Evaporated milk is a popular addition to various dishes and recipes and can be added to sweet treats, desserts, and a range of other family favourites. But as you’re probably aware, a can of evaporated milk only lasts a couple of days once opened. So, what’s the best way to preserve it?
Can You Freeze Evaporated Milk?
Yes, you can freeze evaporated milk for up to 3 months. Although it separates a little in the freezer, it will still be good for use in soups and other cooked dishes. You can either freeze evaporated milk in an airtight container or ice cube trays.
Does Evaporated Milk Freeze Well? No
Can You Refreeze Evaporated Milk? No
How to Freeze Evaporated Milk
Freezing evaporated milk is nice and straightforward. If you’ve recently opened a can of evaporated milk, simply pour it into a suitably sized airtight container, attach the lid, and place it in the freezer. There’s really nothing more to it!
This is the easiest way to freeze it and enables you to remove it from the freezer as and when you need to use it in your chosen recipes.
However, if you have a particularly large serving of the milk, you might want to freeze it in ice cube trays, as we explain below.Â
How to Freeze Evaporated Milk Into Ice CubesÂ
Grab an ice cube tray and carefully pour the evaporated milk into the various sections. Be careful not to overfill them, or the milk will spill over and cause a mess. As soon as the tray is full, place it in the freezer and leave it for 2-3 hours.
Once the ice cubes have frozen solid, remove the tray from the freezer and empty the cubes onto the countertop. You can then drop them into a freezer-safe bag.
Write today’s date and the use-by date on the front of the bag and drop the cubes of evaporated milk into the freezer.Â
3 Tips for Freezing Evaporated Milk
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing evaporated milk to have the best results:
Expect Textural Changes
When you put evaporated milk in the freezer, it will separate. Unfortunately, stirring it once it has thawed doesn’t really rectify the issue, so you will be limited in how you can use evaporated milk once it has thawed.Â
Use In Soups and Baked Dishes
One of the best ways to use frozen evaporated milk is to include it in soups, smoothies, and baked recipes. It adds a dose of sweetness to various recipes, and its consistency isn’t too important.Â
Freeze Once
You should only freeze the milk once. As mentioned, it doesn’t freeze particularly well the first time around, and freezing it more than once will render it practically unusable.
How Long Can You Freeze Evaporated Milk?
You can freeze evaporated milk for around three months. While some people will keep it in the freezer for longer than this, we wouldn’t recommend doing so.
This is because evaporated milk doesn’t respond particularly well to the freezing process, so the longer you leave it in there, the more likely it is to deteriorate in terms of taste and consistency.
For the best results, use your frozen evaporated milk within three months.
You Can Freeze Evaporated Milk for up to 3 Months
How Do You Defrost Evaporated Milk?
When it’s time to use your frozen evaporated milk, the good news is that you don’t need to thaw it, as you can simply add it to your chosen recipe in its current state.
However, if you do need to thaw it, simply transfer it from the freeze to the fridge and leave it overnight. It will then be ready to use the following day. You should never thaw evaporated milk at room temperature as the milk is likely to spoil.
Can You Refreeze Evaporated Milk?
No, you can only freeze evaporated milk once. Because it doesn’t respond well to the freezing process the first time around, your milk will be practically unusable if you freeze it for a second time.
The best way to preserve a large serving of evaporated milk is to store it in an ice cube tray, so you can then bag up the cubes and use them as and when you need to.
Does Evaporated Milk Freeze Well?
Evaporated milk doesn’t freeze particularly well. This is because the milk typically separates in the freezer, making it only suitable for use in certain recipes.
That being said, you can still put evaporated milk in the freezer to save on wasting it, and the steps above explain how to go about it in the best possible way.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing evaporated milk or evaporated milk in general, then these may help:
When you put evaporated milk in the freezer, the fats will separate from the liquid causing the milk to become grainy. It is still safe to consume but can be unpleasant texturally.
Yes, it’s possible to freeze soup made with evaporated milk but you should expect some textural changes. When it defrosts, you may find it looks split but this can quickly be rectified by reheating slowly and stirring.
