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Never Let Your Milk Go Bad Again

November 29 // 40 Comments // 3 Minute Read

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This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Tired of milk spoiling before it’s expiration date? This simple method gives a resounding YES to the question, “Can You Freeze Milk?”!

Ever wondered if there was a way to preserve milk without freezing the entire gallon? This simple method eliminates waste, saves money, and is perfect for use in soups, smoothies, and baking. No more crying over spoiled milk!

Spoiled milk ranks as one of the most awful smelling foods ever. Even worse is literally throwing money down the drain the moment you realize you’ll never use the entire gallon by the expiration date. Milk is expensive! Especially down here in the Sunshine state with our skinny cows……$4.00 per gallon, anyone?

I’ve since wondered if freezing milk was an actual “thing” or if I had completely lost my mind in attempting to preserve it. One quick search on Pinterest and I found quite a few people who froze milk by the gallon {minus a little off the top for expansion}, but that didn’t appeal to me at all.

I hated the thought of thawing an entire gallon of milk, then shaking it after the fats had completely separated, crossing my fingers that it was still good. Plus, how do you decide whether to refreeze it again after using what you need? Or does freezing the milk somehow give it an extra few days in the fridge when you finally take it out?

Too many questions and too much hassle. But I still hated wasting all that precious milk!

It finally occurred to me that I could try freezing the milk in pre-measured form, and only take out exactly what I needed to use, whenever I needed to use it. Here’s the exact method I tried, and I love not having to worry about spoiled milk ever again!

How to Freeze Milk

Step 1: Grab your milk, a measuring cup, and a muffin pan. I like to use the normal size muffin pan because 1/4 cup of pre-measured milk fits perfectly inside.

How To Freeze Milk | Creative Savings

Step 2: Pour milk into muffin pan filling about 3/4 full.

How To Freeze Milk | Creative Savings

Step 3: Pop into freezer for about 2-3 hours until completely frozen.

How To Freeze Milk | Creative Savings

Step 4: Pull pan out of freezer and run bottoms under warm water to help release the milk blocks. You may have to run a knife around the outside of the milk to help it come out. Then fill a freezer bag full of frozen milk blocks and label!

How To Freeze Milk | Creative Savings

Now, I wouldn’t drink the milk, or use it for cereal {that may just be me}, but we love using these blocks for smoothies, in soups, and even to thaw and use for baking. It’s so easy now that they’re all pre-measured, and I don’t have to let any of my milk go to waste, no matter when it expires!

Have you ever frozen milk before?

 

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.


 Just one more thing…

Be sure to follow the Pinterest board below for even more household hacks!

Follow Kalyn // Creative Savings’s board Now Why Didn’t I Think of That? on Pinterest.

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Comments

  1. Sylvia says

    August 12 at 5:36 pm

    Great idea. I’m going to use it today. I bet it would be ok in mashed potatoes also. I usually don’t have any leftover, but today I did, so very timely. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      August 17 at 7:24 pm

      I think it would be perfect to use in mashed potatoes!

      Reply
  2. Amy @ DebtGal says

    August 15 at 9:31 am

    What a great idea! I remember my grandparents freezing whole half gallons of milk when I was a kid.

    We buy organic milk, which lasts longer than regular (I think it has something to do with the ultra-pasteurization), so our milk never goes bad, thankfully.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      August 17 at 7:19 pm

      I had no idea organic milk lasts longer! I know my Silk Coconut Milk does, but then again, I’m pretty sure that’s not exactly milk. 😉

      Reply
    • Jes says

      September 27 at 12:32 am

      I buy 3 or 4 gallons at a time and freeze all but 1. I’m a single man and hate to shop. When I run out of milk, it’s time to shop. It taste just fine thawed out if shaken. I don’t take any out. That’s why the circles are on the side of the jugs. Now I milk a goat and will probably never run out again or shop as often.

      Reply
  3. Jodi says

    August 20 at 2:06 pm

    I was thinking that maybe an ice cube tray would be easier than a muffin tin, with the same idea. I use ice cube trays often for bits of leftover yogurt, pizza sauce, broth, etc.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      August 24 at 11:51 am

      That’s a great idea, Jodi!

      Reply
  4. Tina Pittman says

    September 4 at 10:37 pm

    I also use ice trays for things like cilantro with olive oil, gravy and sauces.

    Reply
  5. Jennifer says

    December 17 at 1:34 am

    I have been freezing milk for years. My local grocery store discounts milk 50% a few days before it’s date. I stock up when I find it and always have a stand-freezer shelf full. I never open the containers to remove any and have never had a problem with jugs or cardboard expanding open. I have frozen everything from fat free to half-and-half. We use it for cereal, drinking, and cooking. The only thing to note is visually noticeable fat molecules in the half-and-half, but the taste and texture is not altered, and sometimes fat free can be a little sweeter than usual. My kiddos fave from the freezer is 2%. Happy freezer savings!

    Reply
  6. Pat says

    January 18 at 5:05 pm

    I freeze milk, orange juice and other juices in 1/2 or 1 cup jelly jars, as I live alone. Works really great for me. I can thaw juices in the jar in my microwave in case I forget to take one out the night before. Also, I freeze bread 2 or 4 slices or buns in ziplock bags or small plastic container with lid. No more moldy bread to throw away.

    Reply
  7. Lindsey says

    February 15 at 10:53 am

    I’ve never tried freezing milk before but this seems like a great idea! We never use that much milk around here somehow, but now that we’ve purchased a blender we buy almond milk for our smoothies. Have you ever tried freezing almond milk? I know it lasts FOREVER but still

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      February 18 at 2:59 pm

      I haven’t tried freezing almond milk. It seems like it respond similarly to Dairy but I’m not really sure. You’ll have to try it and come back and let us know!

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        April 14 at 3:30 pm

        I have one word of advice….. DON’T it did not go well at all

        Reply
        • Kalyn Brooke says

          April 18 at 10:27 am

          Oh no! What happened? It sounds like you have a memorable story. 🙂

          Reply
  8. Cheryl Ann Natividad says

    March 27 at 5:42 pm

    I live in Hawaii. Since most of our milk has to be shipped from the mainland, it comes frozen then thawed out to before it’s sold. I learned about this when I used to work at a popular coffee chain and received a shipment of milk that was frozen. It still tastes really good! Btw, we pay $6-7 for the shipped milk (local milk is $8-9 per gallon!).

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      March 28 at 9:39 am

      Oh my goodness!! I complained to my husband that milk is so much more expensive in Florida than it was in New York. But FL prices don’t hold a candle to $6-$9 per gallon. Wow!

      Reply
  9. Katie says

    March 30 at 10:48 pm

    Just curious why you wouldn’t just buy powdered milk versus freezing? Freezer space is a bit of a commodity in our household. We’re only paying $1.99 a gallon for milk in CO, but I keep the powdered stuff or the shelf stable Almond In the pantry just in case.
    Milk that is ultra pasteurized lasts 2-3 times longer than regular because it’s heat treated about 100 degrees F hotter (no less than 280F versus 175F) than your standard plastic gallons of milk.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      April 1 at 9:21 am

      Hi Katie! Let me clarify, I’m not buying extra milk just to freeze it – this is just what I do when I have milk in my refrigerator that is about to go bad. This happens if we are going out of town for a few days, or if we didn’t drink as much milk in a particular week. When it comes to powdered milk in general, my husband and I just don’t like how it tastes.

      Reply
    • Tamy says

      June 23 at 11:00 am

      I freeze my skim milk. It tastes the same after it thaws where as powdered milk tastes different. I keep powdered for cooking and frozen for drinking.

      Reply
  10. Rhoni Ann says

    June 2 at 4:01 pm

    I have never been a milk fan, when my boys were home I never had left over milk. With just the two of us now days we buy Almond milk, mainly for smoothies. I keep powdered milk on hand for baking, gravy etc. On occasion I with buy a 1/2 gallon for a grandchild but always have left over. Freezing milk would be great to not have to pour out and waste it. Do you think it would work the same for buttermilk?? Always have extra of that when needing for baking.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      June 7 at 10:16 pm

      I think buttermilk should freeze fine! It might separate on you but that won’t make a difference when you are thawing it for baking purposes.

      Reply
  11. Rachael says

    June 15 at 1:52 pm

    I have frozen milk in gallons. You don’t have to open the container to do this…the round places on the jug are there, on purpose, to allow for expansion. I only used whole milk after hearing other percentages of milk tasted funny. However, I love your concept and, like you, would not use it to drink or in cereal, but, yes, it should be fine in other methods of cooking. I would’ve never thought to use it in smoothies! Brilliant…thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      June 16 at 1:01 pm

      You’re welcome, Rachael! It works so well just to have the frozen blocks handy so you don’t have to wait for a whole gallon to thaw. Sometimes the blocks freeze together but I can usually knock them apart.

      Reply
  12. Auburn Thai says

    December 30 at 7:28 pm

    I freeze my milk in a silicone muffin tin, much easier to remove before putting into a bag for refreezing.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      January 2 at 4:08 pm

      Oooo great idea! I can see how silicone would be much easier for freezing.

      Reply
  13. Josh says

    January 11 at 1:00 pm

    We freeze whole gallons all the time, and use them for cooking and drinking. A quick and easy way to thaw an entire gallon is to fill up your sink with tap water as hot as it will go, and then plop the gallon in. If the water cools and there’s still some ice, drain the water and start with fresh hot water again. Usually takes an hour or so, and you don’t have to worry about it going bad because it set out all day thawing.

    Also, I do recommend pouring a little out for expansion. My in-laws swore you didn’t need to – they’d been freezing milk for years and never had a problem. I threw the milk on a shelf, and the next day I had milk stalactites all down the freezer. I put the milk in a big bowl to thaw, and was able to save most of it. Lesson learned.

    Reply
  14. Margy says

    September 24 at 1:11 pm

    I’ve been freezing milk for years. We use 1% so don’t find any issues with milk fat separating so we drink it and use it like normal. I also freeze half and half. It does separate but I have learned to heat it after thawing and the milk fat redistributes. I also have found if you add a bit of milk to half and half before freezing it retards separation. – Margy

    Reply
  15. Bridgette says

    April 11 at 12:50 pm

    Drinking milk after freezing is perfectly fine and there is no taste or texture difference if done properly. I have been doing this for many many years

    Reply
  16. Leann says

    April 20 at 11:23 am

    I always froze milk. We shopped once a month at the military commissary and I’d buy 6 gallons, I would freeze 4 or 5 when I got home. Never had a problem and always had milk☺

    Reply
  17. Julie says

    December 27 at 9:32 am

    I live alone so I have been freezing milk for years. I put it in wide mouth paint jars with plastic lids. They have to he wide mouth because the regular mouth ones have”shouldrrs”, this can make the hat break when the milk expands. Once thawed you have to shake it otherwise it can be a bit separated. It is the same as the day you bought it and is great for drinking as well cooking.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      January 2 at 3:00 pm

      That’s great, Julie. For some reason Joseph and I still have a hangup about drinking after thawing (we can’t seem to get it to be exactly the same) but we’ve never had a problem with using it in baking. 🙂

      Reply
  18. June Eckert says

    April 27 at 10:59 pm

    I had a friend who used powdered milk all thetime. When she made it up by the gallon she would add about 2 drops of vanilla extract to it. That made a huge difference to the taste.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      April 29 at 8:44 am

      I’ve never heard of putting vanilla in it before.

      Reply
  19. June Eckert says

    April 29 at 11:02 am

    Give it a try. For a gallon it only takes about 2 drops and it makes an amazing change in the taste.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      April 30 at 8:25 am

      I will certainly keep it in mind if I use dry milk!

      Reply
  20. bdawg says

    July 9 at 12:12 am

    i buy 5 at a time and freeze 4 and keep 1 out. just pop the whole gallon in. only had 1 that cracked and had a slow leak when it thawed. other than that the milk actually lasts much longer once it is thawed out. And i find it has a very sweet taste to it. We use it just like regular milk . Cereal. Anything. Tasts the same and saves alot of time and money.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      July 9 at 3:39 pm

      I’m surprised it doesn’t separate on you! That’s great. 🙂

      Reply
  21. Elizabeth says

    August 16 at 1:16 pm

    I find that freezing my milk in gallon zip lock bags works well for me. I pour some in bag, seal and put upside down in another bag, just in case. This lays flat, saves freezer space and thaws much quicker.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      August 21 at 2:12 pm

      Oh I love that idea!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Extremely Frugal Food Tips, Hacks and Ideas says:
    April 27 at 7:54 am

    […] there’s all sorts of stuff you can freeze including handy portions of milk in ice cube or muffin trays […]

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Kalyn—a recovering perfectionist who nerds out about organizing systems, personal productivity, and helping you prioritize what matters over the pressure to do it all. I have a feeling we’re about to become the best of friends! Learn more >>

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