Can I freeze yogurt?

Anytime there is a sale on yogurt, you pick extra up thinking you are going to eat it all, but you end up throwing some out because you cannot eat it all before the expiration date. This time if you purchase yogurt on sale in bountiful amounts, you should freeze it instead so it stays fresher longer and you can eat it safely later after it has defrosted properly. This will help keep your cost down on yogurt and stop you from being so wasteful. If you are wondering how to freeze yogurt properly the guide below will help you get started.

Pros and Cons of Freezing Yogurt
from Bob Mical

Freezing Yogurt Properly

If you purchase extra yogurt cups on sale this week and you want to freeze some to eat later, you should place the cups into a large gallon bag and seal the bag up tightly. This will prevent frostbite and keep your yogurt cups fresher longer. Most importantly, if a yogurt cup burst during the freezing process you will not have such a mess to clean up because the mess will be in the gallon back instead. You can usually fit four six-ounce yogurt cups per gallon bag. Make sure you mark the expiration dates on the bags too. This will help you keep track of when you need to eat the yogurt up. Frozen yogurt should be good even if it is expired, but it might have a slightly different flavor and taste to it. This is because the yogurt was frozen to preserve it and then defrosted to eat up.

However, if you only eat small amounts of yogurt at a time and end up purchasing a huge container of it at the grocery store it is best to split the yogurt up into small portions and store them in freezer-safe containers in the freezer instead. This way, when you go to defrost the yogurt you are only getting the portion you need for eating instead of being wasteful. Once you freeze yogurt and defrost it you cannot refreeze it again. It will cause the yogurt to become watery and taste very sour.

Defrosting Yogurt Properly

You should never ever defrost yogurt cups on the countertop. This will create spoiled watery yogurt that could make you sick. Instead, defrost yogurt cups you want to eat up in the refrigerator for two to three days before eating. This will keep your yogurt chilled, thick, and creamy instead of warm, runny, and watery. It will also help maintain some of the flavors it had when it was freshly made and packed into the yogurt cups for purchase at the grocery stores. Never try to defrost yogurt in the microwave either because this will affect the beneficial bacteria in the yogurt that is good for the gut.

The Pros and Cons of Freezing Yogurt

Freezing yogurt is an outstanding thing to do is you have purchased extra yogurt cups on sale and cannot eat them up in time. Freezing will keep them fresher longer so you can safely eat the yogurt later. However, freezing can kill some of the beneficial bacteria in the yogurt. It can also change the texture of it slightly and even the flavor, but this actually depends on the brands of yogurt you buy. To figure out which yogurts freeze best, pick some up at the local grocery store, place them into the freezer and defrost them the next day to eat. After, try the defrosted yogurt cups and see which ones taste the best after freezing. Then, stick to only purchasing those yogurt cups in bountiful amounts when they go on sale.

Should extra yogurt always be frozen?

No, sometimes the expiration dates on yogurt are months away from the purchase date, which means you can keep them safely in the refrigerator for long periods and eat them safely later. Doing this will keep more of the beneficial bacteria in the yogurt so your digestive system gets the nutrients it needs to stay regular and healthy. The only time you should ever freeze yogurt is if you purchase it too close to the expiration date and cannot eat the entire yogurt you bought up before it spoils.

End Notes

Remember, freezing yogurt can be beneficial when you do not want it to spoil and would rather eat it later. Otherwise, yogurt should remain in the refrigerator until you eat it up. Yogurt is more beneficial eaten this way and tastes a lot better too. Another important tip to leave you all with before ending this article is yogurt a few days or even a week past the expiration date is still okay to eat. It just might have bacteria that are more beneficial and taste slightly different, but it will still be tastier than defrosted yogurt from the freezer.

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