Can You Freeze Chapatis?

Chapati roti, a flatbread made of whole wheat, is a staple of Indian cooking and other South Asian cuisines. Many people choose to make large batches of chapati to save time and effort. But how do you store chapati for the long term?

How to Freeze Chapatis

Chapatis can be frozen either at the dough stage or once they have been fully cooked, making it a very versatile food product to freeze. If you are freezing chapatis that have been fully cooked, then all you need to do is:

1. Prepare as Normal
   Cook the chapatis according to instructions as if you were going to serve them warm. 
2. Allow to Cool
   Lay the cooked chapatis out on a worktop or plate and allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Stack the Chapatis
   Stack the chapatis in groups of up to 6, placing a piece of greaseproof paper or wax paper in between each chapati to prevent sticking. 
4. Wrap
   Using aluminum foil, wrap each stack of 6 chapatis tightly.
5. Put Into Bags
   Place each wrapped stack of chapatis into a freezer safe, ziplock bags. 
6. Freeze
   Place into the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to Freeze Chapati Dough

If you want the convenience of having some frozen dough but want that freshly cooked or baked bread experience (and who doesn’t?!), then you can freeze chapati dough before it has been cooked. 

1. Make the Dough
   Find your favourite chapati dough (this one is delicious) and follow the instructions up until the point where you would cook the dough.
2. Roll Out the Dough
   Portion out the dough and roll out into your desired size and shape chapati. 
3. Stack the Chapatis
   Stack the chapatis as you would as if they were cooked, referring to the notes above. 
4. Wrap
   Using aluminum foil, wrap each stack of 6 chapatis tightly and then place in freezer safe bags.
5. Freeze
   Place into the freezer for up to 3 months.

3 Tips for Freezing Chapatis

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

Use Yoghurt
For the normal everyday chapati, you usually use whole-wheat flour, water, a pinch of salt and ghee. However, for freezing the chapati dough, just substitute the water with yoghurt. The advantage of using yoghurt is that your chapatis will remain soft and fluffy when you cook them once they’re out of the freezer.

Keep the Bags Level
When placing the bags of frozen chapati dough into the freezer, ensure they are kept level so that the chapatis don’t lose their shape.

Use Large Sheets of Greaseproof Paper
The reason behind using greaseproof paper in between the chapatis is so that they don’t stick together when they are freezing. So, the key is to make sure the piece of parchment in between each chapati is big enough to ensure that even the edges of the chapatis are not touching each other. 

How Long Can You Freeze Chapatis?

You can freeze both chapati dough or cooked chapatis for up to 3-4 months in the freezer. This is far longer than how long you can keep it in the kitchen cupboard. At most, chapatis can only be kept in the cupboard for 1 week.

You Can Freeze Chapatis for up to 4 Months

How Do You Defrost Chapatis?

Whether you are defrosting cooked chapatis or raw chapati dough, it’s important to thaw them properly before reheating and serving.

For the best results, remove one stack of chapatis from the freezer and place it in the fridge overnight. It’s important not to leave chapatis out at room temperature as this can encourage the growth of harmful bacteria. 

If you need to thaw your chapatis quickly, place them in a dish, cover them lightly, and whack into the microwave on the defrost setting for a few seconds. 

Once the chapatis are fully thawed, either cook the raw dough according to recipe instructions or warm up the pre-cooked chapati in a frying pan over the stove. 

Can You Refreeze Chapatis?

If you have thawed raw dough and then cooked it, you can freeze these chapatis. However, it is not a good idea to thaw raw dough and then try to refreeze it whilst it is still a dough.

Likewise, if you have thawed pre-cooked chapatis and want to refreeze these, it is not recommended as they can become tough and chewy.

Do Chapatis Freeze Well?

Yes, chapatis freeze well, whether they’re pre-cooked or in dough form.

They are a really handy item to have in the freezer and, although the thawing process can be somewhat procedural, by following all the steps you can have freshly cooked chapati roti on demand to add that finishing touch to any Indian inspired meal.  

Related FAQs

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