These Freezer Friendly Vegan Meals Are Perfect For Busy Weekdays

Some days, cooking feels like the last thing you want to do. You’re busy, tired, or just not in the mood to start from scratch. That’s where these freezer friendly vegan meals can make all the difference, giving you something nourishing to fall back on without the effort.

Hannah Howlett, known for her YouTube channel and platform High Carb Hannah, has built a following by sharing simple, whole-food, plant-based recipes focused on weight loss and sustainable living. In a recent video, she shows how freezer friendly vegan meals can take the pressure off daily cooking without sacrificing nutrition.

Read more: The Secret To Vegan Meal Prep That Actually Works

Framing the video around what she calls her “lazy girl prep,” Howlett explains that as life gets busier, having ready-made meals becomes essential. “I feel like the older I get, the lazier I get,” she says, adding that these freezer staples help her stay consistent with healthy eating. Across breakfast, lunch, and dinner, she shares three freezer friendly vegan meals designed to be practical, affordable, and easy to reheat.

Oat waffles for quick, unprocessed breakfasts

Howlett starts with a breakfast that’s as simple as it is versatile: mini oat waffles made from pantry staples. The batter is made from oat flour, flaxseed, and baking powder. To this, she adds plant milk, mashed banana, and maple syrup. It’s a straightforward mix that delivers a naturally sweet, whole-food option without relying on processed ingredients.

She prepares multiple waffles in one go using a mini waffle maker. Then she cools them completely on a wire rack before freezing. This step is key. If they’re not fully cooled, condensation can ruin the texture. Once ready, she layers each waffle between small squares of parchment paper to stop them from sticking together. “You just don’t want the waffles touching each other or they will stick together and it’ll just be a mess,” she explains.

The waffles are then stacked into a freezer bag and stored flat. When needed, they go straight from freezer to toaster, making breakfast almost effortless. “You just pull one out of the freezer, pop it in your toaster,” she says. She keeps toppings simple, often using maple syrup. For something more substantial, she adds coconut whipped cream and berries.

The result is a freezer friendly vegan meal that replaces store-bought waffles with something far less processed but just as convenient.

Refried beans and quesadillas for flexible lunches

Next, Howlett moves on to a batch-cooking staple: refried beans. She starts by soaking pinto beans overnight. Then she rinses them thoroughly before cooking them in an Instant Pot with vegan bouillon, jalapeños or green chilies, and salt. The addition of chilies is a small but important step. “It really just makes the flavor of these so so good,” she says.

After cooking, the beans appear thin at first, almost like soup. But this is intentional. As they cool, they thicken significantly. She blends most of the mixture with an immersion blender, leaving some texture behind while ensuring the spices are evenly distributed.

Instead of storing everything as-is, Howlett turns part of the batch into freezer-ready quesadillas. While the beans are still hot, she scoops equal portions onto tortillas. Then she folds them over, and presses the filling evenly to the edges. This step makes a noticeable difference in the final result. “The beans are just perfectly dispersed throughout the quesadilla and I just love it,” she says.

The assembled quesadillas are layered with parchment paper, frozen until firm, and then transferred into freezer bags. This two-step freezing process helps them hold their shape and prevents sticking.

When it’s time to eat, they go straight into a pan on low heat with a lid, then flipped to crisp. The result is a quick, filling lunch that pairs well with cashew sour cream or hot sauce, or works on its own.

Alongside the quesadillas, she also stores extra beans in freezer-safe glass containers, noting that standard mason jars often crack in the freezer. It’s a small but practical detail that reflects her focus on making these freezer friendly vegan meals actually work long term.

Lentil shepherd’s pie for an easy, hearty dinner

For dinner, Howlett prepares a lentil-based shepherd’s pie designed to be both comforting and freezer-friendly. She cooks a mix of brown and red lentils. Then she builds the filling with frozen vegetables including shiitake mushrooms, peas, carrots, onions, and corn.

The seasoning is simple but effective: nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. But what really transforms the dish is her approach to the sauce. “The secret ingredient here is I use my instant vegan gravy and a little bit of cornstarch,” she says. Added while everything is still hot, this combination thickens the mixture into a rich, cohesive filling.

She describes the final texture as “this thick gravy kind of vibe.” Howlett explains that it turns the base into something closer to a classic comfort dish. “It just tastes like you’re eating mashed potatoes with this thick lentil [and] vegetable packed gravy on the bottom,” she adds.

The mashed potato topping is kept simple. It’s made with soy milk, garlic powder, salt, and a splash of lemon juice for balance. Once both components are ready, she portions them into containers of different sizes. This makes the meals adaptable for individuals, couples, or even kids.

When reheating, she recommends thawing the dish first. Then, you bake it at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Removing the foil at the end helps crisp the top layer, adding texture to an otherwise soft dish.

It’s the most substantial of the three freezer friendly vegan meals, designed for evenings when cooking from scratch feels unrealistic but a nourishing meal is still needed.

Across all three recipes, Howlett’s approach stays consistent: keep ingredients simple, cook in batches, and store meals in a way that makes reheating as easy as possible. The result is a system that removes friction from healthy eating, built around freezer friendly vegan meals that fit into real life rather than complicate it.

For more of Howlett’s whole foods, plant-based magic, check out the High Carb Hannah YouTube channel.

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