How to Freeze Cottage Cheese: Storage Tips and Tricks

Yes, you can freeze cottage cheese, but should you? Here are the pros and cons to preserving this high protein superfood.

Cottage cheese is all the rage, popular for its high protein content and versatility in all different types of recipes. Read on to learn how to freeze cottage cheese, and other storage tips and tricks to get the most mileage out of your carton.

Whether you enjoy cottage cheese often or just want to try one of the many viral cottage cheese recipes, knowing how to freeze cottage cheese can be a great tool!

Jump to:

• Can You Freeze Cottage Cheese?
• The Best Way to Freeze Cottage Cheese
• How Long Can You Freeze Cottage Cheese?
• How to Thaw Frozen Cottage Cheese
• How to Use Frozen Cottage Cheese
• Tips to Improve Cottage Cheese Texture After Freezing
• Dairy Free Cottage Cheese Recipes
• Cottage Cheese Recipes
• Summary
• Frequently Asked Questions
• 💬 Reviews

Can You Freeze Cottage Cheese?

Can cottage cheese be frozen? The short answer is yes, you can freeze cottage cheese, although there will be some texture changes.

Here are some pros and cons of freezing cottage cheese:

PROS

1. Freezing cottage cheese can help avoid spoilage since it has a short shelf life once it's been opened.
2. If you use cottage cheese often, it's nice to have a stockpile in the freezer to pull out whenever you need it.

CONS

1. Freezing cottage cheese for later use can cause some changes in texture and mouthfeel, which some people may not like.

The Best Way to Freeze Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is easy to freeze using its original container, a freezer-safe Zip-lock plastic bag, or an airtight container that's freezer-safe.

Here's how to freeze cottage cheese easily and safely:

1. Divide cottage cheese into portions you'll be able to use up right away, because you'll need to consume thawed cottage cheese within a day or two. You can use an ice cube tray, freezer-safe bags, or even the original cottage cheese container. If using the plastic container, wrap it in foil or place it in a freezer bag to avoid freezer burn.
2. Remove all excess air and cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil, or zip up bag. Air left in the container or freezer bag will cause a buildup of freezer burn over time, so try to remove as much as you can!
3. Label with the month, day, and year.
4. Freeze until solid. If using an ice cube tray, you can transfer into a freezer bag so you can utilize the tray for other things. Be sure to do so quickly, before the cottage cheese melts and begins to stick together.

We have found that the best way to freeze cottage cheese is in an ice cube tray or a silicone tray, in 1 or 2 tablespoon portions.

This allows you to easily remove what you need for a recipe when you need it, since defrosted cottage cheese doesn't keep for more than a day or two.

We love the Souper Cubes brand of silicone trays. They're a bit of an investment but really good quality and don't have a funky smell like some silicone does. They're also super sturdy and we love the lid that seals tight!

They have several different sizing options, we use the 1-2 tablespoon size (it has markings for both!) which is super convenient for any recipe.

How Long Can You Freeze Cottage Cheese?

Cottage cheese can be frozen for 2-3 months, depending on how long the container was open before freezing.

Once opened, cottage cheese keeps well in the fridge for around 10 days, and the closer you get to that mark, the shorter the shelf life will be in your freezer.

If you know you won't be able to eat an entire container of cottage cheese before it goes bad, freeze part of it right when you open it to be sure it will last as long as you need in the freezer.

The shelf life of frozen cottage cheese once you remove it from the freezer is only 1-2 days, so keep that in mind when you're ready to thaw.

How to Thaw Frozen Cottage Cheese

Wondering how to thaw frozen cottage cheese? The best way to thaw cottage cheese is by moving it to the fridge a few hours before you need it, or overnight.

Because thawed cottage cheese only stays good for a day or two after thawing, it's important to keep it cold instead of thawing at room temperature or using the microwave.

It's not a good idea to use a microwave oven to thaw cottage cheese because quick heating can cause it to melt and adversely affect the texture.

How to Use Frozen Cottage Cheese

Loads of articles go on and on about how much freezing cottage cheese can affect the texture, so we did a side-by-side comparison.

We found that frozen and thawed cottage cheese is a bit thicker and has a slightly different mouthfeel, but honestly it wasn't as huge of a difference as many make it out to be.

Celeste didn't notice much of a difference, but her teenager picked it out in a blind taste test, so you can make of that what you will...you might just need to try it for yourself 🙂

For reference, we were using Good Culture which is considered to be of excellent quality, so this might vary between brands.

Bottom line:

You'll want to try freezing and thawing cottage cheese for yourself and see if the slight change in texture is a no-go for you, or if you like it just fine.

If you're not ok with eating a thawed-from-frozen bowl of cottage cheese, it's best to stick to recipes where cottage cheese isn't the star ingredient, or where you can blend the cottage cheese until it's creamy.

Here are a few ways you can use frozen cottage cheese:

1. In lasagna, casseroles, or blended into veggie soup (such as Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup) or creamy sauces like Alfredo!
2. Blended into smoothies
3. Make cottage cheese ice cream by adding frozen cottage cheese (frozen in 1-2 tablespoon portions) to a high speed blender or food processor along with your favorite sweetener and a splash of milk or cream. Try adding your favorite fresh fruit to create fun flavors!

Tips to Improve Cottage Cheese Texture After Freezing

Here are some ways you can improve the texture of cottage cheese if you'll be storing it in the freezer:

1. Use full fat cottage cheese. Ice crystals are more likely to occur in low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese due to high moisture content, so the texture will be more affected by those varieties.
2. Blend thawed cottage cheese to make it smooth and creamy. Add thawed cottage cheese to smoothies, protein shakes, or creamy soups for a protein boost that won't affect the flavor or texture.
3. Add to recipes where the texture won't be the focus. Things like lasagna, sauces, or baked dishes are ideal.

Dairy Free Cottage Cheese Recipes

If you try one of the following recipes, would you please come back and comment on this post to let us know how it went? TTT is all about community and we would so appreciate it if you share. Thank you!

Yogurt and Tofu-Based Dairy Free Cottage Cheese Recipe from The Big Man's World There aren't many comments/reviews

Mayonnaise and Tofu-Based Dairy Free Cottage Cheese Recipe from Go Dairy Free Some comments suggested the cottage cheese tasted heavily of mayo

Tofu-Based Dairy Free Cottage Cheese Recipe from It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken reviews suggested omitting the firm tofu, or substituting vegan Babybel cheeses

Cottage Cheese Recipes

At Taste Test Tribe, you can rest assured our recipes work because we have personally tried them in our own kitchens! We only post the recipes we truly love.

Summary

Cottage cheese is trending in the health food world for its versatility and high protein content.

Sometimes, it can be hard to use up an entire container of cottage cheese before it goes bad, so luckily freezing it is an option (hooray!)

Some people do not like the way that freezing cottage cheese affects its texture, while others don't feel it makes a big difference.

We encourage you to try freezing cottage cheese and share your experiences or favorite recipes for using thawed cottage cheese!

If you find that the texture of thawed cottage cheese is off-putting to you, then you're better off using it in cooked recipes such as lasagna or things that are blended such as smoothies or sauces.

Head to the comments below and let us know if you learned something, and what you've made with cottage cheese!

Frequently Asked Questions