Learn how to quickly and easily freeze dozens of foods — saving you time in the kitchen, eliminating extra trips to the grocery store, and reducing wasted food. Win, win, win!
I am passionate about freezer cooking because it’s such a simple way to save time and money in the kitchen (and prevent wasted food!)
Over the last 2 decades, I have diligently kept our deep freezer(s) stocked with full meals and TONS of pre-cooked, pre-portioned foods like:
- shredded chicken
- ground beef
- ground sausage
- roasted veggies
- homemade refried beans
- cooked beans and lentils
- frozen fruits and veggies
- cheese
- baked goods
- and so much more!
While I don’t claim to be a “Freezer Foods Expert”, I have frozen more than my share of foods over the years — I’ve even taught classes on freezing, drying, and canning.
So with that said…
Here’s my LONG list of freezable foods that will save you time and money.
1. Freezable Baked Goods:
Whenever I bake, I make a double batch and set some aside for the freezer.
Not only does it help with portion control, but it also allows us to enjoy a variety of baked goods, and it means I always have treats on hand, even at the last minute.
You can freeze almost all baked goods; here’s how I freeze the following:
Brownies & Cookies: Put them in resealable bags or storage containers with tight-fitting lids, and they’ll last as long as you can resist them.
Cookie Dough Balls: For fresh-from-the-oven cookies any time, freeze balls of cookie dough and store them in zip-top bags. Simply pull out as many as you need and pop them straight into a hot oven for fresh cookies without the mess.
Yeast Breads, Buns, and Rolls: You can double-bag these to prevent freezer burn, and they should be fine for several months. Both homemade and store-bought bread products freeze well — meaning you can stock up when they go on sale.
Tortillas: I’ve gone through seasons where I make and freeze my own tortillas, but store-bought tortillas freeze well too.
Quick Breads and Muffins: These are one of the easiest baked goods to freeze because they defrost so well. I often keep several mini loaves of quick bread in the freezer to give as gifts throughout the year, and muffins are easy to defrost for a quick breakfast or school snack.
Cupcakes & Cake: Yes, you can easily freeze cupcakes and even full cakes! I usually freeze them unfrosted.
Granola & Granola Bars: If you love homemade granola and Granola Bars, make a big batch and freeze it in zip-top bags or food storage containers.
Pies: Want to prep several pies ahead of time to save your sanity over the holidays? Simply freeze them BEFORE you bake them, then bake from frozen (you’ll need to increase the baking time for this — just Google it!)
2. Freezable Baking Supplies:
Along with the finished baked goods, you can also freeze many of your favorite baking supplies in their original packages (so start stocking up when they go on sale).
I use regular old shoe boxes to “stack” bags of chocolate chips, nuts, candies, etc., and keep them from tipping over or getting lost in the back of the freezer.
Chocolate: I store all my baking chocolates in the freezer because they keep for much longer, and I don’t need to worry about them melting in the pantry.
Nuts and Seeds: I store all our extra nuts and seeds in the freezer to keep their oils from going rancid. I first heard this tip from Rachel Ray years ago, and it seems to work well.
Flours, Cornmeal, and Sugars: While it’s not necessary, I often freeze my flour and sugar — especially in the summer when our house is more humid. NOTE: I do not freeze my freshly-milled whole grain flour (just all-purpose) because I’ve read that freezing it will “kill off” many of the nutrients.
Baking Soda: I often keep an extra container of baking soda in the fridge and freezer (opened) — not because it stays fresher, but to absorb any potential odors. I don’t use this baking soda for baking, but just thought I’d throw this tip out there in case anyone is dealing with a smelly fridge or freezer.
3. Freezable Dairy:
Dairy prices are going up (just like everything else), and you can save so much money by purchasing dairy products in bulk when they’re on sale and freezing them for later.
From my experience, most dairy products should keep for at least 6 months.
Butter: No trick here, just stick the entire package in the freezer and remove when you’re ready to use.
Block Cheese: Block cheese freezes well; however, if you plan to use it sliced, you’ll want to slice it before you freeze it, otherwise it will crumble.
Shredded Cheese: Shredded and sliced cheeses freeze so well, just throw the packages in the freezer (lay flat for easier storage) and pull out whenever you need more cheese.
Feta Cheese: Yes, you can buy the giant containers of Feta from Costco and divide it up into quart-size zip-top bags. It tastes perfectly fresh when you pull it out of the freezer.
Cream Cheese: Believe it or not, you can freeze cream cheese. It might be a bit “lumpier” after it defrosts, but it tastes the same.
Milk and Buttermilk: I usually don’t need to freeze our milk, but I do it whenever we go on vacation. Just pop the milk jugs in the freezer (the “indentations” on the sides will expand when the milk freezes). NOTE: If you’re nursing, breastmilk freezes well too (use these bags).
Yogurt: You can freeze small cups of yogurt with popsicle sticks in them for easy yogurt pops in hot weather. You can also freeze yogurt in ice cube trays to use in delicious smoothies.
Cottage Cheese: It’s freezable, but sometimes the texture is a little runnier after defrosting. The taste is the same, though.
4. Freezable Fruits:
Before freezing fruit, make sure it is washed, dried, and divided into smaller portions. This will make it easier to quickly grab what you need without defrosting the entire batch if it’s all stuck together.
Fruits should keep for up to a year if properly sealed.
All Fruits: You can pretty much freeze any fruit you plan to use in smoothies because it will get mashed up anyway. However, don’t plan on freezing fruit simply for eating — it will be quite soggy.
Apples: Frozen apple slices are delicious in pies, oatmeal, baked french toast, smoothies, or even to make applesauce in the middle of winter.
Berries: I freeze all kinds of berries for pancakes and smoothies. I also keep 2-cup containers of crushed berries to use for making jam, ice cream toppings, or for berry shortcake.
Bananas: I put whole, unpeeled bananas in the freezer any time they start to get brown. Then whenever a recipe calls for bananas, I grab that number of bananas, defrost them overnight (usually on a plate as they get sort of soggy), and bake the next day. I also freeze peeled bananas for smoothies.
Grapes and Blueberries: Frozen grapes and blueberries are an excellent summer snack. Our kids LOVE them!
Cherries: Frozen cherries are a yummy treat in oatmeal, yogurt, or smoothies. Just make sure you pit them before freezing. I use this cherry pitter to make things super quick.
Peaches: These are also great for oatmeal, yogurts, and smoothies. You’ll obviously want to peel and slice them first. Then freeze in zip-top bags, laid flat to save space.
Avocados: If you find a good deal on avocados, or if yours are getting too ripe, simply peel and slice them into zip-top bags and pop them in the freezer. You can use them to make guacamole any time as they defrost quickly.
Jams and Jellies: I usually can my own jam, but my mom and mother-in-law always freeze it. Freezing jam is quicker and easier… if you have the freezer space. That said, you can also freeze your berries to can jam whenever it’s convenient for you (I always do it in the winter months).
5. Freezable Herbs & Vegetables:
Herbs: I freeze fresh herbs in ice-cube trays filled with water to use for soups, stews, and casseroles later in the year. Here’s a free Herb Reference Sheet that explains how you can use and preserve different herbs.
All Veggies: To save some time — here is a link to my Vegetable Freezing Worksheet. It’s a list of 20 different vegetables and how to freeze them … you may print it for free.
Roasted Veggies: Lately, I’ve been freezing roasted vegetables and then reheating them in my cast iron pans. They are delicious and a huge time-saver because I can roast huge amounts of vegetables at one time.
Spinach and Kale: These can go south quickly if left unused in the fridge. However, they can also easily be frozen in zip-top bags and used for soups, smoothies, casserols, pasta dishes, and more. NOTE: Once frozen, I squeeze the bags with my hands to “pulverize” the leaves into tiny bits — this eliminates the need to chop it up!
6. Freezable Protein:
Meat: Meat is the most money-saving, time-saving freezer food. Stock up when it’s on sale or save even more by purchasing a quarter of a cow or half a cow (you’ll need lots of freezer space for this).
All meat freezes well — raw meat, cooked meat, deli meat, ground meat, shredded meat, “whole” meat, etc. I once had a whole turkey in the freezer for about 18 months, and it was absolutely delicious when we cooked it!
NOTE: Here’s my post about Safely Freezing, Defrosting, and Re-Freezing Meat.
Beans: You can freeze almost any type of cooked bean with fantastic results — black, navy, pinto, refried, etc. This is especially handy since beans take a LONG time to soak and cook.
Lentils: Cook full bags of lentils at one time and then portion them out for the freezer. Then use lentils to “bulk up” your soups, stews, and casseroles — saving money on more expensive meats.
7. Freezable Meals:
If you have the freezer space, it’s really not that much extra work to make a double or triple batches of your favorite meals. You could even make a goal to do this once per week.
Freezer meals are great for busy days or even to give to friends or family.
Here’s a list of our family’s favorite freezer meals. Also, the majority of recipes in my online recipe box are freezer-friendly!
Broths: Making homemade bone broth is a huge savings over buying it (plus, you can control the salt). After it’s finished cooking, simply divide it up into 2-cup portions and freeze for making soups, stews, and casseroles.
Soups and Stews: Speaking of soups and stews, they freeze amazingly well too. The only soup I don’t freeze are potato-based soups because the texture is weird for us. Here are some of my favorite soup recipes.
Casseroles: These are so easy to freeze because all the components are already cooked. We freeze lasagna, fajitas, enchiladas, chicken dishes, and more. Defrost it in the fridge the day before and bake as normal.
Pasta Sauce: If you struggle to use up a full jar or batch of pasta sauce in one meal, pop the leftovers in the freezer for the next time you make pasta.
Sandwiches: Expedite your school lunch packing by freezing bulk sandwiches on the weekend. We’ve had great luck with both meat and cheese or PB&Js.
The possibilities are nearly endless when it comes to freezable foods… but these are the ones I have personally tried with much success.
If you’re wondering about a specific food, not on my list above, just give it a try with a small amount of the food… and then you’ll know.
Want more Freezable Foods posts, tips, and information?
- Here are ALL my freezer foods posts over the history of my blog.
- Here’s a post I wrote specifically to address many of the frozen foods questions I’ve gotten over the years.
- Click here to access my virtual recipe box (most of which are freezable foods).
- And this is how I defrost our deep freezer.
What are your favorite freezable foods?
I’m always looking for more foods to freeze, so if you know of any foods I missed, please share your suggestions in the comments below!
Pin it for later!
Pam says
Cereal…. while I have not personally tried this I have a friend who buys it when it goes on sale and says it is just fine you she takes it out
Anna says
I freeze crackers. Out of the box, but in the sleeve and then wrapped in aluminium foil.
Also can freeze coconut milk, I learned recently, just shake it before drinking. I also find that freezing cow or.goat milk without pouring off the excess is possible – the gallons, at least, expand satisfactorily.
Alicia says
I would like to purchase a large box or multiple boxes of saltines or buttery crackers to keep on hand for the holidays. But I noticed even if I don’t open the wrappers after a time they still go stale. Can I put them in freezer bags and store them in the freezer to keep them fresh?
Linda says
I freeze most everything listed here but just recently wondered if anyone had any luck feezing chili–the beans to be exact…do they come out extremely mushy? I guess i could of tried it but we had none left this time…
Andrea says
Hey Linda,
I freeze chili all the time and have never had an issue. Give it a try 🙂
Linda says
Cool! am def gonna try it next chili day! thanks
Carrie says
Can you freeze cooked beans/lentils?
Brenda says
It’s just my husband and Myself left at home, either didn’t have enough milk or it was souring in the fridge, and it cost almost as much for a 1/2 gal as it does for a gal, so we bought 4 quart size plastic jar’s from Dollar General, pour each full, freeze three and drink the fourth, when it’s almost empty we pull out another container add the pour lid and either sit in the fridge or you can microwave to hurry the thawing process, even my picky husband doesn’t complain! Great for unexpected company! And it’s very cost effective!
Carrie says
It’s not food related, but I can remember my grandmother stretching leather shoes by placing bags of water in the shoe and then putting the shoe in the freezer for a week. For instance, if the shoe was tight in the toe box she would put the bag in the toe section. Sometimes she would wedge the bag in place with crumbled newspapers. Then when the water froze it would expand and stretch the leather.
Lee Ann says
I slice my bananas before I freeze them so that they thaw quicker. I use them in smoothies and in my oatmeal. I love to freeze but it takes forever to thaw since I usually wait until the last minute to take out of the freezer.
Carol says
Now you just need an article on how to best go about thawing and how long they’ll keep after you do.
Linda says
Thank you for the info. Really love the Pumpkin Spice Philadelphia cream cheese and as they offer it for a limited time, I wanted to buy a few and freeze them!!! Again, thanks for the info.
Sherry says
I freeze meats on parchment paper and then place in bags, this makes it much easier to get what you want out. I also freeze my fruits this way. Also, if you like fried green tomatotes you can freeze them for winter use, slice them first then freeze. Defrost in water and fry them as you would picked staight from the garden.
susan says
I have bags of frozen fruit in our frig we call the Smoothie Bags – extra apple wedges that didn’t get eaten, peaches and pears and banana quartered because they were getting ripe faster than we could eat them, surplus chunks of melon – about any fruit, really. When freezIng fruit, I’ve found it’s best to freeze it first spread out on freezer paper or parchament on a cookie sheet: that way, you can put the frozen individual pieces into a bag without ending up with a solid huge chunk of fruit you have to let thaw before you use it. Individual frozen pieces let you pull out just how much you’d want to use. I don’t have separate bags for each fruit – each bag ends up being a mix of melons, cantaloupe, strawberries, pears, apples, bananas, peaches, nectarines, berries….
Lisa says
When our favorite bread is on sale, I stock up. I keep one out and freeze the rest. But first I make french toast out of one of the loaves. Freeze the cooked slices on a cookie sheet, then just toss them in a freezer bag. Reheat in the microwave, toaster, or toaster oven.
Becky says
I’ve been buying lots of Roma tomatoes every Sunday. Roast in oven for 4 to 5 hours. With garlic n fresh herbs. Drizzle with olive oil. Then when there cooled transfer to freezer bags. Made chili with them last week. It was awesome. Next time gonna use for base for my own sauce.
Debbie says
GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!! They only come out once a year! How cool to stash away a box of Thin Mints in the freezer to have 6 months later!
Janie says
Much easier way to freeze corn on the cob is to put the ears of corn, WITHOUT removing ANY silk or husk, straight into freezer. I cook it in the microwave 5 min on high for two ears or 4 min for one ear just the way I put it in the freezer; the silk insulates and protects the corn while it’s frozen and does the same while it cooks. It tastes and feels like fresh-picked corn. I’ve been buying 6 dozen ears from a farm down the street for over 30 years. The woman farmer told me how to handle the corn; 6 dozen ears last us one year and the last 3 ears are as fresh as the first three unfrozen ones. I just dump them in the bottom bin of my freezer.
Katie says
I have frozen leftover pizza from Pizza Hut. I had a party and bought too many pizzas, so I put the slices in freezer bags and froze. Then we just microwaved it or put in the oven srtaight from the freezer. It tasted like it was just delivered. I am not sure how long it stays good in the freezer because we had it eaten in a few weeks.
Maryanne says
while I don’t normally freeze whole pies after cooking either, I do tend to freeze a few slices after baking a whole pie. That way, we don’t eat the whole thing(just the hubbie and I) and we can go to the freezer 2-3 times during the month and have a treat for dessert. I will then micro the pieces and put ice cream on top—-everything goes good with hot pie and ice cream!
Becky says
I make 20-25 apple pies every fall and freeze them. I mark the freezer bag with temp and time. Great to have on hand for bake sales, invites to dinner, thank yous for a helping hand. I also make and freeze pesto every year in ice cube trays. Once frozen I pop it out and put in a freezer bag. Nice to have pesto when ever you want it. I’m looking forward to seeing all the ideas here for other things I can freeze and save time.
Michelle says
Whenever I make too many pancakes, waffles, or french toast I just put it in the freezer. The kids grab what they want and put it in the toaster and they have breakfast. They love it. I think it tastes way better then the frozen ones you buy in the store.
Carolyn says
Veggies (and fruits) to freeze:
1. Baby food/toddler food. Blend any cooked veggies in blender until smooth. Spoon in ice cube trays and freeze until firm. Then pop out into freezer bags and label. I liked to mix meat (chicken is better than beef) with some of the veggies, blend till smooth, freeze. It takes a lot of broth to get the meat smooth and the veggies help with the smoothness so the texture isn’t so grainy and difficult for little ones. Some veggies lend themselves to a nice smooth texture (carrots, sweet potatoes, yellow squash, acorn squash). Green beans tended to be full of little strings that just wouldn’t chop up in the blender. Little bits of cooked spinach can be added to almost anything. Apples, pears, peaches are good cooked, blended, frozen the same way. I always thought of it as making a superior baby food because I knew what was and wasn’t in it. And you don’t need to add a lot of salt (or other seasonings).
2. It may not have occurred to a lot of people, but this can be used for older people who can’t chew. Before my mother died, she lost her ability to chew and had to have thickener added to liquids or she would choke. The diet offered her was so bland and had little nutritious value. So I cooked her veggies, blended in the blender, froze it in ice cubes, and took the bags of veggie cubes to her caregivers. Her favorite was sweet potatoes, to which I had added chicken.
Jenn says
I freeze shredded zucchini all the time without blanching. I portion it out in 2 cups per bag and later use in cookies, casseroles, and zucchini pancakes. Just shred, bag, and freeze.
Laverne says
I freeze potato chips or any kind of chip. Had a bunch left over from a party and tried it. I put them in a plastic container and freeze. When taken out they are as good as day I bought them. They do not keep in the refrigerator tho.
Heather says
I was wondering if potatoes can be frozen if they are blanched or something. They have gone up in price and when they were on sale I wanted to buy a few bags but knew they would go off before we ate them all. Is it possible?
susan says
yes – blanch them before freezing or they will turn black. We buy 100 lbs at a time, wash and blanch them, shred them in the food processor and make hash brown patties using our hamburger press. We put the pre-cut meat paper inbetween, and freeze 6 in a zip lock. Works great 🙂
Lynn says
How long do you suggest blanching them? And does it matter on the variety of potatoes? Do all varieties turn black if you freeze them without blanching?
Kim Teasdale says
I didn’t see it mentioned above but you can freeze cooked pasta (great for when you cook too much) and cooked rice. For the pasta just run it under hot water for a minute in a strainer and then go to town and freezing extra rice is great, just defrost, heat and serve 🙂 Frozen rice is excellent for when you make soups like a chicken and rice soup 😀
Michelle Pitamber says
Thanks for Sharing. If you have a lot of Tomatoes from your garden, and you don’t know what to do with them.You can try freezing them. Do not freeze them whole, except for cherry Tomatoes. It takes longer to defrost, when you freeze them whole. You will need to cut them into one inch piece.Then spread the pieces out on a cookie sheet. Make sure you don’t put them on top of one another or they will stick together. When the pieces harden put them into a freezer bag. This way you can take out as many pieces as you need, when you are ready to use them. I freeze Tomatoes every Summer, and it last until the next Summer.
Candy says
Since brown and wild rice take so long to cook, I cook a batch ahead of time and divide it up and freeze in smaller batches, then when i need it for soup or refried rice I have it ready
missmommy says
You dont touch on breads here that i see. We freeze taco shells and such but before I did it, i had to do alot of internet research.
Andrea says
Actually “breads” was the 2nd thing I mentioned (right under baked goods) 🙂 We freeze breads, roles, buns etc. ALL the time. I have several loaves of store bought and homemade bread in my freezer right now.
Fran says
I am looking for different ways to can things, we dont have freezer space so we are canning everything we can, our freezer is full of meat and fruit
Laurie says
Recently discovered you can freeze buttermilk…no more tossing out half a quart of buttermilk because you only needed a cup!
Courtney says
I recently tried to freeze a new package of sour cream. For the record, when it defrosts – it’s liquid, lol! Never again. It’s good to know that I can freeze cream cheese, though! Thanks for this – – I definitely need the tips. 🙂
Rachel says
Tip for defrosting baked goods or breads. Place them in your microwave overnight. It keeps them from drying out like they do on the counter.
Peggy says
So happy to come across this on Pinterest. I finally have a deep freeze!
I have really been noodling on what I want to put in there. This helps a lot.
lauri says
I always see lists of what can be frozen, but rarely see lists or suggestions on what cannot be frozen or even special tips on how to properly freeze.
The only thing I have seen that differs is the fact that fruits will become a bit mushy..taste the same, just not texturally the same. You can use them in anything, just don’t freeze to eat alone. I also saw a note on cutting and slicing veggies and freezing individually on a cookie sheet and then freezing in portioned bags.
Is there a complete list anywhere?
Fran says
my hubby and I flash freeze fruit on a cookie sheet then place in bags so they do not get smashed and mushy
Marie says
I came here to see if I could freeze granola, but I learned so much more! Thanks so much!
Anne the Sconess says
You mentioned baked goods, but didn’t say if they were baked or frozen dough. I love making huge batches of cookie dough, scooping out the portions and freezing. Then I keep the dough balls in freezer bags. I’ve done scone dough the same way, just shaping and freezing. The best part is that you can bake as few or as many as you want without lots of waste or guilt. :oD
Scarlett says
Can you freeze heavy cream?
Leland says
After I had my baby my mother in law brought a couple frozen meals so I could use them when I needed them after she was gone. It was the best thing she could have done! I can’t remember everything but my favorites were sloppy joes (i always freeze my sloppy joe leftovers now) and hawiian haystack sauce. I love freezing meals, it makes life so much easier.
ericamcc says
Thanks so much for the tip!
I had a bunch of jasmine rice leftover from dinner a couple days ago and was stressing over how long it would be okay in the fridge…who knew I could FREEZE it!
It is now in the freezer. I actually put mine in a square muffin tin so I could just take out as many “blocks” as I need.