Freeze This Food

Can You Freeze Butter?

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Illustration of butter

Yes, and butter is arguably the best dairy product to freeze — its low water and high fat content mean it comes through almost unchanged in texture and taste. Keep it in its wrapper, overwrap it against odours and freezer burn, and stock up when it is on offer. Salted butter keeps especially well, holding good quality for up to about 12 months.

Can you freeze butter?

Yes — it freezes well
How long it keeps frozen
Up to 12 months, salted keeping longestUniversity of Illinois Extension lists butter at about 12 months frozen. Stored without interruption it remains safe well past a year; salted butter simply holds its flavour better than unsalted.
How to freeze it
  1. Leave the butter in its original wrapper or paper.
  2. Overwrap it in foil or a freezer bag to keep out air and fridge odours, which fat readily absorbs.
  3. Freeze it whole, or cut it into sticks or tablespoon pats first if you want to grab small amounts.
  4. Label with the date and freeze; salted butter keeps longer than unsalted.
How to thaw & use
Thaw it in the fridge overnight, or grate frozen butter straight into baking; you can also slice off a frozen pat and let it soften on the counter.
Texture & quality
Butter freezes so cleanly that most people cannot tell thawed from fresh — the main risk is it picking up freezer odours, which is why overwrapping matters. Unsalted butter has a slightly shorter best-quality window than salted, as salt acts as a mild preservative.

More in this group: Freezing dairy & eggs

Frequently asked questions

Does freezing change the taste of butter?

Barely, if it is wrapped well. Butter's low water content means few damaging ice crystals form, so thawed butter is hard to tell from fresh. The one thing to guard against is it absorbing strong freezer odours, so overwrap it.

How long does butter last in the freezer?

Up to about 12 months for best quality, with salted butter keeping a little longer than unsalted because salt slows the fat from going off. It remains safe beyond that at a steady 0 °F (−18 °C), just less fresh-tasting.

Can you bake with frozen butter?

Yes, and for some recipes it is an advantage. Grating frozen butter into flour gives flaky pastry and scones, and frozen pats thaw quickly on the counter. For creaming, let it soften to room temperature first.

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