Here are 31 crockpot freezer recipes that don’t require any cooking ahead of time. Simply combine the ingredients and freeze!
These recipes take “easy” to a whole new level. Since none of the ingredients need to be cooked ahead of time, they can be prepped very quickly. I’ve settled into a routine where I spend 45 minutes assembling meals on the weekend, and that’s all the cooking that I need to do for the week.
This method of meal prep saves me time, money, and the headache of trying to figure out what to make for dinner every night.
Plus, since these meals cook for the very first time in my crockpot, they don’t taste like leftovers at all. Wahoo!
If you’re nervous about mixing raw meat and vegetables, don’t be. I did a lot of research when I was writing my No Cook Freezer Meals cookbook and, according to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, freezing to 0 °F inactivates any microbes present in food (such as bacteria, yeasts, and molds). That means freezing raw meat with vegetables, sauces, and spices is perfectly safe. (You can find more info on food safety here.)
Here are 31 crockpot freezer recipes that I’ve tried myself. They’re all absolutely delicious, nutritious, and easy to make.
31 Crockpot Recipes That You Can Freeze Without Any Cooking Ahead Of Time
- Chicken Chili
- Chicken Curry
- Shredded BBQ Chicken
- Honey Sesame Chicken (from Damn Delicious)
- Chicken Soup with Mexican Seasonings
- Hawaiian Chicken
- Ginger Garlic Chicken (from my No Cook Freezer Meals cookbook)
- Mexican Chicken Chili with Cornbread Topping
- Ginger Peach Chicken
- Red Pepper Chicken
- Lemon Pepper Chicken
- Chicken Fajitas
- Cranberry Chicken
- Italian Chicken
- Chicken Teriyaki
- Beef Roast and Carrots (our favorite!)
- Orange Shredded Beef
- Spicy Pepper Beef
- Beef, Lime, and Cilantro Chili
- Pot Roast with Green Beans
- Garden Veggie Soup with Ground Beef
- Beef and Barley Stew (from Live Simply)
- Meatball Veggie Soup
- Sausage Spinach Tomato Soup
- Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork
- Cranberry Pork Roast
- Party Pork Roast
- Lime Shredded Pork
- Tomato, Turkey, and Vegetable Soup
- Turkey, White Bean, and Kale Soup
- Turkey and Black Bean Chili
If the recipe doesn’t contain freezer directions, simply combine all of the ingredients in a gallon-sized plastic freezer bag, remove as much air as possible, and freeze for up to three months. (I used to brown my ground meat before freezing, but now I even freeze those meals raw.)
When you’re ready to eat, thaw the bag in your refrigerator overnight or in a bowl of cold water. Cook according to the recipes instructions and add 1-2 hours if the meal isn’t totally thawed. Enjoy!
Thoughts or questions? Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
These look delicious! One question: Do you find that any of the raw meats make the final dish too greasy?
Nope, I’ve never had that problem. I’m not sure if it matters, but I buy at least 80% lean ground beef.
If it isn’t floating then it has locked up with other fat in the recipe and isn’t left loose to form on the top of the soup but using 80% burger raw in a recipe still results in 20% of the weight of beef you started with as pure fat. You would be far healthier to brown and drain it before hand. If you are freezing several meals at once just cook it all at once and then separate it to the individual meals.
lol, i love ppl that think fat is SOOO unhealthy
Ditto!
It’s the type of animal fat that matters or, more importantly, how the animal was raised and what it ate. We need healthy animal fat in our diet to be healthy. However, it’s imperative that the animal be raised organically AND free range and grass fed. No pesticide or chemically fertilized laden grains! Eating the fat of animals fed food that isn’t their intended-by-nature diet is very unhealthy.
I love this idea! Would love to see somethign like this for vegetarian recipes.
Thanks for the feedback, Danielle!
I found you through moneysavingmom. I too would LOVE to see some vegetarian freezer meals. I only cook meat once or twice per week, for both health and budget reasons. Thanks for the great list, though!
Thank you for the feedback, Kelly! I will definitely consider it for a future post.
I would LOVE to get your ebooks but have no money;( Darn! Guess i’ll have to wait a few months. If I can only afford 2 ebooks, which ones do u reccomend?
Start with No Cook Freezer Meals. In my opinion, it’s the best! 🙂 I think 15-Minute Freezer Recipes is my second favorite, but if you’re going to buy two you might as well buy my eBook bundle because the price is similar and you get all three cookbooks.
If you can’t afford to purchase the books, check them out from your local library. They’re FREE and if a recipe really suits you, you can make a photocopy of it or write it down.
Found myoufrom money saving mom. This list looks awesome. Thanks! And I’ll be back on your site for the aforementioned easy DIYs!
Thanks, Karissa!
Thanks for the great list!! What size crockpot do you use, Kelly?
I have a 4-quart Hamilton Beach slow cooker and 7-quart Crock-Pot slow cooker. They are both very basic models. I use the smaller one for chicken breast meals (because they’re easy to over-cook and dry out) and the bigger one for soups (with lots of broth) and roasts (because I want them to cook down and get very tender). When one of them dies, I have my eye on this 6-quart Crock-Pot with a timer and travel lid. Great price and a lot of great features.
Thanks so much! My neurologist is discussing removing a meningioma and I was wondering why my husband could cook during recuperation that would be easy for him and tasty for me. These sound good as solutions to both questions.
That sounds like a wonderful idea, Phyllis. Best of luck in your surgery and recovery! <3
Hi there, I had a meningioma removed in 2012 — just in time to save my life, as it had been there so long (my GP misdiagnosed migraines and had me on 180 Tylenol-3’s a month!) that the fluid build-up in my brain almost killed me. Three years later, I am completely recovered — and I haven’t had a headache since! You will recover, too, so don’t hesitate to have it removed. Best of luck — and slow-cooker meals will be just the ticket for your husband as you recover.
PTC? IIH? Also have fluid build up and optic nerve damage. Standing over the counter/stove too long makes my shoulders and neck very stiff, therefore I cook minimally (poor hubby). These crockpot meals, if I did them all in a couple days with hubbys help, would help us eat healthier!