10 Crockpot Freezer Meals (+ Grocery List!)

See how to make 10 easy Crockpot freezer meals with just a couple of hours of work. Get a shopping list, printable labels, recipes, and full instructions for getting slow cooker meals in the freezer.

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On Tuesday, we were all about the Instant Pot Freezer Meals. Today, it's the Crock Pot's turn!

🍲 Why use Crockpot freezer meals?

A Crockpot makes it super simple to cook freezer meals. I consider these the easiest kind of freezer meals you can find - true "dump and go" meals.

You'll freeze ingredients in a bag/freezer container, drop them in the slow cooker on the day you want to enjoy the meal, and come home to a delicious, easy, home-cooked dinner!

If you're looking for a hands-off way of preparing your freezer meals, the Crock Pot is the way to go. These recipes do take longer than something like the Instant Pot to prepare, but it's really simple to throw them in the slow cooker before work.

⏰ How long does it take to prepare the meals?

To prepare the meals for the freezer, I'd budget 2-3 hours. That includes chopping all of your veggies and meats, making sure your containers are labeled, and actually packing the freezer containers.

Let's break that down. Say you're on the upper end and take 3 hours to prepare your meals. That's 18 minutes per meal. How many home-cooked meals do you know of that take under 30 minutes to prep? Not that bad!

Check out more Crock Pot recipes on the blog! I've got you covered from soups (Basic Corn Chowder) to dessert (Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake).

🍽️ What meals are we making?

Today, we're making 11 meals. In this set of freezer meals, we're be prepping...

• Beef Stroganoff
• Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo
• Pulled BBQ Chicken
• Vegetable Beef Soup
• Balsamic & Brown Sugar Pork Chops
• Creamy Mexican Chicken Pasta
• Italian Meatballs
• Hawaiian Chicken
• Pot Roast
• Broccoli Cheese Soup
• Chicken Florentine Crescent Ring

Let's get started!

1️⃣ Step 1: Gather supplies.

You won't need nearly the amount of supplies that you needed for my IP boot camps! This is a much simpler process...chances are, you have most of the items in your kitchen already.

• The most important thing, obviously, is your slow cooker. I have one of the simpler Crock Pot Models (similar here) and it works just fine. No complicated machines are needed!
• You'll also need at least 11 gallon-sized freezer bags.
• I absolutely love this bag holder for opening those freezer bags while you're putting in the ingredients! So much more convenient than trying to balance the bags yourself.
• You'll be chopping quite a few veggies, so I recommend something like this vegetable chopper to make the process a little bit easier.
• You'll need everything necessary to print my labels (see below)...printer (I use this one), paper, ink, and maybe even a paper cutter. I use clear packing tape to attach the labels to my bags.
• And, before you start, make sure you have enough freezer space! I always recommend having a freezer clean-out week before you prep something like this. A chest deep freezer can be super helpful with freezer meal prep days.

2️⃣ Step 2: Buy groceries.

Don't worry...you don't even have to go through every recipe and make a list! I have that done for you.

You can grab the full grocery list in my printable collection for newsletter subscribers. It has everything you'll need to prepare your meals. It's totally free to join!

Once you sign up, access instructions will be in your email inbox within a few minutes.

One note on groceries: as long as you serve these freezer meals in a reasonable amount of time (a week or two), the ingredients that you won't be freezing shouldn't go bad.

The only ones that have the potential for spoiling before their serve day are the salad that goes with the Creamy Chicken Mexican Pasta and the breads served with the Pulled BBQ Chicken, Broccoli Cheese Soup, and the Meatballs.

I would definitely serve those meals first if you're buying everything at once!

Where To Shop for Groceries

I am a huge fan of using Walmart's Grocery Pickup service for bigger trips like this. Gust order your items online using the grocery list I have in the printable collection and pick them up from your local store at no extra charge!

It's incredibly convenient and a great way to organize your groceries to ensure you get everything. Click here to get a $10 off coupon for trying it out!

3️⃣ Step 3: Prep freezer bags.

I have all of the labels and recipe cards for this post ready to go as well!

The meal labels will go on your freezer bags. They contain all of the info you'll need to prep the frozen meal on serve day, including side item suggestions and cook times.

The recipe cards are a little more in-depth. They have contents of freezer meal bags too, just in case you want to replicate these freezer meals later on. These are to save for later and are totally optional to print right now!

Once your labels are printed, cut them out and go on and attach them to your freezer bags with packing tape.  The tape won't stick if you wait until your meals are frozen! This step makes the prep process so much easier.

I've also heard that some users have had success with the double-bag method...place your label in a bag and then place a second bag inside that first one (so you label is sandwiched between the bags). This makes it a little less likely that frost/condensation will fade your labels.

4️⃣ Step 4: Prep vegetables.

Cutting and prepping your veggies before you assemble your meals will make the process so much easier!

Here's what you need to do:

1. Peel and dice 1 bag (1 pound) of carrots.
2. Chop 3 large onions.
3. Slice 1 large onion.
4. Slice 1 large red onion.
5. Mince 2 cloves garlic.
6. Chop 1 cup of celery.

After you're done, set your veggies out buffet-style to make for easy bag preparation. (This picture is from another post, but kind of shows you how to put it out for easy assembly.)

5️⃣ Step 5: Prep meat.

I recommend doing this in a separate part of the kitchen if you can to prevent any unnecessary cross-contamination.

You'll need to...

1. Chop 7 chicken breasts in half.
2. Cut 2-3 chicken breasts into strips.
3. Dice 2 chicken breasts into 1" chunks.
4. Brown and drain 2 lbs of ground beef.
5. Brown, drain, and crumble 1 pound of bacon.

6️⃣ Step 6: Assemble your Crockpot freezer meals.

If you've made it this far, you're to the easy part...no, really! The prep work is the most time-consuming thing you'll do. Assembly is easy.

Here's what you're going to put in each freezer meal bag:

Meal 1: Beef Stroganoff

In your freezer bag:

• 1 lb stew beef
• 14.5oz can beef broth
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• ¼c Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pack brown gravy mix
• 1 tablespoon pepper

To Serve:

1. Thaw meal just enough to remove from freezer bag.
2. Cook meal on low in slow cooker for 8 hours.
3. Stir in 16oz sour cream 30 minutes before serving.
4. Cook egg noodles and toss with ½ tablespoon butter.
5. Steam green beans in microwave with ½ cup water for 6-7 minutes. Toss with ½ tablespoon butter and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Needed for Serve Day:

• 16oz sour cream
• 12oz bag egg noodles
• 12oz bag frozen green beans

Side item: Buttered egg noodles, green beans

Meal 2: Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

In your freezer bag:

• 2 jars Alfredo sauce
• 1 14oz bag frozen broccoli
• 2 chicken breasts (4 halves)
• 1 cup chicken broth

To Serve:

1. Thaw meal just enough to remove from freezer bag.
2. Cook meal on low in slow cooker for 6 hours.
3. One hour before serving, shred chicken breasts. Prepare fettuccine and breadsticks according to package directions.
4. Serve alfredo over fettuccine with breadsticks on the side.

Needed for Serve Day:

• 1lb fettuccine pasta
• 6ct pack garlic breadsticks

Side item: fettuccine, garlic breadsticks

Meal 3: Pulled BBQ Chicken

In your freezer bag:

• 1 bottle BBQ sauce
• 2-3 chicken breasts (4-6 halves)
• ½ cup chicken broth

To Serve:

1. Thaw meal just enough to remove from freezer bag.
2. Cook meal on low in slow cooker for 4-6 hours.
3. One hour before serving, shred chicken breasts. Prepare French fries according to package directions.
4. Toast buns just prior to serving.

Needed for Serve Day:

• 8ct pack hamburger buns
• 1 bag frozen French fries

Side item: French fries

Meal 4: Vegetable Beef Soup

In your freezer bag:

• 1 15oz can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 15oz can cut green beans, drained
• 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
• 1lb carrots, diced (all of the diced carrots)
• 1 tablespoon Chicken Better than bouillon
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoon pepper
• 2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained (all of the cooked ground beef)
• 1 large onion, chopped (⅓ of the chopped onion)

To Serve:

1. Thaw meal just enough to remove from freezer bag.
2. Add bottle of V8 juice and cook meal on low in slow cooker for 6-8 hours.
3. Prepare cornbread according to package directions. Serve on side of soup.

Needed for Serve Day:

• 1 box cornbread mix (plus eggs/milk to prepare)
• 1 46 oz bottle V8 (I used hot and spicy V8 for a little kick!)

Side item: Cornbread

Meal 5: Balsamic and Brown Sugar Pork Chops

In your freezer bag:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoon salt
• ½ tablespoon dried thyme
• ½ tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 onion, sliced (all of the sliced onion)
• 1.5 lbs bone-in pork chops

To Serve:

1. Thaw meal just enough to remove from freezer bag.
2. Add meal to slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
3. Thirty minutes before serving, stir 2 tablespoon cornstarch into ½ cup of cooking liquid. Stir mixture back into slow cooker and cook on high until thickened.
4. Serve mashed potatoes on the side.

Needed for Serve Day:

• 1 tub mashed potatoes
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch

Side item: Mashed potatoes

Meal 6: Creamy Mexican Chicken Pasta

In your freezer bag:

• 15 ounce jar of alfredo sauce
• 1 16-20 ounce jar salsa
• 1 pack of taco seasoning
• 2 chicken breasts (4 halves)

To Serve:

1. Thaw meal just enough to remove from freezer bag.
2. Add meal to slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
3. Shred cooked chicken 5 hours into cooking. Cook pasta to al dente.
4. Thirty minutes before serving, mix in pasta and top with cheddar cheese. Serve pasta with salad.

Needed for Serve Day:

• 16oz box rotini pasta
• 8oz shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 bottle favorite dressing
• 1 pack salad mix

Side item: Salad

Meal 7: Italian Meatballs

In your freezer bag:

• 1 pack Italian sausage
• 1lb ground beef
• 1 egg
• ½ sleeve saltines, crumbled
• ¼c parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoon ketchup
• 2 tablespoon dried Parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• (Mix all ingredients above in a large bowl and roll into 1.5” balls.)
• Top with 1 24oz jar spaghetti sauce

To Serve:

1. Thaw meal just enough to remove from freezer bag.
2. Add meal to slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
3. Prepare pasta salad according to package directions.
4. Serve meatballs on hoagie rolls, covered in tomato sauce, with salad on the side.

Needed for Serve Day:

• 6 pack hoagie rolls
• 1 box pasta salad mix

Side item: Pasta salad

Meal 8: Hawaiian Chicken

In your freezer bag:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 lbs chicken, cut into strips (all of the sliced chicken)
• 1 can pineapple chunks
• 1 large red onion, sliced (all of the red onion)
• 1 bottle bbq sauce
• 2 tablespoon minced garlic (all of the minced garlic)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 16 ounce bag frozen stir fry

To Serve:

1. Thaw meal just enough to remove from freezer bag.
2. Add meal to slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
3. Cook rice according to package directions.
4. Serve chicken over rice.

Needed for Serve Day:

• 2 cups white rice

Side item: White rice

Meal 9: Pot Roast

In your freezer bag:

• 1lb bag baby carrots
• 1c chopped celery
• 1c chopped onion (half of the remaining onion)
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 pack brown gravy mix
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 4lb chuck roast
• Note: Depending on size, you might want to freeze the chuck roast in a separate bag.

To Serve:

1. Thaw meal just enough to remove from freezer bag.
2. Add meal to slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
3. Serve with veggies and mashed potatoes on the side of shredded roast.

Needed for Serve Day:

• 1 tub mashed potatoes

Side item: Mashed potatoes

Meal 10: Broccoli Cheese Soup

In your freezer bag:

1 14 ounce bag frozen broccoli
1 large onion, chopped (all of the remaining chopped onion)
1 tablespoon flour
1 can evaporated milk

To Serve:

1. Thaw meal just enough to remove from freezer bag.
2. Add meal to slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. Remove half of the contents and (carefully) blend until smooth. Pour back into soup mixture.
4. Add chunked pieces of Velveeta and stir until melted.
5. Make grilled cheeses using the remaining ingredients. Serve with soup.

Needed for Serve Day:

• ½ block (8oz) Velveeta cheese
• 1 loaf bread
• 1lb sliced turkey
• 8oz sliced cheddar cheese
• butter

Side item: Turkey & cheddar grilled cheese sandwiches

Meal 11: Chicken Florentine Crescent Ring

(Note: This is not a Crockpot freezer meal, but it's so easy to prepare I thought I'd include it! You're not going to have to put in much extra effort to make this one as you would with a slow cooker meal.)

In your freezer bag:

• 2 chicken breasts, diced small (all of the diced chicken)
• 1 pack bacon, cooked until crisp (all of the cooked bacon)
• ⅔ cup mayo
• 1 pack ranch dressing mix
• 1 box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

To Serve:

1. Thaw contents of bag.
2. Make a sun shape out of crescent pieces on a pizza pan.
3. Pour mixture evenly on the inside circle and fold outer edges of crescent roll pieces in.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cut into slices to serve.
5. Serve potato wedges on the side.

Needed for Serve Day:

• 16oz tube crescent rolls
• 1 bag potato wedges

Side item: Potato wedges

And just like that, you're done with weeks of Crock Pot freezer meals!

Remember: All of your cooking directions can be found on your labels or on the recipe cards...click here to download the labels or click here to download the cards.

💡 Tips & Tricks for Freezer Meal Success

Tip 1: Use bag holders to keep freezer meal bags open while prepping.

When you're adding the ingredients of your freezer meals to zip-top bags, chances are you aren't going to have a free hand to hold the bag open. These tong-like holders keep your bag open, making bulk meal prep so easy!

Simply clip the bag into the top of the holder and slide off once ready to freeze.

Tip 2: Lay freezer meal bags flat while freezing.

You will be able to store so many more freezer meals in a small space by laying the bags flat when freezing. This makes the bags thin, stackable, and even vertically fileable...my favorite way to store.

If you "plop" the meal upright on a flat surface for freezing, it takes up a ton of extra space!

Just remember to lay the meal on a truly flat surface for freezing (not a grated surface, like the shelves of a deep freezer). You can put a cutting board or even a piece of cardboard under your meal to make it freeze flat if needed.

It also helps to squeeze as much air out of the freezer bag as possible.

Tip 3: Put printed freezer meal labels in plastic baggies.

If you've ever added a printed label to a freezer meal, you probably know about the ink issue. The label will almost always collect condensation, making the ink run and the label curl. Not very pretty and usually kind of difficult to read!

An easy solution is to place your label in a small plastic baggie. This protects it from any kind of moisture that collects in the freezer.

You could always laminate labels if you use them frequently, but that's a lot of time and work for just one use. It takes seconds to pop them in a baggie and they're really inexpensive! I simply attach these to my container with packing tape to keep them together.

Tip 4: Keep frozen meat frozen.

This is purely a safety rule, but is super important to know if you're making freezer meals.

If your meat is already frozen, it must stay frozen when you put in/with your meals. Thawing and re-freezing meat is a no-no! The exception to this would be if you're cooking the meat before re-freezing (that is fine).

Yes, this makes combining ingredients a little more difficult, but nobody wants food poisoning.

Tip 5: Mix the contents of your meal before freezing.

This is another freezer meal hack that can help you in the safety department.

When placing the ingredients of your meal in the container (whether it is a bag or a plastic bowl), make sure your meal is stirred before freezing. Often, similar ingredients can clump together, making it more difficult to get denser ingredients (like meat) thoroughly cooked before serving.

By mixing your ingredients, the denser ingredients will be evenly distributed, allowing for more even cooking. This also ensures that flavors are evenly distributed throughout the meal.

Tip 6: Cook double the recipe and freeze the extra meal.

Sometimes, you don't even have to have a full freezer meal prep session to have a few backups in the freezer! One of my favorite ideas is to cook double what you'll need for a meal and freeze half. This is perfect for meals like soup, chili, sloppy joes, or curry.

I love using these Souper Cubes to make individual servings of meals. They are silicone trays that allow you to measure out just what you need for a single serving - that way, in a pinch, you can thaw just for one or two people. (Sidenote: These trays are also amazing for baking mini loaves of banana bread!)

Tip 7: Keep an inventory on your freezer.

While yes, you can search through your freezer to see what meals you have on hand, placing a simple printable on the door makes inventorying your stash a breeze! And I've got the perfect one for you today.

You can hang it on your freezer and cross off/add meals as they come along - doesn't get easier than that! This is also a great way to make sure meals are used within a few months of preparation.

❔ Crockpot Freezer Meals FAQs

There's more where that came from!

If you're new to the site, I offer several premium freezer meal boot camp packs that include exclusive recipes and printables. These packs are digital downloads available as individual packs or in bundles at a low price.

See my freezer meal line-up for more information.

Happy cooking, friends! Let me see these Crockpot freezer meals in action 📸 - tag me on social media (@lambertslately) with your prep session pictures. You can also leave a review ⭐️ of the recipes in the comments below!