Containers / The picks
The best 3-compartment meal prep containers
Divided trays do one thing a plain box can't: they make a portion a compartment you fill, not a number you weigh. Here is which tray does that best, and when a divider is the wrong tool.
By Mike M.Updated Researched from maker spec pages
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Top pick
Best Divided
Bentgo Prep 3-Compartment Containers (20-piece)
First because it is the divided tray this page is about: ten 4-cup trays with embossed measurements, the largest set here, and lids the maker calls custom-fit.
#ad · Price as of November 5, 2026 · Disclosure for the link to Bentgo Prep 3-Compartment Containers (20-piece)
Quick picks
The picks at a glance
| # | Product | Best for | Rubric score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bentgo Prep 3-Compartment Containers (20-piece) PFAS/BPA-free plastic · 3 compartments First because it is the divided tray this page is about: ten 4-cup trays with embossed measurements, the largest set here, and lids the maker calls custom-fit. It scores below the undivided Glasslock on the category rubric (no latch, no leak-proof claim), and that is exactly the trade a compartment buyer is making. | Best divided tray | 8.9 /10 | $12.53Bentgo Prep 3-Compar |
| 2 |  Freshware 3-Compartment Meal Prep Containers (21 pack, 24 oz) PP · reusable/disposable Twenty-one thin polypropylene trays split 12-6-6 oz, cheap enough to send to work and not chase. The maker rates them microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe; nobody rates them for the long haul, and that's the point. | Best cheap divided | 8.5 /10 | $21.39Freshware 3-Compartm |
| 3 |  Glasslock 18-piece Oven Safe Set (11292) Tempered glass · latching lid Not divided — the latching glass set for when the meal is wet or you weigh portions instead of filling compartments. Ranked here as the answer to 'or should I skip the divider'. | Undivided alternative | 9.4 /10 | $38.99Glasslock 18-piece |
| 4 |  BODi 21 Day Fix Portion Control Containers (7-piece) Color-coded portion kit Not a lunch container — seven measured cups that do the portioning at the counter, so the plain container can be anything. | Portion tool | 8.7 /10 | $9.95BODi 21 Day Fix |
#ad · Prices come live from Amazon, last checked November 5, 2026. Order is the author's pick for this page's buyer; the score is the rubric's judgment of the product against its whole category, from the maker's page (or the retailer's, where labeled) — the two can disagree, and the write-up says why. Product photos come from each product's Amazon listing; any photo that is illustrative stock is labeled as such. Tap a row for the full write-up.
What a divider does
It turns portioning into filling. A 2-cup main well holds a cup of rice and six ounces of chicken with room; a 1-cup well holds the vegetable; the other 1-cup well holds fruit, or the second vegetable, or the sauce you don't want on the rice until noon. Five trays, three pots, ten minutes, no scale — which is the whole argument for them on a night you don't have the patience for numbers. The embossed cup marks on the Bentgo trays make it repeatable; the same fill line Monday and Friday is the same portion.
What a divider does not do is seal each compartment from the others. The lid closes over all three, and the walls between wells stop an inch short of the lid's underside on every tray we could find a spec for. Tip the tray and the sauce migrates. That is fine in a bag carried flat by the handle and a problem in a backpack.
The split that fits a training meal
Bentgo's 2 / 1 / 1 cup split (32 fl oz total) maps onto a standard training lunch better than Freshware's 12 / 6 / 6 oz (24 oz total): the main well takes a cup of cooked rice plus 6 oz of protein, which is a 500-to-600 calorie meal; Freshware's 12 oz main is a smaller lunch or a snack-sized portion. If you eat big, Bentgo. If you eat four smaller meals, Freshware's size is the one you'll fill without waste.
| Tray | Total | Main well | Side wells | Lid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bentgo Prep 3-compartment | 4 cups / 32 fl oz | 2 cups | 1 cup + 1 cup | Custom-fit, hand-wash recommended |
| Freshware 3-compartment | 24 oz | 12 oz | 6 oz + 6 oz | Press-on, dishwasher safe |
Capacities as published on the makers' pages (Freshware's split from the retailer listing, labeled in Sources).
When a divider is the wrong tool
The other case is precision. If you track macros to the gram, a compartment is a coarse instrument — a cup of rice varies by thirty grams depending on how it's packed. Weigh into a plain container instead; how to use a food scale for macros walks through the five-container Sunday, and the BODi kit on this list is the middle road: measured cups at the counter, any container in the bag.
In detail
The picks, in full
Rank 01
Best divided tray
Bentgo Prep 3-Compartment Containers (20-piece)
First because it is the divided tray this page is about: ten 4-cup trays with embossed measurements, the largest set here, and lids the maker calls custom-fit. It scores below the undivided Glasslock on the category rubric (no latch, no leak-proof claim), and that is exactly the trade a compartment buyer is making.
EvidenceResearched · maker-sourced
The rubric behind the 8.9
Criterion marks are the rubric assessment on its own 0–10 scale. The published score is that weighted result on our 8.4–9.8 recommendation scale — how we score.
- Seal & leak design (25%)
- 4
- Material & thermal range (25%)
- 6
- Lid longevity & replacement availability (15%)
- 5
- Stack / nest footprint (15%)
- 9
- Dishwasher & stain resistance (10%)
- 6
- Value (10%)
- 9
Why we recommend it
- Ten identical trays — one stack, a full work week for two
- Embossed measurements do the portioning without a scale on rushed nights
- 3 oz per tray: the lightest full-meal container here
Good to know
- No leak-proof claim from the maker; sauces migrate between compartments when tipped
- Lids are hand-wash recommended
- Thin plastic scratches and clouds over a year of daily use
Choose a different pick if…
…your meals are saucy and travel on their side — divided trays without a gasket are for dry-ish meals carried flat.
#ad · Price as of November 5, 2026 · Disclosure for the link to Bentgo Prep 3-Compartment Containers (20-piece)
Rank 02
Best cheap divided
Freshware 3-Compartment Meal Prep Containers (21 pack, 24 oz)
Twenty-one thin polypropylene trays split 12-6-6 oz, cheap enough to send to work and not chase. The maker rates them microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe; nobody rates them for the long haul, and that's the point.
EvidenceResearched · maker-sourced
The rubric behind the 8.5
Criterion marks are the rubric assessment on its own 0–10 scale. The published score is that weighted result on our 8.4–9.8 recommendation scale — how we score.
- Seal & leak design (25%)
- 3
- Material & thermal range (25%)
- 5
- Lid longevity & replacement availability (15%)
- 3
- Stack / nest footprint (15%)
- 9
- Dishwasher & stain resistance (10%)
- 4
- Value (10%)
- 10
Why we recommend it
- Twenty-one trays for less than one glass set — a month of lunches
- Divided, stackable, and light enough to forget in a locker
- Microwave and freezer rated by the maker
Good to know
- Thin lids press on; no gasket, no latch, no leak claim from the maker
- Warps after a few hot dishwasher cycles
- The 21-count and temperature range come from the retailer listing, not freshware.com
Choose a different pick if…
…you're buying containers to last — these are the ones you don't mind losing.
#ad · Price as of November 5, 2026 · Disclosure for the link to Freshware 3-Compartment Meal Prep Containers (21 pack, 24 oz)
Rank 03
Undivided alternative
Glasslock 18-piece Oven Safe Set (11292)
Not divided — the latching glass set for when the meal is wet or you weigh portions instead of filling compartments. Ranked here as the answer to 'or should I skip the divider'.
EvidenceResearched · maker-sourced
The rubric behind the 9.4
Criterion marks are the rubric assessment on its own 0–10 scale. The published score is that weighted result on our 8.4–9.8 recommendation scale — how we score.
- Seal & leak design (25%)
- 9
- Material & thermal range (25%)
- 9
- Lid longevity & replacement availability (15%)
- 5
- Stack / nest footprint (15%)
- 6
- Dishwasher & stain resistance (10%)
- 8
- Value (10%)
- 7
Why we recommend it
- Latching, gasketed lids — the design that actually survives a sideways bag
- Oven-rated base on the oven series (the OVEN SAFE mark is on the glass)
- Nine sizes, three shapes, every lid the same locking design
Good to know
- The US maker page publishes set contents and little else; the care wording comes from a distributor FAQ, labeled as such
- Gaskets are not sold separately in the US, so a torn seal means a new lid
- Mixed shapes: the rectangles nest, the rounds and squares don't join the stack
Choose a different pick if…
…you want the lid microwaved on — Glasslock's own guidance is lid off, and a vented plastic set (Rubbermaid Brilliance) is the microwave-with-lid answer.
#ad · Price as of November 5, 2026 · Disclosure for the link to Glasslock 18-piece Oven Safe Set (11292)
Rank 04
Portion tool
BODi 21 Day Fix Portion Control Containers (7-piece)
Not a lunch container — seven measured cups that do the portioning at the counter, so the plain container can be anything.
EvidenceResearched · maker-sourced
The rubric behind the 8.7
Criterion marks are the rubric assessment on its own 0–10 scale. The published score is that weighted result on our 8.4–9.8 recommendation scale — how we score.
- Seal & leak design (25%)
- 3
- Material & thermal range (25%)
- 5
- Lid longevity & replacement availability (15%)
- 5
- Stack / nest footprint (15%)
- 9
- Dishwasher & stain resistance (10%)
- 7
- Value (10%)
- 8
Why we recommend it
- Portion by container instead of by scale on nights you can't face a scale
- Nests into a single stack
- The capacities are published, so the system works with any plan, not only the one it was sold with
Good to know
- No leak-proof claim — these aren't for carrying
- Seven small containers; you still need real meal containers
- The color scheme is tied to one program's food groups
Choose a different pick if…
…you already weigh in grams — a 1 g scale is more precise than a cup, and cheaper than a kit plus a scale.
#ad · Price as of November 5, 2026 · Disclosure for the link to BODi 21 Day Fix Portion Control Containers (7-piece)
Divided trays are also the flattest shape in the category, which makes them the best stacking option — and stacking full in a fridge is a different problem from nesting empty in a cupboard. Both are worked through on best stackable meal prep containers.
Buyer's guide
Reusable or disposable?
Bentgo's trays are thicker and hand-wash the lids; Freshware's are thinner, cheaper per tray, and rated for the dishwasher. If a tray disappears at work once a week, buy Freshware and stop mourning them. The full disposable list is on best disposable containers.
Microwave rules
Both makers say microwave the tray, not the lid. Neither lid vents. Reheat with a paper towel over the tray.
Stacking
Ten identical trays stack as one column in the fridge and the lids stack flat — the main reason a divided set beats an assorted glass set for a small fridge. The bag side of that is on best meal prep bags, where the Bentgo Prep bag is sized to these exact trays.
How Meal & Macro picks gear
Researched, compared and scored
Every pick starts with the maker's own product page and manual: the lid, material and care ratings in its exact wording ("leak-proof", "oven safe to 450°F", "top-rack only"), the container-fit and ice-pack arithmetic worked out from published dimensions and the USDA's numbers, and a score on a public rubric for the category that weights the seal, the material and the fit first. Models are compared side by side, so each page lands on one clear pick per use case with the reason stated. Every figure links to where it came from; where the maker's page would not load we cite a retailer and say so.
Scores are editorial judgments built from that documented research. Commissions never set a score or decide a pick. The rubrics and their weights are published.
Questions
Frequently asked
Are 3-compartment containers leak-proof?
No tray on this page claims it. The compartments share one lid, and neither Bentgo nor Freshware uses the word leak-proof. Carry them flat.
What size are 3-compartment meal prep containers?
Bentgo Prep: 4 cups total (2 / 1 / 1), 9.5 × 6.6 × 2 in. Freshware: 24 oz total (12 / 6 / 6), 9 × 6.8 × 1.5 in.
Can you freeze food in divided trays?
Both makers rate the trays for the freezer. Cool the food first and leave headroom — the thin walls flex if you overfill and freeze.
Our recommendation
Where we would put the money
If you read nothing else on this page: this is the pick, and this is the one to buy instead if it does not fit your kitchen.
Top pick · Best Divided
Bentgo Prep 3-Compartment Containers (20-piece)
#ad · Price as of November 5, 2026 · Disclosure for the link to Bentgo Prep 3-Compartment Containers (20-piece)
Runner-up
Freshware 3-Compartment Meal Prep Containers (21 pack, 24 oz)
#ad · Price as of November 5, 2026 · Disclosure for the link to Freshware 3-Compartment Meal Prep Containers (21 pack, 24 oz)
Scores are our rubric's, published in full on how we score. Prices are Amazon's and change without notice.
Keep reading
Related on Meal & Macro
- Best disposable meal prep containersThe trays you don't chase.
- Best portion control containersMeasured cups instead of a scale.
- Best meal prep containersThe overall ranking, divided and undivided.
- Best meal prep bagsBags sized to carry divided trays flat.
- Best bento boxes for adultsThe one nicer divided box you eat from daily, rather than a stack of trays.
- Best containers for weight lossThe same trays judged as portioning tools for a deficit.
- Best meal prep containers for bodybuildingThe same trays judged for five or six feedings a day.
- Bentgo Prep reviewThe divided tray set in full, including the seal claim Bentgo never makes.
Receipts
Sources
- Bentgo — Prep 3-Compartment Containers 20-piece page (capacities, dimensions, materials, care) (checked 2026-09-21)
- Freshware — 24 oz 3-Compartment PP containers page (box and cavity size, polypropylene, care) (checked 2026-09-21)
- Amazon listing — Freshware Meal Prep Containers 21 Pack 3 Compartment, 24 oz (compartment split, stated temperature range; retailer listing, labeled) (checked 2026-09-21)
- Glasslock USA — 11292 18pc Oven Safe Box Set page (set contents) (checked 2026-09-21)
- BODi — Portion Control 7-Piece Container Kit page (colors, BPA/DEHP-free, top-rack dishwasher, nesting) (checked 2026-09-21)
- BODi blog — Understanding the 21 Day Fix Containers (container capacities by color) (checked 2026-09-21)
Materials, capacities, seals and care ratings come from the maker's own product pages and manuals (linked on every product) or, where the maker's page would not load, from a retailer listing we label as such. Food-safety numbers are quoted from the USDA and FDA pages linked above. Where a figure isn't published we say so. Amazon sets the prices and changes them often, so the button on every pick checks today's. Read the full method.