Can You Freeze Mozzarella Cheese?

Last updated: March 20, 2022

Hi, I’m Steve, and I’m the founder and chief editor at cookerybarn.com. I'm by no means a trained chef but I enjoy good food, fiddling around in the kitchen, and trying out the latest gadgets. My goal is to create a place where anyone interested in cooking and learning about the kitchen can get easy-to-follow practical advice. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me.

In this article, we’ll talk about how freezing mozzarella cheese can make your life easier.

Mozzarella is a common ingredient in many dishes and is usually used in combination with other cheeses or food like tomatoes, basil leaves, or garlic powder. As a result, you may not use a whole package of mozzarella when making a dish.

Naturally, this begs the question:

Can you freeze mozzarella perhaps?

Yes, you can freeze mozzarella.

However, there are a few things you should know and keep in mind. In this post, you will learn about the benefits of freezing mozzarella and how to do it properly.

Why freeze mozzarella cheese?

First, freezing mozzarella cheese is a great way to save money on food. When you make a dish with cheese and don’t use it all, you can just freeze the leftovers. This way, they won’t spoil, and you can save them for later.

Second, freezing cheese helps it stay fresh for longer periods. It prevents or at least slows down bacteria growth and stretches the aging process.

How to freeze mozzarella cheese?

There are a lot of great tips for freezing mozzarella cheeses!

The most important, though, is that once the original package is open you should never freeze them as-is.

Always wrap the cheese in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and put it in a freezer bag. This will prevent the cheese from drying out, sticking together, or getting freezer burn. Freezer burn is when the moisture in your food evaporates and makes weird-tasting crystals on your food.

But you can also freeze the whole mozzarella that is packaged in a brine. This will save work and money for packing material.

Tip: Mozzarella also freezes pretty well once you’ve grated it or cut it with a knife. However, it does have a tendency to clump together, so you should do some preparation before you freeze it like this.

The last thing to remember is that you shouldn’t refreeze thawed mozzarella cheese. If at all possible, always use the entire package of mozzarella in a certain dish. Freezing and refreezing mozzarella may sound like it gives you more time to use the cheese, but the quality of your food will suffer.

A solid way step by step:

If the mozzarella comes in a brine, drain it first.
Then cut the cheese into slices, squares or grate it and place them on a baking sheet or something similar.
Pop the sheet in the freezer and let it sit for an hour or two, or until frozen solid.

Once frozen, you can move them to a freezer container.

With this method, the mozzarella pieces do not stick together when frozen and are easier to portion.

If your freezer doesn’t hold the space for a baking sheet, or you have no time to pre-freeze, you can skip that part put the cheese in a zipper bag right away, and freeze it. Just make sure to squeeze all the air out of the bag before sealing it, or you risk getting freezer burn.

What is the shelf life of frozen mozzarella?

You can freeze mozzarella for up to six months. Freezing greatly slows down the aging process. You can probably store it in the freezer for much longer before it spoils, but over time it will lose more and more flavor and just won’t be as tasty.

Always check whether the cheese still smells good before consuming it.

How to thaw mozzarella

Similar to thawing feta cheese, mozzarella is best thawed overnight in the refrigerator.

This provides time to thaw slowly, so the cheese doesn’t lose its shape when you use it.

You can also speed up the process by submerging your mozzarella in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes or until it’s soft enough to work with.

Another way is to put your frozen mozzarella on a plate and let it sit out on the counter for an hour or two. If the cheese still seems frozen after an hour or two, pop it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds on half power (or 30-40% power). This will soften the cheese without damaging it like boiling water might.

Whatever method you choose, make sure that you don’t use hot water or expose the cheese to direct heat because it will damage the quality of your mozzarella.

Ideas to use frozen mozzarella

Almost all of your favorite dishes with mozzarella can be made with frozen mozzarella.

Just remember that if you are cooking the dish, make sure to thaw the cheese first.

Some easy recipes with frozen cheese:

Mashed potatoes with feta and pesto,
pasta salad,

Caprese chicken,
Lasagna,
Pizza.

Other ideas for using frozen cheese are also to grill it on the barbecue or put some in a sandwich & heat it in the oven or microwave!

Or you can simply take it out of the freezer and grate some on top of your salad or plate.

Now you know how to prepare, store and use the frozen cheese so don’t be afraid to try it!

With a few simple steps, you can have mozzarella in your fridge all year round!

The verdict: Mozzarella is great to freeze

Mozzarella cheese is one of the most versatile cheeses out there. Not only can you eat it with a variety of dishes, but you can also freeze it to preserve its freshness for longer periods of time. By doing this, you’ll never have to waste any of the cheese again.

In this blog post we looked at how freezing mozzarella cheese can make your life easier. When you freeze cheese, bacteria won’t grow and spoil it like they would when left out in the fridge—so frozen mozzarella is still safe to use after several months of sitting in your freezer!

We hope this article was helpful to you! If so, let us know by leaving a comment below!

Did you know you can also freeze parmesan cheese? Check out our guide for the most important information and tips.