Can You Freeze Clotted Cream?

4 minutes

The problem with clotted cream is that you can’t buy just one or two servings in the supermarket. Although tempting, eating a whole tub isn’t exactly good for you! So, what is the best approach to storing it for longer?

How to Freeze Clotted Cream

The method for freezing clotted cream is similar to how you would freeze most dairy products. The most important thing is doing all you can to keep air away from it!

1. Transfer
   Find small pots that are equal to one portion of clotted cream. You will not want to refreeze clotted cream so it’s a good idea to freeze them in portions. Transfer the cream to your pots and seal them tightly.
2. Wrap
   Wrap your pots in a layer of cling film to avoid leakages and prevent any air from finding its way in. The most important thing is to ensure your containers are airtight.
3. Freeze
   All that’s left to do is for you to label it up and place it into the freezer. Remember to include the contents (it’ll look like any other dairy product once frozen) along with the date it was frozen.

How to Freeze Different Brands of Clotted Cream

There are a couple of common brands of clotted cream. But can all these brands of clotted cream be frozen successfully?

Roddas

According to Rodda’s FAQ, their clotted cream is unsuitable for home freezing. They mention that the texture of the cream may become a little grainy once it’s been frozen and defrosted.

And they’re not wrong! However, brands will often advise against freezing their products, not because it would be unsafe, but because it would degrade the quality of their product and they don’t want you to have a negative experience with their product.

Trewithen Dairy

Trewithen Dairy doesn’t explicitly mention on its website whether its clotted cream can be frozen, but generally, clotted cream can be frozen to extend its life with differing levels of success.

Again, the downside is that you might notice a slight texture change, but this won’t affect the flavour. It’s recommended to use frozen clotted cream within 2 months for the best taste.

Supermarket’s Own Brand

Supermarket’s own brand clotted cream can typically be frozen. Always check the packaging; some will have ‘unsuitable for freezing’ guidance. Tesco and ASDA both claim their clotted cream is not suitable for home freezing.

How Long Can You Freeze Clotted Cream?

Provided it’s airtight, you can keep clotted cream in the freezer for up to 6 months. There is a slight chance it will begin to dry out towards the latter stages of this period.

If you can use it within 2 months, that would be ideal, however.

Having said that, it simply doesn’t freeze that well. I’ve found whether it’s frozen for a week, a month or a year that the texture will be off regardless.

How Do You Defrost Clotted Cream?

The best way to defrost clotted cream is similar to defrosting any other dairy or high-fat products – thaw it in the fridge overnight.

If you were to leave clotted cream out at room temperature, it might quickly go rancid and change flavour and texture, so thawing in the refrigerator is really the only way to go.

Slow and steady wins the race here!

After defrosting, your clotted cream can last for a further 3 or 4 days in the fridge. Clotted cream tends to get drier, turn yellow and have a powerful acidic scent as time goes by.

Can You Refreeze Clotted Cream

If you’ve read anything about freezing other dairy products, you’ll know they don’t freeze that well. The texture is completely ruined, and even the flavour can degrade… Refreezing would ruin the texture further!

The texture is one of the main reasons that clotted cream is so delicious. You want that gooey, sticky, rich, velvety texture. Refreezing clotted cream will pretty much guarantee a loss of all this texture.

Does Clotted Cream Freeze Well?

The straightforward answer is no, not really.

Unfortunately, like many fatty dairy products, you’ll ruin the texture when freezing it. This is the case for various dairy products from creme fraiche to brie.

The texture of your clotted cream will become dry and crumbly once defrosted. And, who wants to describe their clotted cream as dry and crumbly?

I advise consuming your clotted cream in its fresh state. Of course, the argument is that frozen clotted cream is better than clotted cream thrown in the bin.

However, if you freeze clotted cream, serve it with something hot. This will help the clotted cream melt and give you the richness you want without the dodgy, frozen dry texture.