Following a recent endorsement from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) as a practical source of nutrition, frozen food is seeing a pivotal shift – one captured in Conagra’s third annual Future of Frozen Food report.
The report arrives as the $93.5 billion industry adapts to a significant consumer shift: Roughly one in four shoppers are now avoiding preservatives in favor of minimally-processed options.
Consumers also are turning to frozen options to help manage overeating, according to the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI).
“A 2023 survey of over 1,000 individuals, conducted by Georgetown University, found that half of the respondents choose single-serve frozen meals as a convenient option for healthier eating, particularly due to the portion control they offer,” AFFI said.
Within this changing landscape, Conagra identifies major trends to watch over the next year.
Frozen protein power
Conagra found that protein led the conversation on nutrition in 2025, with 295 million online keyword searches.
Protein’s influence is felt throughout the store as well as the frozen aisle, where it captured $12 billion in consumer spending.
“This is people looking to understand what foods drive the most protein, what recipes they can search for to add additional protein to their diet and how much protein they actually need to meet their health goals,” said Alie Burnet, predictive science director at Conagra.
High-protein frozen meals make up about 14% of the total frozen dollar share, putting it in the lead in the frozen aisle.
“It’s twice what refrigerated sees,” she said. “Frozen meals really deliver here. It averages about 15 grams of protein per serving, which is outpacing other known high-protein foods, things like refrigerated meals, lunch meat and yogurt, so you can get all your protein goals in one sitting.”
Restaurants at home
Food price inflation might be encouraging consumers to cook at home to save some money, but when they do, they’re often looking to recreate their favorite restaurant dishes, according to the report.
Copycat recipes largely focused on chicken, and takeout-style versions of popular restaurant dishes are growing in popularity and now make up $14.3 billion in annual sales, Conagra found.
“Younger generations are driving this trend, with Gen Z accounting for 20% of dollar growth of takeout style frozen items, and families with children under 12 driving 40%,” Conagra noted.
Consumers are not necessarily looking to trade down when they opt to cook at home, according to Bob Nolan, Conagra senior vice president of analytics and insights.
“They want the food to be just as delicious, but they want it within their budget,” he said.
Connecting through food
Frozen foods also increasingly play a role in family meals, with a rise in multigenerational households, Conagra said.
A third of young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 live at home with their parents, up nearly 5% from 20 years ago, the report found.
This trend is bringing more families back together for multi-serve dinners. Frozen pizzas and multi-serve meals lead the category at $7.4 billion and $2.9 billion, respectively.
“These multi-serve meals really help feed the crowd affordably by lowering cost per serving by about 20% to 30%, which is really important when you’re trying to feed a lot of mouths at the same time,” Burnet said.
Consumers also turn to frozen meals for ease of preparation, according to Conagra.
For example, pre-mixed stir-fry vegetables along with seasoned grains allow consumers to get the feel of making a home-cooked meal with less preparation. Conagra said frozen stir-fry products make up about 30% of the total stir-fry market throughout the store.
Rise and thaw
Frozen breakfast products are growing in popularity, and consumers are eating them throughout the day, according to the report.
Conagra noted that instances of consumers eating frozen breakfast products for lunch jumped 18% year over year, with Millennials up 24%, Gen Z up 19% and Gen Alpha up 13%.
“When it comes to actual behavior, consumers are choosing products that keep them full longer, are high in protein and are nutritious,” the report noted.
