Can You Freeze Cheese, Milk, Eggs, & Other Dairy Products?!
Wondering if you can freeze cheese, milk, and eggs to stop food waste and save money? The answer is, YES!
When that Gouda cheese sale hits, you’ll want to save these helpful tips! 🥚🧀🥛
Want to stock up on cheese, milk, eggs, and other dairy products when they’re on sale, but short on fridge space? 😩 These easy and clever tips will show you how to freeze cheese, milk, eggs, and other dairy products, so they can safely be used at a later date (some for up to a YEAR)!
Plus, these hacks aren’t just convenient, they’re HUGE money savers that’ll minimize your weekly grocery trips…
How to freeze cheese:
Thanks to this freezer hack, you can buy all the cheese you want when it’s on sale, even if you only need a little for the week ahead. Frozen cheese typically lasts up to 6 months.
Cheese freezing tips:
- Shred it before you freeze it. Block-style cheese doesn’t turn out the best in the freezer. 👎
- Store it in a large freezer bag and let out excess air before sealing.
- To avoid sticky, clumpy cheese, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch for every pound of cheese. Shake it up in the bag, seal, and freeze.
- When ready to use, let thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Here’s another great tip from Hip Reader, Blue:
I grate my cheese in my food pro, then flash freeze it on cookie sheets before bagging it up for the freezer. No corn starch is needed!
How to freeze milk:
Milk is one of those dairy products you always need to have on hand. If you snag a deal on almost-expired milk, just store what you won’t use in the freezer for up to one month and pull it out when you need it!
Milk freezing tips:
- Pour out a little bit of milk from the carton so it doesn’t expand too much before placing it in the freezer.
- When ready for use, move milk to the fridge and let thaw completely so it isn’t watery.
- Once thawed, just shake it up and it’s as good as new! Milk turn yellow? Don’t worry this is totally normal and safe to drink when thawed properly! It should return back to its white colors as it thaws!
Here are a few more General Do’s & Don’t’s for freezing milk and similar dairy products:
✅ DO – Use your frozen milk within a month after freezing. Although you CAN freeze milk safely for up to 6 months, Healthline recommends using it within 1 month.
❌ DON’T – Freeze sugar-free coffee creamers or lactose-free milk. It turns clumpy when thawed.
✅ DO – Freeze half & half and regular coffee creamers. Just like you freeze milk, be sure to empty out a bit to leave room for expansion.
❌ DON’T – Freeze milk in a paper carton. Pour it into a plastic or glass container before freezing instead.
How to freeze heavy cream and whipping cream:
Heavy cream and whipping cream are often used in small amounts for cooking and baking purposes to make things like soups and sauces. If you’ve got an almost-full container of cream that you don’t need to use for a while, keep it fresh by storing it in your freezer.
Heavy cream and whipping cream freezing tips:
- To freeze small amounts, pour the cream into an ice cube tray and place it in the freezer. Each cube will contain about 2 tablespoons of liquid.
- To freeze large amounts of heavy or whipping cream, simply place the original carton in the freezer. If it’s nearly full, pour out 1-2 inches because it will expand a bit when frozen.
- If you plan on whipping your cream, do so before freezing (frozen, then thawed heavy cream won’t be quite as fluffy as it would be when fresh). Place spoonfuls of the whipped cream on a parchment-lined tray and place it in the freezer. Once completely frozen, transfer the frozen dollops to a freezer bag.
How to freeze eggs:
Believe it or not, eggs are freezer-friendly, too! This comes in handy when you’re baking and realize you only have 1 egg left in the fridge. You can freeze eggs for up to 1 year so stock up when they’re on a good sale!
Egg freezing tips:
- Use an easy-twist ice cube tray to store individual eggs.
- Crack and whisk the eggs before pouring them into the ice cube tray.
- You can also use a muffin tin to freeze larger egg portions and then transfer them to a freezer bag.
- Add desired seasonings to the egg mixture before freezing to minimize prep work later.
- Defrost for 24 hours in the fridge before use.
How to freeze butter:
Buying butter in bulk can save you some serious grocery dollars, but where to put it all? Luckily, you can keep your fridge nice and tidy by storing your butter surplus in the freezer for 6-12 months. And it’s so simple with zero prep work for freezing — just put the sticks of butter still in their package into the freezer! That’s it!
Butter freezing tips:
- Avoid storing unsalted butter for more than 1 month, as it loses its flavor faster than salted butter. (Although many readers say they’ve frozen unsalted butter for months without problems!)
- Keep butter in the original packaging (wrapper and box).
- If storing without original packaging, wrap in aluminum foil and place it in a freezer bag.
- To thaw for immediate use, place in the microwave and turn over every 10 seconds until it reaches the desired softness.
Check out this COOL tip from Hip Reader, GAmommyof4:
Frozen butter is the best for grating and making homemade biscuits! I learned this from Martha Stewart.
How to freeze yogurt for smoothies:
Yogurt is an essential smoothie ingredient, but it doesn’t last forever in the fridge. When frozen, you don’t have to worry about using it all up before the expiration date. Freezing also extends the life of your yogurt by 3-4 months.
Yogurt freezing tips:
- To freeze perfect yogurt portions for a smoothie, place the desired amount in a muffin tin and then place it in the freezer for 2-3 hours. Once frozen, transfer the yogurt molds to a freezer bag to save space and place back in the freezer.*
- You can also scoop dollops onto a parchment-lined tray, leaving about an inch in between the scoops. After the scoops have completely frozen, move them to a freezer bag.*
- Freezing Go-Gurt or other yogurt tubes? Stash the tubes as-is in the freezer, and enjoy them like a popsicle when ready to eat! These tubes double as ice packs in their lunch boxes too and will be nice and thawed come lunchtime at school!
*Keep in mind that these freezer hacks are primarily for smoothies. Thawed, frozen yogurt may not be as good if you plan on eating it by itself.
Here’s a tasty tip from Hip Reader, Kristy:
We love freezing yogurt! I’ve been mixing Dannon light and fit with chopped up fresh strawberries or a can of crushed pineapple and have been freezing them in small glad and tupperware containers. It is so good and refreshing on a hot day! It’s like eating an icy! My daughter and I love it!
How to freeze sour cream, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, & similar dairy products:
Cottage cheese can be another essential smoothie ingredient, and all that expensive ricotta can be saved for the next time you whip up some yummy lasagna.
Sour cream, ricotta cheese, etc. freezing tips:
- For small portions, such as dollops for smoothies or lasagna, place the desired amount in a muffin tin or on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 2-3 hours in the freezer.
- Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container.
Too much sour cream? Use your leftovers to make Lina’s heavenly Coconut Cake! 😋
How to freeze cream cheese:
Whether in block form or as a spread, don’t we all love that creamy goodness?! You can freeze cream cheese, much like the other dairy-based products listed above. The key to fresh cream cheese once frozen is to allow plenty of time to properly thaw, typically overnight.
Cream cheese freezing tips:
- When freezing a block of cream cheese, it’s best to first wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container.
- Be sure to let thaw overnight when ready to use and whisk or stir up to revive its consistency
Hip Reader, Penny, shared this AWESOME tip:
You can also make batches of cream cheese icing and then it is ready when you bake a cake. I just put mine in freezer bags and they thaw quickly for cake decorating.
Now that you know how to freeze a few essential dairy products, make some room in your freezer and keep an eye out for grocery deals like price drops on milk and BOGO sales on butter and cheese.
Got a lot of cheese on hand? Time to make this easy Baked Ziti!
Cottage cheese doesn’t freeze well for eating as cottage cheese, but it does freeze well if you plan to use it to make lasagna or something similar. I just throw the container straight in the freezer. When ready to make lasagna I thaw it and mix it with eggs to layer in lasagna.
The same is true for ricotta cheese. I freeze it for later when I plan on making lasagna or baked ziti. Never had an issue.
Great tips! I’ve always stock up and put cheese in the freezer. Unfortunately we only use unsalted butter, but may try it since it’s just used for baking. I also freeze yogurt tubes for my daughter since she doesn’t typically go through them before expiration. She actually prefers them frozen, like a popsicle!
Gonna have to try that yogurt tip! My 9month old loves yogurt and I’m not a huge fan so I throw so much away!
Be careful when giving a child under 3 frozen Go-Gurt. It’s a choking hazard because it doesn’t melt very quickly. I believe it says it on the package.
The yogurt tubes are formulated to be frozen so that you can pop them in a lunch box and they’ll be thawed by lunchtime. But my kids also prefer them frozen.
I freeze unsalted butter too and was thinking the same-does unsalted butter have a taste? I’ve definitely left it for longer than that!
I only use unsalted butter and I’ve frozen it for several months without any issues. I just toss the entire package into the freezer when we get home from the store and pull it out when I need it.
I only use unsalted butter too. I’ve never had a problem with freezing it. I buy from Costco and it takes me several months to use it all.
I freeze cottage cheese for smoothies.
That’s a great idea! Thank you so much for sharing! I LOVE these posts, H2S! The community always has so many great tips! 💝🤗
SO happy to hear you enjoy these posts, A.B.! I’ll be sure to pass along your sweet feedback to the team! There are some really great tips and tricks in the comments! 🙌❤️
I have a narrow freezer so they don’t fit in mine, either. What I do is use a gallon size ziploc and just lay it on its side with a layer of cheese until it’s frozen, then I “shake” it into the bottom of the bag and roll it up because I don’t like using corn starch to prevent sticking. This way, I’ve also got individual portions ready to go 🙂
I’ve been freezing shredded cheese for years. Works great. Just tried freezing milk for the first time. It was skimmed variety. I followed the directions in this post. Took 2 days to thaw but lasted way long afterwards. I’m sold!
My grandma used to freeze milk when I was a kid and it would yellow a little bit. I’m not sure if that’s because back in “the olden days” maybe it wasn’t processed the same back then? But it was always fine, just the color was a little off. So, if it still does that just know it’s OK LOL
We buy whole milk and it does yellow when frozen, but when it thaws out, it returns to its normal white color.
Craziest thing I realized you could freeze- spray can cool whip! You’d think it would burst, but it doesn’t. My dad works for Sysco foods and it’s all frozen before it’s delivered to restaurants.
Crystal,
Thank you for this information. I had no idea this was possible. I freeze can crescent rolls and biscuits and they stay intact as well. I love these kind of posts.
I’ve been freezing all these things fir decades since most of that time we’ve lived rural. I would like to differ with you, Amber, on freezing block cheese. You CAN freeze blocks (or wheels) of cheese successfully. The trick is to let it thaw and come to ROOM TEMPERATURE before going back into the fridge. Once they are cold again you cannot tell they were ever frozen! The process is safe with block cheese as they are hard cheeses. As we know in many countries they are carried as portable lunches, dinners, travel food, and snacks and are not subject to quick spoilage. I also freeze SLICED cheese (American, Swiss, Provolone) successfully! Thaw in the fridge then place on the counter to warm to room temp. Then back in the fridge to cool. Slices Peel apart beautifully with NO crumbling – good as new! Try it! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the great end results!!
My husband worked in a dairy for years, it’s 6 months for the freezer. Just make sure you defrost in the fridge and never on the counter, it causes bacterial growth.
This just have me an idea. I LOVE coconut coffee mate in my Dr. Pepper but I never buy it because I don’t use it fast enough. I think I’ll try making coffee mate ice cubes and give that a go! Thanks for the info!
Great post! I hate food waste, especially things that are environmentally intensive to make like dairy. Thanks, H2S!
Love these tips…One question about the frozen milk, I froze milk and it turned yellow. I threw it out. Is that normal for it to turn yellow?
Hey Tina! That is common for milk when frozen. It’s safe to drink if it was stored and defrosted properly.
Hope that’s helpful. ❤️
I go a step further and can milks and soft cheeses! Hard cheeses I wax. I freeze things too but never huge quantities in the event of power outages, shelf stable is there no matter what happens to electricity
So smart, AtomicPenny! Thanks for sharing how you prep and store items! 🥰
LOL! I tend to use about the same amount as you mentioned with heavy cream in recipes, but used smaller amounts when I put it in my coffee. Thanks for sharing about how you freeze butter! I need to remember that when a sale pops up! 🙌💞
Great post! Thanks for these helpful tips!
You’re welcome, Kelly! Thank YOU for the sweet feedback! 💖
Hi Cathy! I did look further into this. You can easily freeze deli meats in an airtight freezer bag. Some have put wax paper inbetween each slice and even put them in a 2nd freezer bag to help prevent freezer burn. Hoping that might work well for you if you decide to try it! 🤞❤️
I have frozen sour cream before, but it doesn’t have the same taste.
Oh, good to know about sour cream, Kim! Thanks! 💕