How to Freeze Milk (and Thaw It So It's Still Usable)

Freezing stops milk's clock right where it is, so buying in bulk or catching a sale doesn't mean racing to drink it all before it turns. Leaving room for expansion and thawing slowly in the fridge keeps the fat from separating too badly, and a hard shake afterward brings it back together enough for cooking, baking, and coffee.

Prep

5 min

Cook

0 min

Total

5 min

Servings

4

Ingredients

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Instructions

1. 1Start with milk that's fresh, ideally within a few days of purchase and well before the sell-by date. Milk that's already close to turning will taste worse, not better, after a stint in the freezer.
2. 2Pour the milk into freezer-safe containers or heavy-duty freezer bags, leaving about 1/2 to 1 inch of headspace at the top. Liquid expands as it freezes, and a completely full rigid container can crack or pop its lid.
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3. 3Portion the milk into amounts you'll actually use at once, like 1-cup or 2-cup portions, rather than freezing the whole gallon in one block. It's much easier to thaw only what a recipe needs.
4. 4Lay bags flat in the freezer until solid if you're using them, this saves space and helps the milk thaw faster later. Label every container with the date.
5. 5Freeze for up to 3 months for the best flavor and texture; milk keeps safe longer than that, but the taste starts to flatten out.
6. 6When ready to use it, move the container to the refrigerator and let it thaw slowly for 12 to 24 hours, depending on the amount. Thawing on the counter lets it sit in the danger zone (above 40°F) for too long.
7. 7Once fully thawed, shake the container hard or whisk the milk vigorously. Frozen and thawed milk separates, with the fat clumping and the liquid looking watery or grainy, and it needs to be remixed before it looks and pours normally again.
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8. 8Use thawed milk in cooking, baking, smoothies, oatmeal, or coffee. The texture is usually slightly thinner and less silky than fresh milk, so it's better suited to these uses than to drinking straight from a glass.

Tips & variations

• Whole milk and 2% freeze and thaw noticeably better than skim milk, the extra fat helps keep the texture from turning as watery.
• Freeze small amounts in ice cube trays, then transfer the frozen cubes to a bag, for splashes of milk in coffee or sauces without thawing a whole carton.
• Half-and-half and light cream can be frozen the same way, but they separate more dramatically than milk and are best reserved for cooked dishes afterward, not for pouring over cereal.
• Buttermilk freezes well too and works fine in baking after thawing and shaking, even though it looks lumpy straight out of the freezer.

Storage & reheating

Frozen milk keeps at a safe, usable quality for up to 3 months in a standard freezer. Thaw it in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature, a quart-sized container usually takes about a full day. Once thawed, treat it like fresh milk: keep it refrigerated and use it within the normal 5 to 7 days. Do not refreeze milk once it has been thawed.

FAQ