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Can you freeze cheese or cream cheese? Can you freeze bread? What about Eggs? Find out what you can freeze and how long they'll last!
Can You Freeze Cheese? Can you freeze Cream Cheese? Find out 34 Freezer Friendly Foods!
Have you ever come across a REALLY (I mean realllly!) good deal on cheese, or bread, or eggs, and you wished you could freeze them to save for later? We have such good news for you!
You ABSOLUTELY can freeze cheese, cream cheese, bread, eggs, and more!
With prices on the increase, this list is more important than ever. There are so many foods that freeze well – and while I won't get to every single one of them in this post, it should answer some of your most pressing questions 🙂 You can also check out my favorite freezer cooking supplies list if you plan to whip up a few freezer meals!
How to Freeze Cheese, Eggs and other Dairy Products:
If you find a great deal or you're a little worried about running out of milk, cheese, eggs and more – freezing some for later is a smart idea!
Can you freeze Cheese?
YES! YES! YES!
Cheese is a great item to freeze – you can freeze ALL types of cheese – shredded cheese, blocks of cheese, sliced cheese, American cheese, etc. It may be helpful to wrap the cheese just to protect from any freezer burn.
And be sure to allow for about a day of thawing in the fridge before you go to use your frozen cheese.
Can you freeze Cream Cheese, too?
You can also freeze cream cheese, although the texture of defrosted cream cheese changes from creamy to a bit grainy. After being frozen it will be mostly just good for cooking or baking.
When looking at how to freeze cream cheese, you can simply leave it in its packaging and place the blocks of unopened cream cheese right in the freezer. You'll want to thaw the frozen cream cheese for about a day before using. If you have opened cream cheese, you can freeze that as well. Take your thawed cream cheese and wrap it tightly in saran wrap, and then place the blocks of cream cheese you've wrapped and place in a large Ziploc freezer. Be sure to label your bag so you know when it was placed in the freezer.
Pretty much any type of soft cheeses are good in the freezer up to 6 months.
Can You Freeze Milk?
Many people wonder if you can freeze milk – and if so – HOW?
Milk freezes well, just know that it expands so leave some extra room for that in the container. When you defrost in the fridge, you'll want to shake it will to mix the cream and water together again. It may not taste quite the same – but will be great for cooking and baking uses.
For those who use only a small amount of milk occasionally – you can freeze in ice cube trays and then transfer to a freezer Ziploc bag. Milk will be good in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Can you freeze almond milk?
You can also freeze non-dairy milks (like almond milk or cashew milk). Just be sure to allow it to thaw completely and shake very well before using. It may taste a bit different for drinking, but should be okay to use for baking or in something like a smoothie.
Can You Freeze Eggs?
Another item people don't often consider freezing is eggs. When you realize your carton is about to go bad but you have no time to cook with them – freeze them instead of tossing.
Just crack eggs (you can't freeze them in their shells) into a muffin tin and flash freeze – then pop each one into a ziploc baggie. If you don't need them to be separated – you can whisk them up and pour into a bag instead. These are great for baking!
To defrost, thaw overnight in the refrigerator or run cold water over the bag until thawed. Eggs can keep in a freezer for up to 1 year.
Can You Freeze Yogurt?
Another dairy item that is freezable is yogurt – although you can expect the texture to change some. It will still be great for smoothies, even if it's a little watery once you defrost it. Make sure to keep in mind that yogurt will expand some when frozen so leave a little extra room. Yogurt can freeze for up to 2 months.
Other Dairy Products That Freeze Well:
Butter & Margarine – No preparation required at all. It's good up to 9 months once frozen.
Sour Cream – No preparation required, however the texture will change when you thaw (works well in cooking or baking). Good Up to 6 months.
Can you Freeze Bread & Baked Goods?
Sliced Bread is easy to freeze and thaws out nice and soft, as long as you don't wait until it's stale to freeze it.
How can you freeze bread?
Simply pop it straight into the freezer in its bread bag – or double bag it to help it stay fresh longer. You could also use a wrapping of parchment paper and aluminum foil.
You can do this with fresh breads or store bought bread. A loaf of bread will last up to 6 months in the freezer! The only downside is, bread takes up quite a bit of space….
How to freeze Buns- Wrap well to prevent freezer burn. Lasts up to 6 months. (If your buns aren't just perfect when thawed – they make a wonderful garlic bread!)
Baked Cookies/Brownies – Wrap well to prevent freezer burn. Lasts up to 6 months.
Muffins/Pancakes/Waffles – Wrap well to prevent freezer burn. Lasts up to 6 months.
Tortillas – No preparation required. Lasts up to 9 months.
How long can you freeze chicken?
Freezing Meat is one of the most valuable ways to use your freezer space. I freeze meat all the time when I buy a giant family pack of chicken breasts or ground beef/turkey. You'll want to try and freeze meat within 2 days of buying at the grocery for best quality – or go ahead and cook it before freezing.
What you should keep in mind when freezing meat for later is how to make the thawing process super easy. If you freeze a bunch of huge chicken breasts all clumped together in a bag – it will take awhile to thaw and pull apart the ones you want to take out of the bag.
Chicken
Separate breasts and freeze in a ziploc bag. Try and press most of the air out and leave space between each chicken breast if possible. (Or if you have lots of quart size bags you can freeze them individually or in 2-packs).
Wrap well to prevent freezer burn. Good up to 6 months.
Ground Beef/Turkey
For ground beef, you may want to freeze in 1 lb portions for easy thawing and use in recipes. Another way to make thawing a cinch is to use this rolling pin trick for storing your ground beef! Wrap well to prevent freezer burn. Good up to 6 months.
Cooked Meat
Save yourself time and effort by cooking meat in advance and freezing.
You can go ahead and season it how you like – for instance taco meat, or meat seasoned for spaghetti/lasagna. Or have a big grill day and freeze lots of grilled chicken.
Freeze in bags labeled for what they are – and your next meal will be so much less work! Wrap well to prevent freezer burn. Good up to 6 months.
Freezing Rotisserie Chicken
I love how a rotisserie chicken makes my life easy when I'm in the mood for quick chicken noodle soup, chicken salad, or barbecue sandwiches.
You can pick up a couple rotisserie chickens, pull all the meat off, freeze, and save for a busy weeknight dinner! Add the drippings to your freezer bag as well for extra moisture and flavor.
An average rotisserie chicken yields up to 3 cups of meat. Store for up to 4 months.
Hot Dogs/Lunch Meat
You can freeze these types of meat right in their package for up to 4 months.
How to Freeze Fruits & Vegetables:
There are wayyyyy too many fruit and veggie varieties to list them all here – but here are some of the most common you can freeze. The texture of fruits will change in the freezer – but are great for baking in cobblers or using in smoothies down the road. (Or in these homemade apple pie muffins – yumm!)
Apples or Pears
Core, peel and slice, then place in lemon juice to keep from browning (works well in cobblers) Good for 3-6 months.
Berries
Freeze whole (works well in fruit smoothies or cobblers) Good ip to 12 months.
How to Freeze Bananas
If you've never frozen bananas before, it's easy ~ just pop them in the freezer (skins and all), then when you're ready to use them let them sit in a bowl on the counter until they're thawed.
The skin will just peel off (the banana will kind of ooze out ~ gross, I know), but you'll have the absolute best banana bread or chocolate chip banana muffin recipes you've ever eaten.
Peppers & Onions
Chop into small pieces, then place in freezer bags (works well in casseroles, chili or soups) Good up to 6 months.
Peaches
Peel and pit peaches, then slice into wedges and freeze in plastic bags (works well in fruit smoothies or cobblers) Good 3-6 months.
Broccoli, Corn, Carrots
Blanch before freezing, drain well, then freeze in a plastic bag up to 1 year.
**Here's a more in-depth guide to blanching carrots if this method is new to you!
Green Beans
Blanch before freezing, drain well, freeze in plastic bag up to 8 months.
**Here's a more in-depth guide if this method is new to you.
Pantry Staples To Freeze:
When I find a good deal on baking supplies – I usually get more than I need right away. Thank goodness you can freeze those too!
Nuts
Nuts last a decent amount of time at room temperature, but the oils in nuts can run the risk of going rancid after some time. Freezing them will make them last even longer – up to 6 months! Stock up on nuts at good sale prices around holidays and store for your everyday baking, salads, etc…
Baking Chips (i.e., chocolate, peanut butter)
Place in plastic bag to prevent freezer burn. Good up to 12 months.
I hope this list has helped answer your questions about what you can and can't freeze so that next time you see a great deal at the store, you will know that you can freeze both cream cheese, cheese, milk, eggs, bread, and more with no issues at all!
I just recently learned that you can take coffee creamer and also put it in the freezer, like milk, just let it thaw in fridge completely and then shake each time before use, we also make dog treats out of PB and use recipes from on line. When you trim left over meats you can use that and organ meats you don’t like add beets or pumpkin etc, any veggies good for dogs, add some quinoa and cook it , portiondepending on amount of dogs and it makes a great topper for kibble, uses what you won’t eat and is hood in fridge for 3 days and freezer for 3-4 months, no waste and yum for the dog or cat
That’s great. Thanks so much for letting us know! 🙂
I buy bags of lemons or limes then use very small silicone trays to freeze fresh squeezed juices. Once frozen I pop them into a freezer bag. I can pull out a cube anytime I need one. I often zest them first and freeze that too. The silicone trays also work well for freezing pesto into cubes.
I took a class several years ago about how to freeze items. Butcher paper works great for meats and shaped foods. You can also use plastic sandwich storage containers to stack. Thanks for all the tips!!
Thanks so much for chiming in!
I cook big batches of food and freeze, as well as buying bulk meats and freezing. I highly recommend using a vacuum sealer to freeze items. Eliminates freezer burn that happens when using ziplock bags.
Hi! Do you have any recommendations of how to freeze without wasting lots of plastic bags? I know the double-bagging protects the foods from freezer burn, but it feels so wasteful!
I know Kaitlyn – I agree and hate that part! One tip if you feel comfortable with it is to reuse the outer bag (my mother-in-law always washed hers). I wouldn’t feel safe doing that with the interior bags, but that would work! Also, they now have larger 2 gallon freezer bags. Maybe put 2 smaller bags together in those? Hope that helps!
I buy the large plastic wrap from Costco. I wrap each piece of meat separately. Then I place in a freezer ziploc bag. Been doing it for years. They don’t stick together. No freezer burn and you can take out as many pieces as you need.
That’s exactly what I do. I like the press and seal type and wrap each piece individually. That really saved us during covid since I didn’t like to go to the grocery store often and we cooked at home so much more.
Always when you freeze bread or buns, put a paper towel in the bag, just leave it till when you thaw it till you have used it all up. Keeps it fresh longer and won’t mold as quick. Per the bread store lady where I live. Really works.
Thanks so much for the tip Patricia! 🙂
Thank you for the info, especially in these hard times
Signed up for the What can I freeze list. Instead received Budget Work Sheet. Could you please send What Can I Freeze List. Thank you.
Thanks for the great tips.
Question: how do you thaw the bread after freezing it??
Hi Meliss! I’ve read you can thaw a few slices in the microwave, or you can let the loaf thaw in your fridge and then stick it in the oven for 3-5 minutes to refresh it! There are some other tips on Google as well! 🙂 Hope that helps!
I simply take it out, wrap the bread bag in a towel and let it sit for an hour or so…then I flip the whole thing upside down for another hour or so, this way we don’t have bread that has a hard crust on the bottom!
Just let it sit in the bag on your counter.
I have never thought I could freeze so many food, thank you for the great advice.
I have been freezing bananas for years. I actually peel them and package them win 3’s, as one of my specialties that my grandchildren
love is Banana bars and they take 3 over ripe bananas. I don’t like them in the peelings, as WAY to hard to get them out of the peel.
Thanks! Did not know about the eggs… this helps. Now I wish freezer bags were smaller. God bless you and your family. I beginning to feel like a pioneer woman. I hope my wagon holds up!
These are really helpful tips! Thank you for this ❤️❤️
thank you so much for this info especially is this trying times
Thanks.
Such great info, especially during our self quarantine! Thanks
Thanks!!
You’re so welcome Susan!