20 Foods You Didn’t Know You Could Freeze

Have you ever passed up a great food sale or a bulk price deal because you were afraid the majority of the food would wind up going to waste? Well, you won’t have to miss out on any deals after you read about all these foods you can freeze! Not only does freezing foods give you a chance to save money, but many of these will also help to save you time! Check out these 20 foods you can freeze that you probably didn’t know you could freeze!

20 Foods You Can Freeze

1. Cheese

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You can often get a great deal on huge cheese blocks at places like Costco. If the cheese is semi-hard or hard (cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan, Swiss, etc.), it will freeze well. Though when thawed it may become crumbly and not slice well, so this is a good idea for cooking cheeses, rather than sandwich cheeses. You also may want to grate the cheese first. That way you can just scoop out what you need. To freeze blocks of cheese, wrap the cheese in plastic wrap and put it inside a freezer bag. I just throw bags of shredded cheese in the freezer as is. When I need to use some, I break up the clumps in the bag with a meat cleaver or bang the bag on the counter (hi-tech I know but it works)!  I don’t normally even thaw the shredded cheese.

2. Milk

If you think it’s unlikely you’ll use your whole container of milk before it spoils, it might be a good idea to freeze some. You can transfer the amount you aren’t going to use to a freezer safe container but leave about an inch or so at top. To freeze whole containers of milk, you can open the milk container and pour off about a cup or so. Milk will expand when frozen and if you don’t do this step it could burst the container. Don’t forget to write the date on your container of milk because the date that’s printed on it is meaningless once you freeze it. Freeze for up to 2-3 months and defrost in the refrigerator.

3. Nuts

If you’ve got a lot of nuts, but only use them occasionally for baking, it’d be a good idea to freeze them. All you have to do is put them in an airtight container, or wrap them in plastic and put them in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to use them, thaw them on the counter or in the refrigerator or throw them right into your recipe.

4. Eggs

Can you believe you can freeze eggs? I haven’t tried this yet. But this would be amazing if you come across a good sale on eggs.  Of course, you can’t freeze them with their shells (they’d crack). Mix together the egg whites and yolks and add a pinch of salt. Try not to add to much air to them – so don’t whisk. Spray a ice cube tray with cooking spray or use a silicone tray. Put 3 Tbsp. of egg into each segment of an ice-cube tray, you can use one segment per egg required by your recipe. When you’re ready to use, thaw them in the refrigerator. Frozen eggs will last several months in the freezer.

5. Ginger

We use ginger a lot in our smoothies, so when we find it at a good price we love to stock up! To freeze ginger, first peel it. Then slice it into 1-inch long pieces, wrap the pieces in plastic, and put them in a freezer bag. When you need some, just thaw them in the refrigerator or on the counter.

6. Pie

This is a great time saver! To do this, bake your pie as normal. When cool, freeze the pie by wrapping it in freezer paper and storing it in a freezer bag. You can also freeze individual baked slices. When you’re ready to eat it, let it thaw a bit at room temperature for an hour or two. Then heat it up at 400-450 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or at 200 degrees for 2 hours. It might take some experimentation to find out which heating method works best for each type and size of pie. Some pies (custards and meringues) generally don’t freeze well, but fruit, pumpkin, and chocolate pies tend to do well reheated.

7. Rice

With this freezing tip, you can finally buy those huge bulk bags of rice and not worry about them going bad! All you have to do is cook the rice as normal, then freeze it on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Put it in a bag or container and keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to scoop out and reheat what you need!

8. Pasta

Can you believe that you can freeze pasta? All you have to do is cook the pasta as normal, then once it’s cool, freeze it. It may be helpful to freeze it in individual portion sizes. When you need it, just microwave it with some water!

9. Cookie Dough

We do this all the time with homemade cookie dough. To do this, make your cookie dough, then scoop out the spheres of dough like you normally would. Freeze these, and when you’re ready for cookies, you can just plop them in a pan! Since they’re frozen, you’ll want to add a few more minutes to your cook time.

10. Bread

We often make our own bread, so we like to do this to make sure we always have some on hand. We usually just cut the loaf in half, keeping half to use right away, and putting the other half in the freezer for later. Then we defrost it ahead of time when we know we want to use it. If you want to make your freezer bread even more easy to use, consider cutting it in slices before freezing. Then you can just (carefully) pull slices off and put them in the toaster to defrost them faster. Either way, wrap the bread in plastic wrap before freezing.

11. Chips

This one was a big surprise to me when I found out about it! You can do this with bulk bags you just bought, or open bags that you’re not eating fast enough. Just pour the chips into an airtight bag and stick them in the freezer. When you want some chips, you can eat them straight from the freezer bag, or let them defrost a bit on the counter.

12. Tomato Paste and Pasta Sauce

Sometimes you don’t need a whole can of tomato paste or pasta sauce, and it won’t last long in the fridge once opened. To freeze it, put it in an airtight bag, write on it how much paste/sauce you’re freezing, and put the bag in the freezer, laying it flat. When you need it, you can break off a chunk to put in your recipe, using the amount you recorded as a guide (if you froze 1 cup, break off half of the frozen chunk to get 1/2 a cup).

13. Diced Vegetables

This is a great time saver! So many recipes call for diced onions, bell peppers, etc. If you’ve already diced and frozen the veggies in freezer bags, then you can just break off a chunk when you need them!

14. Marinated Meat

This is another way to freeze food and save time! It can take hours for meat to become fully marinated. To get past this, pour your marinade into a freezer bag with your meat when you freeze it. When you’re ready to cook it, defrost it and you’ll have fully marinated meat that’s ready to use!

15. Corn on the Cobb

This is a great way to make sure you still have delicious corn during the winter! During the summer when corn tastes best (and is the best price) you can buy a lot and freeze it for winter! If the corn is really fresh (like from your garden or a farmer’s market), you can freeze it within the husk. If it’s from a grocery store, you’ll need to husk and blanch it prior to freezing.

16. Hummus

If you love hummus, then you probably go through it pretty fast. Rather than having to buy more every week, but a lot at once and freeze it! To freeze hummus, put it into a freezer-safe container and drizzle some olive oil on top of it to keep it from drying out. When your current tub is running low, defrost the frozen hummus in the refrigerator for 1 day, then stir it well prior to enjoying.

17. Flour

Since we make homemade bread, we have to keep a good supply of flour on hand. We try to always have a few bags of flour in the freezer at all times. If the flour is unopened, simply put it in its original paper packaging in a freezer bag, or wrap it with plastic. If the flour is opened, pour it into a freezer bag and wrap the bag with foil. You don’t need to defrost it prior to using it.

18. Herbs

This is a great tip for anyone who likes to use fresh herbs! It allows you to store herbs from your garden, or to save excess herbs that you got to use in a recipe. You can freeze fresh herbs two different ways. If you’re freezing whole sprigs, wash and dry the herbs, then wrap them in plastic and put them in a freezer bag. If you’re freezing chopped herbs, freeze them in an ice cube tray with 1-2 tablespoons of water on top.

19. Hamburger / Ground Beef

This handy freezing tip can come in really handy for when you forget to defrost ground beef for dinner! To make this, pre-cook the ground beef/hamburger meat. Freeze it in containers or bags in handy portion sizes. When you need it, take it out of the freezer, season it, and microwave it a few minutes to thaw. Then put it in your recipe to cook further.

20. Juice

If you either want to buy juice in bulk, or simply don’t often drink the juice that you have, then knowing how to freeze juice can be very helpful! Just like with milk, put it in a freezer-safe container and leave some extra space so the juice can expand.

What foods do you freeze?