There is nothing quite as satisfying as making a big batch of your favorite sauce, until you are staring down a half-used container of pesto or enchilada sauce (not salsa), wondering what to do with the leftovers. Enter the humble plastic egg carton: your new secret weapon for freezing sauce in ready-to-use, single-serving cubes. It is not just a genius storage hack but a total fridge-space saver, a food-waste reducer, and, let’s be honest, weirdly fun.
The concept is simple: take that clean (washed with soap and water first), empty plastic egg carton and repurpose it into a DIY mold for your leftover sauces. Spoon your sauce of choice, anything from marinara to mole, into the wells of the carton, leaving just a little space at the top for expansion as it freezes. Cover the whole thing with foil or plastic wrap and pop it into the freezer. After a few hours (or overnight), you will have perfectly portioned sauce pucks, ready for anything.
Before you go all in, understand that not all egg cartons are created equal. Stick to the rigid plastic ones, not cardboard or foam. Plastic holds liquid well and pops sauces out with a gentle twist like an ice cube tray, but free and already in your kitchen.
Successfully storing your sauces in a plastic egg tray
To prevent sticking (especially with thicker or oil-heavy sauces), lightly coat each cup with a neutral oil spray or line with plastic wrap. Especially if you are using an all purpose tomato sauce (hello, stained Tupperware), this also keeps your egg carton looking less like a crime scene. Once frozen solid, transfer the sauce cubes to a labeled zip-top bag or airtight container, as plastic egg cartons are not designed for long-term storage in cold temperatures. Discard the egg carton afterward, as its integrity can have been compromised during freezing. With these steps, you have just made your own stash of instant flavor boosts, and they are ready to drop into weeknight meals without having to defrost a whole jar.
These sauce cubes are endlessly versatile. Pop a marinara cube into a hot pan to start a quick pasta dinner, or melt a cube of leftover cheese sauce to dunk those emergency freezer fries. Stir some Thai curry into coconut milk for instant flavor, or toss a pesto cube into hot noodles and call it gourmet. They are also perfect for boosting soups, grains, and crisp stir-fried veggies with just the right hit of flavor, no measuring spoons or waste required.
This hack is especially handy for homemade sauces that don’t keep long, like chimichurri, salsa verde, or fresh tomato sauces that tend to sour in the fridge after a few days. Freezing them in egg carton portions lets you keep the freshness and ditch the guilt of tossing spoiled leftovers.
