Can you freeze cream cheese? Yes, but only for cooking
You can, but it turns crumbly, so the USDA does not recommend it for spreading. Frozen cream cheese is fine in sauces, bakes and dips. How to freeze and thaw it.
By Zain Nazeer, founder and editor
Photo by Caroline Ross on Unsplash
You can freeze cream cheese and it stays safe, but the USDA FoodKeeper does not recommend it, because freezing changes the texture. The water separates from the fat, so thawed cream cheese is grainy and crumbly instead of smooth. That makes it a poor spread for bagels, but perfectly good in anything you cook or bake: sauces, soups, casseroles, cheesecake and muffins.
How long does cream cheese last?
- In the fridge: about 2 weeks from the day you buy it, and no later than the date on the pack.
- Once opened: keep it wrapped or in its tub with the lid on, and use it within the date. Throw it out if it smells sour or shows mould.
- In the freezer: it stays safe, but the texture gets worse the longer it is kept, so use it soon.
How do you freeze cream cheese?
- Freeze an unopened block in its foil and box, or put an opened block in a freezer bag with the air pressed out.
- For cooking, freeze it in measured portions, such as 2 or 4 ounces, so you only thaw what a recipe needs.
- Label it with the date.
Whipped cream cheese and low-fat cream cheese contain more water and separate even more, so freeze full-fat blocks if you can.
How do you thaw and use frozen cream cheese?
Thaw it overnight in the fridge, never on the counter. Pour off any liquid, then beat it hard with a spoon or mixer; it will not come back fully smooth, but it mixes into a recipe without trouble. Use it in cooked dishes, bakes and blended dips. More on safe thawing in how to thaw meal prep safely.
Can you freeze dishes made with cream cheese?
Yes, usually better than the cream cheese on its own, because the other ingredients hold it together. Pasta bakes, enchiladas and soups with cream cheese stirred in freeze for 2 to 3 months, like other cooked leftovers; stir them well when reheating. Cheesy bakes such as a chicken enchilada bake freeze the same way.
Which other dairy foods freeze?
Hard cheese freezes for cooking; see can you freeze cheese. Yogurt freezes for smoothies and baking; see can you freeze yogurt. Sour cream and cottage cheese separate badly; see foods that do not freeze well and which meal prep foods freeze well.
Sources
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