Yes, You Can Freeze Cream Cheese—Here's How to Keep It Safe and Fresh

Don't let good cream cheese go bad!

Whether you found a good deal and stocked up or you overestimated how much you needed to get your cheesecake fix, you might have cream cheese in your fridge that's getting a little too close to its expiration date. And so you're wondering: Can you freeze cream cheese—and does freezing cream cheese affect its quality?

The good news: We have all the cream cheese answers you seek, to help you avoid food waste and ensure your cream cheese is soft and fresh when you're ready to use it.

Related: 14 Cream Cheese Substitutes to Try if You're All Out of Schmear

Can You Freeze Cream Cheese?

The short answer: Yes, cream cheese can be frozen and thawed. But you do risk changing the texture of your cream cheese a bit. As a soft cheese, cream cheese contains plenty of water, which will freeze and expand within the cheese, leaving the texture a bit grainier and crumblier than it was in its initial form.

Related: How to Freeze Food: A Guide to Storing Almost Anything in the Freezer

How to Freeze Cream Cheese to Preserve Its Quality

The biggest secret to freezing cream cheese—keep cold air away from it. The chilled air will create more crystallization, giving your cream cheese massive freezer burn. You can freeze your cream cheese directly in the foil wrapper if it's unopened. If you've already opened and used part of it, you can opt to store it in a freezer-safe container or bag. To really protect it, you can wrap the block of cream cheese tightly with plastic wrap or foil, then place it in the bag and squeeze the container or bag to release as much air as possible.

Tips

If you plan to use your frozen cream cheese in smaller amounts—like just a quarter of the block to make your cheese sauce creamier—cut and portion it before you freeze it. That way, you can take out and thaw just the amount you need.

How Long Will Cream Cheese Last in the Freezer?

You shouldn't leave cream cheese in the freezer indefinitely. Because it's a soft cheese with a high water content, it will slowly develop ice crystals that make the cream cheese grainy and not as smooth. The sooner you use it, the better, though most experts recommend utilizing it within two months of freezing it.

How to Thaw Frozen Cream Cheese

The gentlest way to thaw your cream cheese is to place it in the refrigerator overnight to help it get back to its soft and usable texture. If you forgot—or have a last-minute hankering for cheesecake—you can thaw it more quickly in the microwave. Just unwrap the cream cheese and microwave it in 30-second bursts at half-power until it's creamy again.

If you're using the microwave thawing method, it's very important to remove the foil packaging from your cream cheese—metals and microwaves don't mix!

Related: 4 Smart Ways to Soften Cream Cheese Quickly—and Safely—in a Pinch

How to Use Thawed Cream Cheese

Your thawed cream cheese may have a slightly different texture than you'd like for using as a straight-up schmear on your bagel. So you may be best off using the thawed cream cheese in recipes where it's thoroughly blended, such as a cream cheese frosting, cheesecake, sauce, or dip. (Though, if you do want to use it straight up, you can opt to whip it for a few minutes in a stand mixer to help give it a smoother—though not entirely good-as-new—texture.)

Recipes for Using Frozen Cream Cheese

Try some of these recipes, where the addition of other ingredients can help mask any changes in texture that your cream cheese experienced.

Cheesy Pasta Bake

Cream cheese is the secret ingredient for an easy, hearty, and super creamy pasta dish that takes just 40 minutes to make—and just two pots.

Get the Recipe

Apple Rugelach

Cream cheese lends its richness to the dough for these easy, perfect-for-fall treats. P.S. The potent apple flavor comes from apple butter, not diced apples, so there's no slicing and dicing involved.

Get the Recipe

No-Bake Pumpkin Pie

Your frozen-and-thawed cream cheese is well beaten with a number of other ingredients for this easy and delicious no-bake pumpkin pie. That means you likely won't notice any change in texture that happened during the freeze-thaw cycle.

Get the Recipe

For more Real Simple news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Real Simple .