Whether it’s added to cocktails, stews or cakes, there’s nothing that can quite replicate the punchy, floral flavour of rose water. But, a few drops tend to go a long way. So what do you do with the leftover rose water?
Can You Freeze Rose Water?
Yes, you can freeze rose water for up to 4 months. Decant rose water into an ice cube tray, freeze the cubes and then tip them out into a freezer bag.
Do Does Rose Water freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Rose Water? No
How to Freeze Rose Water
Freezing rose water is incredibly simple. You’ll need an ice cube tray and a freezer bag before following these steps:
- Decant Rose Water Into an Ice Cube Tray: Grab your ice cube tray and pour the rose water in to the slots. Fill them up around 90% of the way to allow for some expansion.
- Freeze the Tray: Place the tray into the freezer, keeping it level, to freezer. You can optionally wrap the tray in clingfilm to keep it protected.
- Pop Cubes Into a Freezer Bag: Once frozen, pop the cubes out of the tray and into a labelled freezer bag. Seal the bag up, removing as much air from the bag as possible.
- Return to the Freezer: Place the bag of frozen rose water cubes back into the freezer until you need them.
3 Tips for Freezing Rose Water
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing rose water to have the best results:
Label It Clearly
Rose water will look like any other clear frozen liquid. That’s why it’s vital that you label the bag clearly so you know exactly what’s in there. A cube of frozen rose water can quickly turn out to be vodka!
Be Careful When It’s Stored
Most liquids will easily absorb odours from within the freezer. If you have frozen garlic, fish, curries or stews then keep the rose water away from these. Before you know it, you’ll have fishy rose water – not what you want!
Leave Room for Expansion
When liquids freeze, they will expand slightly. When pouring the rose water into your ice cube tray, make sure you allow a little room for this expansion otherwise you’ll end up with a layer of rose water frozen together on the top of your tray.
How Long Can You Freeze Rose Water?
Rose water will be perfectly frozen for months on end in the freezer. However, we would limit the time it spends in the freezer to 4 months.
Beyond this point, there is a risk that the flavour will begin to degrade. Ultimately, you’re using rose water for its fragrant rose flavour. If that flavour is subtle then there’s no much point in using it.
Rose water will last for around 3 months in the fridge which begs the question is there any point in freezing it at all?
How Do You Defrost Rose Water?
This depends on how you want to use it.
Rose water is used in some Middle Eastern savoury dishes, such as tagine, which means you can actually pop a frozen cube directly into the pot and allow it to melt into the dish.
If, however, you’re baking something that requires rose water (such as a cake or even an icing) then you’ll need to thaw it beforehand. You can do this in the microwave using short bursts until it has melted.
Can You Refreeze Rose Water?
Although it’s likely to be safe to do so, we would avoid refreezing rose water as it can quickly degrade the flavour.
The sole purpose of rose water is to add that distinguishable rose flavour to a dish so don’t ruin this flavour by refreezing it.
Does Rose Water Freeze Well?
As long as you keep it stored in an airtight bag once frozen into cubes, rose water does freeze well.
Do be careful with where you place the cubes in the freezer, however. They will very quickly and easily take on odours from within your freezer so make sure you keep them away from strong-smelling foods such as garlic, onion or fish.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing rose water, then these may help:
Yes, cakes that contain rose water can be frozen. However, after a month or so, the rose flavour will begin to degrade. It will no longer be as fragrant and floral.
