Research-backed food storage
Know before you freeze it.
Official USDA & FSA guidance on freezing and storing 102+ foods. Clear answers, safe timelines, no guesswork.
Most searched
Popular Freezing Questions
Can You Freeze McDonald's Burgers?
Yes, you can freeze McDonald's burgers as long as they were chilled quickly and kept out of the danger zone. Treat them like any cooked hamburger: refrigerate within 2 hours, then freeze well wrapped at 0°F / −18°C for a few months of decent quality.
Can You Freeze Smoked Salmon?
Yes - smoked salmon freezes well for short periods. For best quality, wrap portions tightly, press out air, and freeze at 0°F (-18°C). In the fridge (40°F / 4°C), smoked fish keeps about 14 days unopened; in the freezer, quality holds ~2 months. Always follow label “use-by” dates.
Can You Freeze Cream Cheese?
Yes - cream cheese freezing is safe but not ideal. Freeze only if you must, because thawed cream cheese turns crumbly and grainy. For safety, keep it fridge-cold at 40°F / 4°C, freeze at 0°F / −18°C, and follow country guidance: the USDA doesn't recommend freezing; the UK FSA gives no specific freezer time.
Can You Freeze Cheese?
Yes, most hard and semi-hard cheeses (cheddar, Swiss, gouda) can be frozen for later cooking. Keep them cold (40°F / 4°C), wrap tightly, and expect a slightly crumblier bite after thawing. Soft fresh cheeses (ricotta, cream cheese) don't freeze well. When in doubt, freeze grated portions - cheese freezing works best that way.
Can You Freeze Yogurt?
Yes, you can freeze yogurt to extend its shelf life by 1 to 2 months. Freezing preserves safety and nutritional value, but the smooth texture becomes grainy and separated after thawing. The live probiotic cultures survive freezing in a dormant state and remain viable, though some die off over time.
Can You Freeze Butter?
Yes - butter freezing is safe and handy. Freeze sticks or blocks tightly wrapped to block air, keep your freezer at 0°F / -18°C, and thaw in the fridge. Quality is best within 6–9 months (USDA FoodKeeper). Salted butter usually holds flavor longer than unsalted because salt slows oxidation.
Can You Freeze Pasta?
Yes - cooked pasta freezes well. Cool it fast, portion into airtight bags, and freeze at 0°F (-18°C). For best quality, use within 1–2 months (U.S.) or about 3 months (UK). Stuffed shapes like ravioli and tortellini can also be frozen raw, uncooked, straight from the tray to the pot.
Can You Freeze Eggnog?
Yes - eggnog can be frozen if it's the commercial, pasteurized kind; the USDA's consumer chart lists "Eggnog, commercial" as freezer-safe for up to 6 months (0°F / −18°C). Homemade eggnog should not be frozen, and both types must be kept cold: 40°F / 4°C or below. Always check labels and use pasteurized eggs.
Fresh off the desk
Latest Guides
Can You Freeze Peas?
Yes, peas are one of the most freezer-friendly vegetables there is, and shelled garden peas keep their sweetness, color and pop-in-your-mouth texture better than almost any other frozen vegetable when you blanch them first. The National Center for Home Food Preservation calls for a brief 1½-minute boiling water blanch for shelled peas, just long enough to stop the enzyme activity that would otherwise turn them starchy and dull within weeks in the freezer. Snow peas and sugar snap peas, frozen whole in the pod, need a slightly different approach: 1½ minutes for small pods, 2 minutes for larger ones, followed by drying and tray-freezing so they stay loose instead of clumping into a brick. Properly blanched, dried and packed peas hold good color and flavor in the freezer for about 8 to 12 months at 0°F (-18°C) or below.
Can You Freeze Raspberries?
Yes, you can freeze raspberries, and the biggest thing to get right is handling, not chemistry. Wash them gently right before freezing rather than days ahead in the fridge, dry them thoroughly, and freeze them in a single layer on a tray before bagging, since their hollow, delicate structure means they crush and clump far more easily than a sturdier berry. No blanching is needed here, that step belongs to vegetables, not fruit. Properly packed raspberries hold good quality for about 8-12 months at 0°F (-18°C), though a fully thawed berry turns soft and juicy fast, so they're best eaten while a few ice crystals remain, or used in smoothies, baking, sauces, and jam rather than a fresh fruit salad.
Can You Freeze Whipped Cream?
Yes, but the method matters more than it does for most foods. The National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends piping or spooning sweetened whipped cream into individual dollops on a tray, freezing them solid, then bagging them for use within about 1 to 2 months. Freezing a whole bowl or tub of homemade whipped cream is a different story: once it fully thaws, the fragile network of air bubbles and fat collapses into a grainy, weepy puddle that will not whip back up. Canned aerosol whipped cream can be dolloped and frozen the same way, but the pressurized can itself should never go in the freezer. Tub-style whipped topping, like Cool Whip, is actually built to survive being frozen whole, because it is made mostly from water and hydrogenated oil rather than dairy fat, which is why it is sold frozen in the first place.
Can You Freeze Muffins?
Yes, muffins freeze very well, whether you freeze them already baked or freeze the raw batter to bake fresh later. Wrapped airtight and kept at 0°F (-18°C) or below, baked muffins hold good quality for roughly 3 to 6 months, and most bakers find 3 months the point where texture is still at its best. Raw muffin batter can also go straight into the freezer, portioned into a muffin tin, for about a month, which is a genuinely useful trick if you only want two muffins fresh out of the oven instead of a full dozen. What doesn't survive the freezer well is anything added after baking: a cream cheese filling, a glaze, or fresh butter, so freeze muffins plain and add those once they're thawed.
Can You Freeze Cake?
Yes, you can freeze cake, and for most types it works very well. Plain or buttercream-frosted cake holds good quality for roughly 3 to 6 months in the freezer, while cakes topped with egg-white frostings, custard fillings, or fondant hold up far worse and are better off frozen plain. Layer cakes, sponge cakes, and sheet cakes all freeze the same basic way: cool completely, wrap airtight in a rigid container so nothing gets crushed, and keep the freezer at 0°F (-18°C) or below. Cheesecake behaves differently enough, thanks to its dense dairy filling, that it's worth checking the dedicated cheesecake freezing guide rather than treating it like an ordinary cake.
Can You Freeze Grapefruit?
Yes, you can freeze grapefruit whole, as peeled sections, zest, or juice. For the best section quality, NCHFP recommends removing membranes and seeds and packing the fruit in 40 percent syrup. Dry-packed or whole grapefruit becomes soft after thawing. Grapefruit can interact with some medicines, and freezing does not remove that interaction.
Can You Freeze Orange?
Yes, you can freeze oranges whole or as peeled segments, slices, zest, and juice. Juice and zest are the most versatile; thawed whole oranges and dry-packed pieces become soft. NCHFP's tested section method uses peeled, membrane-free fruit covered with 40 percent syrup, while juice should be frozen promptly with headspace.
Can You Freeze Lime?
Yes, you can freeze limes whole or as juice, zest, wedges, and slices. Juice and zest keep their cooking value best, while thawed whole limes and wedges become soft and are better for squeezing than garnishing. Package them airtight at 0°F / -18°C and use within about 4 months for best household quality.
Browse
Explore by Category
Baked Goods
Freezing techniques for bread, cakes, cookies, and pastries, with guidance on preventing staleness and preserving texture after thawing.
Brands
Freezing guidance for packaged, branded, and restaurant-chain foods, covering how long popular grocery and fast-food items last in the freezer.
Dairy
Storage and freezing guidance for milk, cheese, butter, cream, and eggs, including which dairy products freeze well and which lose their texture.
Ethnic Foods
Freezing and storage guidance for global ingredients, from fermented staples like kimchi and miso to prepared dishes like sushi and falafel.
Fish
Seafood-specific freezing guidance covering fin fish, shellfish, and crustaceans, with safe storage windows and tips for preserving texture after thawing.
Fruits
Freezing guides for fresh and processed fruit, from whole berries to sliced stone fruit, with tips for preventing browning and freezer burn.
Grains
Freezing and pantry storage advice for rice, pasta, flour, oats, and other grains, with guidance on preventing freezer burn and pest contamination.
Herbs and Spices
Freezing and storage methods for fresh herbs, spices, and aromatics, covering the best ways to preserve flavor and extend shelf life.
Our standard
Why Trust Our Guides?
Research-backed information you can rely on for safe food storage.
Official Guidelines
All recommendations are based on USDA and FSA food safety standards.
Research-Backed
Every guide is grounded in FSIS, CDC, NHS, and FoodKeeper data.
Regularly Updated
Content is reviewed on a rolling basis against current food safety research.
Missing something?
Can't find what you're looking for?
We're constantly adding new foods to our database. Suggest a food and we'll research it for you.
Suggest a Food