DecodedGuides

Can you freeze cheese?

You can freeze some kinds of cheese

3 of 5 kinds freeze well; 2 should stay out of the freezer.

hard such as cheddar, swiss, block parmesan

Up to 6 months

parmesan; shredded or grated

Not recommended

shredded; cheddar, mozzarella, etc.

Up to 3 to 4 months

processed slices

Not recommended

soft such as brie, bel paese, goat

Up to 6 months

What the freezer time means

Freezer times from USDA FoodKeeper are about quality, not safety. Food kept frozen at 0 F (-18 C) stays safe indefinitely; what changes over the months is texture, moisture and flavour. Wrap cheese tightly, press out air, and label the pack with the date so the window above is easy to track.

Thaw in the fridge, not on the counter. Anything that thawed in the fridge can be refrozen, with some further loss of quality; anything left at room temperature for more than 2 hours should not go back in.

Storage habits that make the difference

Keep dairy and eggs in the coldest part of the fridge, not the door, at 40 F (4 C) or below. Store eggs in their original carton to protect them and track the date. Reseal cheese tightly in wax paper or a container, and keep milk capped between pours.

Can you freeze other dairy products & eggs?

Source: USDA FSIS FoodKeeper dataset (public domain). How we decode the data.