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Don’t believe everything you read, especially if it’s the word “leakproof.” That’s the biggest takeaway from our quest to find the best food storage containers. We tested a dozen pieces from glass and plastic sets to find lids that wouldn’t leak, plastic that wouldn’t stain, and glass that wouldn’t shatter, and we found that most of what’s out there does at least one of those things. But we also found a few standouts that survived our rigorous (and delightfully ridiculous) testing. A couple even passed our tests with flying colors.
The term “food storage container” is pretty encompassing, but for the purpose of this review, we focused on the kind of containers meant for storing leftovers in the fridge. Though we appreciate wide mouth mason jars, we specifically focused on testing clear glass or plastic containers with flat, plastic lids that ideally create an airtight, leakproof seal.
That means we also didn’t include find the kind of kitchen storage containers used for dry goods. And while the best food-storage containers _can_ be used as lunchboxes (because only the best ones are truly leakproof) we didn’t include bento-style containers, insulated stainless-steel containers meant for keeping food warm, or the flimsy (but affordable) containers.
The best food storage containers:
Snapware Total Solution Food Storage Container (24-Piece Set)
Pros
Cons
There’s really nothing we don’t love about these Snapware containers. The 24-piece set is a great starter set and has four different sizes ranging from 1 to 4 cups. You can also get larger containers.
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
Glasslock Food Storage Containers (24-Piece Set)
Pros
Cons
These Glasslock containers are a close second to the Snapware glass containers above. The glass isn't quite as durable and the lids are a little harder to snap closed, but they're still a very good option if you're looking for leakproof glass containers.
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
Joseph Joseph Nest Lock Plastic Food Storage Containers (10-Piece Set)
Pros
Cons
These plastic food storage containers from Joseph Joseph are fun and functional. They're truly leakproof and we love how they nest when not in use.
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
Rubbermaid Flex & Seal Food Storage Set (36 Pieces)
Pros
Cons
These hard plastic containers are durable, crystal clear, and they don't hold onto food stains. The press-on silicone lids are truly leakproof too. We recommend buying them while you can because they're getting harder and harder to find since we first tested food storage containers a few years ago.
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
In addition to evaluating quality and other factors (more on that below) we performed a series of three tests on at least one piece from every food storage container set:
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?
We looked for containers that were fully dishwasher-safe.
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.
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.
FineDine Airtight Glass Food Storage Containers
Aesthetically and functionally speaking, we liked the design of the Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Containers but they didn’t hold up. The glass didn’t pass our drop test and the lids held onto food stains.
The Pyrex Simply Store Glass Food Storage Containers are very popular but in our testing, they weren’t quite leakproof. These Pyrex containers were also one of only a few sets we tested that didn’t have locking lids.
The Rubbermaid Brilliance Plastic Food Storage Containers are only brilliant for a minute because they hold onto stains like it's their job. When our testers dropped them from counter level, the locks snapped open too.
Snapware Total Solution Plastic Food Storage Containers
Oxo Good Grips Smart Seal Plastic Containers
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