends to cost more but it's less disposable.

Our recommendation is to use the one that makes the most sense for you and your family. We try to stick to containers that have good seals, are made of a quality plastic, glass or stainless steel, will last long and can be used in a variety of ways from the freezer to the microwave. We also prefer meal prep containers that are dishwasher-safe to make cleanup easier. The ability to stack is important to us as is having containers that are clear or transparent so we can easily keep an eye on what food we have in our fridge.