Learn how to freeze more than 50 freezable foods to save time in the kitchen, eliminate extra trips to the grocery store, and reduce wasted food.
I am passionate about freezer cooking because it’s such a simple way to save time and money in the kitchen (and save a bunch of otherwise wasted foods!)
Over the last 14+ years, I have diligently kept our deep freezer 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 “Freezable Foods Expert”, I have frozen more than my share of foods over the last decade — 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:
Any time I bake anything, I make a double batch and put some of it in the freezer.
Not only does it help with portion control, it also allows us to enjoy a variety of baked goods, and it means I always have some treats to bring to friends and family!
I have had raving success freezing the baked goods below.
Brownies & Cookies: Yup, I do it all the time. Just 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, I freeze balls of cookie dough and store them in zip-top bags. I can simply pull out as many as I need and bake them fresh in an instant!
Yeast Breads, Buns, and Rolls: Just double-bag them to prevent freezer burn and they should be fine for several months. Even my delicious 100% whole grain bread freezes exceptionally well!
Tortillas: I’ve been making my own tortillas lately, but even before I did this, I always froze store-bought tortillas too.
Quick Breads and Muffins: These are one of my most favorite baked goods to freeze because they defrost so well. I often have several mini loaves of quick bread in the freezer to give as gifts throughout the year.
Cupcakes & Cake: Yes, I’ve frozen cupcakes and even full cakes! You can frost cakes before or after freezing them, but if you use store-bought frosting, you’ll want to wait to frost them until after they defrost…trust me, I know!
Granola: We love homemade granola but if I’m going to make it, I only make a huge batch….and then freeze it in mason jars or zip-top bags.
Pies: I don’t usually freeze pies, but if you do, just make sure to freeze them BEFORE you bake them.
2. Freezable Baking Supplies:
Along with the finished baked goods, I also freeze many of my baking supplies in their original bags, tucked inside shoeboxes in our freezer!
Shoe boxes stack well and allow for ventilation, plus they keep smaller bags of chocolate chips, nuts, candies, etc. from tipping over or getting lost in the back of the freezer for who knows how long (can anyone relate?)
Chocolate: I store all my baking chocolates in the freezer because I think they keep for much longer this way and taste “fresher”. Plus it frees up more space in my cabinets.
Nuts and Seeds: I store all our nuts and seeds in the freezer to keep their oils from going rancid. I first heard this tip from Rachel Ray and it seems to work — so it must be true!
Flour and Sugar: While it’s not necessary, I often freeze my flour and sugar — especially in the summer when our house is more humid.
Baking Soda: I often keep a container of baking soda in the freezer (opened) — not because it stays fresher, but to absorb any potential odors in our freezer!
3. Freezable Dairy:
I save SO much money by purchasing dairy products in bulk 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 whole package in the freezer and remove when you’re ready to use.
Block Cheese: I freeze cheese ALL the time, just remember to slice or shred it before you freeze it, otherwise it will crumble.
Shredded Cheese: this is SO easy — just throw the bags in the freezer (lay flat for easier storage) and pull out whenever you need more cheese.
Feta Cheese: I made this discovery 2 years ago when I purchased a massive amount of feta cheese from Costco due to a crazy good deal. I simply divided it up into quart-size zip-top bags and froze it flat
Cream Cheese: Believe it or not, you can freeze cream cheese. It might be a bit “lumpy” after it defrosts but it still tastes the same.
Milk and Buttermilk: I usually do not have the need to freeze our milk, but I do it whenever we go on vacation. Just remember to pour about 1 cup of milk out before freezing. You might also consider substituting dry milk when you’re in a pinch.
Yogurt: Freeze yogurt for delicious smoothies. I let it defrost a bit before eating so it’s really creamy.
Cottage Cheese: Sometimes the texture is a little runnier after defrosting, but otherwise, the taste is just fine.
4. Freezable Fruits:
Before freezing fruit, make sure it is washed, dried, and divided up into smaller portions. This will make it easy to quickly grab what you need without defrosting the entire batch.
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 really soggy.
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 too brown to eat “fresh”. Then whenever a recipe calls for bananas, I just grab that number of bananas, defrost them overnight (usually on a plate as they get sort of soggy), and bake the next day. I do also freeze peeled bananas for smoothies.
Grapes and Blueberries: Frozen grapes and blueberries are an excellent summer snack. Our kids LOVE them!
Cherries: We’ve really enjoyed frozen cherries these past few years — I pit them, half them, and flash-freeze them every summer, and then we eat them all year long in our oatmeal, in yogurt, or in smoothies. SO delicious!
Avocados: I peel and seed avocados and freeze them in zip-top bags to make guacamole at a later time — this is perfect if I find a great deal on avocados but know we won’t be able to eat them all before they are too ripe.
Jams and Jellies: I usually can my jam, but my mom and mother-in-law always freeze it. Freezing jam is quicker and easier… if you have the freezer space, here are 20 delicious freezer jam recipes to get you started!
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 … and you can print it for free!
Roasted Veggies: Lately, I’ve been freezing roasted vegetables and then reheating them in my cast iron pans. They are absolutely DELICIOUS and a huge time (and mess) saver because I can roast huge amounts of vegetables at one time!
Spinach and Kale: If I’m ever worried that my spinach or kale is starting to get a little wilted, I immediately shove handfuls of it into quart-size zip-top bags and freeze it. Once frozen, just smash the bags with your hands a bit and it will pulverize the leaves into tiny bits — perfect for adding to soups, smoothies, casseroles, and so much more!
6. Freezable Protein:
Meat: Meat is, by far, the most money-saving, time-saving food I freeze. I stock up when it’s on sale, and freeze many MANY pounds of meat each year (especially now that Dave’s parents gift us with a quarter of a cow every other year)!
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: I freeze almost any type of cooked bean with fantastic results — black, navy, pinto, refried, etc. etc. This is especially handy since beans take a LONG time to soak and cook.
Lentils: I cook full bags of lentils at one time and then portion them out for the freezer. I then use lentils to “bulk up” many of our soups, stews, and casseroles — saving me money on more expensive meats.
7. Freezable Meals:
I’m always making double or triple batches of our favorite foods to store in the freezer.
I often freeze these meals in disposable tinfoil pans so I have the option to give them as food gifts for various people in my life.
Other times, I save them for busy days when we’ll be gone most of the afternoon or if Dave needs to get supper going for whatever reason. I can simply defrost one meal in the morning, and it’s usually ready to go in the oven by mid-afternoon.
Here’s a list of 10 of our family’s favorite freezer meals.
The vast majority of the recipes in My Recipe Box are very freezer-friendly!
Broths: I’ve been making my own bone broth for the past couple of years, and after it’s finished cooking, I divide it up into 2 cup portions and freeze for making soups, stews, and casseroles later on!
Soups and Stews: Speaking of soups and stews, they freeze AMAZINGLY well too! The only soup our family doesn’t love frozen is my cheesy mashed potato soup. Here are some of my favorite soup recipes that DO freeze well.
Casseroles: I’ve frozen everything from lasagna and fajitas, to enchiladas, chicken dishes, and more! Just make sure all the ingredients are fully cooked before you freeze it. When you’re ready to eat it, just defrost and bake as normal.
Pasta Sauce: We usually never go through an entire batch of pasta sauce in one meal so I just pop the leftovers in the freezer for the next time we eat pasta.
Sandwiches: We’ve had great luck freezing sandwiches ahead of time (meat and cheese or PB&J’s). This makes for REALLY quick lunch packing!
I’m sure there are so many other foods I could eventually add to this list, but these are the ones I have personally tried with much success.
Whenever anyone asks me about freezing a certain food, my advice is ALWAYS, “just give it a try and you’ll know for sure” — so that’s my advice for you too!
Just give it a try! What’s the worst that could happen?
Want more Freezable Foods posts, tips, and information?
Here are ALL my freezable foods posts over the history of my blog.
Here’s a post I wrote specifically to address many of the freezable foods questions I’ve gotten over the years.
Click here to access my virtual recipe box (most of which are freezable foods).
Our simple method to 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!
Alea says
I freeze onions.chop them up, put in a zip lock bag.Freeze then use a handfull at a time as needed
Stephen K. Stewart says
Thank you for this list. Have you, or anyone, come across a similar list of things not to freeze?
Beth says
Thank you for this article
Lani says
I came looking for just one thing but am walking away with lots of other information I didn’t know – Thank You!!!
Lani
Tom Muench says
Can German potato salad be frozen?
Andrea says
I’ve never tried it — but I’d say no because potatoes don’t defrost well in my opinion.
ML says
after cooking any meal and before storing them in the freezer, it is important to leave the food to rest out on the counter to decrease food temperature, this will prevent food contamination or bacteria growth.
Bryan Smith says
If you freeze tomatoes, you first have to dip the whole tomato in boiling water for about a minute or two, then cold water. The skin slides right off. Then dice them and put in ice trays to freeze separately. When frozen you can take them out of the ice tray and put them in a freezer bag (still frozen) and put them back in the freezer. They can last up to 6 months frozen, and you can take out as many as you think you will need to make sauces or to add to other ingredients after thawing.
Ria Stone says
Love this article about freezing foods. Beautiful layout and great info. Thanks.
Frances says
Hi!
I hate celery, but I love to use it in soups and casseroles. The taste improves miraculously! When I buy it, I use very little and the rest goes bad. Can I chop and freeze celery for later use?
Andrea says
yes, celergy freezes wonderfully if you chop it up before freezing it!
Amanda Lewis says
You mention that
“Breads, Buns, Muffins, and Rolls: Just double-bag them to prevent freezer burn and they should be fine for several months”
Can bread wrappers be used for freezing? If yes , can you suggest what best bread wrappers to use, to make the bread last for several months.
Natalie says
Hi,
I’m a student do planning on cooking a load of meals in bulk for quick and cheap dinners.
I’m following the slimming world recipes and making things like chicken curry, burgers, Turkey pizza, and other chicken dishes and I was just wondering how I will cook it all? Does it need defrosting or do I just put them in the microwave?
Janie says
Can you freeze bread dough and thaw it and bake bread?
Andrea says
I’ve never done this before, but I do buy frozen bread dough all the time 🙂
Rebecca Johnson says
I was looking at the reference sheet on freezing herbs but I don’t see if you need to add water to the ice cube trays or not. Any advice would be great
Andrea says
yes, you definitely need to add water to form the cubes 🙂
Sandra says
A note about the pies… I am the only one in my house who eats pecan pie, so I bake the pie, then freeze individual slices. Works great! I haven’t tried it with other pies, though.
Thelma Laurel says
I freeze juice from limes and lemons in ice trays. Also, I freeze the entire Meyer lemon ,peeling and all in ziplock bags. When I’m ready to use (in ice tea) I just take it out , thaw, and use it.
Lee Greenstein says
My dad use to freezes Oranges for us in summer they were a great treat after school he would cup them in half then put the two faces back together and wrap In cling wrap but these day you could put baking paper between the two halves and then wrap in cling wrap and freeze then suck on then on a hot day very refreshing
Laura Pride says
Hey I live alone and I’m fed up of my fresh veg and fruit going funny before I’ve had chance to eat it. I felt like I was wasting money so thank you for this. Also I learnt a while ago I would never finish a pint of milk before I had to throw it out. So I was constantly either making a coffee in the morning to find my milk had gone off, or not having any at all. My solution to this was to pour my fresh milk into ice cube trays and then whenever I make a cup of tea. I can just pop one or two out into my mug and they melt immediately for the perfect cuppa 🙂 and it cools it down that tiny bit so it’s ready to drink.
Barb says
Can I freeze a macaroni salad that has mayo in it?
Kathy says
Andrea, I always make big batches of fruit pies and bske them and freeze them. My mother has always done this, so if it worked for her it had to be right! Lol I have used fresh fruit as well as fruit that had been frozen, never any family complaints. Thaw on counter or on low heat in oven , for that fresh baked taste.
Kathy
Rachelle says
I often freeze the remaining portion of tomato sauce, tomato paste and diced tomatoes. Especially with the paste, I never use the whole can, so I just dump the rest into a freezer bag and smash it flat. Then you can whack it on the counter if you just need a little for a soup or something.
cherie says
you can freeze the tomato paste in ice cube trays- just line the tray with plastic wrap- poking down each cube area- put the paste in and freeze-when it’s frozen cut the wrap and put into a freezer bag
Jess says
I’m curious about how you thaw some of these items. specifically the casserole type dishes. it might seem like a silly question but i really don’t know much about this.
Andrea says
Jess, if you click on the link at the end of the post — it will take you to another post I wrote with all these FAQ’s. Here’s the link again.
Ruth says
You can freeze cooked rice and pasta and just run hot water over them frozen. They will thaw out, be hot and taste great. You can also freeze fresh tomatoes. Just toss them in the bag after you have washed them. No need to core or peel. When they thaw out, the skin just slips off and they are ready for cooking. The same goes for chilis or peppers.
MIRANDA says
chips….crackers…..nuts…cereal
Tara says
I freeze chicken broth if I didn’t use it all and buttermilk in ice cube trays that are about 2tbsp. The buttermilk separates a bit but it tastes fine when used in baking 🙂
Pat says
I have been gifted with many many mandarin oranges. I love them, and would like to preserve them……………is there any way to freeze them??
Andrea says
Hey Pat — I’ve never frozen oranges before, but I did ask your question on my facebook page and there were a few helpful responses. You can read those here.
katie says
Yes I have frozen mandarin orange s just put the whole box in the freezer and take out one or two at a time, only thing you have to eat when thawed works great
Nancy says
Can you freeze Velveeta cheese mixed with Rotel? When I make a batch for just my husband and myself, it’s always too much.
Andrea says
I’ve never done it before — but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to try. I freeze other types of cheese all the time.
Amie says
I make dips such as velveeta mixed with Rotel (and black beans) all of the time with no problem. I’ve also make and freeze popper dip and buffalo chicken dip. I thaw in fridge and pop in microwave to reheat.
Melissa says
Can you freeze your fruits in a vacuume seal bag with a processer or just throw in a reg freezer bag
Andrea says
a regular freezer bag is fine 🙂
Mar says
But a vacuum sealer bag is better! 🙂
Carrie says
Could you freeze homemade tortilla shells?
Danielle says
I freeze all bread products in a box @ the bottom of my freezer helps prevent freezer burn. Saves me alot of time and money.
Shelly Scott says
Can you freeze Bok Choy and other sorted vegetables used in stir fries. I live alone just hate buying things then have to throw them away later because I did not use them all.
amanda says
Do you have a list of certain things you always have on hand on the pantry/freezer etc?
Chantelle says
Dont know if this has already been mentioned as just skipping through but yesterday i filledmy frwezer with a months worth of food for crock pot recipes such as casseroles i just bagged up the meat and diced veggies i wanted in each and will add the stock/sauces later this saved so much freezer space for other things such as cottage pies which i put into foil trays so i can pop them in to the oven when needed.
Rosemary says
When you freeze casseroles, do you bake it then freeze it? Or do you just prep it (with everything being fully cooked) freeze it then bake like regular once you are ready for it?
Linda says
I make homemade Pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays. After it’s froze I transfer it to zip lock bags. I do the same thing with my fresh basil. I chop it in the food processor with olive oil till the consistency I want then do the ice cube tray thing. It’s just like using fresh basil in recipes. I also freeze mint leaves in snack bags with a little water. I use these(water & all) when I’m cooking my husband’s sweet tea.
Katherine says
My mom always dries mint leaves to mix in the tea so that she doesn’t have to use freezer space. It also makes it easy to crush it to use in salads or meals.
Connie says
I have purchased a gallon jug of cheese sauce but I will only be using it in small amounts at a time. I was thinking of freezing it in mason jars or freezer bags. What would you recommend doing to keep the cheese sauce stored in smaller portions?
blushone says
Thank you for this list. Have you, or anyone, come across a similar list of things not to freeze?
Carolyn says
I hate it when we bread goes to waste but I’m not sure I want to freeze bread – not sure how it will thaw. I’m thinking about making bread crumbs with it but I don’t cook with it very often. Can you freeze bread crumbs to keep it fresh longer than in the pantry?
Karen says
Yes you can freeze breadcrumbs not a problem. For thawing frozen bread just take it out a couple of hours before you need it and leave on the bench.
Miri says
Not even a couple of hours, one hour or even less is fine. for breakfast for my kids I take out two and toast it 1-2 minutes for fresh bread and 3-4 (about, I never time exactly) for toasted. Comes out great!!! I also always make double batch of supper and freeze half. Soup I make sometimes for 3-5 suppers
Laura S. says
You can freeze loaves of bread for usually about 3 months. If you have a frost free freezer, don’t let the bread touch the sides of the freezer.. the warming and freezing that it does to remain frost free can cause stale spots on the sides of the bread. There are only 2 of us here so I usually just keep the bread in the freezer and grab out a few slices as needed. To thaw a load, just set it on the counter until it’s thawed.
EcoMama says
In addition to freezing many of the same things already listed, I also freeze homemade burritos, I cube stale ends of bread & freeze them for the next turkey I roast, and I finely chop homegrown Fernleaf Dill and freeze in old yogurt containers (dated, of course) for adding to my homemade Glace Soup. My all-time FAVE: last Fall, right after Halloween, I “rescued” a bunch of pumpkins before they went to our community compost (I posted on a local Facebook group that I was looking for free pumpkins, and received MORE than I could cook & freeze). I baked them, half at a time, because they were so big, then scooped the flesh out the rind, pureed it in my food processor, then froze it in 2C. portions for muffins, breads, etc.
elledee says
Freeze fresh ginger in its whole state in a press seal bag, you can grate it straight into stirfrys and stick it back in the freezer again. don’t need to worry about it shriveling up at the back of the fridge. also chop up fresh chives and scallions then just shake them out into the pot of mashed potato or other cooked dishes, fresh and no waste!
Donna says
omg why didn’t I think of this, I waste so much ginger, thanks!
Katie says
I also freeze tortillas, shredded zucchini (for bread) in 1 gallon zip locks laid flat, homemade breakfast borittos, pancakes, spaghetti (with and without sauce), homemade pizza/ ham and cheese pockets, bacon, cooked beans in gallon zip lock bags, broth, and more but I can’t think of any more right now. Thanks for the great post!!!!
Allie says
How do you make homemade pizza/ham and cheese pockets? I adore Pizza Pockets but I’m a college student and find they are really expensive to buy.
Lorna says
I make two batches of dough in my bread machine, put in the refrigerator overnight. The next day I roll the dough out to make “Calzones”. They taste much better than “Hot Pockets”. I roll the dough (65 grams… yes I do weigh them)to make 6″ (very thin) rounds with 1 tbsp sausage, 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese, 1 tbsp sauce in the middle. Fold over the dough so you have a half circle, pinch edges closed. Bake on baking sheet in the oven. Let cool. I freeze them 2 per baggie. I take them to work for lunch. Toss the baggie in the refrigerator the night before, pack lunch the next morning and place in the refrigerator at work. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute. If cooking from frozen, I microwave 5 minutes at 30% power.