---
title: "Can you freeze soup? It depends"
description: "Yes for most soups; cream, milk and potato-based ones separate or go grainy. What actually happens, what goes wrong, and what to do instead."
url: https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-soup/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Can you freeze soup?

**It depends: Yes for most soups; cream, milk and potato-based ones separate or go grainy.**

Broth, tomato, lentil and vegetable soups freeze extremely well and are one of the few things that arguably improve. Dairy is the exception: USDA lists milk sauces and cream fillings among the things that curdle or separate on freezing, and potato in a soup goes mealy. The workaround is to freeze the soup base without the cream or potato and add them when reheating. Cool the soup before it goes in, or a hot container raises the temperature of everything around it in the freezer.

## How to do it properly

1. Cool the soup quickly — an ice bath or a shallow tray, not a pot left out overnight
2. Leave 2-3 cm of headspace, because liquid expands
3. Freeze flat in bags to save space and to thaw faster
4. Add cream, milk or yogurt when reheating, not before freezing
5. Reheat to a full simmer and stir well to bring it back together

## What goes wrong

- Cream-based soups split into grainy solids and liquid
- Potato chunks turn mealy and fall apart
- Overfilled containers crack or force their lids off

## Other "can you freeze" questions

- [Can you freeze cheese?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-cheese/) — It depends — Yes, and it stays safe indefinitely — but hard cheese comes out crumbly and soft cheese comes out wet.
- [Can you freeze milk?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-milk/) — Yes — Yes — leave headspace for expansion and shake it hard after thawing.
- [Can you freeze eggs?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-eggs/) — It depends — Not in the shell. Beat them first, or freeze whites on their own.
- [Can you freeze bread?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-bread/) — Yes — Yes — freezing is the best way to store bread, far better than the fridge.
- [Can you freeze bananas?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-bananas/) — Yes — Yes — peel and slice them first, because the peel turns black and welds itself on.
- [Can you freeze cooked rice?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-cooked-rice/) — Yes — Yes, and freezing quickly is the safest way to keep leftover rice.
- [Can you freeze raw chicken twice?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-raw-chicken-twice/) — It depends — Only if it thawed in the fridge and never got above 4 °C (40 °F).
- [Can you freeze breast milk?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-breast-milk/) — Yes — Yes — freeze it flat in bags, and use within six months for best quality.
- [Can you freeze avocado?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-avocado/) — It depends — Yes, but only as a purée — frozen slices go grey and watery.
- [Can you freeze butter?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-butter/) — Yes — Yes — butter freezes better than almost anything else in the fridge.
- [Can you freeze cooked pasta?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-cooked-pasta/) — Yes — Yes — undercook it slightly and toss it in oil first, or it thaws into a solid block.
- [Can you freeze mashed potatoes?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-mashed-potatoes/) — Yes — Yes — mash with plenty of butter or cream, which protects the texture through freezing.

## Common questions

### Can you freeze soup?

Yes for most soups; cream, milk and potato-based ones separate or go grainy.

### What happens if you freeze soup?

Cream-based soups split into grainy solids and liquid Potato chunks turn mealy and fall apart Overfilled containers crack or force their lids off

## Related pages

- [Can you freeze cheese?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-cheese/)
- [Can you freeze milk?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-milk/)
- [Can you freeze eggs?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-eggs/)
- [Can you freeze bread?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-bread/)
- [Can you freeze bananas?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-bananas/)
- [Can you freeze cooked rice?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-cooked-rice/)
- [Can you microwave styrofoam?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/microwave-styrofoam/)
- [Can you microwave aluminum foil?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/microwave-aluminum-foil/)
- [Can you microwave plastic containers?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/microwave-plastic-containers/)
- [Can you wash pillows?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/wash-pillows/)
- [Can you wash sneakers in the washing machine?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/wash-sneakers/)
- [Can you recycle pizza boxes?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/recycle-pizza-boxes/)

## Sources

- Food Safety and Inspection Service — US Department of Agriculture (https://www.fsis.usda.gov/) [Public domain (US Government)]