--- title: "What you can and cannot freeze" description: "29 straight answers about what you can freeze, each with what actually happens and what to do instead when the answer is no." url: https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze/ site: "At One Place" --- # What you can and cannot freeze 29 questions about what you can freeze — 15 yes, 1 no, and 13 that genuinely depend on the specifics. | Question | Answer | Short version | | --- | --- | --- | | cheese | It depends | Yes, and it stays safe indefinitely — but hard cheese comes out crumbly and soft cheese comes out wet. | | milk | Yes | Yes — leave headspace for expansion and shake it hard after thawing. | | eggs | It depends | Not in the shell. Beat them first, or freeze whites on their own. | | bread | Yes | Yes — freezing is the best way to store bread, far better than the fridge. | | bananas | Yes | Yes — peel and slice them first, because the peel turns black and welds itself on. | | cooked rice | Yes | Yes, and freezing quickly is the safest way to keep leftover rice. | | raw chicken twice | It depends | Only if it thawed in the fridge and never got above 4 °C (40 °F). | | breast milk | Yes | Yes — freeze it flat in bags, and use within six months for best quality. | | avocado | It depends | Yes, but only as a purée — frozen slices go grey and watery. | | soup | It depends | Yes for most soups; cream, milk and potato-based ones separate or go grainy. | | butter | Yes | Yes — butter freezes better than almost anything else in the fridge. | | cooked pasta | Yes | Yes — undercook it slightly and toss it in oil first, or it thaws into a solid block. | | mashed potatoes | Yes | Yes — mash with plenty of butter or cream, which protects the texture through freezing. | | potatoes | It depends | Not raw and not plain boiled — blanch or part-cook them first. | | pizza | Yes | Yes — freeze the slices separated, and reheat in a pan or oven rather than a microwave. | | cooked chicken | Yes | Yes — cool it fast, freeze within two hours of cooking, and use within four months. | | yogurt | It depends | Safe to freeze, but it thaws grainy and watery — good for cooking, not for eating plain. | | cream | It depends | Only for cooking — thawed cream separates and will not whip. | | tomatoes | Yes | Yes, whole and raw — they thaw soft, and the skins slip straight off. | | cake | Yes | Yes — sponge freezes very well; buttercream is fine, but egg-white icings are not. | | mushrooms | It depends | Cook them first. Raw mushrooms thaw into slime. | | lettuce | No | No — USDA lists lettuce among the foods that do not freeze, and it thaws limp and waterlogged. | | deli meat | Yes | Yes — freezing is the safest way to keep sliced deli meat past a few days. | | wine | It depends | For cooking, yes. For drinking, no — freezing flattens it and the bottle may burst. | | coffee | It depends | Freeze whole beans in one sealed portion you never reopen — repeated freezing ruins them. | | cream cheese | It depends | Yes for baking and cooking; it thaws crumbly and will not spread. | | hummus | It depends | Yes, but it separates — stir in olive oil after thawing to bring it back. | | tofu | Yes | Yes, and it improves it — freezing makes tofu spongy so it soaks up marinade. | | onions | Yes | Yes — chop and freeze them raw, but only use them cooked afterwards. | ## Read the full answer - [Can you freeze cheese?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-cheese/) — 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 — leave headspace for expansion and shake it hard after thawing. - [Can you freeze eggs?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-eggs/) — 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 — 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 — 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, 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/) — 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 — freeze it flat in bags, and use within six months for best quality. - [Can you freeze avocado?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-avocado/) — Yes, but only as a purée — frozen slices go grey and watery. - [Can you freeze soup?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-soup/) — Yes for most soups; cream, milk and potato-based ones separate or go grainy. - [Can you freeze butter?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-butter/) — 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 — 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 — mash with plenty of butter or cream, which protects the texture through freezing. - [Can you freeze potatoes?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-potatoes/) — Not raw and not plain boiled — blanch or part-cook them first. - [Can you freeze pizza?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-pizza/) — Yes — freeze the slices separated, and reheat in a pan or oven rather than a microwave. - [Can you freeze cooked chicken?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-cooked-chicken/) — Yes — cool it fast, freeze within two hours of cooking, and use within four months. - [Can you freeze yogurt?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-yogurt/) — Safe to freeze, but it thaws grainy and watery — good for cooking, not for eating plain. - [Can you freeze cream?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-cream/) — Only for cooking — thawed cream separates and will not whip. - [Can you freeze tomatoes?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-tomatoes/) — Yes, whole and raw — they thaw soft, and the skins slip straight off. - [Can you freeze cake?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-cake/) — Yes — sponge freezes very well; buttercream is fine, but egg-white icings are not. - [Can you freeze mushrooms?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-mushrooms/) — Cook them first. Raw mushrooms thaw into slime. - [Can you freeze lettuce?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-lettuce/) — No — USDA lists lettuce among the foods that do not freeze, and it thaws limp and waterlogged. - [Can you freeze deli meat?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-deli-meat/) — Yes — freezing is the safest way to keep sliced deli meat past a few days. - [Can you freeze wine?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-wine/) — For cooking, yes. For drinking, no — freezing flattens it and the bottle may burst. - [Can you freeze coffee?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-coffee/) — Freeze whole beans in one sealed portion you never reopen — repeated freezing ruins them. - [Can you freeze cream cheese?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-cream-cheese/) — Yes for baking and cooking; it thaws crumbly and will not spread. - [Can you freeze hummus?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-hummus/) — Yes, but it separates — stir in olive oil after thawing to bring it back. - [Can you freeze tofu?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-tofu/) — Yes, and it improves it — freezing makes tofu spongy so it soaks up marinade. - [Can you freeze onions?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/freeze-onions/) — Yes — chop and freeze them raw, but only use them cooked afterwards.