Aim The present cross‐sectional study analyzed the differences in mental health among community‐dwelling elderly Koreans based on type of meal skipping and family meal frequency. Methods We carried out a secondary data analysis using data from 4742 older adults aged ≥65 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V (2010–2012), a nationally representative sample. Results In the final model, after adjusting for covariates, we found differences in stress, depression and suicidal ideation based on the type of meal skipping. Specifically, breakfast skippers showed a greater odds ratio for depression and suicidal ideation than breakfast eaters; dinner skippers showed a greater odds ratio for suicidal ideation than dinner eaters. We also found differences in stress, depression and suicidal ideation per family meal frequency. Conclusions It is necessary to consider the type of meal skipping and family meal frequency while providing limited social resources to improve the mental health of older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; ••: ••–••.