Yogurt is a dairy product that is obtained by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria ferment lactose in the milk and create lactic acid, which cause the protein in the milk to curdle. The curdle is what makes the yogurt’s texture unique. With so much going on when making yogurt, how will the freezing process affect the yogurt? Can you freeze yogurt and eat it like ice cream? And how to freeze yogurt properly?
Can you freeze yogurt?
Yes, you can freeze yogurt, but it depends on what you want to do with the yogurt.
After thawing, the yogurt’s texture may not be appealing to many people, but your can still freeze yogurt to use it in baking or making smoothies.
Yogurt can be safe for up to 6 to 8 weeks in freezer without losing too much flavor and texture.
If you leave the yogurt for too long, it will start to form mold which cause a sour or rancid smell. This happens because you didn’t preserve the yogurt properly, or you didn’t freeze it before its expiring date.
So if the yogurt put out sour smell or the color is off, you should get rid of the yogurt.
Can you eat frozen yogurt like ice cream?
Yes, of course. Frozen yogurt can be eaten like ice cream, but there will be differences in the texture and flavor of yogurt after freezing.
Actually, frozen yogurt is quite similar to ice cream, but the major difference is that it’s not made of cream, it made with milk. You can find some types of frozen yogurt taste just like soft-serve ice cream. There are other varieties of frozen yogurt that have a sweet, tangy flavor with a smooth texture.
In term of nutrition, frozen yogurt has fewer calories than ice cream. Besides, it is also lower in saturated fat. However, when you eat low-fat ice cream, the calories and saturated fat are about the same.
Frozen yogurt can be healthy alternative to ice cream when you want to eat something sweet and cold.
How does yogurt help your body?
It is healthy to consume yogurt everyday, but it depends on the type of yogurt.
Commercial brand yogurt often have added sugar and artificial flavor, so they aren’t good for your health. On the other hand, unsweetened yogurt brings lots of health benefits, and here are some of those:
- Yogurt is rich in important nutrients: it is high in calcium, with 1 cup of yogurt gives you 49% of the daily needed calcium amount.
- It also has high amounts of multiple vitamins B, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, etc.
- Yogurt is high in protein, which can help support metabolism, burn calories faster for weigh loss, etc.
- Some types of yogurts are good for the digestive health since they contain live bacteria (a.k.a probiotics). However, pasteurized yogurts won’t have beneficial bacteria since they are killed by the heat during the process.
- Yogurt can strengthen the immune system, thanks to the probiotics, magnesium, selenium, and zinc found inside the yogurt.
What happen to yogurt when you freeze them?
Yogurt is partially liquid. So when you freeze the yogurt, the water will freeze as well. The ice takes up more spaces than water with the same amount, so the yogurt will expand.
This is why you should leave some space inside the container for the yogurt. Ideally, you should also remove as much air as possible from the container.
Normal yogurts will often come in cups with plastic seals. When you freeze the yogurt, the plastic seal will pop under the plastic lids.
How will yogurt change after freezing?
After thawing, the frozen yogurt will have a few changes. Here are some.
Minor change in the taste
The taste of yogurt will not change much after it is frozen and defrosted, but the sourness is enhanced slightly by the freezing process.
However, before serving, you may have to shake your yogurt to restore the original flavor.
Major change in the texture
Unfortunately, its texture will be greatly changed. After being frozen and thawed, your yogurt will lose some of its creamy and smooth texture. It becomes watery and somewhat grainy but the quality is still good for eating. However, if you prefer the fresh yogurt, you can use frozen yogurt for other recipes like a kind of yogurt smoothie or yogurt shakes with fruits. When making drinks or cooking, you can hardy feel the changes in texture of yogurt that was frozen and thawed.
How to freeze yogurt
Using ice cream or cookie scoops
You can use a cookie scoop to put yogurt on a tray or pan, then cover it with a lined baking sheet, then freeze it until the yogurt is firm or solid.
If you want to save some space, you can put the frozen yogurt into a freezer-safe bag and continue freezing.
Using ice cube tray
This is the easiest method since all you have to do is pouring the leftover yogurt into ice cube trays, then freeze it.
Just like with the cookie scoop method, you can put the frozen yogurt cubes into a freezer-safe bag.
Also, this method is ideal if you want to make smoothies and other goodies in a blender. Just throw the frozen yogurt cube into the blender as desired and start making the smoothies.
Using the yogurt’s original container
You can also freeze the yogurt without using any other means to contain the yogurt. Just put the container inside the fridge and you are good to go. This works even for small-sized yogurt containers.
As mentioned above, yogurt expands when frozen, so try to leave some space in the container for the yogurt.
Using plastic tubes
You can use plastic tubes to create some sorts of yogurt ice cream pops for your kids to enjoy.
While freezing, you can add fruit purees into the yogurt for more flavor, then vacuum-seal the mixture and freeze until it’s solid.
After taking the yogurt out of the freezer, the yogurt can not be refrozen since that will ruin the yogurt and worsen the texture even more. Also, you should consume the defrosted yogurt immediately.
After leaving the vacuum seal, when left outside, the frozen yogurt will be susceptible to lots of microorganisms, which will eventually develop molds and make it unsafe for eating.
You may also like: The 7 Best Small Freezers 2021
How to use frozen yogurt
If you don’t like the texture of frozen yogurt, you can use it for cooking and baking. Thawed yogurts mix perfectly with ingredients to make smoothies or shakes. Here are some other recipe suggestions you can enjoy frozen yogurt.
- Smoothie and shakes: like fruit yogurt smoothie, spinach-avocado smoothie, smoothie bowls and shakes
- Baked goods: cakes, quick breads, and muffins
- Dishes that need rich creaminess and tart tanginess
- Marinades for fish or chicken (the yogurt can tenderize the meat)
- Become a creamy, flavorful salad dressing
- Use for dips and spreads
Frequently asked questions
How long can yogurt last in the freezer?
It is a perfect solution to freeze and preserve yogurt for a later time, but yogurt has its lifespan even in freezer. You can freeze yogurt beyond its expiration date, but it is recommended to eat it as soon as possible for the best quality.
Even though you store it properly with an airtight container, a zip bag or any freezer safe containers, yogurt can last in freezer up to 2 months.
After that, it will change the texture quickly or get icicles and freezer burn. Therefore, you should consume it before that date.
How to tell if the yogurt is bad
After a long time in freezer, yogurt may go bad like all foods. Here are the signs.
Mold: When you see mold and separate curds floating on excess liquid, your yogurt is spoiled
Strong sour smell: Normally, yogurt should not have a strong sour taste like sour cream, so if it smells sour and rancid then you should discard it to avoid getting sick. It is not really recommended to consume expired yogurt unless you have frozen and stored it properly.
How to thaw frozen yogurt
The best and easiest way to thaw yogurt is to transfer it from freezer into the fridge, preferably overnight. This method ensures that yogurt stays in and ideal cool temperature and does not go bad.
If you forget to thaw it earlier, you can apply a faster way. Just let yogurt on the counter and wait for it to thaw naturally and you should use it within 2 hours. After thawing, do not put yogurt in freezer again.
Conclusion
Overall, you can freeze yogurt, but you should consume it immediately. Also, the freezing process is rather simple, you just need to put the yogurt in some sorts of container, leave some space inside, then freeze the yogurt.
Reference:
1. Impressive Health Benefits of Yogurt, www.healthline.com, Retrieved on Oct. 30, 2021
2. Ways to freeze yogurt -cooking guide, Naomi Blue, Sep. 22, 2021
