The Best Glass Food Storage Containers to Replace Plastic Tupperware (2026 Guide)
Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through our links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we would genuinely tell a friend about. Full disclosure here.
Most families replace their plastic food containers eventually. The lids crack, the containers stain, and at some point the question comes up: what should we actually be storing food in?
The honest answer is glass. Glass does not absorb odors or stains, does not warp in the dishwasher, and does not shed microplastics into your food the way plastic containers can, especially when heated. A 2024 study published in Nature Medicine found microplastic particles in human brain tissue, heart tissue, and blood, and everyday food storage is one of the most consistent sources of ongoing exposure. Switching to glass is one of the more practical swaps a family can make.
If you want our top pick right now, the Pyrex Simply Store 18-Piece Set is where most families should start. It is widely available, genuinely durable, and covers almost every size you need. We will get into the full list below.
Quick Answer: The Best Glass Food Storage Containers
Here is the short version if you are ready to buy now.
- Best overall: Pyrex Simply Store 18-Piece Set — reliable, affordable, available everywhere
- Best plastic-free: Urban Green Glass Containers — borosilicate glass, glass lids with silicone frames, 100% plastic free
- Best leakproof: Rubbermaid Brilliance Glass 24-Piece Set — BPA-free, airtight locking lids, excellent size variety
- Best for kids: Wean Green Lunch Cubes — tempered glass, silicone lids, designed for small hands
- Best for meal prep: Ello Duraglass 10-Piece Meal Prep Set — borosilicate glass, silicone sleeve, airtight lids, great value
- Best budget: Anchor Hocking 12-Piece Set — straightforward, affordable, gets the job done
- Premium pick: Caraway 13-Piece Glass Food Storage Set — ceramic-coated glass, glass lids, third-party tested, beautiful design
Why Plastic Food Storage Is Worth Replacing
Plastic containers leach more when they are old, scratched, or heated. Microwaving food in a plastic container, or running it through many dishwasher cycles, accelerates the breakdown of the plastic and increases the amount that ends up in your food. Containers marketed as BPA-free are not necessarily safer, because manufacturers often replaced BPA with similar compounds that may carry similar risks.
Glass does not behave this way. It is non-porous, chemically stable, and does not react with food regardless of temperature. The main trade-off is weight and the possibility of breaking if dropped. Those are real considerations, especially for families with young children. But for most food storage in the refrigerator, freezer, and microwave, glass is the cleaner choice.
For more on how plastic in the kitchen affects exposure, our guide to microplastics in the kitchen covers the full picture.
What to Look for in a Glass Food Storage Container
The Glass Itself
Most glass food storage containers use either tempered soda-lime glass or borosilicate glass. Both are safe. Borosilicate glass handles temperature changes better, making it slightly more resistant to cracking when you move a container from the freezer directly to the oven. For most families, tempered soda-lime glass (what Pyrex and Rubbermaid use) is perfectly adequate.
The Lid
This is where the real decision happens. Most containers come with plastic lids. That is not necessarily a dealbreaker, since the lid typically does not contact your food directly, but it is worth knowing. If you want to eliminate plastic contact entirely, look for containers with glass lids and a silicone seal. The Urban Green Glass Containers and Caraway 13-Piece Set both take this approach. All lids we recommend are BPA-free at minimum.
Seal Quality
A container that leaks in your bag or leaves sauce on the refrigerator shelf quickly loses its appeal. Look for locking tabs or a tight press-fit seal. Glasslock and Rubbermaid Brilliance are the strongest performers here in independent testing.
Size Variety
A good set covers small (1 to 2 cups), medium (4 to 6 cups), and large (8 cups and up). Most families reach for the medium size most often. Sets that include a range of sizes last longer because you are not constantly improvising with the wrong container.
The Best Glass Food Storage Containers: Our Picks
Pyrex Simply Store 18-Piece Set — Best Overall
Best for: families who want a practical, no-fuss set that covers everyday storage at a reasonable price.
The Pyrex Simply Store 18-Piece Set is where most families should start. Pyrex has been making glass containers for decades, and the Simply Store line is their straightforward everyday option. The tempered glass is durable, dishwasher-safe, microwave-safe, and oven-safe (lids off for the oven). The lids are BPA-free plastic with a straightforward press-fit closure.
The set includes a good mix of sizes: small round containers for sauces and leftovers, medium rectangular ones for meal prep, and larger containers for soups or batch cooking. The color-coded lids make it easy to match containers in a crowded refrigerator. Wirecutter listed the Pyrex Simply Store line as their recommended glass option, and The Kitchn editors have used them for years.
The honest limitation: the lids do not lock, so this is not the set to take in your bag with soup. It is a refrigerator and microwave workhorse, which is exactly what most families need.
- Pros: Widely available, excellent size variety, genuinely durable glass, affordable
- Cons: Lids do not lock, not ideal for transport
Urban Green Glass Containers — Best Plastic-Free
Best for: families who want to eliminate plastic contact with food entirely.
The Urban Green Glass Containers are one of the few options on Amazon where every component is genuinely plastic free. The containers are made from borosilicate glass. The lids are glass with a food-grade silicone frame for the seal. No plastic anywhere. They are leakproof, airtight, and safe for the microwave, oven, freezer, and dishwasher.
Heal Nourish Grow, which ran a thorough head-to-head test specifically on glass-lid containers, rated Urban Green among their top picks for true plastic-free storage. The borosilicate glass handles temperature changes well, which makes these a good option if you regularly move containers from the freezer to the oven.
The honest limitation: they come in a 3 or 4-pack rather than a large set, so building out a full kitchen worth of storage costs more upfront. They are also a smaller brand with less name recognition than Pyrex or Rubbermaid. The trade-off is a genuinely plastic-free product that is actively available on Amazon.
- Pros: 100% plastic free, borosilicate glass, glass lids with silicone seal, leakproof, independently tested
- Cons: Smaller pack size, higher cost per container than Pyrex
Rubbermaid Brilliance Glass 24-Piece Set — Best Leakproof
Best for: families who need containers that genuinely do not leak, for packed lunches, bags, or commuting.
The Rubbermaid Brilliance Glass 24-Piece Set is built around one thing: a lid that actually stays closed. The four locking tabs click firmly into place and create a genuinely airtight, leakproof seal. America’s Test Kitchen tested 18 glass food storage sets and named the Rubbermaid Brilliance their top pick specifically because of how well the locking system performed. At 24 pieces, this is also one of the most complete sets on the list.
The glass is clear and crystal-looking, and the containers are available in a useful range of sizes. The lids are BPA-free plastic. They can also be used interchangeably with the Rubbermaid Brilliance plastic containers if you already own those, which is a practical bonus for households mid-transition.
Consumer Reports noted that the Caraway glass containers shattered in their drop tests. The Rubbermaid Brilliance held up well. If durability and leakproofing are the priority, this is the set.
- Pros: ATK top pick, genuinely leakproof, 24-piece set covers every size, BPA-free
- Cons: Plastic lids, more expensive than Pyrex Simply Store
Wean Green Lunch Cubes — Best for Kids
Best for: toddlers, young children, school lunches, and daycare.
We already recommend Wean Green in our guide to non-toxic kids plates and bowls. The Wean Green Lunch Cubes are the right glass container for children. They are made from tempered glass that is 4 to 5 times stronger than standard glass. The lids are silicone with a child-friendly snap closure, which means small hands can actually open and close them without help. No plastic touches the food.
They are freezer, microwave, and dishwasher safe. The square shape stacks neatly in a lunch bag or refrigerator shelf. Parents who use them for daycare and school report they hold up well over time. The Weelicious community has used them for years and consistently recommends them.
The honest limitation: they are small by design. They work well for snacks, single portions, and kids’ lunches. They are not the right container for storing a big batch of soup.
- Pros: Silicone lids (no plastic contact), child-friendly closure, very durable tempered glass
- Cons: Smaller sizes only, not ideal for adult portions or large batches
Ello Duraglass 10-Piece Meal Prep Set — Best for Meal Prep
Best for: people who meal prep weekly and want a durable, affordable set with a little extra protection against drops.
The Ello Duraglass 10-Piece Set is a smart choice for meal preppers. Each container is made from borosilicate glass, which handles temperature changes well, and comes with a silicone sleeve wrapped around the outside. That sleeve does two things: it gives you a better grip when pulling a hot container from the microwave, and it adds a layer of protection if the container gets knocked off the counter.
The lids are BPA-free plastic with an airtight seal. The set includes 5 containers at 3.4 cups each, a size that works well for individual meal prep portions. They stack neatly in the refrigerator and the silicone sleeve makes them easy to grab quickly. A consistent choice in meal prep communities for the combination of borosilicate glass and practical drop protection.
The honest limitation: all 5 containers are the same size, so you do not get the variety of shapes and volumes that a larger mixed set provides. If you need a range of sizes, combine this with a few Pyrex Simply Store containers.
- Pros: Borosilicate glass, silicone sleeve for grip and drop protection, great for individual meal prep portions, BPA-free
- Cons: All same size, limited variety compared to larger mixed sets
Anchor Hocking 12-Piece Set — Best Budget
Best for: families who want to get off plastic quickly without spending much.
The Anchor Hocking 12-Piece Set is the most affordable glass option on this list that we feel comfortable recommending. Anchor Hocking is an American glassware brand with a long track record. The containers use tempered glass with BPA-free snap-on lids and a 5-year warranty on the glass itself.
In drop testing by Wirecutter, Anchor Hocking containers survived but leaked more than Pyrex in their testing, and the lids held onto odors more than the Pyrex counterparts. That makes this the right pick for straightforward refrigerator storage where leakproofing is less critical, not for taking food on the go.
If budget is the main consideration and you are transitioning a household away from plastic all at once, the Anchor Hocking set gets you there at a low cost.
- Pros: Very affordable, genuine glass, 5-year warranty, widely available
- Cons: Lids leaked more than Pyrex in testing, not ideal for transport
Caraway 13-Piece Glass Food Storage Set — Premium Pick
Best for: families who want a beautifully designed, non-toxic set that has been third-party tested and looks good enough to serve from.
The Caraway 13-Piece Glass Food Storage Set is the premium option on this list, and it earns that position. The containers are made from ceramic-coated borosilicate glass. The lids are glass with silicone gaskets for an airtight seal. Every piece is third-party tested and free of PTFE, PFOA, PFAS, BPA, and heavy metals. Caraway also includes magnetic storage organizers in the set to keep lids tidy in your cabinet, which is a practical touch that owners genuinely appreciate.
The set includes five containers in three sizes: one large 10-cup, two medium 6.6-cup, and two small 4.4-cup. They are oven safe to 450 degrees, freezer safe, microwave safe, and dishwasher safe. CNN Underscored tested the set and found the containers held up well for meal prep and reheating. We also recommend Caraway in our non-toxic cookware guide, so this set fits naturally if you are already building out a Caraway kitchen.
The honest limitation: Caraway’s own site notes these are not suitable for traveling with liquids such as soups. They are a refrigerator, freezer, and oven set, not a packed lunch container. Consumer Reports also noted the glass shattered in drop testing, so handle with care. They are also the most expensive option on this list.
- Pros: Ceramic-coated borosilicate glass, glass lids with silicone gaskets, third-party PFAS tested, beautiful design, includes storage organizers
- Cons: Not suitable for transporting liquids, most expensive pick, shattered in Consumer Reports drop testing
| Container | Lid Material | Leakproof | Price | Best For | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pyrex Simply Store 18-pc | BPA-free plastic | Good (press-fit) | $ | Everyday family use | Check Price |
| Urban Green Glass (3-pc) | Glass + silicone (no plastic) | Excellent | $$ | Plastic-free priority | Check Price |
| Rubbermaid Brilliance 24-pc | BPA-free plastic | Excellent (locking tabs) | $$ | Transport, packed lunches | Check Price |
| Wean Green Lunch Cubes | Silicone (no plastic) | Good | $$ | Kids, school, daycare | Check Price |
| Ello Duraglass 10-pc | BPA-free plastic | Good (airtight) | $ | Weekly meal prep | Check Price |
| Anchor Hocking 12-pc | BPA-free plastic | Fair (press-fit) | $ | Budget starter set | Check Price |
| Caraway 13-pc | Glass + silicone gasket | Good | $$$ | Premium, third-party tested | Check Price |
Frequently Asked Questions
Are glass food storage containers actually safer than plastic?
Yes, in the specific sense that glass does not shed microplastics or chemical additives into food. Plastic containers, especially when heated or scratched, can leach small amounts of plastic particles and chemical compounds into food. Glass is chemically inert and non-porous, so it does not react with food regardless of temperature. The main trade-off is weight and the risk of breaking if dropped.
Is it safe to microwave food in glass containers?
Yes. Glass is microwave-safe. The lids are a separate question. Plastic lids should be removed or left slightly ajar when microwaving. Silicone lids are generally microwave-safe and will say so on the packaging. Glass lids are also microwave-safe. The containers we recommend on this list are all microwave-safe in the glass body.
What is the difference between tempered glass and borosilicate glass?
Tempered glass is standard glass that has been heat-treated for strength. Borosilicate glass includes boron trioxide in the formula, which makes it better at handling rapid temperature changes without cracking. For everyday food storage, tempered glass is fine. If you are regularly going from freezer to oven, borosilicate is the more durable choice. The OXO Smart Seal containers use borosilicate glass if that is a priority.
Do any of these containers have completely plastic-free lids?
Yes. The Urban Green containers use glass lids with a silicone frame. The Wean Green Lunch Cubes use silicone lids. The Caraway 13-Piece Set uses glass lids with silicone gaskets and is also third-party tested for PFAS. All three eliminate plastic contact entirely. If this is your priority, any of those three are the right starting point.
How do I transition my kitchen away from plastic containers?
The simplest approach is to replace containers as they wear out rather than all at once. Start with the containers that come into contact with hot food most often, since heat accelerates microplastic shedding. Our room-by-room guide to reducing microplastics covers a practical approach to the transition.
Our Recommendation
For most families, the Pyrex Simply Store 18-Piece Set is the right starting point. It covers the sizes you need, holds up through daily use, and costs less than most alternatives. If eliminating plastic lids entirely is the goal, the Urban Green Glass Containers or Caraway 13-Piece Set are the cleaner options.
The switch from plastic to glass does not have to happen all at once. Start with the containers you use for hot food and work from there. Small swap, real difference.
4 Comments