We are sharing our tips on how to freeze milk. If your gallon is expiring soon, don’t toss it or force yourself to chug it all; freeze it!
Can I Freeze Milk?
Yes, there are lots of reasons people freeze milk. For starters, even though it’s not an expensive product, you can certainly find great sales on occasion. That gives you the chance to save some money and freeze your milk for later.
Why Freeze Milk
Right now in our country, most families are trying to fill their homes with a couple weeks worth of groceries due to the Corona Virus. One tip that’s been given is to buy enough milk to last you and freeze what you don’t need.
Third, we freeze milk so we don’t waste it. If you have a gallon in your fridge that you realize you haven’t finished and the expiration date is approaching, you can freeze it for later.
How To Freeze Milk
- Empty your milk into a freezer container – plastic or glass.
- Be sure to leave at least two inches of space at the top of the container because the milk will expand as it freezes.
- Write the date you are freezing it on the outside. The old expiration date will no longer be valid.
- To thaw the milk out when ready let it sit overnight in the fridge until it’s ready to drink.
How Long Can Milk Last In The Freezer?
In an air-tight, freezer-safe container you can store the milk in your freezer for up to 2 months.
When it comes out of the freezer, you’ll need to use it within 10 days. It’s best to go ahead and re-write a new expiration date when you thaw it so you won’t forget.
How Do I Know If Milk Is Spoiled?
Milk is a product that is usually easy to spot spoiling. Milks consistency will change and begin to lump up, change colors and smell. If you see any of those things, don’t drink it.
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37 comments on “How To Freeze Milk”
We save half gallon milk containers. Clean very thoroughly, then fill them half full. Lay them on their side to freeze, keeping the cap threads above the level of milk. To thaw, it can be in the refrigerator, but high school physics tells us that as long is there is frozen milk with the liquid, the temperature of the contents will be no more than about 32 degrees. You can thaw it on the countertop! Then refrigerate when the icey part is nearly gone.
I put mine one canning quart jars leaving about 2” from the top. Just lay lids on top of jar —Do not screw lids on until milk is frozen.
A Braun’s manager told me the following for freezing times for best results:
Whole milk – 1 week
2% milk – 2 weeks
Skim milk – 4 weeks
Be careful freezing in quart canning jars, even if you leave the lid off and a space in the jar. When the milk starts to thaw, the quart jar cracks. You may not notice the crack because it is so fine, but so very dangerous. I tried several times freezing milk in quart jars and more broke than not.
Nevermind need to learn how to read other comments and questions
We can’t tell a difference in taste, but it takes waaaaaaaay longer than overnight to defrost. Like 5 days. I have to get the frozen one out when we still have a gallon and a half left.
Five days?! Are you freezing whole gallons?
Usually it thaws for me in about 24 hours. If you start using before totally thawed, you get the richer, creamy part first.
I also write the date frozen and original exp date, so I know about how long I have to use it up.
Never mind, I failed to read the replys firsthand before commenting. Thank you
Can I freeze whipping cream the same way?
I saw those little clumps when I drank a cup of it this morning. I didn’t see it until I was half finished drinking it. It is really not appealing but as a first judgement it tasted great and savored every bit of it, until I saw what it looked like. I could probably shake it again but I’m glad to know it was not spoiled. I drink milk cold so maybe that’s why it didn’t taste so different but I have to say I’m glad I froze the milk when I got them (they were on special like three weeks ago, way before our town was responding to the virus) . That’s what’s keeping us fed in the morning for cereal and oatmeal.
My kids drink defrosted frozen milk every week no complaints
Many many years ago my Mother use to freeze milk. It was just has good after it frozen as the day it was bought. I live by myself and freeze my milk. I save by buying a gallon. I divide it up in glass jars and it lasts for a month. Saves a trip to the grocery store.
Freeze dry it… we invested in a Harvest Right freeze dryer and are LOVING IT!
We shop once a month for our family of 5. We purchase approximately 10 gallons of milk. I find that they freeze, without problems in the plastic container that they are sold in. We use whole milk, so we need to shake it up each time we use it, to make sure that the cream on top is well mixed. Thanks for the tips! Y’all Be Blessed!
My dad used to work as a dairy driver and told me the easiest way if you’re in doubt of milk being good is to pour it in some coffee or tea. If it makes a nice color when mixed you’re good. If it separates into little dots and not mixing properly, it’s spoiled.
This is a fact people
Hi
I found that you can thaw the milk out in a large pot of hot water. Keep it on the stove to maintain the heat until it’s completely thawed. Pour it into a large bowl. Use a mixer to reliquify any fat solids. It tastes as good as the day it was bought.
My mother used to buy milk on sale and freeze it in the 1960’s. My sister and I could always taste the difference between fresh and frozen milk. We avoided the frozen milk. Use it in cooking if you must, but, longlife shelf milk tastes better than frozen.
When we saw this post on FB, we both laughed hysterically! It’s actually not delicious.
I have always found that freezing milk or butter changes the taste. What can be done to prevent that?
Add chocolate or strawberry mix to hide the taste. Add herbs to the butter
Hi there
Love your ideas you anything on freezing potatoes.
Cook and mash and store in family sized portions. Bake, split and carefully remove the cooked potatoes leaving skin with a small amount of potato for a shell. Add butter, salt and pepper, milk, and mash and fill the shell for stuffed potatoes. Freeze in freezer bags or freezer safe wraps. Remember regular plastic wrap is not freezer safe unless it says that on the package.
When milk starts ‘to go bad’, use it as buttermilk! You can add a little vinegar, to speed up the making of buttermilk. Can use in biscuits, breads, etc.
Great ideal
Thank you for this. I have dumped good milk bec had no idea how to freeze it. With CV this is great to Know… now for space!
Just stick it in the freezer without any pre-prep. Just take out of freezer the night prior to you needing it.
Can the milk be frozen in the plastic gallon container it comes in?
You need to remove 1/2 to 1 cup. The milk expands when it freezes, if you don’t take any out, the jug will crack, making it leaky when the milk is liquid again. Also, sometimes the fat in the milk will form little globules. If you shake the milk really well when it thaws, sometimes that will break the globules and thre milk will look normal. If the globules don’t break up, the milk us still drinkable, just isn’t very eye appealing.
I lived in an area in the 80’s where we could get groceries only once a month, so we froze milk regularly. I am quite familiar with what happens ehen it thaws out.
I freeze milk quite often. i’m the only one using it and not that much. IOf I nhappen to get a gallon, oI need to freeze it. Turns out great./
We live in a rural location so I purchase at least six 2 litre plastic bottles of milk at a time and pop 4 in the freeze with no prep. I make sure that there is room around the bottles so they can expand. If they are tightly packed in the freezer they sometimes split the bottle.
It MUST be shaken after it is thawed, but only that one time. It isn’t like raw milk, the top is watery until shaken.