Mozzarella gives any Italian meal, creamy soups, or pasta dish a great flavor and a creamy texture. You can serve mozzarella as an appetizer with fresh fruit or in a frittata. You quickly find there are many uses for mozzarella, but it does come with a relatively short shelf life. When you buy, you rarely get enough, so knowing how to freeze mozzarella cheese can make the difference.
In our guide, you can learn the answers to “Can you Freeze Cheese?” By the end, you’ll know much more about freezing fresh mozzarella and how you can freeze shredded Mozzarella cheese. (Read Can You Freeze Green Tomatoes)
How Long Can You Freeze Fresh Mozzarella Cheese?
Yes, you can freeze Italian cheese, but there are things to know about doing so. Learning how to preserve cheese properly to use it in your favorite recipes later is not tricky. Fresh Mozzarella and Ricotta cheese, and a range of other cheeses can be frozen in the same way.
It only takes a few minutes to prepare cheese for freezing, and you’ll have fresh cheese for your favorite pasta bakes using these cheese freezing tips. This part examines more about the question, “Can you freeze mozzarella cheese?” You can learn about freezing cheese the right way.
Can You Freeze Mozzarella Cheese Answer?
Mozzarella is available shredded, fresh, or you may wonder can you freeze cheese slices as well? The type of cheese dictates your packing and freezing process. The key factor is to remove the air from the bags to prevent ice crystals from forming and leading to freezer burn. If possible, use vacuum seal freezer bags, although regular resealable freezer bags are suitable for all types of mozzarella.
Here you can learn the various ways of preparation for freezing.
Freezing Soft mozzarella blocks
- Freezer bag
- Labels
Leave the soft cheese fresh mozzarella blocks in their original packaging and bag. You can label and freeze mozzarella blocks if they’re small enough. If you have larger blocks, you can divide the cheese into individual servings, then store them in separate bags. Remove the air and place the cheese in the freezer after labeling it. (Read How Many Amps Does A Freezer Use)
How to Freeze Mozzarella Slices
- One pack mozzarella slices
- Vacuum-seal bags or freezer bag
- Wax paper
- Labels
Sandwich each of the mozzarella slices between two trimmed wax paper sheets. Place the cheese in freezer bags after layering it between wax paper. Remove the air, label, and freeze.
Freezing Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- One package of shredded cheese
- Baking sheet
- Plastic wrap
- Freezer bag or vacuum-seal bag
- Bag labels
When freezing mozzarella cheese of this type, stack the grated cheese on the cookie sheet and refrigerate your baking sheet for 10 minutes so the cheese firms. Wrap your mozzarella with plastic wrap, and press to expel all the air to stop freezer burn. Double wrap the cheese in plastic bags for further protection. Label each bag and freeze them. Freezing shredded mozzarella keeps its flavor and consistency.
How to Freeze Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
Cheese sticks are hugely popular, and it makes sense to keep them fresh. Most times, you can find pre-made mozzarella sticks in the freezer section of the grocery store. Add these to your freezer at home with your other cheese.
How to Thaw Frozen Mozzarella Cheese
Freezing cheese is half the story, as thawing cheese can be just as important. For instance, if you bring your cheese to room temperature too fast, it can lose texture and flavor, so thaw it properly to keep it fresh. Never put frozen mozzarella on your counter straight from your freezer. Instead, leave your frozen cheese in the fridge overnight as a fridge minimum to extend the shelf life. The fridge temperature is warm enough to start the thawing process without affecting the texture or flavor.
After a period in the freezer, soft mozzarella can take on a different consistency. You can add a few drops of milk, microwave for a few seconds, and mix to return the defrosted mozzarella to a creamy texture.
For thawing mozzarella, there are a couple of options:
As we’ve seen, the safest and most popular way to defrost frozen cheese is overnight in the refrigerator. If you defrost the cheese in the refrigerator, you can refreeze the leftovers. In a cold bath. Put the mozzarella in the freezer bag and soak it in cold water if you’re short on time. Depending on the size of the cheese, defrosting should take anywhere from an hour to several hours. After that, use everything.
It’s best to use it frozen. If you’ve planned ahead of time what you’ll do with the mozzarella and portioned it correctly, you can usually toss it in with whatever you’re making. To compensate for defrosting and reheating the frozen dairy, add a few minutes to the cooking time. Now you can see the answer to can you freeze mozzarella cheese. You might not want to freeze the cheese by itself and use pizza rather than just mozzarella sticks. Here is a tasty pizza recipe with shredded cheese you can make and keep.
Pizza with Frozen Mozzarella Cheese
- ¾ tbsp yeast
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 oz fresh tomatoes
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 4 peeled garlic cloves
- Fresh basil
- 7 oz frozen shredded mozzarella cheese
Method:
- Mix three tablespoons olive oil, one and a half teaspoons salt, and half of the flour until smooth.
- Mix in the remainder of the flour.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl and knead it for about ten minutes or until it is elastic and smooth.
- Wrap the dish in plastic wrap. After the dough has doubled in size, flatten it and allow it to rise again. Make two pizza pans by dividing the dough in half.
- Puree the tomatoes, two tablespoons of oil, oregano, and garlic cloves until smooth in a blender or food processor.
- On top of the dough, spread the pizza sauce. Cheese should be applied to the pizzas until they are thoroughly covered.
- Bake for ten minutes at 475°F or until your crust and cheese are golden brown.
- You can top it with more cheese or re-freeze it. You may even use the leftover cheese to make scrambled eggs the next day. (Learn How Long Does Zucchini Last In The Freezer)
- Remove the pizzas from the oven and scatter the basil leaves over the cheese before serving.
How Long Can You Store Frozen Mozzarella Cheese?
The mozzarella bricks should last for at least 6 months and possibly even longer. The blocks are firm, and the moisture content is minimal; therefore, the product should stay in the freezer for an extended period. Shredded mozzarella from the freezer keeps its freshness for 3 to 4 months.
Fresh mozzarella should last at least three months in the refrigerator. Because it’s the moistest, the texture change is the clearest. While frozen shredded mozzarella is straightforward, it differs if you want to freeze marinated mozzarella balls. You may ask, with this cheese, can you freeze because of the liquid? You can freeze fresh mozzarella balls like freezing mozzarella blocks, but the steps vary slightly.
Here’s how to freeze mozzarella balls:
Whether you’ve bought bog-standard mozzarella or other cheese of this type, you often find them in a soft round ball and a brine solution.
Follow these steps to freeze fresh mozzarella that comes in a liquid.
Drain Your Mozzarella Balls
The first step is to remove it from the bag and discard all the excess liquid that it comes in. You don’t want to freeze excess moisture, or it could break down the texture of the cheese.
Wrap Your Mozzarella Cheese
Wrap the mozzarella with shrink wrap for the next step. This is the first step in keeping air away from the mozzarella. If you’re not sure if you’ve wrapped it correctly, wrap it twice to be sure.
Bag Your Mozzarella
After that, put your wrapped mozzarella in a plastic zipper bag and close it about 90% of the way. Now you can push out as much air as possible before sealing the last 10% of the bag.
Freeze Mozzarella in Bags
You may now put the bag in the freezer and call it a day. Remember to write the bag’s contents and the date it was frozen on the bag. Multiple mozzarella cheese balls may clump together when frozen this way, so use small freezer bags and freeze one ball per bag if possible.
However, if you purchased a bag of ready-shredded or grated mozzarella but only used half of it or opened it by mistake, you must protect it to extend the shelf life. First, spread the mozzarella out on a baking dish and freeze it for 20 to 30 minutes. This creates a rapidly frozen layer on the outside, so they don’t cling together in a bag.
When the grated cheese has hardened, gently split it in a plastic bag, seal it, and store it in the freezer. You can then take only what you need from the freezer, avoiding wasting any. Always identify each of your bags so you know how long they’ve been in the freezer and when they’re due to be used.
Freezing Mozzarella Tips
Now that you know how to freeze mozzarella, here are our three top recommendations for getting the best results when freezing mozzarella:
Drain
There is no benefit to freezing mozzarella in the brine in which it was packaged. Instead, you’ll have a frozen brine block that will take longer to defrost. Draining it ahead of time will save you a lot of time later.
Grate from Frozen
You can grate the mozzarella from frozen if you plan to use it melted throughout a cooked dish. While the mozzarella ball hard, use a coarse grater to grate it.
Thaw Frozen Cheese
Thawing mozzarella in the fridge a day before using it is the easiest way to defrost without affecting its texture. However, depending on how old your mozzarella was when you froze it, some of its creaminess may have been lost.
Use Mozzarella
Defrost mozzarella in your fridge when you know you will be ready to use it. If you have your cheese at room temperature, you’ll need to use it right away. Thawed mozzarella in the fridge can be refrozen or used within a few days before it spoils.
