Can You Freeze Recipes With Heavy Cream

Learn how to freeze heavy cream to extend its shelf-life and avoid wasting food. In this guide, I’ll show you how to freeze heavy cream, how long it lasts, and how to use it after defrosting.

If your recipe only calls for a small amount of heavy cream or the carton is creeping towards the best-before date, extend its life by learning how to freeze it. The tips in this helpful guide will teach you how to preserve your leftover heavy cream, then how to thaw and re-use it.

Yes, absolutely! Heavy cream is easy to freeze for several months in ice cube trays or silicone molds. The frozen heavy cream cubes can be used in comforting soups and stews (like my Zuppa Toscana Soup), or thawed first and stirred into pasta sauces, creamy dips, and luscious winter drinks (like Homemade Eggnog).

Can You Freeze Heavy Cream? (easy How To Guide)

It’s important to note that frozen heavy cream isn’t as creamy or luscious after it’s thawed because the longer it’s frozen, the more ice crystals form. This can cause some separation and make the thawed cream harder to whip.

Despite this, it’s still a worthwhile ingredient to keep on hand at all times because of the delicious creamy touch it adds to plenty of recipes!

The longer the cream is frozen, the more ice crystals will form. This can cause it to separate, have a grainy texture, and form a thinner consistency when thawed. This is fine if you’re using the cream in a pot of soup or stew (toss in a cube or two and enjoy!).

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Whipping defrosted heavy cream doesn’t always come with great results, depending on how long the cream was frozen. You can avoid this by freezing whipped cream instead:

When thawed, use the whipped cream dollops as a finishing touch on top of pancakes, waffles, Mocha Coffee Mousse, Raspberry Italian Cream Soda, hot chocolate, scones, and more!

Instead, use it in any of these 35+ Best Creamy Soup Recipes, hearty stews, and other recipes where the texture of the cream isn’t of the utmost importance:

How To Freeze Whipped Cream (guide)

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Each frozen cube = about ⅓ cup of cream. This isn’t always accurate depending on the molds or ice cube trays you use. To be extra precise, pour the cream into a measuring spoon or cup before pouring it into the molds.

Note: The longer the cream is frozen, the more ice crystals will form. This can cause it to separate, have a grainy texture, and form a thinner consistency when thawed. This is fine if you’re using the cream in a pot of soup or stew, but is not great for baking recipes. 

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Hi, I'm Erin! Can I pour you a glass of wine? Let's have some fun in the kitchen! Maybe some pasta? A juicy steak? I've got loads of yummy, easy recipes for you! Because cooking should feel as comfy as your favorite yoga pants. ♥Here’s how to freeze big and small amounts of heavy cream, so you can keep your leftovers from going to waste, and stock up when you find a good deal.

If you bought heavy cream for a recipe, and you’re now left with a partial container that you aren’t sure what to do with it, freezing it is a good option.

Since most recipes only call for a small amount of heavy cream, it’s smart to freeze your leftovers in small portions. This makes it easy to pull out just what you need, while leaving the rest frozen; and it greatly reduces, or even eliminates, thaw time.

Can You Freeze Heavy Cream? (before & After Pics)

To do this, simply pour heavy cream into ice cube trays or muffins pans, and pop them in the freezer. Most ice cube trays make two Tablespoon cubes, and most muffin pans hold between 1/4-1/2 cups in each muffin cup. Use water and a liquid measuring cup to figure out how much yours holds.

Once the heavy cream is frozen, transfer the cubes, or cups, to freezer bags, and return them to the freezer. Be sure to label the bags with the contents and portion sizes. This will make it easy to know how many you need to grab for the recipe you’re working on.

If you like to stock up on heavy cream when it’s on sale, or you don’t grocery shop often, you can also freeze full containers of heavy cream, until you need them.

Ingredient Homemade Ice Cream

Since liquids expand when they freeze, you just need to remove an inch or so of heavy cream from each carton, before you stick them in the freezer.

As soon as you thaw your heavy cream, it’ll go right back to being able to do all the things it was able to do before. This includes whipping into stiff peaks. If the butterfat appears to have separated during thawing, just stir it back in, before you use it.

Need to add a small amount of heavy cream to a soup, sauce or hot dish? Then, there’s no need to thaw it first. Just add it directly to the pot or pan, and it’ll thaw as the recipe cooks.

How To Make Whipped Cream

If you don’t have much room in your freezer at the moment, consider using your leftover heavy cream to make homemade ice cream, sour cream or whipped cream.

To Freeze Small Portions: Pour heavy cream into ice cube trays or muffin pans. Freeze. Then, transfer frozen cubes or cups to a freezer bag.

To Freeze Full Containers: Pour an inch of heavy cream out of the carton, or bottle, to allow room for expansion.  Then, stick the container in the freezer.

How To Make Whipped Cream (+ How To Freeze) [easy]

To use: If you just need a small amount for a soup, sauce or hot dish, go ahead and add the cream, while it’s still frozen. It’ll thaw, as the dish cooks. If you need a large amount for ice cream, etc., thaw the cream in the fridge, before using.Heavy cream is that smooth and silky element that makes soups, stews, pastries, and beverages oh so creamy. Usually, though, recipes only require a small amount of cream, leaving you with a lot leftover.

Of course, you don’t want it to go to waste, but it only keeps well for around 5 to 7 days in the fridge (after opening). So, what do you do?

Well, fortunately, heavy cream keeps well in the freezer. No need to rack your brain for ways to use up all that leftover cream within a few days!

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Just follow these easy instructions on how to freeze heavy cream and you’ll never have to waste a dollop of cream ever again.

There are several ways to freeze heavy cream, depending on how much you plan to store. When frozen and stored properly, heavy cream will last for up to 4 months.

If you only have a little bit of heavy cream left, pour it into a clean ice cube tray and freeze. Once the cream is completely frozen, take it out of the tray and transfer it into a freezer-safe bag.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

Tip: For easier future use, measure the amount of cream you put in each cube. Usually, one cube is equivalent to two tablespoons, but I suggest you use a measuring spoon for more accuracy.

For larger quantities, just freeze the heavy cream in the carton it came with. If the carton is full, pour out some cream to allow at least half an inch of headspace. This step is important because the cream will expand as it freezes.

If you don’t give it enough room at the top, the carton will explode in the freezer which isn’t only a waste of perfectly good cream but also a big mess to clean up.

How To Stabilize Whipped Cream

If you want to freeze it in smaller quantities, you can pipe small rounds onto a lined cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze for 2 hours. Then transfer the piped rounds into a freezer-safe bag. Squeeze out any excess air, seal, and freeze.

If you froze the cream in its container, transfer it to the fridge and let it defrost for 1 to 2 days. The larger the quantity, the longer it will take to thaw.

Shake the container well to redistribute the butterfat, restoring its smooth and silky texture. If it’s still grainy after a good shake, stir in some powdered sugar and it will help smooth it out.

How To Freeze Heavy Cream And Make Cream Cubes

Frozen heavy cream makes a fantastic whipped cream! Just give it a good thaw in the fridge and shake well before using to redistribute the fat.

If you’re using it as an ingredient in hot dishes, no need to defrost the cream. Just toss it into the mix as-is.

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Hey there! I'm Kim. I love running, cooking, and curling up with a good book! I share recipes for people who LOVE good food,