Can You Freeze Cider?

How to Freeze Cider

We are not going to talk about freezing alcoholic cider because you shouldn’t freeze it. At best, you will ruin the flavour, and you might even end up with a very different drink that doesn’t taste nearly as good. However, you can freeze American style non-alcoholic cider, so we will look at how you do this.

1. Portion Out
   Divide your non-alcoholic apple cider or juice into portions and pour it into suitable containers. Freezer safe bottles or jars work well. You need to be able to seal it tightly.
2. Leave Room for Expansion
   When you are pouring the liquid, don’t forget to leave a gap. This is really important because liquid does expand as it freezes, and if there is no space left, the drink will burst from its containers.
3. Seal
   Pop the lid on tightly. If you are worried about spills, you can also add a freezer bag around the container.
4. Label
   Add a label with the date and contents.
5. Freeze
   Pop the portions of liquid into the freezer and freeze for between eight and twelve months.

How to Freeze Cider Doughnuts

Apple cider doughnuts are a delicious autumn treat in America. They are made with your usual doughnut dough and non-alcoholic apple cider!  The great news if you love these tasty treats, then you can freeze them, but you should only freeze them before they are fried or cooked.

1. Make
   Make your doughnuts using your favourite recipe.
2. Lay Out Onto a Tray
   Don’t bake or fry the doughnuts. Once they are formed into their doughnut shape, pop them onto a baking tray covered in parchment paper instead.
3. Freeze
   Pop this baking tray into the freezer and freeze until the dough is solid.
4. Bag Up
   When you are happy the doughnuts are frozen, you can take them out of the freezer and transfer them into a freezer bag.
5. Seal and Freeze
   Seal this bag tightly and label it with the date and contents before putting it back into the freezer.

2 Tips for Freezing Cider

Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 2 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing cider to have the best results:

• Try It – If you really need to freeze your alcoholic cider, you could attempt it using the method we outlined above, but you should do so with care. You are likely to be disappointed. Alcohol doesn’t freeze well, and you will lose any fizz that was in the cider. You may even destroy the alcohol in the process!
• Consider Portions – Make sure you check your portion sizes before you freeze. There is nothing worse than defrosting all your non-alcoholic cider and finding that you have too much and have to waste it. If in doubt, choose smaller portions over larger ones. You can always get more out of the freezer, but you can’t put it back in once it has thawed out.

How Long Can You Freeze Cider?

Alcoholic cider shouldn’t be frozen at all. However, non-alcoholic American-style cider can be frozen successfully between 8 and twelve months. Perfect if you have many apples and want to try making a large batch of this deliciously sweet drink.

You Cannot Freeze Cider at All

How Do You Defrost Cider?

When it comes to defrosting any frozen cider, your best method is to take the container out of the freezer and pop it into a bowl. This bowl is to stop any liquid run-off from making a mess. Pop the whole thing into the fridge and allow it to defrost slowly over several hours.

Can You Refreeze Cider?

No, we wouldn’t recommend that you try and refreeze any cider. Whether that’s alcoholic cider or non-alcoholic cider.

Does Cider Freeze Well?

Non-alcoholic apple ciders freeze very well. You shouldn’t notice too much difference at all once it has been fully thawed out. If you are using it in your baking, you definitely won’t tell the difference!

The problems start to arise when you are freezing alcoholic ciders. Alcohol, as a general rule, does not freeze well, and your cider is no different. Rather than freeze it, you may have to store it in the fridge and use it before its use-by date instead.

Related FAQs

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

Can You Freeze Cider Ice Lollies?

Pouring cider directly into a mould is not going to work. You’ll need to dilute it a little to encourage freezing to take place. Mix 2 parts cider with 1 part liquid. This could be water, apple juice, lemonade, sparkling water. Now pour this into the mould. 

Can You Freeze Kopparberg? 

Regardless of the brand of cider, it will not freeze well.