Chocolate milk is a delicious drink to enjoy from time to time and is popular with the kids in particular! Whether you buy it from the supermarket or make it yourself, chocolate milk doesn’t always last very long. But what’s the best way to preserve it?
Can You Freeze Chocolate Milk?
Yes, you can freeze chocolate milk for up to 4 months. If you have bought a carton from the supermarket, you can add it to the freezer and think no more about it! But if you’ve made it yourself, you will need to freeze it in a suitable container before placing it in the freezer.
Does Chocolate Milk Freeze Well? Yes
Can You Refreeze Chocolate Milk? No
How to Freeze Chocolate Milk
You’ll be pleased to hear that freezing chocolate milk is exceptionally simple. If you have bought some cartons from the supermarket, simply place them in the freezer when you get home, and you’re all set.
However, if you’ve made a batch of chocolate milk yourself, here are the steps you need to follow to ensure it freezes well:
- Portion: The most important thing to think about when freezing chocolate milk is how to portion it. After all, if you freeze it in an entire batch, you will have to defrost it all at once. We’d recommend freezing chocolate milk in appropriate serving sizes, so you can easily remove the portion you need at any given time.Â
- Place in a Container: When you’ve decided how to portion your chocolate milk, add it to suitably sized containers or bottles before sealing them. Leave at least one inch of space from the top of the container to allow sufficient space for expansion.Â
- Label and Freeze: Write today’s date and the use-by date on the container or cartons before adding the chocolate milk to the freezer. Remember, it should be good for around four months before you need to use it.
3 Tips for Freezing Chocolate Milk
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing chocolate milk to have the best results:
Always Leave Space
Chocolate milk will expand in the freezer, so make sure you leave at least an inch of headspace in the container, jar, or bottle that you’re filling. If you forget, you will have quite the mess on your hands when you open your freezer, so be careful not to overfill your containers.
Skimmed Milk Freezes Better
Although it won’t make a huge amount of difference, skimmed milk tends to freeze better than whole milk. This is worth considering if you’re making chocolate milk at home. Also, skimmed milk has fewer calories, so it’s a win-win situation!
Don’t Freeze in Bags
While you might be tempted to freeze chocolate milk in freezer bags to save some space in the freezer, we wouldn’t recommend it. If one of the bags tears or rips, you only need to imagine the entire contents of your freezer covered in chocolate milk! While it might save a little space, it’s not worth the risk.
How Long Can You Freeze Chocolate Milk?
You can freeze chocolate milk for around four months.
While you can technically freeze it for longer than this, we wouldn’t recommend doing so. This is because of the ice crystals that form during the freezing process, as they will essentially dilute your chocolate milk the longer you leave it in the freezer.
Chocolate milk should be good in the fridge for the same amount of time as normal milk, so you have a fair amount of time before you need to think about freezing it in the first place.
How Do You Defrost Chocolate Milk?
The best way to defrost chocolate milk is to transfer it from the freezer to the fridge the night before you plan to enjoy it.
If you’re planning to drink your chocolate milk warm, you could always defrost it in the microwave before warming it to the desired temperature.
You should never defrost chocolate milk at room temperature, as dairy needs to be refrigerated or frozen at all times.
Can You Refreeze Chocolate Milk?
While there’s nothing wrong with freezing chocolate milk that has been thawed in the fridge, we wouldn’t recommend doing so from a quality perspective.
Refrozen chocolate milk tastes watery, far from the rich and creamy treat you were hoping for!
As mentioned, consider freezing chocolate milk in smaller portion sizes from the start, as this makes it easier to remove what you need from the freezer at any given time.
Does Chocolate Milk Freeze Well?
Overall, chocolate milk freezes really well, whether you’ve bought it from the shop or made it yourself. Skimmed milk tends to freeze better than whole milk, so consider this if you’re making a batch at home.
Providing it’s well sealed, your chocolate milk will last for around four months in the freezer before you should use it.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing chocolate milk or milk in general, then these may help:
No, you cannot. Unfortunately, that’s not how ice cream is made. It needs to be churned and mixed with other ingredients to make proper ice cream. You can make quick ice cream by combining chocolate milk with condensed milk and freezing, however.
Yes, you can freeze a carton of unopened chocolate milk. Remember that you won’t want to refreeze it so if you freeze an entire carton then you’ll need to thaw and consume the whole carton.
