Can you freeze greek Yogurt: freezing yogurt kill the Good Bacteria?
What is the purpose of your refrigerator? Do you freeze some fruits or vegetable there? Well, one of the basic purposes of freezing is to store the goods. Yogurt is a nice food with a lot of nutrition and sometimes you need to freeze it or thaw it for different purposes. Suppose you brought an excess amount of yogurt or you just made it at your home. Now, if there are remaining, then you might ask that, can I freeze yogurt? The answer is “Yes” and you can do so for storing the extra yogurt. So, today I will be talking about can you freeze Greek yogurt or can you freeze yogurt.
As I talked about a lot of beneficial properties of yogurt on my previous posts, I believe you got valuable aspects about consuming yogurt.
Check: Review of cuisinart Frozen yogurt maker.
Affect of freezing on yogurt
You can safely freeze yogurt to extend its shelf life. If you buy yogurt from departmental stores, you can store it in the freezer for approximately 6 months, and if you make it at your home, then you can store it for 2 months. But, one thing you need to keep in mind that, different brands of yogurt show different responses in case of freezing or thawing.
Affects of freezing yogurt on bacterial cultures
During freezing, the bacterial cultures move to a dormant stage. But, the thing is that, as soon as you defrost the yogurt, numerous numbers of bacteria get reactivated and fill the requirements of yogurt.
Can you freeze yogurt?
You can freeze plain or regular yogurt without any problem. Although, there might be a change in the texture or taste, the nutritional value will remain the same at it was.
How you can freeze yogurt?
Freezing plain yogurt or flavored yogurt is easy and you can do it just by following several tips. They are as follows:
- Use a container with enough space: One thing you have to keep in mind that, as yogurt gets expanded when you freeze it, you need to take a container which has a higher volume than the amount of yogurt you are going to keep in that.
- Use airtight containers: Odor may form in your Therefore, you definitely need to take an airtight container so that odor cannot get access to the stored yogurt container. Moreover, make sure that you tightly closed the top of the container.
- Label the container: After preparing the container of yogurt for freezing it, label it properly with the date. So, the labeling is important so that you can use it before it gets expired.
- Thawing: You can thaw your yogurt by keeping it in your refrigerator overnight. Moreover, if you are in a hurry, you also can pop it up within a few seconds by microwave it. But, you have to keep in mind that, once you thaw the yogurt, you must not refreeze it. So, it is better to use serving size containers for freezing purpose, so that there will be no extra and no refreezing.
How long does yogurt last?
In most cases, yogurt usually lasts approximately for a couple of weeks. If you buy yogurt from store, please read the label carefully and try to follow the storing process as directed. Basically, the shelf life of yogurt depends on the preparation process of the yogurt as well as how it is stored.
Now I am going to provide you with several information of storing yogurt in the freezer or refrigerator.
- If the yogurt is unopened and stored in the freezer, it can last for about 2-3 months.
- Drinkable yogurt last for about 7 days in the refrigerator and 1-2 months in the freezer.
- Normally Low fat yogurt last for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator and 1-2 months in the freezer.
- Regular yogurt last for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator and 1-2 months in the freezer.
- If you mix some of your favorite fruits in the yogurt and you are going to store it, then it will last for 7-10 days in the refrigerator and 1-2 months in the freezer.
- On the other hand, all types of opened yogurt last for 1 week in the refrigerator and 1 month in the freezer.
Does yogurt gone bad?
Yes, it can happen, but not as fast as you might think. Yogurt is a fermented dairy product. So, it may lose its quality if you do not put it in a suitable place and store it properly.
Procedures of freezing yogurt
- Freezing yogurt cups: This is actually a pretty self-explanatory way. Usually, both flavored and plain yogurt is contained by nice cups which are covered by lids and these yogurt cups are very pleasing to see. So, you can directly store the yogurt cups in your refrigerator without opening the lid. An interesting fact is that, if you keep the yogurt cup in the refrigerator as upside down, it will help to preserve the flavor and texture of the yogurt. But, if you have an opened cup, you need to transfer it into a vacuum container before you freeze it.
- Freezing in containers: If are a nice cook and like to do experiments with cooking foods, then I think you are more likely to prepare yogurt at your home. So, if you do so, you can store it in an airtight container.
- Freezing yogurt in ice cube trays or boxes: If you are going to freeze yogurt for making smoothies, then it will be a nice option to freeze yogurt in ice trays. Moreover, this is probably one of the best ways to do so. To do this, first take a cube of yogurt and put it on ice trays and then freeze it for a few hours. After that, take out the yogurt cubes of and keep them in an airtight container and you are done!! This is so easy, right? So, when you want to make smoothies, just take a couple of yogurt cubes and blend it.
Freezing yogurt to make frozen yogurt
Frozen yogurt is a nice and delicious treat. It can be an amazing thing if you can make it at your home whenever you want it. To do that, first you have to defrost the frozen block in your fridge and after thawing the yogurt it may not be as creamy or sweet as frozen yogurt but it’ll still be delicious. Besides these, you can mix in some sugar or sweeteners to make it more to your taste. It is really very nice, enjoy it!
Should extra yogurt always be frozen?
No, you always should not do this practice. Sometimes, the date of expire is far away from the purchase date. So, you can keep them safely in your refrigerator for a long time and eat them later. Moreover, this practice will help you to get the most of the probiotics of the yogurt, which are much essential for your gut.
Pros and cons about freezing yogurt
Freezing yogurt is the best option to store it if you buy an extra amount and if you cannot finish it by the time limit. Freezing the yogurt will keep them fresh for a longer period of time and later you can safely eat the yogurt. Although, there are several negatives of freezing yogurt, but you can skip this as the quality remains almost as same as it was before freezing.
Some other facts of freezing yogurt
Although you may require freezing yogurt, there are some negative aspects of freezing yogurt. One thing I have to mention that, if you freeze yogurt for more than a month, you are most likely not getting the taste of the yogurt as it was before freezing. Moreover, you may get an acidic taste of the yogurt and the texture of the yogurt will be altered. Along with that, when yogurt is frozen then thawed, it can separate and become grainy and watery.
Besides these, the yogurt also may develop an acidic taste and some of the live cultures which are abundant in natural yogurt may be demolished by the freezing procedure. However, it is still healthy to eat the yogurt. If you do not care about the alternation, there’s no reason not to consume thawed yogurt. But, if the change is a problem, you can use the yogurt in baked food products, or quickly consume it while it is still frozen.
Can you freeze Greek yogurt?
You know Greek yogurt is one of the most popular fermented dairy products all over the world. Freezing Greek yogurt has all the same facts as I talked about regular yogurt. Other than that, Greek yogurt lasts for 5-7 in the refrigerator after opening and it last for 7-10 days if it is unopened. Moreover, it usually lasts for 1 month in the freezer after opening and 1-2 months if it is unopened.
Finally, I should say there is no problem with freezing yogurt and it is quite safe. So, freeze it if you need but follow the directions properly.