Best Ever Lunchbox Freezer Ideas For Back To School

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The Freezer Is Your Best (School) Friend

Freezing lunchbox bites is a great way to lock in nutrients – and buy you precious time on school mornings. Super freeze settings, available in even the budget freezer ranges, will drop the temperature to extra-cold so you can snap-freeze your baking.

“Baking your own snacks is often cheaper and healthier than buying store-bought snacks; and muffins, biscuits and cupcakes will generally thaw easily by themselves in time for recess,” says Katrina Springer, the mum-of-three behind the Aussie blog, The Organised Housewife.

The Best Freezers For Freezing Lunchbox Treats

With a spacious freezer at your disposal, you can batch-bake everything from muffins to mini quiches, then store it all in an upright freezer or chest freezer. The upright is basically a fridge that freezes. Offering loads of room with adjustable shelving and baskets you can neatly pack with all your frozen lunchbox ideas, upright freezers can be single door or come side by side with a fridge.

With its top-opening door, the chest freezer gives you the space to deep dive into Back to School lunchbox prep. Look for models with internal lights, plus drawers and clear sections to keep your stockpile of healthy lunchbox treats organised and easy to spot.

“For the best of both worlds, hybrid freezers can switch between fridge and freezer mode to take the overflow from either appliance,” says Peter Simic, The Good Guys Buyer – Refrigeration. “The convertible technology lets you increase your freezer capacity at the start of the school term and adjust it as you need.”

TOP TIP: If you’re baking during the school holidays, freeze half of every batch to get ahead for the school term.

Shop Freezers

Hisense 200L Hybrid Chest Freezer

Hisense 155L Vertical Freezer

Westinghouse 86L Vertical Freezer

Make The Most Of Your Time And Your Oven

Top marks go to double ovens that help multitask dinner and lunch prep with two separate ovens that can be set at different temperatures. That said, some of the latest model single ovens feel like doubles too, with clever multilevel cooking systems to stop flavour transfer, so you can bake biscuits AND fish for dinner.

“If the oven is on anyway, it can be a great way to make the most of your time in the kitchen,” says blogger Katrina Springer.

“I recommend you do some batch cooking, but it doesn’t even need to be multiple batches. My favourite cookie dough recipe makes 100 cookies of four different types.”

Timer and delayed start oven features also mean that lunchbox baking can start and finish when it’s convenient for you. Upgrade to a self-cleaning pyrolytic oven – and kiss scrubbing goodbye!

Shop Ovens

Westinghouse 60cm Electric Oven

Westinghouse 60cm Pyrolytic Steam Oven

Westinghouse 90cm Dual Fuel Freestanding Cooker

Shop All Ovens >

What Can You Freeze?

Muesli slices, bliss balls, quiches, sausage rolls, zucchini slices, omelettes and pancakes all freeze and thaw well, as do sandwiches if you use butter and wrap them tightly to help stop ingredients making the bread soggy.

Freeze uncooked cinnamon buns and fire up the air fryer in the morning, so they are super fresh for lunchboxes.

If you have time, Katrina Springer suggests reheating snacks like sausage rolls before popping them into a thermos to keep them warm.

Because time is in short supply in busy households, using the right small appliances will help you make short work of these freezable lunchbox ideas.

Shop Speciality Appliances

Breville The Light & Fluffy Omelette Maker

Breville The Crisp Control Waffle Maker

Ninja Dual Zone Air Fryer

Recipe: Banana And Weet-Bix Muffins

Got a pile of Weet-Bix crumbs at the bottom of the box and a few ripe bananas? Nothing goes to waste with this freezable muffin mix – not even precious morning minutes on the school run.

Recipe by Katrina Springer, The Organised Housewife.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

Makes: 12 muffins

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, mashed

4 Weet-Bix, crushed

3/4 cup (180ml) milk

2 eggs

80g margarine

1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flour

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 cup (190g) milk chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C, or 180°C fan forced.

2. Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tray or line with paper patty cases.

3. In a medium bowl, add bananas, Weet-Bix and milk, mix to combine. Set aside for 10 mins to soften.

4. In a large bowl, beat eggs and margarine.

5. Fold in banana mixture.

6. Add flour, sugar and chocolate chips, mix to combine.

7. Spoon mixture evenly into muffin cases.

8. Bake muffins in oven for 20-25 mins, or until golden and cooked through.

9. Rest in tray for 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

TOP TIP: For a fruity alternative, swap chocolate chips with sultanas.

Love these lunchbox freezer ideas? Need to upgrade your freezer to make way for more muffins and sausages rolls? See us in-store or online for expert advice and the biggest brands at the best prices.