21 Freezer Meals for Postpartum (+ a printable list for your fridge)
Making freezer meals for postpartum is one of the best things you can do in the third trimester. And I’ve made it simple for you. In this blog post, I go over how many freezer meals to make and tips to make using them easier. Plus, I share the exact meals I made for my family before having my babies.
This post may contain affiliate links to products. I receive a commission for purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclaimer here.
Prepping meals and other food before your baby is born is a must. While you might have neighbors bring meals for a few days, you’re going to need more. You’ll want several weeks’ worth of food on hand.
If you are planning on waiting for labor to start spontaneously, you’ll have a period of a few weeks when your baby could arrive. That means your freezer is going to be your best friend.
One of the best ways to prepare for postpartum is to make freezer meals ahead of time, while you’re still pregnant. A few weeks before my due date with both kids, my husband and I spent several hours one Saturday making freezer meals.
How Many Freezer Meals Do I Need for Postpartum?
You’re probably wondering how many freezer meals you actually need to prepare for postpartum. The answer? It depends.
How big is your family? Will anyone be staying with you? And how many people are likely to bring you meals? Once you have a sense of how many mouths you’ll be feeding and how much support you’ll have, you can better estimate how many meals to make ahead of time.
Before our first child was born, my husband and I stocked the freezer with 11 homemade meals—some dinners and some breakfasts. Generous friends and family also brought us several dinners. Between all of that plus our existing frozen foods, pantry staples, and fridge items, we were covered for about six weeks.
The second time around, we made 15 meals, but they only lasted three weeks. We received fewer brought-in dinners, had less stocked in the fridge and pantry, and now had a hungry toddler eating with us.
Keep in mind that most of our meals made multiple servings, so we ate a lot of leftovers.
If this is your first baby, 11 meals is often plenty. If you’ll have someone staying with you or you already have a toddler or two, I’d aim for 18. For bigger families, you may want even more. That said, while older kids eat more, they can also help more—sometimes even making dinner while you’re caring for the newborn.
Ultimately, the right number depends on how many servings each meal makes, how much your family eats, how often neighbors drop off food, and what you already have in the house. Eighteen meals is a solid, realistic target for most families.
Five Tips to Streamline Your Freezer Meal Prep and Use
Having meals ready to go will be a huge help to you and your family during the postpartum period. Here are three tips that can make the process even better:
First, make double batches on weeknights. If you’re already cooking one of these meals for dinner, simply double the ingredients and freeze half. It requires almost no extra effort in the moment, but massively cuts down on the bulk work you’ll have to tackle on “Freezer Meal Saturday.”
Second, freeze your meals flat. After filling your bags, lay them flat on a cookie sheet before freezing. This saves a surprising amount of space compared to bulky, lumpy bags standing upright.
Third, create a simple reference list. As you prep each meal, write down the name, cooking instructions, and cook time on a sheet of paper and hang it on the fridge. This quick reference makes it so much easier to choose a meal and get dinner on the table when you and the hubby are exhausted.
Fourth, plan your day-of add-ins. Many freezer meals taste best when served with fresh ingredients like tortillas, rice, or vegetables. Others (like noodles, potatoes, and dairy) don’t freeze well at all. As you prepare your meals, make a list of what you’ll need on the day you serve them. Buy those items ahead of time if you can, or ask a friend or family member to pick them up after the baby arrives.
Last but not least, use disposables. More dishes to do is the last thing you need when adjusting to life with a newborn. So skip the nice ones and use plastic utensils and paper plates and bowls. It’s a little thing that makes a big difference.
21 Freezer Meals to Prep for Postpartum
I’m all about keeping things simple. When I was prepping meals for postpartum, I didn’t want to deal with complicated recipes or a long list of specialty ingredients. The meals I chose were easy to assemble and most were ones we already ate regularly.
In this post, I’m sharing the exact 11 recipes I made before my first child arrived. I’ve also added the new ones we made in preparation for our second. And there might be a few bonus ones thrown in there too. 😉
Most of these recipes include meat, dairy, and gluten, so they aren’t designed for any specific diet. However, many of them can be easily modified to fit your needs. A few also require a small amount of day-of prep (like cooking noodles or potatoes), but it only takes a few minutes. Feel free to skip those if you want zero extra work.
With that out of the way, let’s get to the recipes!
Cilantro Lime Chicken
This recipe is a gem from Happy Money Saver, who has an incredible library of freezer meal ideas. My favorite part? Zero cooking is required before freezing. You literally just toss everything into a bag, and it’s ready for the freezer.
This chicken is perfect for homemade burrito bowls or for tacos and nachos. It’s delicious, and we’ll be making this one again and again!
Turkey Chili
This one is also a goodie from Happy Money Saver. My husband and I often choose ground turkey over ground beef, so we liked this variation on normal chili.
Karrie (the creator) doesn’t cook the meat before freezing it, but we decided to. I guess I’m a little paranoid about raw meat. *shrug*
Either way, it’s a quick one that you’ll love.
Beef and Broccoli Teriyaki
Again from Happy Money Saver (thanks Karrie), Beef and Broccoli was another fave for me postpartum. You can buy pre-sliced beef to make prep even easier.
This is one that you’ll probably want rice for, so make a note on your refrigerator list to put the rice in the Instant Pot a little while before dinner time.
Pesto Tortellini Bake
This unique casserole (from Happy Money Saver) is a goodie. I liked that it was different from the other meals we had. The change of flavor was nice. Plus the leftovers lasted us a long time.
Ravioli Lasagna
Lasagna is a pretty typical freezer meal, but I liked the ravioli in this one instead of normal lasagna noodles.
We used half cheese ravioli and half meat. Also, you don’t need to buy fat-free ricotta. Fat-free is actually often worse for you than full fat. (Learn why.)
I have a distinct memory of sitting in my nursing chair breastfeeding my daughter while my husband cut up this lasagna and fed it to me.
Breakfast Burritos
These were a college favorite of my husband’s, so he suggested we include them. I’m so glad he did; they turned out great.
You can customize them however you like—simple with just eggs, sausage, and hashbrowns, or dressed up with sautéed veggies and onions. They do require a bit more prep upfront, but they were worth it for us.
Cook the sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, and any veggies ahead of time, then assemble the burritos. When you’re ready to eat, just wrap one loosely in a paper towel, microwave for one minute, flip, and microwave for one more minute. Quick, filling, and delicious!
Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup is basic but it’s good. The prep is simple: just throw all the ingredients (except noodles) in a bag. You’ll add the noodles during the last 10 minutes of cooking the day you eat it.
Chicken Fajitas
Fajitas are one of my favorite meals, so we had to include them in our freezer meals for postpartum. Slicing the chicken and the peppers is pretty much all you have to do.
When you’re ready to eat your fajitas, you can either throw them in a frying pan or bake them in the oven. Make sure you’ve got your tortillas and toppings ready!
White Chili
We love white chili in our house. The recipe I used is from a family friend.
(We actually had this chili at our wedding reception. I guess we unintentionally made it a meal for special occasions.)
Chili is one of those things that’s easy to make in big batches, so we made White Chili several months before our daughter was born and froze half of it.
PRO TIP: Don’t put the sour cream or half and half in until after you’ve separated the half you’re going to freeze. Your soup will taste much better if you freeze it without dairy then add it in right before eating.
Taco Soup
Taco soup was a classic in my home growing up. I don’t know where my mom got our recipe but it was a good one. The recipe below is from Happy Money Saver and it’s pretty similar to the one I made.
You can use meat or leave it out for vegetarian.
Muffins
Before both of my births, I made banana muffins. They make for a super easy breakfast or snack. Just pop ‘em in the microwave for a few seconds, grab a glass of milk, and you’ve got a delicious treat.
Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes
If you’re a fan of meatloaf, make one now and eat it later! My husband and I both enjoy a good meatloaf so this was one I wish I’d made an extra batch of.
And whattayaknow: homemade mashed potatoes actually freeze and thaw wonderfully, so make a batch to go alongside your meatloaf. All you have to do is thaw them and heat through when you’re ready to enjoy.
Sausage and Kale Lentil Stew
Sausage, kale, and lentils may sound like a weird combination but it’s actually great. This unique soup will keep you warm and get you your greens for the day.
Stir Fry
Stir fry is a great freezer meal and an easy way to get your veggies. For simplicity’s sake, buy pre-frozen veggies and your prep work is almost zero.
Quinoa Egg Muffins
I found this gem of a recipe a few years ago and I’m so glad I made some before my second birth. A quick spin in the microwave gets you a high-protein breakfast or snack with almost no effort. Eat it with BBQ sauce or sauerkraut for some extra flavor.
Chicken Pot Pie
Is it just me or is chicken pot pie the ultimate comfort food? And homemade is just a step up from those store-bought one-serving ones, amiright?
For this one, freeze the filling flat in a bag and make the crust day of. (Or just skip the crust and eat it like a hash…I think that’s what we did.)
Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash
If you’ve had spaghetti squash before and thought, “Meh,” don’t give up just yet. This twist really takes it up a notch. To make it a freezer meal, you just bake it once and pop it in the freezer, leaving the second bake for the day you want to eat it.
(By the way, while you’re on her website, check out more of Lily Nichols’ stuff. It’s gold.)
Stuffed Peppers
If you haven’t tried stuffed peppers with raw peppers and homemade hummus yet, you’re missing out. The meat/quinoa mixture can be cooked then frozen, as can the hummus, just make sure someone picks up some fresh peppers for you the day you want to eat these.
Waffles
I didn’t make waffles before my first birth, but I think it’s a fantastic idea. Instead of buying those little ones from the store, make better ones at home and freeze your own. Then just toast them and they’re ready to go!
My favorite waffle recipe is from King Arthur Baking but I swap the egg out for a banana. It makes the waffles extra crunchy.
Honey Sesame Chicken Wraps
I have yet to try these chicken wraps but I included them because they can easily be made gluten free. Instead of using tortillas, make it a lettuce wrap.
Penne and Smoked Sausage
Another bonus that I haven’t tried yet, this is a fun twist on a basic pasta and meat casserole. Get it all layered up in your pan then freeze instead of cooking. Just pull it out and put it in the oven when you’re ready.
Ready, Set, Prep
Now you’ve got a list of 21 awesome freezer meals to make for postpartum.
But don’t burn yourself out—split the cooking into two sessions if needed, or invite your friends over to turn it into a party.
(And if you don’t have an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker yet, now is the absolute best time to invest!)
No matter how you get it done, your future self will thank you.
Hungry for more tips? Check out How to Prepare for Postpartum: The Ultimate Guide before you go!
Until next time,
Allison
Don’t Forget to Print a List for Your Fridge!
READ MORE:
Your Third Trimester Checklist: What to Learn, Do, and Decide
The 5-5-5 Rule Postpartum (and Why It’s Not Enough)
For the Husbands: What You Need to Know About Postpartum
What Should a Pregnant Woman Eat in the Morning? Meal Ideas + Tips
