Can You Freeze Cream Cheese Frosting? Easy Steps

Can you Freeze Cream Cheese frosting? The answer is of course!

Cream cheese is highly versatile. From a dip to a full-blown frosting for your birthday cake, it can be used in several ways. The muted flavor of the cheese allows you to flavor it with things that you predominantly like. Whenever I have a birthday cake order, I know not to order anything but cream cheese frosting.

But cream cheese is incredibly filling. The rich buttery taste and flavor of the frosting make it difficult for one to eat a lot at one go. So, it is common for you to have tons of leftovers. 

It brings me to the question of the hour, “Can you freeze cream cheese frosting?”

Well, scroll down to find more about this.

Is it Safe to Freeze Cream Cheese Frosting?

Before I share the easy steps to freezing your cream cheese frosting, let me first discuss whether it’s safe for not. 

Freezing cream cheese is completely safe and doesn’t pose any risks to your health. The only thing that you need to be particular about is the duration you are freezing it for and the temperature you are freezing it in.

How to Freeze Cream Cheese Frosting?

If you have some leftover cake or a batch of cream cheese frosting that you don’t want to use now, freezing it is likely the best option until you need to use it again later. 

Here are a few steps you need to follow when freezing cream cheese frosting.

• Start by emptying the leftover cream cheese frosting into a bowl.
• Once done, take a new zip lock freezer bag and pour the frosting into the bag, scraping every last bit into it.
• Spread out the cream cheese frosting evenly inside the bag and get rid of any excess air inside.
• Seal the bag, checking for any tears or leaks around the freezer bag. This step is particularly important.
• Once you finish doing it, take a marker and label the freezer bag with the date.
• In case you have a lot of leftover frosting, I’d suggest you freeze them in smaller batches so you can take them out individually and use it as needed instead of thawing and freezing the entire thing consistently.

Why Are Freezer Bags the Best for Cream Cheese Frosting?

If this is your first time freezing leftover cream cheese, you’d wonder why I suggested using freezer bags instead of the plastic containers, right?

Using freezer bags poses several benefits, not just in retaining the integrity of the frosting but also with the ease of the freezing process. 

Plastic containers are not always airtight and pose risks of meddling with the flavor of the cream cheese frosting. Freezer bags, on the other hand, are very convenient and space-saving. They can lay down flat on top of the other, saving a lot of space in the freezer for other items.

Freezer bags also come in multiple sizes, allowing you to portion out the leftover frosting according to one’s needs.

The best reason why freezer bags are such a convenient option is that they can later be used as piping bags. So, once you need the frosting again, all you have to do is thaw them, cut the bag’s edge, and use it as a piping bag without any issues.

How Long Can You Freeze Cream Cheese Frosting for?

Cream cheese frosting freezes quite well in the freezer. The high levels of fat and dairy content enable it. 

At most, the frozen cream cheese frosting lasts well in the freezer for three months. I’d suggest you either make small batches or use them up before that. Even though the frosting is edible even after the 3-month mark, the texture becomes too gritty and underwhelming, mainly because of the sugar in the frosting.

If you plan to freeze the cream cheese frosting, I’d suggest you either freeze the leftovers immediately or wait for a maximum of 2 hours. If the frosting has been out on the kitchen shelves unattended for over 2 hours, it is best to dispose of it instead of freezing it.

What are Some Precautions to Take While Freezing?

When freezing cream cheese, there are several factors that you need to keep in mind. Unlike the other types of cheeses, cream cheese has a very soft and incredibly creamy texture. It reduces the shelf-life of the cheese compared to the different kinds of cheeses. 

As for the temperature settings, the cream cheese can’t be left out for long in warmer temperatures, predominantly between 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit.

In case the frosting has been left out in that temperature for longer than an hour, to two hours, it is best to throw out the leftover frosting instead of freezing it. It promotes excessive bacterial growth, making it unfit for consumption.

How to Thaw Frozen Cream Cheese Frosting?

As the freezing process, even thawing cream cheese frosting is easy. All you have to do is transfer the freezer bag with the frosting from the freezer to the fridge. Leave it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and you can use the frosting readily the next day.

Remember that the thawing process needs to be done in the fridge and not on the kitchen counter. If you leave the frozen cream cheese frosting on the kitchen counter to thaw, it will make the frosting rancid for consumption.

Once the frosting is thawed completely, make sure that you whip the frosting to restore the creaminess and smoothen out the sugar crystals’ texture in the frosting.

Is it Safe to Freeze Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting?

When talking about freezing cream cheese frosting, one common issue that everyone has is with freezing an entire cake. While some deem it safe, some don’t. 

While there is nothing wrong with freezing cakes with cream cheese frosting, there are a few essential factors that you need to keep a check on.

Instead of freezing the entire cake, freeze it in separate airtight containers in smaller batches. It allows you to take out the individual containers when you need them instead of thawing and freezing the cake multiple times.

Defrosting a whole lot of cake is not just time-consuming but affects the quality, taste, and texture of the cake too.

Find out if it is safe to freeze goat cheese?

Also Read:
Can You Freeze Ricotta Cheese?

Conclusion

If you reached the end, I hope you now know about freezing cream cheese frosting and the steps and precautions associated with it. Trust me; the process is not elaborate or challenging. If you do things the right way, it shouldn’t take you more than 10-15 minutes to freeze the leftover frosting and use them later according to your needs.