If you love blue cheese and bought more than you can eat before its Best Before date, you’re probably wondering whether blue cheese can be frozen and used later. After all, why let such a yummy thing go to waste?
So in answer to the question, can you freeze it?
Yes, you can freeze blue cheese. However, the texture and taste will change slightly. The quality deteriorates over time. So if you freeze your semi-soft cheese for several months, the loss of quality will be greater than if you freeze it for only a few weeks.
If you want to make sure you freeze it for as long as possible, check out our detailed guide.
What Happens if You Freeze Blue Cheese?
Blue cheese freezes well. Yes, you really can freeze it safely. You can also freeze blue cheese crumbles. This goes for any type of blue cheese, so if you’re wondering can blue Stilton be frozen, can Gorgonzola cheese be frozen, can Rogue River blue cheese be frozen and all the other blue cheeses, then the answer is yes, yes, yes, it all can.
The ‘but’ is that the texture changes and the cheese becomes less creamy as a consequence. The flavor will also change somewhat. For the creamy delight that is Rogue River blue cheese, that’s a real tragedy.
Please don’t go into this starry-eyed, thinking your blue cheese when it’s thawed will be exactly the same as when you froze it. I‘m sorry to disappoint you, that ain’t going to happen. It will be different.
You won’t be wanting to use your defrosted blue cheese on a cheese platter at a party unless you really want to look like Scrooge. But you can cook some delicious dishes with it. You can freeze blue cheese and it can still taste great as long as you know its limitations.
How To Freeze Blue Cheese
If you’re wondering what is the best way to freeze fresh blue cheese, then I am going to give you a few top tips to keep you and your family safe.
- To store blue cheese in the freezer, first buy it as fresh as possible with the longest possible shelf life still on it.
- If you really know you’re not going to use it (remember, you usually have several months), then freeze it as soon as possible, while it is at its freshest. Ideally, don’t have it in your refrigerator for weeks and then freeze it just before it’s about to go off.
- If you plan on using your blue cheese in a dish where you will have it grated, then grate it before you freeze it. This way it will thaw quicker.
- Cut up and split the cheese into smaller portions. This means you can take out just what you need when you need it and it will also thaw quicker. How you cut it is a matter of personal preference. Slice if you think you’ll want it on bread. Cube it if you think you’ll have it on salad. Grate it if you think you’ll cook with it.
- Put your blue cheese in a freezer bag and squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible. If you have a vacuum sealer, even better. This usually makes the cheese last much longer. If you don’t have one yet but are interested in one, check out this model.
- Label and date the packaging. This is really important as remembering ‘about’ when you froze something really doesn’t cut it when it comes to food poisoning.
- Store the blue cheese in your freezer for a maximum of 6 months. If you don’t eat it within that time, it is probably better to dispose it.
Top Frozen Blue Cheese Recipes
There are lots of ways you can use blue cheese up, in anything from comfort food classics to gourmet dishes.
Here are 12 delicious ways you can cook with blue cheese that’s been frozen and then thawed out where the texture and reduction in creaminess won’t matter one bit:
- Grilled blue cheese sandwiches
- Macaroni and cheese with bacon and blue cheese
- Pizza topping
- Blue cheese pasta
- Pumpkin, blue cheese and walnut muffins
- Blue cheese and caramelized onion muffins
- Blue cheese fritters
- Stews, soups and casseroles
- Blue cheese steak pie
- Ham and blue cheese tart
- Blue cheese and mushroom omelet
- Chicken stuffed with spinach and blue cheese
However, I say with all these delicious recipe uses and then some, why not cook with it before you think about freezing the cheese? You can then freeze the cheesy dish you cooked if you really have to.
Just as a side note: You can also freeze canned mushrooms if you are using them for a recipe and haven’t used them up all.
However, given how long blue cheese will last in the refrigerator, unless you’ve been robbing a convenience store truck, you really don’t need to freeze it. As long as it’s properly stored, a wedge will store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months, and you can keep blue cheese crumbles for up to six months in the fridge.
Whether you have a sweet or a savory craving, that’s a whole lot of time to cook with it.
Wrap it first in waxed or greaseproof paper and then put it all in a plastic food container slightly open in your refrigerator so it can still breathe because blue cheese needs to breathe. Gourmet buffs say you should slice it upon first purchasing it to keep all the subtle flavors and aromas.
If you have other strong aromas close by, you should note your cheese is going to change in flavor. You should also note blue cheese mold spores are alive and will migrate to other foods if they can, so always place blue cheese in a separate container in the fridge.
Can You Freeze all Types of Blue Cheese?
As I’ve already mentioned, yes you can freeze all types of blue cheese including Brie, Stilton, Gorgonzola, Roquefort, and Smokey Oregon Blue, and this also goes for the crumbles too. However, the taste, creaminess, and texture will deteriorate to varying degrees in your cheese.
I find Stilton, as it’s a hard cheese, does freeze much better if you want to eat it with bread and crackers later. The rest are better off, in my opinion, for cooking with.
But when you can make Pumpkin, Blue Cheese, and Walnut muffins, who’s really complaining?
How Long does Blue Cheese Last in the Freezer?
According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, blue cheese can be safely frozen for up to 6 months. If you have not used it after six months, throw it out. This is where those labels with dates are so important.
The sooner you eat it, the better it tastes. After 3 months in the freezer, its taste noticeably declines.
Best Ways to Thaw Blue Cheese
If you want your frozen blue cheese the best it can be, then slowly thaw it out in the fridge. If you froze it in little packets, cubed or grated, it will defrost much quicker and you’ll be glad of that earlier prep as it will save you a lot of time now.
Once you thaw out the cheese, do cook with it quickly. Do not leave it hanging around in the refrigerator this time around. It will last less time in there than when it was fresh even if you did happen to freeze it right away.
Once thawed, I definitely do not recommend refreezing blue cheese. It’s not worth risking your health, in my opinion, plus it will taste pretty lousy anyway as it will lose even more texture and flavor the second time around.
However, if you thaw it and cook with it (such as making blue cheese muffins or mac and cheese) then you can safely freeze those dishes for a few months. There are so many delicious dishes that are quick and simple to make, even for lazy cooks like me whose microwave is my best friend.
Other Questions
Does blue cheese need to breathe?
Yes, blue cheese needs to breathe. It needs air and it also needs humidity.
Can blue cheese be vacuum sealed?
It is not advised to vacuum seal blue cheese as the product contains anaerobic bacteria, which thrive on lack of oxygen. Vacuum sealed pouches pose a risk to your health as far as blue cheese is concerned.
Can you freeze blue cheese dressing?
Yes, you can freeze blue cheese dressing, technically at least, but why would you when it loses its creaminess and its texture is not great? Don’t do it.
How do you know if blue cheese has gone bad?
The best way to tell if blue cheese has gone bad is by performing the sniff test. When it goes off, it has a distinctive ammonia-like smell. Other telltale signs it has gone bad include if the creamy part, that’s usually white or beige, has turned green or brown. Also watch out for mold that’s a strange color, or sliminess or other changes to texture.
Conclusion: Is freezing blue cheese a good option?
In summary, you can freeze blue cheese as long as you know its limitations when freezing it and you are careful how you freeze it.
What is your favorite blue cheese? Leave a comment below if you like.
Happy freezing!
