For some, meal planning is what keeps your family afloat (or, rather, not spending a fortune on takeout for dinner every night). Maybe you’ve been doing it for years and have perfected your own system. Maybe you’re just dipping your toes into the meal planning pool now that everything feels so dang expensive, including groceries. Or perhaps you’re somewhere in the middle, and you feel like your meal planning system just needs a little organization. That’s where free printable meal planning templates come in. They can help you stick to your meal plan, grab the ingredients you need, and use up what you already have in the fridge.
If you’ve tried to make your own meal plan template or calendar before, you know it can be super frustrating for anyone who’s not an Excel whiz or Crafty Cathy. But you really don’t have to spend time DIYing a system when there are so many free, printable meal plan templates available online. There are some you can even customize online, if you’d rather type out your plan than write it by hand (some of us have bad hand writing, OK?). Whatever design, layout, and tools you need in a template, there’s probably one here that can help you out.
A meal plan template that will help you use up your food
Weekly Meal Plan
The idea of meals being neatly organized by week is great, but in reality, there are usually some leftover ingredients you need to use up in the coming week. This template gives you room to jot those items down so you can meal plan with them in mind, and it also has a section to note anything you need to make ahead if you’re meal prepping or hosting a big get-together.
A printable meal plan you can add to any size planner
Printable Weekly Meal Plan with Shopping List
The biggest perk of this free printable meal planning template is that you can adjust the size to fit any notebook or planner, so if you have one where you like to keep all your lists, this one will merge right in. It’s split 50/50 between a meal plan section and a grocery list, and just keeps everything neat and tidy.
A free, printable grocery list with room to write your meal plan
Free Printable Grocery List and Meal Plan
If you want a pretty grocery list where you can also jot down your meals for the week (which can be handy to reference while you shop), this template is perfect. It also breaks down the grocery store sections so you can be sure you have everything you need in dairy before strolling over to produce.
A meal plan template with room for requests
Weekly Meal Planner
If you’re meal planning for a family and you want to know what they’ll actually eat, this free, printable template has a section just to jot down what they’re asking for. There’s a small grocery list built in, which may not be big enough for everyone, but is plenty if you’re the type who keeps lots of pantry staples in stock.
Food inventory printable templates
Pantry, Fridge, and Freezer Inventory Printables
Part of meal planning is knowing what on Earth you have, and it’s time-consuming to have to take stock of it when considering every recipe. Keeping a pantry, fridge, and freezer inventory makes meal planning so much easier, and you can take them shopping with you so you know exactly what you have at home. If you’re trying to cut down on your household’s food waste, this will be a huge help.
Customizable weekly templates on Canva
Cream Minimalist Food Weekly Meal Planner
If you’ve never used Canva, you’ve got to try it out. They have free templates for so many uses you can customize to your liking and type right into, so your meal plan looks super neat each week. If you want one with more room in the grocery list side, try this option.
A monthly meal planner template
Peach Abstract Shape Monthly Meal Planner
Do you prefer to sit down once a month to think about everything you’re going to eat, so you can be done with it? If that’s your style, you’ll love this free printable monthly meal planner, which is also available on Canva.
A colorful meal plan template
Free Weekly Meal Plan Template
This free printable meal plan template is so cheerful and happy, and includes sections for writing down your meals and your grocery list. The unique thing about this one is the serving tracker, which is a handy addition if you’re trying to eat more veggies or fruits, for example.
A template with the meal plan built in
Monthly Meal Plan Template
This monthly calendar template actually is just a ready-made meal plan, with links to all the recipes for each meal included. If you try this layout and like organizing your meals this way, just search online for free calendar printables you can fill out the same way with your own recipes (or, again, Canva has a ton of calendar templates available for free).
A calendar-style meal planning template
Weekly Meal Planner
For those who prefer a horizontal layout that is a bit more calendar-like or planner-y in nature, this design might work better for you. It too includes room to list out the groceries you need at the bottom, and has space to write down your breakfast, lunch, and dinner plans for each day.
A meal planning template for three squares a day
Free Meal Planner Template
If you like to plan your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for the week, this one-page template can help keep you on track. You do have to subscribe to the blog’s newsletter to receive it in your inbox, but she also shares tips on using Google Calendar and Google Sheets to meal plan, too.
So, which printable is right for you? Even if none of these is just right, now you know just where to look for the perfect meal planning template.
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