Can You Freeze Beef Burgers?

How to Freeze Beef Burgers

Whether you’ve grilled them on the BBQ, fried them in a pan, or even baked them in the oven, you can safely freeze your leftover beef burgers to ensure they don’t go to waste. The following instructions show you exactly how to freeze burgers to maintain their texture and taste. 

1. Allow to Cool
   Once your beef burgers are cooked through, you need to leave them on the countertop to cool. This will take a few hours before they’re ready to be packaged. 
2. Wrap Individually
   Wrap each of the burgers individually in protective foil. Don’t be tempted to freeze them all together, as they will stick together in the freezer and will cause you a headache when it comes to defrosting them. 
3. Place in a Freezer Bag
   When each of your burgers is individually wrapped in foil, place them inside a freezer-safe bag. Press as much air out of the bag as possible. 
4. Label and Freeze
   Label the freezer-safe bag with the date they were prepared, as well as the use-by date. Remember, cooked beef burgers can be frozen for up to four months. 

How to Freeze Uncooked Beef Burgers

If you make your patties by hand and want to preserve a batch in the freezer for a future BBQ, then it’s perfectly safe to freeze your uncooked patties. Here’s how to go about it: 

1. Place on a Tray and Freeze Initially
   Place your patties on a tray and cover with cling film. Place them in the freezer for around one hour, until the patties are firm. This ensures they don’t break up when you’re wrapping them. 
2. Wrap Individually
   Remove the tray from the freezer and wrap your patties individually in tin foil. 
3. Place in Freezer Bag and Label
   Place your individually wrapped patties inside a freezer-safe bag. Label the bag with the date you prepared them, as well as the use-by date. 
4. Freeze
   Push as much air out of the bag as you can and place the patties in the freezer. They should also be good in the freezer for up to four months.

3 Tips for Freezing Beef Burgers

Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing beef burgers to have the best results:

• Tightly Wrap – It’s important that you tightly wrap each of your burgers in tin foil. If air gets to them, their texture could be ruined by freezer burn, and they may go hard when you’ve cooked them. 
• Raw is Better – Generally speaking, raw meat tends to maintain its quality for longer when frozen than cooked meat. This is because moisture is lost during the cooking process. So, if you know you’re going to have a surplus of patties, it’s a good idea to set aside several uncooked portions and freeze them, rather than freezing them once cooked. 
• Freeze ASAP – Your cooked beef burgers will only last for 1-2 days in the refrigerator. As such, unless you plan on eating them the following day, it’s best to prepare them for the freezer right away, so you preserve the texture. 

How Long Can You Freeze Beef Burgers?

You can freeze beef burgers for around four months. 

This applies to both uncooked patties and cooked beef burgers that are leftover from the BBQ. As has been introduced, you need to follow a slightly different method, depending upon which you decide to freeze. 

You Can Freeze Beef Burgers for up to 4 Months

How Do You Defrost Beef Burgers?

You need to defrost your beef burgers by placing them in the refrigerator. For best results, remove the patties that you need the night before you plan to eat them and place them in the fridge. They should then be ready for cooking in whichever way you prefer.

You should never defrost your beef burgers or any other meat on the countertop at room temperature. This would allow harmful bacteria to grow on the meat and is dangerous to your health.

Can You Refreeze Beef Burgers?

It’s perfectly safe to refreeze beef burgers that have been defrosted in the fridge. That being said, if they’re already cooked, you will find that the texture will begin to deteriorate the more times they are frozen and thawed. This is due to the moisture content in the burgers.

To avoid having to refreeze them, we recommend only taking out the patties that you need, which is why it’s helpful to wrap them individually. 

Do Beef Burgers Freeze Well?

Regardless of whether they’re uncooked or cooked, beef burgers freeze extremely well. Just make sure that they’re well wrapped to protect them from freezer burn. 

Related FAQs

If you’ve still got questions about freezing beef burgers or burgers in general, then these may help:

Can You Freeze Pork Burgers?

Burgers of any meat will freeze well using the method above, whether that’s pork, beef, chicken or turkey. The method is the same. The most important thing is to ensure they are stored airtight, which is why we advise wrapping then bagging. 

Can You Freeze Smash Burgers?

Although smash burgers can be frozen in the same way, they tend to be a little more delicate around the edges. When freezing them, be careful when handling them to avoid damage.