The BEST Frozen Meat Alternatives To Always Have on Hand

Hey earth muffins! As an environmentalist, it is important to utilize your freezer to reduce your food waste. Whether this means storing leftovers for later or having quick meals on hand for busy nights, your freezer is a huge asset to avoid buying take out. For those of us on a plant-based diet, there are plenty of frozen meat alternatives to stock your freezer with – keep reading for 4 of my favorites!

~MorningStar Veggie Grillers Crumbles

These are awesome, plant-based “beef” crumbles that can be used for basically any recipe. There isn’t any seasoning on them which makes them the perfect base for a quick meal. Because they are small, they cook in about 4-5 minutes… The resealable bag allows you to take out a portion (or two) and keep the rest in the freezer for another day!

~Beyond Breakfast Sausage

The one bad thing about many frozen meat alternatives is that they are packaged in plastic. But, these sausage patties are just in a cardboard box – no plastic around each patty either! These are perfect for breakfast sandwiches or the classic “breakfast for dinner” when you need a meal ASAP.

~MorningStar Chik’N Strips

These can be used for any recipe that has chicken in it! They cook in about 7 minutes; the quick cook time makes it a freezer essential for sure! Even though the package doesn’t say the strips are flavored, there are some subtle Mediterranean spices on them. They are quite subtle, so I wouldn’t worry about it overpowering the flavors of your recipe.

~Gardein Plant-Based Mandarin Orange Chick’n

This is basically a full protein dish in a bag, and it cooks in about 15 minutes (perfect timing to make some rice on the side as well). These are perfect for when you don’t feel like cooking but want to avoid getting take out. And it is delicious too!

It is always a good idea to have your freezer stocked with quick, ready to eat proteins… This is still possible even if you are on a plant-based diet! While frozen meat alternatives typically are wrapped in plastic, it is much better to use them to cook yourself a meal instead of ordering take out after a busy day at work/school. What are your favorite freezer essentials? Comment below and let me know what you always keep on hand in the freezer!