Can You Freeze Cheddar Cheese?

A firm British favourite, cheddar cheese is a staple item you can find in most fridges. Delicious and versatile it can keep for ages in the fridge, as long as you keep it well wrapped and airtight.

But sometimes you just can’t get through the whole block in time so what do you do with the leftovers? Can you freeze cheddar cheese?

How To Freeze Cheddar Cheese

There are a few ways you can freeze cheddar cheese. The most recommended way is grated but you can also choose to freeze it in blocks or slices too.

How to Freeze Grated Cheddar Cheese

If you like your cheddar sprinkled over pasta bakes, added to the top of shepherd’s pie or used as a jacket potato filling, then this is the best approach to take when freezing it:

1. Grate
   Grate your cheddar cheese or buy it already grated for you.
2. Bag Up
   Pop it into an airtight freezer bag.
3. Add Cornflour
   Add a spoonful of cornflour. This helps to stop the cheese sticking together in the bag.
4. Shake
   Give the bag a gentle shake to coat all the cheese with the cornflour.
5. Label and Freeze
   Label the bag with the date and pop it into the freezer.
6. Shake Again
   After about thirty minutes take the bag out and give it a gentle shake to separate the grated cheese.
7. Freeze
   Pop it back into the freezer.

How to Freeze Blocks of Cheddar Cheese

If you’re pushed for time and happen to know you’ll use a big block of cheese then give this approach a go:

1. Wrap Block
   Wrap your cheese in parchment paper.
2. Wrap Again
   Add another layer of wrapping.
3. Bag Up
   Pop the whole block into a freezer bag.
4. Label and Freeze
   Add a label with the date and contents and freeze.

How to Freeze Slices of Cheddar Cheese

Slices work great for melting over burgers and for putting into sandwiches so if that’s how you like to use them then here’s the method to follow:

1. Slice
   Cut your cheese into slices.
2. Prepare Parchment
   Cut some parchment paper into squares slightly larger than the slices of cheddar cheese.
3. Layer Cheese
   Layer up the cheese and make sure you put a square of parchment paper between each layer. This stops the slices freezing together into a lump and makes it much easier for you to grab out just the number of slices you need at a later date.
4. Wrap in Foil
   Wrap the whole thing in foil or parchment and then pop it into an airtight freezer bag.
5. Freeze
   Label the bag with the date and pop it into the freezer to freeze.

How to Freeze Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Cheese sauce can pep up any meal with ease and the good news is you can freeze cheddar cheese sauce too. To freeze just follow these instructions.

1. Cool
   Make sure the sauce is completely cooled before freezing.
2. Pour Into Bags
   Pour the sauce into freezer-safe containers or freezer bags. Make sure you freeze just one portion in each bag or container and leave a gap at the top to allow the sauce to expand when it freezes.
3. Freeze
   Pop it into the freezer and freeze.

When it comes to defrosting this you will need to allow it to defrost slowly in the fridge for a few hours. You might find that the cheese sauce has separated a little but a quick blend or whisk and it should be fine again.

3 Tips for Freezing Cheddar Cheese

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

Consider Use
Think about how you normally use cheddar and freeze it accordingly. If you never use it grated then there is no point in freezing it grated.

Mix With Cornflour
Using a small sprinkling of cornflour will prevent grated cheese from sticking together. This works well for all hard, grated cheese.

Label Clearly
You might be able to tell the difference between other cheese varieties when at room temperature but, once frozen, you’ll struggle so ensure you include a clear, legible label.

How Long Can You Freeze Cheddar Cheese

Cheddar can be kept frozen for up to two months. After this, you might find it starts to deteriorate and change in taste. Just make sure you pull out your cheese before the two months is up and it should be fine.

You Can Freeze Cheddar Cheese for Around 2 Months

How Do You Defrost Cheddar Cheese?

Blocks or slices of cheddar cheese will need to be defrosted in the fridge overnight or for a few hours.

If you have chosen to freeze your cheddar cheese in a grated form then you have a little more versatility when it comes to thawing it out. You can either defrost it slowly in the fridge or for best results just use it frozen.

Add it directly into your cooking or as a topping to melt over food. You may need to adjust your cooking times slightly but frozen grated cheese works really well in cooking.

Can You Refreeze Cheddar Cheese?

You shouldn’t refreeze cheddar cheese whether it’s been frozen in a sauce, grated or in blocks or slices. Bacteria can grow during the heating up and cooling process and the more times you do this the more chance bacteria have to grow.

The cheese will also deteriorate every time you freeze it and become unusable.

Does Cheddar Cheese Freeze Well?

Cheddar cheese doesn’t freeze particularly well. It does suffer from a change in texture and you might notice a slight taste change too. This is why we recommend that any frozen cheese is used in cooking.

You won’t notice the change at all once it has been melted and cooked.

Related FAQs

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