Here’s a list of freezer-friendly bento dishes that you can stock up on! With this collection, your bento-making will be much easier, smarter, and more effective.
Some Japanese homemakers wake up early in the wee hours of the morning to pack beautiful bento lunch boxes for their spouses and children. The truth is, I can barely wake up at 6:30 am.
So how do I make Japanese-style bento for my children? It’s about strategizing based on your lifestyle and routine. With better planning and practice, you’ll get into the groove and become a pro at bento-making.
💡I always make extra food for dinner and stock up in the freezer/fridge. In the morning, choose all the dishes you want to pack and reheat (or sometimes pack directly into the bento box).
🔖 Here, I’ve created a list of freezer-friendly dishes for you. They are family-friendly and kid-approved too. Bookmark this page for future reference!
Table of Contents
Freezer-Friendly Main Dishes
🙋🏻♀️ Please note that I marked (v) for vegetarian. The time shown below indicates the required cooking time for each recipe (including marinating/inactive time). And YES, we can freeze all these dishes after finishing cooking.
⏲️ Under 30 Minutes
Beef
- Beef and Green Pepper Stir Fry (Chinjao Rosu)
- Carrot Beef Rolls
- Gyudon
- Simmered Beef with Ginger (Shigureni)
- Teriyaki Steak Rolls
Chicken
- Butter Shoyu Chicken
- Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)
- Mapo Eggplant (Mabo Nasu)
- Omurice (Omelette Rice)
- Soboro Don
- Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
Pork
- All-Purpose Miso Meat Sauce (Niku Miso)
- Baked Tonkatsu
- Chashu Fried Rice
- Easy Fried Rice
- Ginger Pork (Shogayaki)
- Ginger Pork Rolls with Eggplant
- Ham Katsu
- Kabocha Pork Stir Fry
- Katsudon (Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl)
- Miso Pork and Eggplant Stir Fry
- Miso Ginger Pork
- Okonomiyaki
- Teriyaki Pork Donburi
- Yakisoba
- Yaki Udon
Seafood
Pasta
- Ketchup Spaghetti (Napolitan)
- Japanese-style Tuna Mushroom Pasta
- Miso Butter Pasta with Tuna and Cabbage
- Japanese Pasta with Shrimp and Asparagus
- Japanese-style Pasta with Shrimp and Broccolini
Vegetarian
- Japanese Fried Rice with Edamame, Tofu and Hijiki Seaweed (v)
- Kimchi Fried Rice (v)
- Niratama Donburi (v)
- Soy-Glazed Eggplant (v)
- Stir-Fry Miso Eggplant (v)
- Stir Fry Vegetables (v – please omit pork in the recipe)
- Teriyaki Tofu (v – please omit katsuobushi in the recipe)
⏲️ Under 60 Minutes
Beef
- Baked Croquettes (Korokke)
- Menchi Katsu (Ground Meat Cutlet)
- Nikujaga (Japanese Meat and Potato Stew)
- Wafu Hambagu (Japanese Style Hamburger Steak)
Chicken
- Baked Chicken Katsu
- Chicken Karaage
- Chicken Katsudon
- Chicken Cheese Katsu
- Chicken Katsu
- Chicken Teriyaki
- Garlic Miso Chicekn Wings
- Garlic Onion Chicken
- Gluten Free Baked Chicken Katsu
- Gluten Free Karaage
- Shio Koji Chicken
- Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
- Yakitori
- Chicken Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Sauce
Pork
Seafood
⏲️ Over 60 Minutes
Beef
- Bulgogi (Korean Grilled Beef)
- Hambagu (Japanese Hamburger Steak)
- Instant Pot Short Ribs
- Japanese Croquettes (Korokke)
Chicken
- Chikuzenni(Nishime) – Simmered Chicken and Vegetables
- Instant Pot Nishime
- Honey Soy Chicken
- Miso Chicken
Pork
Seafood
- Ebi Fry (Japanese Fried Shrimp)
- Japanese Salted Salmon (Shiojake/Shiozake)
- Miso Salmon
- Shio Koji Salmon
Vegetarian
- Kabocha Croquettes (v – please omit bacon)
- Vegetable Gyoza (v)
Freezer-Friendly Side Dishes
⏲️ Under 30 Minutes
- Bean Sprout Namul
- Broccoli Blanched with Sesame Oil
- 3-Ingredient Simple Tamagoyaki
- Tamagoyaki (Sweet Rolled Omelette) (pack frozen)
- Kinpira Gobo (v) (pack frozen)
- Kinpira Renkon (v) (can pack frozen)
- Chikuwa Isobeage
- Carrot Namul (v) (meal prepped)
- Green Bean Gomaae (v) (meal prepped)
- Green Bell Pepper with Okaka (meal prepped)
- Korean Pancake
- Namasu (Daikon and Carrot Salad)
- Pounded Burdock Root with Sesame Sauce (Tataki Gobo)
- Simmered Bamboo Shoots
- Simmered Sweet Potatoes with Lemon
- Spinach Namul and Bean Sprout Namul
- Spinach with Sesame Miso Sauce (Gomaae)
⏲️ Under 60 Minutes
- Gluten Free Korean Pancake
- Hijiki Salad
- Simmered Kiriboshi Daikon (v)
- Simmered Taro (v)
- Steamed White Rice (v)
⏲️ Over 60 Minutes
- Instant Pot Kuromame
- Japanese Turnips with Soboro Ankake Sauce
- Okra Ohitashi (Japanese Okra Salad)
- Ramen Egg (Ajitsuke Tamago)
- Simmered Fried Tofu and Greens
- Simmered Kabocha
- Spinach Ohitashi
Freezer-Friendly “Bento Fillers”
⏲️ Under 15 Minutes
- Blanched broccoli
- Blanched asparagus
- Blanched green beans
- Blanched okra
- Blanched corn
- Chikuwa Okra (can’t freeze Chikuwa Cucumber)
- Ham Flower
- Octopus Sausage
- Quick and Easy Tamagoyaki
When you plan your weekly menu, include the freezer-friendly dishes from the list. Make sure you cook a big batch, portion, and freeze.
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Hello dear team,
speaking exclusivly for vegetarian Bentos (rice, veggies, tofu, tamagoyaki): could I pack the bento, freeze it and take it out in the morning so it is thawed until lunch? Like that I could prepare the food for the whole week on sunday.
Thanks
Hello, Brigitta! Thank you so much for taking the time to read Nami’s post!
You can pack certain vegetables and tamagoyaki right away from the freezer, but defrosting the rice at room temperature is not recommended. Because the bacteria grows, it is unsafe to consume.
Tofu, on the other hand, should not be frozen. It changes the texture.
How about packing your lunch, freezing it (without the tofu), bringing it in the ice box to keep it frozen, and then heating it up in the microwave before eating? We hope you find this information useful.🙂
what is that dish with the cupcake cups and in the pyrex? It’s the first picture of the article. It looks delicious! and I can’t seem to find it.
Thanks!
Hi Zachary, Thank you so much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
It’s Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs!
https://www.justonecookbook.com/chicken-meatballs/
We hope you enjoy it. 🤗
If I have a bag of store bought frozen vegetables how do I pack them? Do I thaw them in the fridge and put into the bento box or do I heat them, let them cool then pack or pack them frozen and let them defrost on their own?
Hi Gloria! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipes!
It depends on the frozen packages. If it’s a ready-to-eat package, you can pack them in the bento directly, but we recommend reheating or cooking them first before you pack them.
We hope this helps!
How do we unfreeze dishes? Should they be put in the fridge 24 hours before or is 12 hours enough?
Can dishes be unfrozen by being heated and if so: when and how?
Thank you for the delicious recipes and the tips you always give!
Hi Juliette! Thank you for reading Nami’s post!
Overnight should be enough for most dishes, and you can also use a microwave to reheat/defrost in the morning too.
More detail is at the bottom of each recipe card, so please check it out.🙂
We hope this helps!