The Best Food Storage Containers (2025) for Meal Prep and Leftovers

Snapware’s food storage containers are made with durable Pyrex glass that survived being dropped from counter-level to a tile kitchen floor. The plastic latching lids are truly airtight; both the round and rectangular containers have four latches each and they don’t allow any liquids to escape, even when shaken vigorously. A fixed silicone gasket on the lid makes them easy to hand-wash (though they’re dishwasher-safe too), they’re stackable when full, and they nest for easy storage when not in use.

The plastic lids did initially seem to absorb some color and aroma from a bold concoction we made just testing such things, but we managed to remove it all after scrubbing with dish soap.

Container material: Pyrex glass
Lid material: Plastic
Lid closure style: Latches
Individual pieces available: Yes
Dishwasher safe: Yes

The tempered glass survived multiple drops from counter height to a tile floor (though it did eventually chip a bit) and in our vigorous leak testing, the locking lids proved to be truly leakproof. The plastic lids, which also have four latches each, seemed to resist staining somewhat better than the Snapware lids too. You can also buy single pieces without investing in an entire second set.

Snapping the latches closed required quite a bit of force, which can stress the glass. Some customers have reported that with long-term use this leads to chipped glass around the rim of the container. That said, we learned that if you firmly but carefully create a seal with the lid before latching all four sides. We also noticed that, after washing, the silicone gasket on the lid trapped a considerable amount of moisture, which can lead to mold over time and some long-time users have reported this issue after hand-washing their pieces (this doesn’t appear to be an issue when the lids are washed in the dishwasher). You can remove the gasket for cleaning, but people tend to skip that step so it’s something to keep in mind if you buy this set.

Container material: Tempered glass
Lid material: Plastic
Lid closure style: Latches
Individual pieces available: Yes
Dishwasher safe: Yes

In our testing, the colorful, latching plastic lids did not leak, even when dropped repeatedly from counter height onto a tiled kitchen floor. In fact, these were the only plastic containers we tested that remained completely closed no matter how many times we dropped them. The storage for the Joseph Joseph Nest Lock system when not in use is really clever too: The containers themselves nest together and the lids snap together from largest to smallest on top.

The plastic did seem to hold onto a tiny bit of discoloration from the “stain soup” we made for testing. And if you want multiple pieces in the same sizes, three 4-cup containers for example, this might not be the set for you.

Container material: Plastic
Lid material: Plastic
Lid closure style: Latches
Individual pieces available: No
Dishwasher safe: Yes

Most high-quality plastic food storage containers have snap-on, locking lids, but these Rubbermaid containers have flexible silicone lids that press onto the container. After regular use, we found them truly leak free—and we were pleasantly surprised when the lids mostly remained in place in our drop test too. The hard Tritan plastic containers are crystal clear and don’t hold onto any stains or odors, though the underside of the lids did a bit. The lid system for this set is also kind of universal since there are only four lid sizes that fit a variety of container volumes.

Besides the fact that the lids don’t stay on quite as well as locking lids do, Rubbermaid’s Flex & Seal line is a bit harder to find than it was when we first tested food storage containers in 2021.

Container material: Tritan plastic
Lid material: Plastic
Lid closure style: Press on
Individual pieces available: No
Dishwasher safe: Yes

Most often used for leftovers, food storage containers double as meal prep containers and lunch boxes. We also make a point of transferring any leftover takeout to an airtight food storage container so it doesn’t stink up everything else in the fridge. So we looked for containers that had leakproof, airtight seals.

For the glass food storage containers, we looked for products that were oven-safe, freezer-safe, and microwave-safe. (We don’t recommend reheating any food in plastic containers, even if they’re marked as microwave-safe.)

We looked for plastic lids that felt durable, not flimsy, and if they had latches (the Rubbermaid and Pyrex containers we tested did not) we looked for latches that were easy to open and close. These days, it’s generally a given that if food storage containers have plastic parts, it’s BPA-free plastic, but we looked for that too.

We looked for product lines that came in many different sizes. And bonus points for any that offered both rectangular and round containers in different sizes.

Food storage containers are meant to store food, but how well do the containers themself store? Are they stackable when in use? Do they nest well when not in use?

While we don’t mind hand-washing nonstick pans and chef’s knives, we don’t think you should need to do that with every item in your kitchen. We looked for containers that were fully dishwasher-safe.

We like a lot of kitchen gear from Joseph Joseph, and we wanted to love these Nest Glass Food Storage Containers with colorful lids. Unfortunately, they were far from leakproof.

Oxo is a brand that rarely disappoints, and the Oxo Good Grips Smart Seal Glass Containers were no exception. However, because they’re made of borosilicate glass, they’re pricier than the Snapware set, which work just as well but cost less.