10 Meal Prep Tips for Beginners (For Quick and Easy Meal Prep)

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When I first started meal prepping, I experienced my fair share of mistakes and lessons. But with over 7 years of meal prepping experience now, I’ve since learned not only what works for meal prep, but what works for me — and I’m here to share those lessons with you! Whether you’re just learning about meal prep for the first time or already on your way to making your first meal plan, these 10 meal prep tips for beginners can help make the learning process a little easier.

Jump To:

• Make a weekly meal plan
• Check your pantry before shopping
• Double dip on ingredients
• Experiment with spices and condiments
• Keep recipes easily accessible
• Cook longer meals first
• Prep freezer-friendly options
• Use your slow cooker to save time
• Prioritize your kitchen investments
• Start with something simple

1. Make a weekly meal plan

One of the most common mistakes that people make when they first start meal prepping is jumping in without a plan. However, one of the most essential elements of making your meal prep sessions run smoothly is creating a weekly meal plan or menu.

When you take the time to sit down and brainstorm your meal plan for the week, you can easily choose recipes that fit your personal tastes — or even find recipes that you’ve never tried before. Meal planning also allows you to create a grocery list, which will help you avoid spending extra time and money at the store.

2. Check your pantry before shopping

How many times have you bought an ingredient from the grocery store only to head home and find that it’s already in your fridge or pantry? While it’s not the end of the world to have two of an item on hand, not having to buy every ingredient on your shopping list can free up your budget for other things.

So, before you even head to the grocery store with your shopping list, don’t forget to shop your own pantry first. And of course, keeping your fridge and pantry stocked with the basics (like canned goods, grains, and condiments) can help you save even more time and money at the grocery store.

3. Double dip on ingredients

One of my top time-saving tips for creating weekly meal plans is to build your menu around similar ingredients. By using the same ingredients for multiple recipes in your meal plan, you’ll not only save money at the grocery store, but also save time in the kitchen.

If you want to stretch your ingredients, try using the same ingredient in multiple recipes or building a recipe around one main ingredient. So, for example, tofu can be used for both Japanese curry and stir fry, while marinated beef can be paired with rice and veggies or used in tacos and quesadillas.

4. Experiment with spices and condiments

In the delicious world of home cooking, seasoning is key — and meal prep is no exception to this rule. In fact, unless you have an aversion to seasonings and spices, there’s no reason not to get creative when flavoring your meal prep recipes.

If you’re someone who enjoys creating meal prep recipes from scratch, consider incorporating seasonings and ingredients like these into your next recipe:

• Herbs: basil, bay leaves, chives, coriander, dill, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thyme.
• Spices: anise, black pepper, cumin, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, paprika, red pepper, saffron, sesame seeds, and turmeric.
• Condiments: BBQ sauce, buffalo sauce, gochujang, hot sauce, honey mustard, hummus, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, salsa, and soy sauce.

5. Keep recipes easily accessible

One of the most important meal prep tips for beginners is to keep your meal prep recipes accessible. When you can easily pick out which recipes you want to cook for the week, and quickly access them during your weekly prep, it makes the planning and cooking process so much easier.

Speaking of cooking, if you’re someone who prefers to use paper recipes while you’re cooking, make sure to have your recipes printed off before you start cooking. And if you prefer using digital recipes, consider screenshotting the recipe rather than viewing it on the website directly (just in case the page refreshes or your internet goes out).

6. Cook longer meals first

While you don’t necessarily have to be an Iron Chef to be good at meal prepping, meal prep does require some basic skills in the kitchen. One of the most helpful basic cooking skills for meal prep is knowing how to multitask to save yourself time.

Whenever you have multiple recipes to prep for the week, a first good step is to organize them by cook time. Once you start cooking, begin with the recipe that has the longest cook time first — this will allow you to prep your quicker recipes in the meantime. If done correctly, your meals should finish up around the same time, which saves you more time at the end of the day.

7. Prep some freezer-friendly options

Millions of people across the world enjoy meal prepping every week, from college students on a budget to parents packing their kid’s lunches. But when it comes to meal prep tips for families, I always keep convenience in mind — and we all know how convenient freezer-friendly meals can be.

While cooked meal prep only lasts about 3-4 days in the fridge, most prepared foods can last for 3-6 months of more in the freezer. So, the next time you’re cooking up a big batch of vegetarian chili for your weekly meal prep, don’t forget to store some in the freezer for yourself (or your kids) for those extra busy weeks.

8. Use your slow cooker to save time

Anyone who owns a slow cooker will probably tell you that it’s one of the best investments they’ve ever made in the kitchen. After all, nothing beats throwing a bunch of ingredients in a pot, leaving it for a few hours, and coming back to a delicious slow-cooked meal.

One of the great things about using a slow cooker for meal prep is that it can batch cook recipes like chilis, stews, and roasts, all of which are perfect for meal prep. Plus, once your slow cooker is cooking, it’s almost entirely hands off until you’re ready to portion or eat your meals.

9. Prioritize your kitchen investments

When it comes to specialized kitchen equipment like blenders, food processors, and slow cookers, not everyone has the money to invest in these types of tools. In fact, there are plenty of other meal prep accessories to consider purchasing first before spending money on specialized equipment.

So, one of my top meal prep tips for beginners is this — before you run out and buy the newest Instant Pot or stand mixer, make sure that you’ve already invested in the meal prep basics, like:

• a good knife set
• a cutting board
• measuring cups and spoons
• pots and pans
• baking trays and tins
• meal prep containers

10. Start with something simple

Perhaps one of the most important things to remember as a beginner is to start small and keep it simple. Because even though meal prep is for everyone — and anyone can learn how to meal prep — that doesn’t mean that it won’t take some time to get the hang.

If you’re feeling hesitant about jumping into a full week of meal prep, one of my best tips for meal prepping for beginners is to start with something small. Maybe that looks like prepping your ingredients a few hours ahead of dinner, or prepping your breakfast the night before. Small steps like these can help you get used to how meal prep feels, which will make it easier when you decide to give weekly meal prep a try.

And there you have my top 10 tips for meal prep beginners! I hope these tips will help you feel more comfortable and confident as you integrate meal prep into your own weekly routine.

By the way, if you’re completely new to meal prep and want to learn how to start meal prepping, don’t forget to check out my 5-step beginner guide.