more freezer crockpot recipes

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more freezer crockpot dinner recipes- one afternoon of prep yields twenty dinners!Well, friends, I am pretty excited about today’s post. Mostly, I’m excited that I finally got another round of Freezer Crockpot Cooking finished (you might remember that freezer cooking and make-ahead meals have been absolutely revolutionary for this busy mama). I love making dinners for our family, and at the same time, love having the option of a readymade meal once a week or so.

I made new recipes this time. I’ve been collecting new crockpot freezer recipes and am excited to add some new things to our freezer crockpot meal rotation. That does mean, however, that we are still trying all of these, so I can’t vouch for any of them.

Want to get this freezer crockpot cooking party started?

freezer crockpot cooking recipesAlso, just for fun, my mama was helping me with this round of freezer crockpot cooking (we made a whole batch of these for my brother and SIL as they adjust to life with a brand new baby)… I thought I’d share a picture of our adventures in freezer crockpot cooking- isn’t she too cute?

We made-

-5 batches of Pineapple Pork

-5 batches of Teriyaki Honey Chicken

-5 batches of Lemon Chicken

-5 batches of Beef Broccoli

freezer crockpot recipe- pineapple porkPineapple Pepper Pork (modified from this recipe at Once a Month Mom)

IN THE BAG- 1.5 lbs cubed Pork Loin or Tenderloin, 1/2 cup apple juice, 1/2 a red pepper, chopped, 1/2 onion, chopped, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 3 Tbsp corn starch.

TO COOK- Thaw in the fridge. Place in slow cooker. Add one 20 oz can of crushed pineapple. Cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours or LOW 7-9 hours.

TO SERVE- Serve with rice or couscous.

freezer crockpot recipe- teriyaki honey chickenTeriyaki Honey Chicken

IN THE BAG- Place 4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs), 1/2 of a red bell pepper, chopped, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, 2 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp minced garlic in a gallon bag.

TO COOK- Thaw. Bake at 350ºF covered 20-30 minutes. Uncover and bake 20-30 minutes longer, or until juices run clear.

TO SERVE- Serve with rice and vegetables.

freezer crockpot recipe- lemon chickenLemon Chicken (from this recipe at Once a Month Mom)

IN THE BAG- Add 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 3 Tbsp lemon pepper seasoning, 2 Tbsp melted butter, 1 sliced lemon, 1 tsp parsley to a gallon sized freezer bag.

TO COOK- Place in crock pot, remove the lemon rinds and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

TO SERVE- Pair with rice, quinoa or potatoes.

freezer crockpot recipe- beef broccoliBeef Broccoli (from this recipe at Once a Month Mom)

IN THE BAG- Whisk together 1/4 cups beef broth, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 2 Tbsp white wine, 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp olive oil, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes. Add mixture plus one and a half pounds chuck steak, cut into strips, to a gallon sized freezer bag. Freeze cooked 2 cups brown rice and 1 cup broccoli florets in their own separate bags.

TO COOK- Thaw beef/marinade bag and rice, but not broccoli. Cook beef mixture in crock pot for 6-8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. Add frozen broccoli for the last hour of cooking.

TO SERVE- Serve over warm brown rice and garnish with sesame seeds.

Also, just to make things a little easier, my shopping list is below.

freezer crockpot cooking shopping listA note about the shopping list- I made twenty meals, five of each recipe. However, in order to simplify, the shopping list will provide enough groceries to make one batch of each meal. Make sense? That way you can double, triple, quadruple as necessary.

Enjoy, friends!

ps- For more freezer crockpot cooking check out Freezer Crockpot Cooking Round 1Freezer Crockpot Cooking Round 2, the Freezer Crockpot Cooking, Garden Edition, more Freezer Crockpot Cooking, and some tried and true favorites turned freezer dinners.

Also, after trying this out for the last couple years, I wrote a review of our freezer cooking experience. It’s a good place to start if you’re new to Freezer Crockpot Cooking.

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141 Comments

  1. I am SO glad you keep posting these. I have yet to actually make any for my freezer yet, but when I know if I’m moving or not I am sooo all over this. Just don’t want all my freezer meals to have to get thrown out if we move….
    ugh. Just one more thing on hold til I know what the heck we’re doing…do I sound frustrated? 🙂

    1. Alicia, I always think that this would’ve been revolutionary around baby time. Fingers crossed that you have a plan soon, friend. 🙂

    2. Just had to reply to your post since we were just in that limbo mode but while we were waiting I put together 10 crock pot freezer meals and toted them in a cooler when we moved. I had wonderful warm meals right on hand to feed the people who weathered the below 0 temp in Minnesota and helped us move. It was great. Now that we are settled in, I am going to do more, because I know they turned out and were delicious. Hang in there!

  2. My daughter is getting ready to move out for the first time and I am trying to arm her with easy, delicious and good for you meals. I don’t want her to do what I did, PB&J and Top Ramen, auugghhh to even think of it now! Anyway we will be trying them here and if she likes they will go into her repertoire. Thank you for these, I have spent so many years cooking for an army I have a hard time thinking in smaller terms. By the way, looks like Mom is having a great time, Mom’s are the best!!

  3. I just found your blog in a list of DIY blogs, and didn’t expect to find this great post. Freezer meals are the one thing that I really needed to be working on since I am 8 months pregnant, but my dozen sewing projects are just so much more fun. Thanks for giving me a great spring board for getting some meals in the freezer!

  4. I just made these and realized that I never used the apple juice. Couldn’t find where I was supposed to? Did I miss it?

    1. Hmmm, Debra… I can’t figure out where that’s supposed to go either? Thanks for letting me know so I can switch that around (and sorry if you bought apple juice for no reason).

  5. Just made 5 batches of pineapple pork for a meal swap. They turned out great! I didn’t freeze them, but left them to marinate in the fridge overnight before cooking. I think the apple juice is from the original version of this recipe – I just poured in the juice from the can of pineapple and didn’t add the extra juice. It had enough sauce, I thought. Served it with brown rice and a salad. Yum! Thanks. 🙂

    1. Marty- brilliant! Thanks for the tip on the apple sauce- I think I did the same thing you did, but can’t remember. 🙂
      And LOVE the meal swap idea! 🙂

  6. Thanks for the instructions that separate the veggies from the rest of the meal. I’m just getting started with the freezer crockpot meals (LOVE THEM) and I’ve found that the low and slow method results in mushy veggies. yuck. Your directions really gave me great ideas to separate them and just add them at the end. YAY!

    1. Alexandra, crockpot cooking is definitely trial and error, isn’t it? I am learning too- glad the ‘veggies separate’ is helpful to you! 🙂

  7. How many servings are in each batch? I have a family of 8, I’m assuming I’d need to double each batch, but wanted to check.
    Thanks!

    1. Hey Sara- yes, definitely double! They serve 4, generally. We have a family of 4, but two of those people are a 4 year old and a 2 year old. I usually have enough leftover for lunch the next day, though, so I’m guessing 4 is about right. Hope that helps!

  8. Do you have to thaw them to put them in the crockpot? If not, how do you ensure the frozen portion will fit in your crockpot? Do you recommend the quart size bags?

    1. Hey Angie, we use the gallon sized bags and usually do thaw them for a day before cooking them in the crockpot. Hope that helps!

  9. I don’t often leave comments, but after reviewing several of your make-ahead-recipe posts I felt you deserved some praise! With school, dance, volleyball, etc. getting ready to kick into high gear….the “CRAZY” is soon to take over. Generally speaking, the “CRAZY” I’m referring to is normally ME!! Lol. It can all be a bit overwhelming, but you have simplified life for many of us moms and/or dads. I’ve scoured Pinterest in regards to the whole make-ahead/freezer/crockpot meals & your posts leave me feeling inspired. The recipes sound delicious & you’ve even given us a shopping list to boot! I’m gonna feel like “supermom” this school year, yippee! (-; Thanks so much & kudos to you.

  10. Hi Kirstin! I think this idea is great! I will most definitely have to try these recipes sometime. I have one question, exactly how long will these meals last in the freezer?

    1. Brooke- thanks! And, I don’t quite know… I would say 3 months-ish? My dad has a food preserver that sucks all of the air out of the bags and using that seems to make them last much longer (maybe 6 months)? We usually use ours within the first couple months of making them, though, and I would say that’s probably a good general rule…

  11. I have started doing these but I agree their is a lot of trial and err. Some I have tried got too done because I work and am not home til 6:00 so the crock pot I set for 8 hours and then it kicks to warm but some meals have over cooked. These look and sound better than some I have tried. Wondering if you have made some beef ones. I have a whole cow in my freezer and I would like to use that meat but didn’t know if anyone had tried defrosting that meat mixing and then refreezing. I think beef will hold up to the longer cooking times.

    1. Jenn, YES tons of trial and error! I’ve found the same thing with overcooking and often put them in around 1 or 2 and just let them cook for 4 or 5 hours, but it sounds like that isn’t an option for you.
      I did try a beef one on this last round (Beef Broccoli)- haven’t eaten it yet though. I bet the beef would do well with cooking longer, though, so if you find some good recipes, please do share!

  12. I should’ve read the comments before yesterday, LOL. I did a triple batch of the beef broccoli and then froze two and put one right in the crock pot!! OVERDONE! 😮 We still ate it and it was fine. But my question…do you put the rice in the crockpot with the beef/sauce or with the broccoli? We put the broccoli and watched it CAREFULLY the last half hour or so because I can’t handle whiny children about how mushy the broccoli is. 😉 Haha oh…just read the recipe again…you DON’T put the rice in, you serve this over the top. Oh well. We’ll know for next time. THANKS for this…a dear friend of mine wanted to do a meal exchange. We are using your site to come up with simple dishes to swap!! I do the 3, keep one for us and give her 2 and she swaps me 2 of something she’s done. We’re each doing 3 recipes, so I’ll have 9 frozen meals, 6 different varieties!! YAY

  13. Can’t wait to try these recipes out….a great idea for a Christmas gift for the non-cooks in my life! Thanks so much for sharing!

  14. most sound fab and im gonna try but the teriyaki chicken has to bake at 350….etc…..so it or not part of the crock pot meals ?

    1. I think I have actually tried that one in the crockpot and it worked fine- however, I do make some of them in the oven as well (the honey rosemary chicken, for example). If you try the teriyaki in the crockpot, will you let me know if it works for you?

  15. hi. im wondering how does the lemon chicken cook with nothing to give it juice? all of the other meals have something that adds moisture, but this one doesn’t. Please help!!

    Thank you.

    1. Yes, someone else mentioned that as well. I have this one in my fridge right now and will try it as directed and then update if needed. 🙂

        1. Hey Victoria, my husband ended up putting it in and added a can of chicken broth because he was nervous too (haha!). It turned out fine with the broth, though, so perhaps try that? I looked at the original recipe and it doesn’t call for any more liquid, so you might try it without adding anything at all. Hope that helps!

  16. I wanted to say Thank You for sharing these recipes. I am a long time Crockpot Freezer cooker always looking for easy, edible ideas and most times, the recipes aren’t things my family necessarily want to eat, so after looking them over, the ‘shopping list’ that the site gives out doesn’t pertain anymore and then I have to do the work! LOL These are recipes that they will definitely enjoy so you have done all the ‘thinking’ for me 🙂 Thank you! And if you are new to this type of cooking, just relax and throw some together, you will soon see that your crockpot and your freezer are you best friends! Thanks again.

    1. Julie, it is tricky to figure out which ones work for your family, right??? 🙂 Glad it seems like these will work for you. Thanks for stopping by!

    1. I think I got them from Michael’s, in the dollar section??? It was awhile ago, though… If you find more, let me know. 🙂

  17. Thanks for taking the time to help the rest of us! I am a new momma (baby girl is 3 months) and I use freezer meals all the time! I love them! I needed some new ones that I liked because a few I’ve made I haven’t liked much. These sound great. Question: is there a nice printable page for each recipe and the grocery list? It’s ok if not, I just didn’t know if my tired momma eyes couldn’t find it. Happens all the time lol

    1. Rachel, congrats on your baby girl!!! How fun (and how exhausting!). 🙂
      We have also tried several freezer crockpot meals that we haven’t loved- I am always on the lookout for keepers that my family really loves. There are a few in this bunch, which is nice. 🙂
      Also, I don’t think there are printables with these ones (there are on a couple of the previous posts). It’s a good idea to get those up, though!

  18. Hi there! So excited to try these meals! Just wondering if you typically use frozen chicken, or fresh? Thanks!

  19. I have problems with overcooking too- what I have found works well is starting a recipe on high as soon as I get home from work- then usually by bed it is ready and we reheat and have it the next day.

  20. I love these ideas – great standards that I can easily modify to my family’s food challenges.

    Thank you for posting the shopping list; it makes it so much easier to prep.

    One quick question, with the Lemon Chicken, do you thaw the ingredients before putting them in the slow cooker, or can they go into the slow cooker frozen?

  21. Hi! These sound great and I’m currently looking to replace my crockpot. It got lost in hurricane sandy and I didn’t use it much before hand. A lot of reviews say the $50 crockpot brands are not good and boil the food even when on a warm setting. So going to the pros on this one — can you recommend a good crock pot brand for me? and is it worth getting the 6-6.5 quart one for multiple batchs of one recipe?

    Thanks so much for your help!!

    1. Hey Christina, I have a regular 5 quart Crockpot. It isn’t fancy, but it DOES sometimes overcook. If you’re going to be gone all day and not able to start the meal later in the day (or able to monitor), a higher end crock pot might be worth the investment. 🙂

  22. What a wonderful blog! I am going to do these this week! I love crockpot cooking and usually use my crockpot at least once per week. My teenagers, however, are getting tired of the same old recipes. I am excited to try these! I did notice, however, that the Chicken Teriyaki is not a crockpot recipe. How would you modify it to be a crockpot recipe? Thank you!

    1. I am always trying new recipes as well! If you try the teriyaki in the crockpot (as per the usual routine- thaw in the fridge the day before, cook on low for 4+ hours), will you let me know how it turns out?

  23. I am new to this frozen meal thing and was wondering if you prepare all the meat raw or cook it before you freeze it. I am concerned about food poisoning especially with the chicken dished. thanks

  24. Thank you so much for posting these recipes! I’m making them for the first time right now… I’m just wondering what the apple juice is for from your ingredients list. I keep looking back over the recipes, but I can’t seem to figure out what to do with the apple juice. Am I missing something? I did already use the apple cider vinegar.

    Thanks so much!

  25. I just prepared these! Thanks for the recipes! One question if you don’t mind. When you bake the teryaki chicken, do you put all the sauce in or just pull out the chicken? Can’t wait to cook and try them all! Thanks again!

  26. Tried the steak one and the pork one with great success!! Thank you!!

    I only added a bit of honey to the steak one & cooked the rice in beef stock. I also found that adding extra veggies, a frozen stir fry mix, was nice too.

    For the pork one, I added broccoli & I think next time I’m going to up the salt & add a bit of pineapple concentrate to amp up the flavor. So yum! Thanks!

    1. Beth, thanks so much for the report- I love the idea of trying steak and more veggies. And great idea to add a little pineapple concentrate! 🙂

  27. These look fantastic!! Can’t wait to try!
    One comment/tip about overcooking and the auto switch to warm on many slow cookers…we’ve used a timer between the outlet and the slow cooker plug (like what you’d use to plug a lamp into so it turns on when you’re not home), so that the slow cooker doesn’t auto-switch to warm and overcook the meal if we happen to work late one night. We just set the timer to turn the crock pot off at a specific time, based on when it was turned on and how long the recipe needs. It stays warm for at least an hour or two after turning completely off. The worst that has happened is that we’ve had to wait another 15-30min for the food to get hot again if we’ve stayed out way too late. But still no overcooking!

  28. Love these recipes and the grocery list… just made up two of every recipe. My family and picky son loved your Beef Broccoli. Just one question, I just noticed I didn’t use the Apple Juice that was on the grocery list. Which recipe should I have added that too? Did I just miss it? I’m guessing the pork since that was the only thing without a liquid added, but let me know if you have a chance. Thank you!!

  29. Hello – Thank you for the recipe ideas! We love what we have tried out, so far, but I made the Lemon Chicken recipe tonight and the 5 tablespoons of lemon pepper seasoning was WAY too strong for 6 chicken breasts! I love the taste of lemon pepper, but it was even a bit too much for me. Should it be 5 teaspoons, by chance? 🙂

    1. Leslie, perhaps it should be. I remember that one being too lemon-y for me too, though I thought it was because I left the lemons in the crockpot. If you try it with less lemon pepper, will you let me know?

      1. Maybe it depends on the brand of lemon pepper seasoning. My chicken was black from all the pepper in the lemon pepper seasoning and way too spicy (my 2 year old, who can handle spice, was the first to eat it and was trying to wipe his tongue off with a napkin!). We ended up using our forks to gently rub the seasoning off so we could eat it. Definitely not a keeper…

  30. For this batch I only did the Teriyaki Chicken & Lemon Chicken …. We don’t eat anything except Chicken & Seafood on a regular basis!

    So the Teriyaki Chicken was great, hubby loved it, He LOVES teriyaki chicken!

    The Lemon Chicken… well, the first time I made it I forgot to take the lemon peels out, and it was HORRID… I tried making soup but it was just too sour!

    I’m making it tonight and while it seems better since I took the lemons out (took all the lemons out), it still doesn’t seem spectacular. I won’t be making this one again!

  31. On the shopping list it says apple juice, where does that go? I am guessing it goes in the pineapple pork since there is no added liquid except the crushed pineapple that you add when you put it in the crock pot.

    1. Sarah, it goes in the Pineapple Pork, you’re right! I added it to the recipe- sorry for missing that the first time. 🙂

  32. A huge thank you and hugs for taking the time to post these recipes. I recently acquired a large crockpot and have been searching for recipes that sound good and don’t use pre-packaged ingredients (cream of something soup, packaged seasoning mixes, etc). These recipes sound simple, fast, and most importantly, delicious. I love my freezer, and I think I will soon love my crockpot. Thank you again!

  33. I am interested in the Lemon Chicken recipe. How could it work if it has no broth or water added to it? Won’t the chicken dry out in the crock pot after 6 hours?

    Here’s the recipe I have in mind:
    IN THE BAG- Add 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 5 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning, 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 sliced lemon, 1 teaspoon parsley to a gallon sized freezer bag.

    TO COOK- Place in crock pot, remove the lemon rinds and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

    TO SERVE- Pair with rice, quinoa or potatoes.

    1. You know what, I don’t exactly remember why this works. I don’t remember adding anything else to it, however, so I’d suggest making it as directed. I DO have one of these thawing in my fridge, so I’ll make it as suggested and let you know how it goes. 🙂

  34. Ok….just did it. Had to make some changes…….took about a hour to put it all in the freezer.
    Thank you, and I am so proud of myself for finally doing this.

  35. Hi, I have put together the teriyaki chicken and lemon chicken today for future use. I was looking for an update about the lemon chicken and no other liquid except the melted butter? Can you confirm that please?

    Thank you.

    1. Hey Suzanne- my husband put it in the crock pot and was concerned, so he added half of a can of chicken broth. It worked great, though!

  36. Cooking the beef today. Thawed overnight in fridge. When I put it in the beef was brown, no longer pink. Is this normal?

  37. Has anyone tried the Lemon Chicken and cooked it? Seems that the 5 TBS of lemon pepper might be too much. Also I have read comments regarding lemon slices…I believe they can get rather bitter when cooking. These recipes all look great and appreciate your effort.

    1. Hey Kandy, I just checked the original recipe and, yes, the 5 tablespoon measurement was correct.
      Definitely remove the lemons to cook the meal! 🙂

  38. Disappointed that these were all meat and poultry dishes– was hoping for something veg-friendly. I’ll have to check out your site to search for such recipes!

  39. I am so excited! I bought (your shopping list at the bottom was so helpful) and prepared all 4 meals yesterday afternoon. Preparation was super easy! We just finished eating our first meal- beef broccoli- and it was SO SO yummy! The only thing I had to add was a little Tony Chachere’s bc we are used to our food having a bit more spice and bite to it. I am really pumped to try the other 3 meals! Even the kids (5 & 1 1\2) loved it. Thanks!

  40. Do you have any crockpot recipes that don’t include chicken and rice? My guys like their beef and sausage and after a while rice gets a little redundant.

    1. Hey Mary- we were working on some freezer meals this week! One of them is Philly Cheesesteaks and one is Chicken Parmesan (still chicken, but with noodles not rice). 🙂 Stay tuned!

  41. We tried the pineapple pork and didn’t like it at all, which is unfortunate because it was sooo easy.

  42. Came across your crock pot freezer meals….they sound yummy and I can’t wait to try them. Recently, Two of my friends and I got together and made some freezer crock pot meals. It was great. We did it assembly line style which went so much quicker. We ended up with 10 meals each that cost about $55.00 each. Very economical.

  43. AM I MISSING SOMETHING NOT LISTED ON THE LEMON CHICKEN? IT SEEMS IT MIGHT BURN IF THERE IS NO LIQUID IN THE CROCKPOT?

    1. Hey Trisha- the original recipe doesn’t call for more liquid. You could add chicken stock if you want, though.

  44. I spent the better part of my overnight shift scouring your website looking through all your recipes and reading comments. 😉 I normally don’t leave any comments, but noticed something and wanted to make a suggestion for you..
    I saw that the Teriyaki Chicken didn’t make it into the regular rotation, and wanted to suggest the variation I have for you to try.
    1lb chicken, 1C honey, 1/2C soy sauce, 1/4C ketchup, 2t vegetable oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2C diced onion, 1/4t red pepper flakes. Cook in crockpot for 3-4 hours on low, 1-1 1/2 on high. Add a bit of cornstarch to sauce to thicken up.
    It never lasts in my freezer long. Everyone in the house loves it, even my picky 5 year old. I know I’m over a year late posting here, but since it’s a bit different than yours, I thought you may like to give it a try. Please let me know if you do. It’s my go-to recipe and I love sharing it with people 🙂

    1. Kati, so glad you took a moment to comment. And I will DEFINITELY try this- I love tried and true recipes!!! Thank you!

  45. I love all your ideas cooking with the crock pot ty I dont have to slave over a hot oven or pot of food , just dump n let it cook 6-8hrs kudos 4 u n mama hubby will sure love the great ways of using the crock pot, more in the summer days then winter days lol.

  46. Thanks for your recipes. I will go shopping tomorrow and can’t wait to try . Some of your ingredients are unknown to me or unavailable, eg. alfredo sauce, fig and basamic jam, BUT I am in Australia so maybe one day we will catch up. Do you ever do lamb or fish recipes. We are very big on lamb way down here. Looking forward to more chop and freeze recipes soon. Thanks, keep up the good work.

    1. Maree- funny story- we now live in Saipan (near Guam) and can’t get many of those ingredients anymore either. 🙂 The alfredo sauce could be replaced with a cream based pasta sauce (like vodka sauce- do you have that in Australia?) and the fig jam could be replaced with any fruit salsa, or many other kinds of preserves (ones with low sugar). Hope that helps!

  47. Thanks for the recipes. I love using my crockpot in cooler weather. It frees up so much time. When you say a chicken breast, do you mean a double breast or a single breast. I’m in Australia and it’s usual to be able to both them both ways. I find it easier when you list pounds because 2 pounds is about 1 kilogram for us Aussies.

    1. Tracey, I mean single breast, but recording by weight is a great tip!We will try to keep that in mind for our next post…

  48. Pingback: Rayon Blog
    1. Hey Kareena, I haven’t made that one in so long that I don’t want to lead you astray. I’m guessing the soysauce/ginger/etc combo is the ‘teriyaki,’ but you could add some in as well? If you do, would you let me know how it goes?

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