Sure, there are early mornings, fights over homework, and the mad dash to extracurriculars, but if there’s one thing I dread when school kicks back into gear, it’s packing lunches. Half of them don’t get eaten and my kiddos are in a particularly picky phase, so I don’t relish my time in the kitchen these days. If you’re in the same boat, you’re probably looking for workarounds to make lunch life easier—and boy have I found one! It’s two simple words and I couldn’t love them more: freezer sandwiches.
This concept has exploded onto the parenting scene (how did Uncrustables not inspire us to try this earlier!?). The idea is simple: Make your sandwiches in bulk and freeze them. Of course, it doesn’t work for all potential fillings, which is why registered dietitian Jennifer Anderson of @kids.eat.in.color popped on to Instagram to share her favorite kid-tested freezer sandwich ideas—plus her top tips for avoiding the dreaded soggy bread and rubbery or mushy middles. Here’s what she had to say:
These are also great options for toddler and preschooler parents looking to shave a few minutes of prep out of their daily routine and are ideal as an after-school snack if you cut the sandwiches into quarters perfect for grabby hands. Check out Anderson’s top sandwiches and tips below.
Jennifer’s go-to freezer sandwiches:
1. Peanut butter and jelly:
It’s a classic for a reason, and Uncrustables proved long ago that it defrosts like a dream.
2. Chocolate seed butter and hemp hearts:
Nutella is just fine if you’re noshing at home, but for a school-friendly swap try chocolate sunflower seed butter. If your kids don’t instantly notice and reject the hemp hearts, they’re a great boost of protein and omega fatty acids.
3. Sunflower seed butter and honey:
Creamy and sweet, what kiddo could resist?
4. Hummus:
My kids won’t touch hummus, but if you’ve got a chickpea lover this offers a nice hit of nutrients.
5. Lunch meat and cheese:
Who knew you could freeze a turkey sandwich?! Game changer. You can also try salami or ham.
6. Tuna:
This one blew my mind, but Jennifer insists her kids were into it. (More details below on how to do tuna right.)
Related: 11 Kids’ Water Bottles That Won’t Leak Everywhere
Tips for making the best freezer sandwiches:
Pack veggies strategically: “Don’t freeze any fresh veggies,” Anderson advises.”Those will turn to mush.” That being said, her workaround is to pack the vegetables separately in your little’s lunchbox so they can add them before eating.
Keep your tuna as dry as possible: The main risk factor for tuna is too much mayo, which can sog up the bread when it defrosts “Make sure you go light on the mayo and drain it extremely well,” Anderson stresses. “Mine included pickles and mayo. I pressed it into a sieve to get the extra liquid out. If there’s too much liquid, it will get soggy.” The same goes for any mayo you put on deli sandwiches; stick to a light layer.
Put seed or nut butter on both sides and jelly in the middle: “The jelly is wetter and is more likely to make the bread soggy,” Anderson explains.
Defrost time depends on the filling: For most of the sandwiches, Anderson says 4 hours did the trick—convenient since this is more or less your kiddo’s time at school before lunchtime. But the tuna needs longer, 5.5 hours to be exact, so time when you take it out of the freezer accordingly.
Label your sandwich bags: You don’t want to accidentally send a freezer-burned sandwich to school, or, even worse, mistakenly pack a tuna sandwich for the kid who despises it. So label each baggie with the sandwich type and date made. Anderson says they should last a few weeks.
Wrap them in a paper towel: Anderson’s top tip? When you place the sandwich in your kiddo’s lunch box or sandwich bag, wrap it in a paper towel to absorb any moisture released while defrosting.
Commenters also brought their hottest tips to the table. “I freeze my bread first,” one noted. “So I use frozen bread to make sandwiches. And then I put them in the freezer again. Then the sandwiches taste better, less chance of soggy bread.” Another said: “My kiddos love cream cheese and jam, or cream cheese and Nutella,” both of which work when frozen.
There was also one hilarious anecdote from @amyrossganci: “My parents used to make us tuna sandwiches and freeze them the night before and then throw them into our lunch in the morning. One time they grabbed what they thought was the sandwich and threw it in my sister’s lunch, but when she unwrapped it from the aluminum foil at school, it turned out to be a raw piece of frozen fish. Her teacher wrote a hysterical note about having forgotten the tartar sauce and gave my sister money for the school lunch.”
Time to test them out on your household’s littlest food critics. Hopefully, this buys you a few extra minutes of Love Island, your latest book, sleep—whatever you love to do.
