10 Make-Ahead Breakfast Freezer Ideas
Breakfast Freezer Meal Ideas for Busy Mornings
Freezer cooking is an awesome way to enjoy a little convenience at your fingertips, without having to resort to unhealthy, processed foods. If you’re new to freezer cooking, why not start by preparing a few make-ahead breakfasts? If you have breakfast ready to go in the freezer, you can streamline your morning routine AND make sure you have brain and body fuel for the day ahead!
I’ve wanted to experiment with freezer cooking for a while, and two weeks ago I got a chance to try it out. The resulting food stash has been wonderful, but I want to share a few tips I gleaned from my experience in case you decide to try your hand at freezer cooking, too!
Tips for Freezer Cooking
Tip #1: Make room in your freezer ahead of time
I cleared out a little bit of space in preparation for our freezer foods, but not as much as I needed! A couple of days before doing your freezer cooking, make sure you free up ample room. This is a good time to do a freezer inventory. Find out what you’ve got in your freezer. Consolidate, throw out old items, and defrost a big piece of meat to give you some space for the foods you’ll make.
Tip #2: Keep it simple
For my first freezer cooking session, I thought I was keeping it simple by only making three things–granola bars, waffles, and breakfast burritos. But a couple of hours in, I realized that even three was too many items for a freezer cooking newbie like me! If you’re new to freezer cooking, stick with just one or two items.
Tip #3: Designate separate work stations for each of your items
One thing I did right was to clear off the kitchen counters before beginning, and keep each freezer recipe on a different counter. I devoted one counter to waffle ingredients and waffle-making, one counter to granola bars, and the counter next to the stove for burritos. Although there was some sharing of ingredients between recipes, setting boundaries for each freezer item made the process more efficient and uncluttered.
Tip #4: Allow time for cooked food to cool
When you’re blocking out time for a freezer cooking session, be sure to include time for hot food to cool down. You don’t want it to be hot when you package it for the freezer, or the condensation may result in soggy food.
Ready to get started with freezer cooking? Here are some breakfast freezer meal ideas for your inspiration!
10 Make-Ahead Breakfast Freezer Ideas
1. Breakfast Burritos
Breakfast burritos are super versatile. Get creative with your fillings and use bacon, sausage, peppers, onions, different types of cheese, whatever sounds good to you! I made a batch with diced, skillet-cooked potatoes.
2. Egg Sandwiches
I fully admit, I like those Egg McMuffins from McDonald’s! But you can stay out of the drive-through by making your own healthier, cheaper version at home. Try these sandwiches with biscuits, English muffins, or bagels.
3. Waffles
For something more filling and healthy than Eggo waffles, make a batch from scratch! Stack them in freezer bags and pop them in the toaster to defrost and crisp up. This recipe turned out great, and you can make it with regular flour if you don’t have Einkorn.
4. Muffins
This would be a good one to make when you’re already preparing a batch of muffins for supper–just double whatever recipe you’re making and freeze cooled muffins in a Ziploc bag. Here are my recipes for Heavenly Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins and Pumpkin Black Raspberry Muffins.
5. Smoothies
Freeze individual “smoothie kits” in Ziploc bags–fruit, ice cubes, mix-ins like dried coconut, kelp powder, flax seed, etc. In the morning, just dump it in the blender along with a few scoops of yogurt, kefir, or some milk.
6. Pancakes
Like waffles, a regular pancake recipe can be made in advance. Stack and freeze the pancakes, then reheat in the oven or toaster.
7. Breakfast Bars
This breakfast granola bar makes a good non-messy grab-and-go breakfast. Let them cool, then cut each bar and wrap in wax paper secured with a piece of tape.
8. Breakfast Biscuits
It’s really hard not to eat these savory breakfast biscuits straight out of the oven, but if you can manage to set aside a batch to freeze, you’ll be glad you did on those busy mornings!
9. Cinnamon Rolls
Imagine digging in to a hot, gooey cinnamon roll just minutes after waking up. This can be your reality if you make and freeze a batch ahead of time!
10. Toaster Strudel
Pack these toaster pastries with something sweet, like berries and cream cheese, or go with a savory egg-and-meat filling.
Have these recipes got you inspired to try out freezer cooking? Here are some more links and resources you might want to check out:
7 Easy Steps for Planning a Freezer Cooking Day @ Intentional By Grace
10 Easy Freezer Meals @ The Humbled Homemaker
35+ Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Freezer Meals @ The Humbled Homemaker
Freezer Cooking: What, Why, and How @ Young Wife’s Guide
New Leaf Wellness and Money Saving Mom have lots of freezer meal ideas and free printables! There’s also a chapter on freezer cooking in my cookbook, Real Food for the Real Homemaker.
This is great! I’ll be doing some post-partum freezer meals soon! 🙂
Wow that was an awesome list! Copied it all down and got the recipes to fit on 2 sheets front to back :). My husband goes to work at 530 and it would be nice to have these grab and go meals/snacks. I think my kids would really like them to, especially when I’ve been up all night with a little one. Thank you for making such a cool list!
Nice! I’m so glad you found it helpful! My husband is a teacher and likes to leave the house early, so he loves this, too!
i make French toast and freeze. When my kids want some I just pop them in the toaster. Instant breakfast! They freeze really well and way than the French toast sticks
I make French toast sticks out of Texas toast and freeze them too and they are a real hit here. I love having breakfast grab and go things ready.
Oh, I love that idea! I want to try that!
I JUST did a post about homemade freezer “egg mcmuffins” with homemade chicken sausage patties and homemade sourdough english muffins …
https://frugalhomeandhealth.blogspot.com/2015/08/homemade-chicken-sausage-and-freezer.html
We really love having freezer breakfasts ready to go. The only thing I have never tried on this list is the toaster pastries but I’ll definitely check them out! Thanks for the great post!
Joanne – Frugal Home and Health
Oh, I need to check out your recipe! My husband would love those!!
Let me know how it goes! 🙂
What do you suggest if i don’t have a baking stone?
Did you mean to leave this comment on a different post? I’m not sure what recipe you’re referring to! I usually use a cookie sheet with parchment paper if my baking stone isn’t available!