IKEA PRUTA Food Containers review: our best budget buy

Price on writing: £9 for 17 | Buy now from Amazon

From toasters to Tupperware, the cost of kitting out your kitchen can soon add up. While premium-priced brands are renowned for their high-quality and long-lasting designs, there are times when cheap and cheerful can easily do the job, saving valuable pennies without the need to sacrifice on functionality. 

Mumsnet users love IKEA for their budget-friendly supplies. If you don’t have a store near you or don’t fancy the stress of navigating through the hectic weekend crowds, you’ll be pleased to know that much of their bestselling kitchen storage range is now available to buy online at Amazon. Whilst the prices are slightly inflated from those found in-store, they still offer excellent value for money, without the risk of buying a trolley full of candles and Kallax units in the process.

Whether you're storing leftovers from dinner or want more organised kitchen cupboards, this set of 17 durable plastic storage containers makes a versatile and affordable choice. But at a cost of around 50p each, how well do they really perform and will they stand the test of time? Mumsnet writer Lucy decided to put them to the test. Here’s her full verdict.

Our verdict

• Design: 4/5

• Quality of seal: 3/5

• Versatility: 4/5

• Ease of cleaning: 4/5

• Ease of storing: 4/5

• Value for money: 5/5

This 17-piece IKEA PRUTA set offers excellent value for money. With a variety of sizes in the set, these lightweight containers made a versatile addition to my kitchen, whether used to help keep fruit fresh or store leftovers ready to reheat for my lunch. 

Despite their low price tag, I found them surprisingly durable and easy to stack inside my fridge freezer. However, while the lids sealed well, they aren’t leakproof, and for that reason, the PRUTA set is best suited to storing food inside the home rather than for packed lunches, soups or food on the go. 

IKEA PRUTA Food Containers: design and style

The 17-piece IKEA PRUTA Food Container set comes as two blocks of nesting containers, with the smaller items stacking neatly inside the larger ones. With a good selection of sizes and shapes in the set, I found them really versatile and suitable for storing a wide range of food. The smaller containers were ideal for stocking garlic, chilli and small snacks, and the larger containers were convenient for leftovers, keeping fruit fresh in the fridge or storing full-sized servings of salads or pasta.  

While all the lids are the same lime green colour, the completely transparent design of the base meant I could easily see the contents stored inside, something which proved useful when I had a selection stacked up in my fridge or freezer.

However, unlike the Sistema Brilliance and Joseph Joseph Nest Lock containers I also tested, the IKEA PRUTA boxes are made from relatively thin plastic, which is not surprising for the price. While I found them to be relatively durable, I do wonder how long they will last without getting damaged or cracked. 

Related: The best kettle for fast brewing

Leak test: how well did the IKEA PRUTA's seal perform? 

The lids on the IKEA PRUTA set simply slot into place, with no clips or latches to secure them. There is also no visible seal, so I found that I needed to work the way around the edge, firmly pressing down each corner to ensure they were secured before popping them in the fridge.   

While they did appear to seal well and didn’t lose any liquid when turned upside down, IKEA states that PRUTA containers are not spill-proof, so I would not recommend them for storing liquid items such as soup or casserole. As such, I would not feel comfortable storing these in a bag for a packed lunch or for food outside the home. 

Related: The best American fridge freezer for your home

What were the IKEA PRUTA Food Containers like to store?

I loved that the smaller PRUTA containers could be stashed inside the larger ones with the lids in place, so I only needed to rummage through the two stacks to find the container I needed. 

When stored in the fridge or freezer, the slightly lipped edge to the lid allowed me to easily stack several containers on top of each other without them slipping or sliding around. 

When not in use, however, I do wish that the lids weren't all the same colour, as you can inevitably end up with a mass of green lids to match up with their respective bases.

Related: The best lunch box for leakproof storage

How easy were the IKEA PRUTA Food Containers to clean?

The IKEA PRUTA containers have rounded corners, which makes them relatively easy to wash by hand with less place for food debris to get trapped. The lids were a little trickier to clean than the base, but the entire container can also be popped into the top shelf of your freestanding or integrated dishwasher if preferred. 

I experienced some very minor discolouration of the containers during my testing, but nothing particularly unsightly, even with tomato-based sauces. And despite their relatively thin design, I didn’t experience any breakages or warping of the plastic after cleaning them in my slimline dishwasher. 

Related: The best oven cleaner and glass cleaner for your home

Price: are the IKEA PRUTA Food Containers worth it?

At just £9 for 17 containers, the IKEA PRUTA set offers excellent value for money. Plus, if you’re prepared to cope with the crowds, you can pick them from your local IKEA store even cheaper - just £4 for the pack. 

Its budget-friendly price tag and versatility make the PRUTA set a great starter kit for students, new homes, or households simply looking to tighten up the pursestrings. Due to their non-leakproof design, however, these containers won’t quite cut it as a packed lunch option (especially if you’re planning to store liquids) and may not be as durable or long-lasting as other leading brands. 

How we tested

I used a number of the IKEA PRUTA containers in my own home over a fortnight, storing and stacking a variety of items such as leftover pasta, salads, olives in my fridge, chilli in my freezer, and loose items in the smaller containers such as sweets and snacks. 

During the test period, I carefully reviewed the quality of each container and its seal, the ease of cleaning, overall durability, and how easy the containers were to store when not in use.

• Tested over two weeks in a family home

• Stacked inside my fridge and my kitchen cupboards to test how easy they were to store 

• Cleaned both by hand and in the dishwasher

• Conducted a leak test to asses the lid's seal

• Cross-compared with other Tupperware storage containers I've tested

About the author

Lucy Cotterill is a mum of two and a Content Writer at Mumsnet, specialising in parenting and lifestyle product reviews and round-ups. Having written reviews on her own blog Real Mum Reviews since 2012, Lucy loves to research and explore the merits and disadvantages of products, scrutinising consumer feedback to help people make confident purchases.  

This year, Lucy is on a mission to save money and avoid food waste by making the most of meal planning, batch cooking and leftovers. Over the last month, she’s tested ten food storage containers to share her pick of the best - whether that’s for preparing a packed lunch for meals on the go, or freezing dishes to enjoy at a later date. 

As well as product reviews, Lucy has also written a whole host of Mumsnet kitchen round-ups, including the quietest dishwashers, best kettle and toaster sets, and top kettles for hard water, to name just a few.

Originally from a HR background with a degree in Business Studies, Lucy developed a real passion for blogging and writing when her children were young, going on to write for several online publications including US parenting site Pregistry and the Evening Standard. When she’s not manically tapping the keys of her laptop, Lucy loves nothing more than to cosy up with her Kindle and enjoy the latest thriller, head for a swim at the local gym, or compete in Nintendo Switch rallies with her daughters aged six and 10.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real people after extensive research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.

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