27 Homemade Foods to Stock in Your Freezer

Freezer Tips and Tricks

When stocking your freezer, there are some tips that make things easier when it's time to use what you've frozen.

• Portion Size - Freeze things in the portion size you plan to use them in - A gallon container of soup isn't going to help you when you just need lunch for yourself!

• Freezing in Glass Jars - I absolutely love freezing in glass jars and have tons of them in my deep freezer. You just need to follow a few precautions so they don't crack. Use any jars, even reused jars from store-bought food, they don't need to be canning jars. Glass doesn't like sudden temperature change, so let something cool a bit when filling them, then cool them completely in the fridge before transferring to the freezer. Only fill jars ¾'s full to allow room for expansion as they freeze, VERY important! If you do break an occasional jar, throw it away, don't attempt to save the food!

• What's in the Jars? - I freeze soup in jars for individual servings. Spaghetti sauce or any red marinara can be frozen in jars to use for homemade pizza or any recipe that needs a small amount. Pesto, jam, applesauce, summer berries, chicken stock, chili, I freeze it all in different sized jars! Especially keep a few small jars of homemade chili for chili dogs!

• Freezer Bags - I try to cut down on plastic bag use, but freezer bags are great for some things. Extra herbs and kale from the garden, or half a loaf of Homemade Dutch Oven Bread can be stashed in freezer bags. I wash out and reuse them, or consider saving and reusing the ziploc bags from store-bought tortillas or nuts.

• Label - Use masking tape and a sharpie marker to label what you freeze!

• Thawing - It's usually the best to thaw food overnight in the fridge. Never run a frozen jar under hot water to thaw, it will crack! Defrost in the microwave will work in a pinch.

What Else is in My Freezer?

While I love all these little homemade extras, I rely on a lot of store-bought freezer foods too. These are my most important items to keep stocked to avoid extra trips to the store:

• Meat - ground beef, chicken, ground pork, pork tenderloin, sausage and bacon for easy breakfast for dinner like my Pumpkin Waffles. Bacon and sausage can be frozen raw or cooked! Frozen wild caught salmon is sometimes a great price and good quality.
• Berries - I pick a lot of homegrown berries from my yard in the summer to freezer, but if we run out, and we usually do by spring, store-bought frozen berries are great. Cherries too!
• Ice Cream
• Bagels and English Muffins
• Butter - Easy to freeze and never run out when you need it!
• Chicken or Fish Nuggets occasionally for the kids
• Tater Tots - to make this Tater Tot Casserole for a hearty dinner!
• Frozen Peas and Corn
• Freezer Waffles
• Frozen Pizza - While we love making Homemade Pizza and always freeze dough and sauce, sometimes life just needs a few frozen pizzas as a back up plan!
• Extras - If you only use half a can of tomato paste, chipotle peppers, canned artichokes, salsa verde, enchilada sauce, canned beans, etc, you can freeze the rest. Small glass jars are great for this!

Whether it’s a chilly evening when cooking feels like a chore or a busy week that sneaks up on me, having a stash of tried-and-true recipes in the freezer is so helpful! From hearty soups to homemade meatballs to garden-fresh goodies, these are the dishes I lean on to keep life deliciously simple - let’s fill that freezer!