Can You Freeze Maple Syrup?

4 minutes

Maple syrup is Canada’s gift to the world. Perfect on waffles, pancakes, and even with various savoury items, it’s pretty hard to beat the sweet and delicious taste that maple syrup is renowned for. But what’s the best way to preserve it?

How to Freeze Maple Syrup

As mentioned, you can’t actually freeze maple syrup. When you place it in the freezer, it will expand and thicken, but it won’t actually freeze solid. In many respects, this is a good thing, as you don’t have to wait for ages for it to defrost! 

If you’re planning to freeze maple syrup unopened that you have bought from the store, simply place it straight into the freezer, and your job is done.

However, if you’ve already opened your maple syrup, here are the steps you need to follow: 

1. Choose a Suitable Container: Glass jars are ideal for freezing maple syrup, so make sure you have something on hand to use for the freezing process. 
2. Add Maple Syrup
   Pour the maple syrup into the glass jar, leaving at least one inch from the top of the container. This is important as maple syrup expands in the freezer, so you need to allow for this. If you forget, you will find maple syrup all over your freezer! 
3. Label and Freeze
   Affix the lid to the jar and write the use-by date on top before placing it in the freezer. Remember, you can freeze maple syrup for around twelve months.

3 Tips for Freezing Maple Syrup

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

Simply Don’t Bother
While you can undoubtedly store maple syrup in the freezer, it should be perfectly fine at room temperature for at least six months (unopened), so you might not need to bother!

In most households, maple syrup doesn’t last anywhere near this long, but it’s good to know if you only use maple syrup once in a while for certain baking recipes.

Refrigerate Instead
As soon as you have opened your jar of maple syrup, you should store it in the fridge. While it should be okay at room temperature, you will find that it starts to deteriorate more quickly when it’s not chilled, so it’s best to get it in the fridge to preserve its delicious taste and texture.

Always Leave Space
Although we’ve touched upon this already, it’s worth mentioning again. When you’re freezing maple syrup, it’s so important that you leave at least one inch of space at the top of the jar for your maple syrup to expand.

If you don’t do this, the glass is likely to crack as the syrup expands in the freezer, causing a mess you won’t enjoy cleaning up!

How Long Can You Freeze Maple Syrup?

You can keep maple syrup in the freezer for at least a year. While you might be tempted to store it for longer than this, it’s best to use it within this timeframe because of the ice crystals that form at such low temperatures.

These can affect the taste and texture of your maple syrup in the long run, so it’s worth using it within this timeframe.

Remember that maple syrup will be good in the fridge for around six months, so if you plan on using it within this time, you don’t necessarily need to freeze it.

You Can Freeze Maple Syrup for Over a Year

How Do You Defrost Maple Syrup?

Because maple syrup doesn’t freeze solid, you don’t need to defrost it before using it. You will just find that your maple syrup is a little thicker than it normally is, which suits some people down to the ground.

Alternatively, you can transfer the maple syrup from the freezer to the fridge a few hours before you plan on using it. This way, its texture will thin, and it will be perfect for use as normal.

Can You Refreeze Maple Syrup?

There’s nothing wrong with transferring maple syrup back and forth between the fridge and freezer once it has been opened.

However, if you do this, you should really use it within six months as opposed to a year.

Generally, because maple syrup lasts for so long in the fridge, there’s only really a need to keep it in the freezer if you only use it once in a while. Either way, you can refreeze maple syrup, providing you use it within six months.

Does Maple Syrup Freeze Well?

Although maple syrup doesn’t freeze solid, you can keep it in the freezer for around a year without any issue. Doing so will double its shelf-life, so it’s worthwhile if you only use maple syrup once in a while.

But if your family love nothing more than maple syrup with breakfast, you probably don’t need to store it in the freezer, as it will be good for around six months in the fridge.

Related FAQs

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