Can you freeze almond milk? The Complete Guide

Almond milk has a reasonable shelf life when you buy it from a shop, but fairly short shelf life if you make it at home. This is one of the reasons, why freezing almond milk is a good idea even if the texture changes slightly as you defrost the milk.

You can freeze almond milk and keep it for 1-3 months ( up to 6 month maximum) in the freezer. Almond milk texture does change slightly when you freeze it and defrost it, so it’s not as nice as fresh almond milk.

Let me take you through freezing almond milk step by step and explain how to freeze it and defrost it safely. And most importantly what to do if you want bring the almond milk texture back together!

Can you freeze almond milk? The quick answer

Yes, you can freeze almond milk and keep it for 1-3 months (or even slightly longer) in the freezer.

However almond milk texture does change slightly when you freeze it and then defrost it, so it’s never as nice as when you have fresh almond milk.

Why freeze almond milk?

Freezing almond milk is a great way to preserve homemade almond milk, but also way of use up shop bought almond milk, if you have far too much of it.

I often buy almond milk when it’s reduced in price in my local shop (as it’s close to it’s sell-by date) and then freeze it to use later.

How to safely freeze almond milk

If you do decide to freeze almond milk, make sure that you follow the safe way of freezing and defrosting your almond milk to make sure that the milk doesn’t get spoiled.

• Freeze the milk as soon as you make it or buy it
• Use clean and washed containers suitable for freezer
• Defrost in the fridge
• Use up straightaway or within 2-5 days maximum when defrosted

Can you freeze homemade almond milk?

Yes, you can freeze both homemade almond milk and shop bought one too.

I find that with shop bought almond milk, you get a better smooth texture when it’s defrosted than with homemade almond milk.

I’ve been successfully freezing both types for a while now, so don’t really mind the difference in texture anymore.

What to expect when you freeze & defrost almond milk

The slight problem with freezing and defrosting almond milk is that the milk tend to split. The water seems to separate from the almond meal and it can look a little unsightly.

Fortunatelly, there is a solution to this problem!

Once you defrost your almond milk, whisk it (ideally with an electric whisk or mixer) to blend the milk back together.

If you are freezing the whole carton of almond milk, you can also vigorously shake it once it’s defrosted and that helps too.

If you don’t have the time or the inclination to blend the almond milk again after it’s defrosted, you can also use it for cooking, baking or adding to breakfast smoothies, where the slightly changed texture won’t matter that much.

How long does almond milk last in the freezer

Providing that you’ve carefully frozen your almond milk in a freezer suitable container (and your freezer is in a good condition and the temperature doesn’t fluctuate), your almond milk should be fine in the freezer for a minimum of 3 months.

It’s possible to keep the milk in the freezer for up to 6 months, but I probably never had it in the freezer beyond that point.

How to freeze almond milk

You have quite a lot of options here, depending on what you want to use your almond milk for when it’s defrosted.

You can freeze:

• shop bought whole almond milk cartoon (make sure it’s plastic/paper and not in a glass bottle) – no preparation needed, but will need re-blending after defrosting
• shop bought or homemade almond milk – separated into smaller containers (such as plastic soup or beakers cups with lids)
• almond milk frozen in ice cube trays – great for adding to smoothies, cold drinks with milk (like iced coffee) soups or sauces

Freezing whole carton almond milk (shop bought)

If you are in a rush and you don’t have any other containers, you can freeze almond milk in it’s original carton package.

I’ve previously frozen almond milk from different producers and it was all fine, but you do need to double check the container of the almond milk you usually buy to make sure you can do the same.

Make sure that the container is plastic or paper and not glass. Glass expands as it freezers, which could shatter the glass bottle and create a mess in your freezer.

To freeze almond milk in the cartoon, simply write a today’s date on (so that you know when you put it into the freezer) and place the freezer.

Freezing almond milk in ice cubes tray

If you don’t have a lot of almond milk to freeze, you can pour it to ice cube trays. This will keep the almond milk ready to add to smoothies, soups, cold milky drinks (such as ice-coffees or bubba teas) or various sauces.

What containers are best for freezing almond milk?

• Large ice cube trays
• Medium size containers suitable for the freezer (beakers, soup mugs with lids etc)

How to defrost almond milk

Medium to large containers of almond milk

The easiest thing is to take out the frozen almond milk from the freezer the night before you need it and leave it to defrost in the fridge overnight.

If you forget to take the almond milk out from the freezer the night before, you can also leave it out at room temperature to defrost, but make sure that you use up the milk straightaway.

If you find that your almond milk has separated, you can bring it back together by whisking it either with fork (if you don’t have anything better), electric whisk or mixer.

You would need to pour the milk into a large container to do the whisking to make sure it doesn’t splash around.

Almond milk in ice cube trays

If you are freezing almond milk in ice cubes trays, you are more likely to use the milk cold, so there is no need to defrost the trays.

Just take out whatever you need and the frozen almond milk cubes into smoothies, drinks, sauces, or soups.

RECIPES FOR SMOOTHIES THAT CAN BE MADE WITH FROZEN ALMOND MILK

• Almond & Dates Smoothie >>
• Protein Coffee Smoothie >>
• Chocolate & Chia Smoothie >>
• Pumpkin Butter & Banana Smoothie >>

Can I re-freeze almond milk?

Althought almond milk is not as prone to going off as a dairy milk, I would never re-freeze it. This is because more temperature changes can cause the milk texture and flavour deteriorate (and of course can go off too).