How to Freeze Food

Curious about freezing food? We’re sharing all of our Frozen Food Tips from How to Freeze Food to our best freezer meals.

A freezer is one of the most under-utilized tools for sticking to eating healthy, reducing food waste, and saving time in the kitchen!

We freeze food all the time and use our freezer as a way to meal prep.

Whether it’s buying meat in bulk, cooking a double batch and freezing half for another night, or just tossing leftovers in there to avoid food waste – our freezer is constantly in use.

I’m sharing my best freezer tips with you below so you can become a freezer expert too!

What is the Optimal Freezer Temperature

The FDA recommends that your freezer temperature should be 0° F (-18° C).

What Food Can I Freeze?

So many foods can be frozen (even some you may not have thought about):

• Meat – Probably the most popular freezer item and it can be frozen raw or cooked; however, be aware it will lose some moisture once cooked, frozen, and thawed. 
• Stock – You can buy stock, make your own crockpot chicken broth, instant pot bone broth, or broth with beef bones and freeze in larger quantities to use in soups or to drink or in smaller quantities in ice cube molds. 
• Herbs – A great way to save fresh herbs before they go bad is to freeze in ice cube trays with a little water or oil of choice. 
• Fruit – Sliced fruit is amazing to save for smoothies or baking! 
• Bread – Can be frozen sliced or as breadcrumbs to preserve freshness.
• Butter and Grated Cheese 
• Eggs – Not in their shell. Crack and put into small containers or large ice cube molds to freeze.
• Cooked pasta – Be sure to not fully cook it or cook to just al dente, otherwise it will fall apart when you reheat. Pasta is not our favorite thing to freeze but it can be done.
• Pantry Staples – Flour, Rice, Nuts, Chia Seeds, Flax Seeds

What Foods Do Not Freeze Well?

While there are so many foods that can be frozen, some that you will want to stay away from are: 

• Milk – It can be grainy once thawed. It is safe for cooking; however, if that is how you plan to use it. (Dairy-free milk like almond or coconut will separate a lot once frozen and we do not recommend)
• Block cheese – The consistency of block cheese, once frozen, often gets very crumbly. We recommend shredding before freezing. 
• Sour Cream, Cream Cheese, and Yogurt – Just like milk, the texture gets very weird once thawed. 
• Fried Food or Anything with a Crunchy Topping – After defrosting, the crispness will not be there and your dish will be mushy.

How To Freeze Cooked Food and Prep Meals to Freeze

Make sure that when you are freezing cooked food you allow the food and container to cool completely before putting it into your freezer.

Putting hot food directly in the freezer will raise the freezer temperature and could jeopardize your other food, but at the very least will put added stress on your freezer to cool back down. 

I always allow food to cool on the counter, then add it to the fridge to cool completely and then freeze.

The biggest key to prepping your food to freeze is to remove as much air as possible from around your food. Make sure to tightly wrap or seal whatever meal you are freezing to ensure it stays tasting great! (see below for my favorite containers for freezing)

Look to the recipe creator to see if they have tips for freezing your particular dish! Most of us will already have tested to see how the dish will freeze and be able to offer helpful tips in the blog post of the recipe. 

How to Prevent Freezer Burn

Freezer burn is normally safe to eat and is due to excess air around your food; however, it can cause your food to lose some of its flavors. If only a portion is freezer burned, you can cut that section off. 

Here are some tips to keep freezer burn from happening: 

• Properly and tightly wrap your food to keep as much air out as possible
• Try to keep space in your freezer for air circulation 
• Don’t put hot food directly in your freezer, but allow it to come to room temperature or refrigerated temperature first
• Portion out your food in smaller portions when possible (instead of freezing 5lbs of chicken together, separate into 1lb)

What Are The Best Containers for Freezing Food?

Properly storing food in the freezer is SO important for your food quality and these are some of our favorite containers: 

• Thick or coated wraps – freezer plastic wrap, butcher paper, aluminum foil 
• Glass containers – make sure it is labeled safe for freezing and always leave space if freezing something that will expand when frozen
• Ice cube trays – for stocks, herbs in water or oil, juices, etc
• Souper Cubes – I LOVE these! They are for freezing soups. Code CLEANEATINGCOUPLE works to save $$ on them! You can read more about them in our Souper Cubes Review post.
• Muffin tins – for muffins, egg cups, broth, soups, or sauces
• Vacuum sealer – great for meats
• Reusable zip top bags- I love Stasher Bags & ZipTop Bags. Both are awesome for freezing.

Is It Bad To Freeze Food In Plastic Containers?

We prefer to try and limit our plastic consumption and there also are some potential health implications to freezing in plastic due to the low temperatures deteriorating the plastics, so we recommend trying to avoid it if possible.

Here are some non-plastic options for freezing food:

• Glass containers – make sure it is labeled safe for freezing and always leave space if freezing something that will expand when frozen. I like to leave at least 1/4 of the container empty and make sure it’s fully chilled before freezing.
• Ice cube trays – for stocks, herbs in water or oil, juices, etc
• Souper Cubes –  Highly recommend! Code CLEANEATINGCOUPLE works sitewide!
• Reusable zip top bags- I love Stasher Bags & ZipTop Bags. Both are awesome for freezing.

What is the Safest Way to Freeze Food?

The safest way to freeze food is properly wrapped in a freezer that is at 0° F. 

How Long To Freeze Food

The FDA says that freezing at 0° F will technically keep your food safe indefinitely; however texture, taste, and moisture will definitely deteriorate over time and since you will be opening your freezer periodically, there are some recommended “use-by” dates for frozen food and meals. 

Here are some rough dates to go by:

• Raw Meat: 3-4 Months
• Cooked Meat: 4-6 Months
• Soups: 3 Months (Check out my post on How To Freeze Soup)

Is it Better To Freeze Cooked Or Raw Meat?

It’s best to freeze raw meat.

Both cooked and raw meat can be frozen; however, cooked meat will lose some of the moisture once frozen, so it typically will be best used in a dish that will add moisture back. 

How To Ship Frozen Food or Transport It?

Shipping and transporting frozen foods come with a lot of challenges due to changes in temperature, humidity, and spoilage due to poor packaging. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• When transporting frozen food yourself, be sure to properly package your food and use a high-quality cooler with plenty of ice, ice packs, or dry ice if you will be traveling for a further distance and have experience with proper handling. You can also pre-chill your cooler to help keep an even lower temperature. 
• If you are shipping frozen food, it is best to reach out to the carrier you will be using to find out their rules and regulations for proper freezing and shipping.