Can You Freeze Coffee Creamer?

Yes, you absolutely can freeze coffee creamer!

I feel like every time I have a family gathering or brunch event I end up with tons of amazing flavored coffee creamer options that I just won't have time to use before they expire. While I've had success freezing dairy products in the past like yogurt or sour cream, most coffee creamers are more complicated than straightforward dairy products and I knew I had to do some research.

After a bit of digging and some experimenting on my own, I found that Yes you can absolutely freeze coffee creamer, even if it's not specifically recommended by the manufacturer. As long as you take some precautions to ensure the best quality after thawing, freezing, and storing liquid coffee creamer is both possible and also a great way to extend the life of your coffee creamer.

Can you freeze liquid coffee creamer?

Yes, you can freeze coffee creamer! While there are both liquid and powdered coffee creamers available on the grocery store shelves, this article is mostly concerned with freezing liquid coffee creamer. This is primarily because powdered coffee creamer is shelf-stable as is, and you don't really need to worry about freezing it in the first place.

The first thing to understand is that most coffee creamer brands warn against freezing their products. Most coffee creamer is "non-dairy creamer" and while it doesn't contain lactose it does contain the milk-based protein, Casein. Because coffee creamer doesn't contain lactose, many creamer brands don't recommend freezing because of the potential for the creamer to separate.

Despite warnings against freezing coffee creamer, many have reported successfully freezing and thawing the product without issue. For most, freezing coffee creamer isn't often necessary because it has a longer than average life span and can last for weeks in the refrigerator without issue it. Furthermore, if the coffee creamer hasn't been opened it's safe at room temperature almost indefinitely.

But, if you find yourself with a lot of open coffee creamer and confident you won't use it before it expires, then freezing your coffee creamer bounty right is the best way to avoid it going to waste.

Tips & Tricks for freezing coffee creamer.

When freezing your liquid coffee creamer there are a few different steps you can take to ensure the best quality product possible once it's been thawed and ready to use. In general, because of the lack of lactose in most liquid coffee creamers, they are prone to separate during the freezing process. However, if you follow these simple steps, you are far more likely to be successful in your coffee creamer freezing attempts.

1. Freezing coffee creamer in the container.

Freezing your coffee creamer in the container it was packaged in is probably the simplest way to effectively freeze your excess coffee creamer. By keeping the coffee creamer in its container you also make it easier to identify the flavor or type of coffee creamer you are freezing. If you happen to have a few different flavors in the freezer at one this can be helpful.

Simply twist the lid down tightly to the container if it's been opened already, and place the container into the refrigerator to freeze. If you are freezing unopened coffee creamer just go ahead and pop the container into the freezer, not tightening will be necessary.

Personally, I've found a lot of success in freezing the coffee creamer on its side. This increases the surface area of the liquid as it spread out along the container and allows it to freeze rapidly, increasing the likelihood the creamer will stay together when thawed and hopefully not separate.

2. Label and date the bottle or package before freezing.

By making sure to label and date the liquid coffee creamer bottle before freezing you'll make it easy to gauge how long your creamer has been frozen. Most frozen ingredients can last up to 6 months without seeing quality diminish, so it's important to date items when frozen to make sure you use them before they start to turn.

Again this allows you the ability to keep track of different flavors of creamer should you happen to have more than one in the freezer.

3. Try freezing coffee creamer in ice cube trays!

By freezing your coffee creamer in ice cube trays you both increase the quality of the creamer as it thaws, and also create incredibly creamer ice cubes that make for absolutely incredible ice coffee drinks.

To freeze your creamer simply pour it into clean dry ice cube trays and carefully place them in the freezer. Allow the creamer to freeze for 4-6 hours or until completely solid. Once the coffee creamer cubes have fully frozen, unmold them and transfer them to an airtight container like a freezer bag. Keep them frozen until needed.

To use your coffee creamer ice cubes simply place a few in a glass tumbler and add iced coffee and sweetener as desired. Allow the coffee to sit for a few minutes to begin to melt the ice cubes and enjoy!

For an even tastier frozen treat, combine chilled coffee or cold brew, the coffee creamer ice cubes, and some sweetened condensed milk in a blender. Blend until smooth and enjoy on the hottest days of the summer, or whenever you want a delicious frozen coffee treat!

If you want to really step up your iced coffee game try mixing half creamer with half iced coffee before freezing. This creates perfect coffee/creamer cubes that make absolutely incredible iced coffee. It also has the added benefit of keeping your ice coffee from getting watered down, giving you an extra kick of delicious full-flavored iced coffee.

4. Always thaw frozen coffee creamer in the fridge.

By allowing your frozen liquid coffee creamer to thaw in the refrigerator you increase the chances you'll end up with perfect, unseparated coffee creamer once fully defrosted. The gentle refrigerated thawing process results in less crystallization and therefore less separation.

Simply place your frozen container of coffee creamer into the fridge and allow it time to thaw. Though this takes longer than other defrosting methods, the higher quality coffee creamer makes it worth it in the end.

Thawing your frozen liquid coffee creamer in the refrigerator can take up to a day or two so make sure to plan ahead and remove the

5. Shake well before using.

Once you've properly thawed your liquid creamer, make sure to shake it really well before using it in drinks. By fully agitating the liquid creamer before serving you can make sure that the creamer is fully mixed and not separated when using.

I like to blend my coffee creamer once thawed to help fix any separation issues that may occur from freeze/thaw.

6. Never re-freeze liquid coffee creamer.

Though you can successfully freeze liquid coffee creamer once, it's best not to roll the dice again and try to refreeze the creamer. While coffee creamer has a very long shelf life, by freezing it multiple times you might unintentionally keep it long past its "use by" date resulting in potentially contaminated creamer.

Furthermore, when liquids like coffee creamer go through multiple cycles of freeze/thaw it tends to exacerbate separation issues. If you want the best liquid coffee creamer possible after it's been frozen, make sure to only freeze it once.

Final Thoughts.

Can you freeze coffee creamer? Well as we've discovered, you absolutely can. Freezing liquid creamers is one of the best ways to save delicious seasonal flavors that only show up 1 a year and an awesome way to cut down on waste if you happen to have too much liquid creamer in your fridge or pantry.

Whether you are freezing your liquid cream in its original container or in ice cube trays to make delicious creamer cubes, just follow the steps in this article and you'll be on your way to successfully frozen creamer in no time.