Can You Freeze Lentil Soup?

Lentil soup is the ultimate winter warmer meal and could be served as a snack, a starter or a main meal. Lentil soup is a favourite meal for many families as, not only is it packed with nutrients and protein, but it’s easy to make in bulk. But how should you store it for the long term?

How to Freeze Lentil Soup

You can freeze both leftover lentil soup or you can freeze it fresh and save it for a rainy day. It is really easy to freeze lentil soup and there are 2 ways you can do this:

How to Freeze in Large Portions

This is the approach to take if you’re freezing lentil soup for yourself and other adults who will want large portions of soup:

1. Let the Soup Cool
   Once you’ve cooked your favourite lentil soup, let it cool to room temperature. You may want to decant it into smaller bowls if you’ve cooked it in a large saucepan, otherwise it will take a long time to cool!
2. Refrigerate
   Once the soup has cooled, place into the fridge for around 30 minutes
3. Decant
   Spoon the chilled soup into smaller freezer safe containers or into freezer safe ziplock bags. 
4. Squeeze Out the Air
   If using a freezer safe bag, be sure to squeeze all the air out of the bags before placing into the freezer. 
5. Freeze
   Place into the freezer for up to 4 to 5 months. 

How To Freeze in Small Portions

For anyone with children, you’ll know how important and time-saving freezing healthy meals can be for a quick and easy solution for a hungry baby or toddler.

Lentil soup is ideal to freeze in smaller batches, which can be the best portion size for a baby or toddler. Here’s how to freeze it in child-sized portions:

1. Follow steps 1-2
   Follow the first two steps in the above instruction list – cool and refrigerate the soup. 
2. Decant Into Ice Cube Trays
   Ladle the cooled soup into ice cube trays until full. You could also do this in a muffin tray if you want slightly larger portions.
3. Freeze
   Place into the freezer for up to 2 hours. You can leave the soup frozen in the ice cube trays or you can continue on for the next few steps if desired. 
4. Remove and Bag
   Once the soup has frozen in the ice cube trays, take the trays out and pop out the cubes of frozen soup. Place the blocks into a freezer safe bag. 
5. Refreeze
   Squeeze the air out of the bags and then place back into the freezer. You now have easily portioned lentil soup, perfect for a quick and easy meal for a child. 

3 Tips for Freezing Lentil Soup

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

It Must Be Cooled
As with any meal or food item that you are going to freeze, it is vital that you cool it before it enters the freezer. Putting warm or hot items in the freezer causes a significant temperature shift.

The temperature of the freezer rises, increasing the risk of spoilage of not just the item you’re trying to freeze, but also other food products or meals already in the freezer.

Don’t Under or Over Fill
Any liquid that is then frozen will expand, so never fill your freezer bag or container to the brim with soup as it will most likely explode or shatter the container.

Likewise, underfilling the container or bag can also pose problems, namely freezer burn. Ideally, leave an inch or so towards the top to allow for expansion but also this reduces the amount of air exposure which limits the risk of freezer burn. 

Don’t Overcook the Soup
If you know that you are going to be freezing either all or part of the soup when you are making it, try not to cook the lentils all the way through.

Doing so could end in the soup being overly mushy when defrosted and reheated and if you want to retain the nice chunky texture that a good lentil soup can have, it’s ideal to not cook all the ingredients all the way through. 

How Long Can You Freeze Lentil Soup?

When frozen, lentil soup can last for approximately 4-5 months in the freezer if stored correctly. However, to keep the lentil soup as fresh as possible, try to use it as early as you can otherwise the texture and taste may degrade. 

You Can Freeze Lentil Soup for up to 5 Months

How Do You Defrost Lentil Soup?

To thaw the lentil soup, take the container or bag from the freezer and place it in the fridge. Leave the soup to thaw overnight.

Once you’re ready to prepare the soup, pour the thawed soup into a saucepan and simmer over low heat for a few minutes or until piping hot. If the consistency of the soup is creamier before freezing, try adding a little broth or water to thin it out. 

Can You Refreeze Lentil Soup?

No, it is not advised to refreeze lentil soup. The taste and texture will have degraded too much for it to be worth refreezing, so this is why freezing in individual portions can be so beneficial. 

Does Lentil Soup Freeze Well?

Yes, lentil soup will freeze really well providing you have followed the steps above. Using silicone ice cube trays can be particularly helpful when it comes to popping out the frozen cubes too.