Slow Cooker freezer meals are an easy way to simplify dinnertime with kids. The dump & go family meals help to save time during the busy week and save money for those on a budget. With these 7 make ahead freezer to slow cooker meals you can come home to a warm dinner every night of the week. No more trying to figure out what to make for dinner.
To help with the after school rush and busy afternoons I’ve turned to prepping freezer to slow cooker meals for easy family dinners. As a busy mom, the freezer meals have been a lifesaver. Not only do they save money as we eat out less often, but they save time as the ingredients already prepped in freezer bags. All I have to do is empty the freezer bag into the crockpot, set the temperate and let slow cooker do the rest.
Make Ahead Freezer to Slow Cooker Meals:
I don’t have to figure out what to make for dinner every night, I can just thaw a slow cooker freezer meal, empty it into my programmable Hamilton Beach crock pot, set the temperature and timer. I dedicate one afternoon to meal prep when the baby is down for a nap. This past week I made 7 healthy freezer slow cooker meals, and with two of them already eaten this week, I plan to make another 15-20 to stock the freezer.
When the freezer starts to get low, I start getting together another meal plan. I’ll gather a list recipes, make a grocery list, and head to the store.
Tips for Making Freezer to Slow Cooker Meals:
Make ahead freezer to slow cooker meals save time and money. Follow our tips for a stress free meal prep.
- Keep an eye on your grocery store sales to stay on budget. I like to stock up chicken breast, pork chops, and ground beef when it’s on sale. I’ll freeze all the meat in individual portions using fold top sandwich bags.
- Set aside 2-3 hours one day a month and prep every slow cooker meal.
- Print recipes and make a shopping list.
- Writing out the name, directions and cooking times on each freezer bag.
- Chop up all of the vegetables and cook the meat if needed.
- Start filling the bags. – If you don’t have an extra set of hands, these bag holders are amazing and hold the ziploc bag open
You can prep healthy slow cooker meals for a week or even a month of meals in just a couple of hours. By preparing all of the meals ahead of time you’ll have an flavorful family dinner whenever you need i, without all of the work.
When the freezer starts to get low on slow cooker freezer meals, I start getting together another meal plan. I’ll gather the meal prep recipes, make a grocery list, and head to the store. Some of our favorite freezer meals are beef stew, and slow cooker chicken recipes. Since chicken is budget friendly and usually on sale, I tend to make a lot of recipes with chicken breast or boneless thighs.
These slow cooker dump meals are ready when I need them whether it’s before a sports practice, in between or after a game, or on a day when I don’t feel like spending time preparing dinner. It’s such a nice feeling coming home a warm cooked meal after spending the afternoon at the hockey rink or soccer field.
Freezer Meals for New Parents:
When you’re getting the house prepared for baby’s arrival, you can also stock the freezer with make ahead meals. During your first couple of weeks home, you won’t have to focus on what to make for dinner, you’ll well-stocked freezer with healthy meals. Freezer meals also make a great gift for new moms and dads.
7 Make Ahead Slow Cooker Freezer Meals:
- Chili
- Honey Sesame Chicken – served with steamed green beans
- Asian Chicken Wraps
- Hawaiian Chicken
- Pineapple Chicken Burritos
- Sweet and Sour Meatballs- serve over brown rice
- Tex-Mex Chicken – nachos, tacos, chicken enchiladas
*Tip: Make cleanup a breeze with these freezer friendly meals by using a crockpot liner. The Slow Cooker liners make cleanup as easy as 1-2-3! Simply take the liner off of the crock pot and toss it in the trash. No scrubbing involved.
Scroll down to print the Slow Cooker recipes and make a grocery shopping list.
Slow Cooker Chili
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 1 onion dices
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can 15 ounce tomato sauce
- 1 can 28 ounce diced tomatoes
- 1 can 15 ounce red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 Tbsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
-
In a skillet, cook ground beef until no longer pink ground beef. Drain & set aside and let cool.
-
Once ground beef is cooled, add all ingredients into gallon-sized freezer bag.
-
Zip the bag close & place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. Empty the contents into crock-pot, stir together and cook on low 6-8 hours.
Honey Sesame Chicken
- 2 lbs chicken thighs
- 1 cup honey
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp minced onion
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 3 Tbsp water
- sesame seeds
- green onions thinly sliced
-
Mix together honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, garlic, onion and crushed red pepper. Add along with chicken into gallon-sized freezer bag.
-
Zip close & place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. Empty contents into crock-pot and cook on low 3-4 hours.
-
Remove chicken from crock pot, pour sauce into a saucepan and heat on stove on medium heat. Mix together cornstarch and water, and add into saucepan. Stir constantly for a couple of minutes until thickened.
-
Remove from heat and place back into crock pot with chicken.
-
Serve over rice, and top with sesame seeds and green onions.
Slow Cooker Asian Chicken Wraps
- 2 lbs ground chicken
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 cup yellow onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained & rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
- 3 green onions sliced
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- Romaine lettuce or wraps
-
In a skillet, cook ground chicken and garlic until no longer pink, drain liquid and set aside to let cool.
-
Add green pepper, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, salt and pepper into gallon-sized freezer bag. Add chicken once cooled and mix around.
-
Zip close & place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. Empty contents into crock-pot and cook on low 2-3 hours.
-
Stir in water chestnuts, cooked rice, green onions, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Cook for additional 5 minutes.
-
Serve wrapped with Romaine lettuce, taco shells or wraps
Hawaiian Chicken
- 1 can crushed pineapple
- 1 bottle bbq sauce
- 4 boneless chicken breast
-
Add all ingredients into gallon size ziploc bag. Zip close & place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. Empty contents into crock-pot, stir together and cook on low 6-7 hours.
Sweet & Sour Meatballs
Sweet and Sour Meatballs in the crockpot are an easy game day appetizer, You can also serve the sweet & sour meatballs on top of brown or white rice for an easy family dinner.
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 med onion chopped
- 1 16-18oz bottle sweet & sour sauce, or homemade
- 1 cup pineapple tidbits drained
- 1 16oz pkg frozen fully cooked meatballs
-
Place the frozen meatballs, peppers, onions & sweet and sour sauce into a gallon-sized freezer bag. Zip close & place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. Empty contents into crock-pot and cook on low 4 hours, during the last hour add in the pineapple.
-
Serve over rice.
Pineapple Chicken Burritos
- 1½ lbs boneless chicken breast
- ½ (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cups medium salsa
- 5-6 burrito sized flour tortillas
- 1 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce
- 1 cups shredded cheddar/monterey jack blend
- 1 cup cooked rice
- Place the chicken, pineapple, beans, and salsa in a gallon size ziploc freezer bag. Zip close and place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Empty contents into crock-pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
- Remove the chicken and shred. Mix the chicken back into the crock pot with the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix in the cooked rice.
- Fill 5-6 of the burrito tortillas. Place in in a 9×13 pan. Pour 1 can of the green enchilada sauce over the burritos.
- Top with 1 cup of the shredded cheese and place under the broiler on the middle rack until the cheese is nice and melted. About 5 minutes.
Tex-Mex Chicken (Tacos, Salads, Nachos)
- 2-4 boneless chicken breast
- 1 can corn, drained
- 1 can black beans, drained
- 1 can Rotel
- 1 package taco seasoning
- Place all ingredients in gallon size freezer bag. Seal bag and place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. Empty the contents out of the bag and into crock pot. Cook on low 6-8 hours.
- Spread chicken over tortilla chips, tacos, burritos, or salad and top with your choice of toppings including shredded cheese, green onions, black olives, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and salsa.
Printable Grocery List:
Print the grocery shopping list for these crockpot freezer meals.
More Family Dinner Ideas:
Looking for more slow cooker recipes and make ahead meals to freeze for new moms, check out our list of 30 additional crockpot freeezer meals.
This is a nice idea
(Crockpot Freezer Meals) This is such a smart thing to do during the week. Then it’s raedy to go once you get home from a crappy day at work-
i need to start doing that for my winter i do not cook lot and then i do the lasgna and then put it in container for meal easy way to re heat
The crock pot Hawaiian Chicken sounds great, I need more freezer meal ideas.
These are good ideas, and I’m looking into getting a crock pot now for the holidays. I can’t believe I don’t have one!
These are some good recipes and ideas. I want to try this freezer meals.
Oh this is really what I need to do also! Dinners some nights are so hard when you are so busy. I would love to have meals in the freezer ready to put in the crock pot in the morning! So much better than making the quick not very good for you stuff!
I’ve never done freezer meals before, but these look like some great ideas!
I’ve never done freezer meals before, but these look like some great ideas!
I love this idea and have wanted to spend a day doing this for quite some time–perhaps soon!
This is a really good idea. If you have busy schedules, this could be a big time saver.
Thank you so much for posting this. I could use this for this winter break.
I’ve always wanted to try freezer meals. Crockpot freezer meals are even more appealing! I think I’ll try the chili. That’s always a favorite.
I’ve been looking for some new freezer recipes, so will have to give some of these a try. Freezer meals are such a lifesaver!
Freezer meals are smart, economical, and easy to make and use. These look like some super recipes to try!
This is such a great idea! The Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken sounds delicious and the Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken couldn’t be any easier! Thanks for the recipes.