With 1% of the UK population alone suffering from coeliac disease, gluten-free pasta is a complete godsend. But the question is can you make a batch of fresh or filled gluten-free pasta and can you freeze gluten-free pasta?
Gluten-free pasta can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze gluten-free pasta, freeze the pieces on a baking tray then, once frozen solid, portion into bags.
Do Does Gluten-Free Pasta freeze well? Sometimes
Can you refreeze Gluten-Free Pasta? No
How To Freeze Fresh Gluten-Free Pasta
If you want to freeze fresh gluten-free pasta then we would first advise against freezing strands of pasta such as spaghetti or tagliatelle. They tend to clump together in the freezer making it hard to portion out.
Instead, we’d opt for shapes such as farfalle or penne:
- Place Onto a Tray
You want to flash freeze your pasta first so line a baking tray with grease-proof paper. Place your pasta onto the sheet trying to ensure none of the pieces are touching. - Freeze
Next, place this tray in the freezer to flash freeze for a couple of hours. - Bag Up
When the outside is frozen solid you can remove the tray and tip the pasta into an airtight container. Do this carefully as the pasta will be brittle. - Freeze Again
Place back in the freezer and you’re done!
How to Freeze Filled Gluten-Free Pasta
Before you get to freezing your filled gluten-free pasta you need to consider what those parcels are filled with. The pasta itself will freeze well but will the contents?
If the contents contain a lot of dairy foods then you might have an issue with texture when you come to thawing it out for example.
Have a browse around Freeze It to determine whether the contents will freeze well or not. If they will, then you can get to freeze your filled gluten-free pasta:
- Line a Baking Tray
Grab a baking tray, line it with grease-proof paper. - Flash Freeze
Place your filled pasta onto the tray ensuring none of them is touching. Put your tray into the freezer for around two hours to flash freeze the pasta. - Bag Up
Remove the tray then carefully tip the pasta into a bag or airtight container. - Freeze
Seal up then return to the freezer.
Freezing your pasta in this way will ensure they don’t stick together and will make it far easier to portion out when you need to grab some from the freezer.
3 Tips for Freezing Gluten-Free Pasta
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing gluten-free pasta to have the best results:
Label It As Gluten-Free
If you’ve frozen both gluten and gluten-free pasta then you’ll never be able to tell the difference when it is frozen. So make sure you write a clear label.
Keep It Airtight
Use good-quality freezer bags or containers with a tight-fitting lid to ensure your pasta is stored airtight. Failing to do so can cause the pasta to dry out.
Be Gentle
Pasta is delicate and can become quite brittle when frozen so be gentle when moving it around the freezer to avoid snapping it.
How Long Can You Freeze Gluten Free Pasta?
The longer you leave the pasta in the freezer, the greater it will degrade in texture. That’s why we would advise leaving gluten-free pasta in the freezer for up to 3 months.
If you’re freezing filled pasta then we’d actually advise even less – maybe 6 weeks maximum!
Remember the label your frozen pasta so you know when you need to eat it up by.
You Can Freeze Gluten Free Pasta for Around 3 Months
How Do You Defrost Gluten-Free Pasta?
The good news is that you can often cook your frozen pasta from frozen. Just grab a handful, add to boiling water and cook until al dente.
If you leave it to thaw in the fridge it can actually become water so generally speaking it’s best to cook it from frozen.
Can You Refreeze Gluten-Free Pasta?
We would not advise refreezing gluten-free pasta, unfortunately, as it can play havoc with the texture. It can dry the pasta out leaving it flavourless and tough to cook in future.
Does Gluten-Free Pasta Freeze Well?
It freezes ok… Unfortunately, and like a lot of things, fresh will always trump frozen. There is a chance that the texture will be slightly different to what you’re used to with fresh pasta.
Having said that, frozen gluten-free pasta is a viable option for storing your pasta for the long term. It’s certainly better than throwing it away!
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing gluten-free pasta or gluten-free food in general, then these may help:
Can You Freeze Gluten-Free Noodles?
Unfortunately, noodles aren’t the easiest thing in the world to freeze. You can freeze them with a bit of patience, however. Line a baking tray with grease-proof paper then create rings of noodles.
You want to twist them into a pile where each pile is a portion. Flash freeze then store for the long term in an airtight container. You can then grab a pile of noodles for each portion you need.
Can You Freeze Dried Gluten-Free Pasta?
Well… You can’t really. Think about it. In order for anything to freeze it needs a liquid element. This liquid freezes and that’s what enables you to store something in the freezer.
Dried pasta is what it says it is. Dry. That means you’ll struggle to freeze it.
Also bear in mind that dried pasta has a pretty extensive shelf life so you need to question what the point of freezing it would actually be.
