We recently shared a list of easy meal prep breakfast items that could help make your morning routine a little easier. If you REALLY want to nail your breakfast meal prep routine, a few essential meal prep tools can simplify your life. Obviously, meal prep can be made without these tools. But, as families who have meal prepped and planned for years, we do have a solid list of things that can save you some time and sanity.
We’ll show you our list first, then break down how each tool is important to meal prepping.
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Helpful Breakfast Meal Prep Tools
-Mason jars
-Pyrex storage
-Silicone muffin tin/ muffin tin
-Glass baking dish
Mason Jars for Meal Prep
The number one breakfast meal prep tool I recommend without a doubt is plain old Mason jars. I only have a handful of coffee mugs and a few small glasses. Mason jars are incredible for:
-drinking
-storing leftovers
-storing pantry staples
-reheating
-freezing
-canning, preserving, etc.
Mason jars are PERFECT for overnight oats, cooked steel-cut oats, chia seed pudding, yogurt parfaits, and more. I prefer wide-mouth jars. Specifically, these 8-ounce wide-mouth jars are great for prepping stuff for our kids. It’s much easier to eat out of this size. I found a dozen at Walmart for less than $9.00. They are extremely affordable and budget-friendly. You will get YEARS of use out of them.
I also like these jars (they’re so cute!), but they are a but pricier.
Pyrex for meal prep
I also love simple round Pyrex containers for breakfast meal prep, for many of the same reasons we love Mason jars. They’re really easy to clean, don’t hold on to odors, you can heat, store, freeze, etc. in them, and they are dishwasher-safe. Win-win-win-win. This obligatory set from most wedding or housewarming registry lists is perfect.
SILICONE MUFFIN TIN
Two of these silicone muffin tins at Aldi were 3 or 4 dollars each. They’re similarly-priced on Amazon. I love using silicone mostly for the cleanup factor. I got so tired of scrub, scrub, scrubbing traditional muffin tins. No matter what I tried, stuff seemed to stick in them.
I’ve mostly switched to glass for baking, including glass loaf pans. Eventually, I may make the switch to glass muffin bake ware, but I love the silicone for now.
I put these pans to WORK most weekends, baking up baked oatmeal cups and egg muffins.
GLASS BAKING DISH
I also love a simple 9 x 13 glass Pyrex-style baking dish. It’s perfect for egg casserole, baked oatmeal, and obviously any type of dinner dish. This set on Amazon is great because it has two baking dishes (that you can also store your goods in!) It also has a couple smaller containers for oats other meal prep. 🙂 Check Aldi Finds for great deals on glass bake ware too.
BONUS MEAL PREP
These bonus meal prep tools are more expensive and less essential, but worth mentioning.
I love my trusty old Cuisinart food processor. I process a ton of greens to throw in my egg muffins. My kids prefer this texture and actually get a kick out of the bright green color. My 5-year-old said this week, “Wow mommy, look how much spinach is in this one!” If I put a plate full of spinach in front of him, there is NO WAY he would touch it. I add just as much green goodness to meatballs for meal prep. It looks like my model has been discontinued, but people seem to love this one on Amazon.
blender
I don’t have a full-size blender, but I do have a little personal blender we use for smoothies. If you use this to process your greens, they will blend up more finely. An immersion blender is also great for smoothies. (And also chia pudding, soups, salad dressings, etc.)
Measuring spoons/cups
I had the same little silicone set from Marshall’s for more than a decade, but within the last year, it has started deteriorating spoon by spoon and cup by up. I recently got a stainless steel set and love it!
Paring knife
Jodi will say you need a good paring knife for ANY cutting in the kitchen. She takes after my mom and my late nanny, who will cut things in mid-air with ninja-like precision.
batter bowl
I got a batter bowl from Pampered Chef back in college (so, a long time ago ;)!) I use it for SO much. I mix up salads, marinades, pancake batter, muffins, shred chicken in it, etc. I also use it for storage constantly.
For breakfast meal prep, I like to whisk up the eggs/greens/milk in it before pouring into the muffin pan. I also will mix up the oatmeal bake or muffins ingredients in it. Cleanup is a dream. If you want to save the trouble of hunting down a Pampered Chef rep, they have similar batter bowls on Amazon. 🙂
make the most of your busy morning routine
Many of these breakfast meal prep tools may already be things you have in your kitchen. You don’t need to go out and spend a ton for an effective routine. Put what you have to work! We’re simply sharing as a way to get you set up for the most effective prep routine possible. Your time is valuable!
Having a few dishes ready to go in the morning is SUCH a good feeling and has helped our mornings run much more smoothly since we’ve implemented it on a regular basis.
Don’t forget, we have a whole post on ideas for breakfast meal prep here! Tell us in the comments, what’s your favorite breakfast meal prep tool to use?
