We Tested 21 Food Storage Containers—Here Are the Ones Worth Buying (2024)

Whether you're storing dry goods in the pantry or your go-to baking supplies on the countertop, having a solid set of food storage containers that you can rely on is a necessity for any home chef. Quality food storage containers feature airtight lids for optimal freshness and security, enough room to store small or large amounts of food, and an easy-to-clean design so you're not left with stained containers.

To help you choose the best food storage containers for all your needs, we tested 21 different sets and rated them on performance, capacity, design, and ease of cleaning. We included both plastic and glass options, and put each set through three different tests—a brown sugar test, a smell and stain test, and a splash test—to evaluate their ability to keep food fresh, free of bad odors and stains, and secure in case of spills and accidents. Keep reading for all our insights.

Our Favorites

• Our Top Pick: Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Containers
• Best Value: Better Homes & Gardens Flip-Tite Food Storage Containers
• Best for Baking: OXO Good Grips Baking Essentials Pop Container Set
• Best Glass: Le'raze Glass Kitchen Canisters with Bamboo Lids
• Best for Countertops: Crate & Barrel Aspen White Ceramic Canisters

Our Takeaway

We landed on the Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Containers as our top pick because it was the only set that earned perfect scores across all categories. The containers have a simple, attractive design, seal tightly, and come in a variety of sizes to suit all your needs. For storing your baking essentials, the OXO Good Grips Baking Essentials Pop Container Set is another great choice.

How to Pick the Right Food Storage Containers

Material

The most common materials for food storage containers are glass, plastic, and ceramic. Clear plastic and glass are generally preferred so you can easily see how much food is inside, but ceramic looks beautiful when displayed on countertops. Plastic is a popular choice because not only is it clear, but it's also not as fragile as glass, so it can survive accidents. Plastic is also lightweight, easy to clean, and freezer-safe.

Capacity

Most food storage containers are available to purchase in sets, typically including a variety of sizes and sometimes shapes. Depending on what you're planning to store in your containers, take into consideration how much can fit inside and how much space it will take up in your kitchen.

Lid Type

The lids of any quality food storage container should be secure and airtight to keep the contents fresh. Some lids have a manual latch, others pop up and down to seal, and some have a simple silicone seal. Depending on the design of the lid, it may not be dishwasher safe (fully or partially), and you may need to hand wash it or remove part of it before putting it in the dishwasher.

About Our Tests

We performed side-by-side testing on 21 different food storage containers, including 15 plastic containers and 6 glass or ceramic containers. Each set was put through three separate tests—brown sugar, smell/stain, and shatter/spill—to evaluate their ability to keep sugar fresh after four days, remove stains and odors after holding tomato sauce and onions for two days, and remain leak- and shatter-resistant after being knocked off the counter. We then rated the food storage containers based on the following metrics:

• Performance:Were there any leaks? How secure is the lid? Did the container break when dropped?
• Cleanup:Do the containers clean easily? Are there any lingering odors or stains left behind?
• Design:Does the construction feel durable and well-made? Are the containers designed with ease of use in mind? Are the containers stackable?
• Capacity:Are there multiple sizes to accommodate different needs? Is there a variety of sizes offered in a set?

The Leftovers: Other Food Storage Containers We Tested

While the Mepal Modula Stackable Storage Containers have a beautiful and simple design, we found them lacking in overall performance. Not only did they leak excessively in the splash test, but the lid completely popped open when dropped. This set of seven could also benefit from a greater variety of capacity amounts offered instead of having duplicate sizes that don't offer much range compared to other options.

Likewise, there were no standout features about the LocknLock Easy Essentials Clear Storage Containers that made them a contender for a spot on our list of favorites. The lid was secure and kept food fresh, but an odor was left behind after hand-washing, which prompted a cycle in the dishwasher that warped the container. Although there are other size options available to purchase, ranging from 5.5 to 21.1 cups, we felt they were already on the expensive side individually.

Common Questions

What are the best food storage containers for the freezer?

You can use glass or plastic containers to store leftovers or bulk food in the freezer, and it's ultimately up to personal preference as both will perform well.

If you put a glass container with hot food directly in the freezer, you could risk cracking or shattering the container if it doesn't cool down to room temperature first. Similarly, if you're planning to reheat the food in the glass container, do not put it into the oven or microwave without allowing it to first thaw slowly from the freezer. Plastic is a lighter-weight material, which can be helpful if you have a lot of items buried in your deep freezer, but sometimes it can crack, depending on how sturdy it is.

Is it better to store food in glass or plastic?

Glass is more durable, though it may not survive a particularly hard fall, and it is also infinitely recyclable. However, it can be more expensive compared to plastic counterparts. Plastic containers tend to be more budget-friendly and they are also more lightweight.

Glass can be microwaved or put in the oven and dishwasher without any warping or melting. It is also non-porous, so it will not absorb any smells or release particles into your food. However, the same cannot be said for plastic. Plastic is more prone to warping when exposed to temperature changes, and shoppers should also be wary of items that are not marked as BPA-free, which can release chemicals into your food. Plastic is also more prone to staining, so heavily seasoned leftovers might be better off stored in glass.

How do you organize food storage containers?

A disorganized drawer or cupboard filled with mismatched food storage containers can get frustrating fast. Although we love a set that includes multiple shapes and sizes for the sake of convenience, storing them with their matching lids can make them more difficult to stack and take up too much space. One option is to keep all the lids together in one drawer or bin and all the bottom containers in another, stacking them to free up more space. You can even add a drawer under the shelf, adjustable drawer dividers, or a lid organizer with customizable compartments.

Plastic containers may take up less space overall when stored in your cabinets because many food storage sets are modular and are meant to be stacked. While glass is durable, take care while storing your glass containers on top of each other to avoid potential breakage or damage.

Why Take Our Word For It?

Jacqueline Weiss is a professional food writer with more than five years of experience and a lifelong lover of working in the kitchen. Her writing has appeared in Eat This Not That, EatingWell, Taste Of Home, Simply Recipes, and more. For this article, she analyzed data insights from our expert product testers to determine the best food storage containers on the market. She looked for sets that scored high in terms of performance, design, capacity, and ease of cleaning.