It’s creamy and delicate, rich in flavor, delicious, and oh-so-tempting. Who, in their right mind, could ever say “No” to this soft cheese delicacy that melts in your mouth with each bite? We know we can’t.
But brie – as delicious as it is – is a costly treat. So, when you come across brie on sale in your local supermarket, your first instinct is to stock up.
That’s what likely got you into this mess, in the first place:
You went ahead and bought too much – way more than you could realistically use in your recipes – and now you’re trying to figure out, can you freeze brie to prevent it from going bad before you get a chance to savor every last bit.
Luckily, we’ve prepared a detailed guide on how to get the most out of your brie cheese!
Can You Freeze Brie Cheese?
Okay, let’s get straight to the reason you’re here – to find out whether or not you can freeze brie and get away with it.
And technically speaking, you can freeze pretty much any food you can think of – but that doesn’t mean that it will work as well as you’d hoped. Some foods handle freezing better than others:
Brie, for example, doesn’t freeze particularly well because of its soft, smooth texture, and relatively high water and fat content.
When all that water freezes, it expands – that’s fundamental physics, and you can’t do much to prevent it – ruining the consistency of cheese once it’s thawed. Don’t get us wrong; it will still taste good when it comes out of the freezer, albeit with some texture changes.
But yes, you most certainly can freeze brie, extending its shelf life by up to two or three months. Some even suggest that you keep brie in the freezer for as long as six months without it going bad – but we honestly don’t recommend pushing things that far.
Still, brie is most tasteful when it’s fresh, and no matter which method you use, freezing and thawing this delicate cheese will cause a noticeable change in texture.
If you’re used to eating it fresh – something as simple as a slice of brie on bread – the thawed version might leave a disappointingly watery taste in your mouth. But while some people hate the mere idea of frozen foods, others figured out how to make the best of what they’ve got:
The texture will change, but brie cheese will still be edible when it comes out of the freezer – and quite delicious.
So, you can turn it into a perfect addition to your cooking and baking recipes!
Related Questions:
Alternatives To Freezing: How Long Does Brie Last In The Fridge?
If you don’t feel like taking that plunge and freezing brie because you’re worried about potentially ruining its creamy, soft texture in the process – oh, the horror – you may not need to do it.
Who knows, maybe it still has enough shelf life left in it for you to use it all up before it spoils!
- So, before you reach for the freezer, be sure to check the best-by date printed on the packaging.
- Any soft cheese, brie included, will have a relatively short shelf life, but the unique thing about brie is that, by the time it reaches your local supermarket’s fridge, it still has around two to three weeks of maturing to do.
- It usually stays good for up to a week past the best-by date indicated on the label, as long as it’s neatly wrapped and refrigerated.
- Even more so, Brie tends to reach its peak quality in the days nearing the specified date!
The Right Way To Freeze Brie (Without Ruining It Completely)
All this talk about ruining the texture and quality of brie cheese by freezing it probably got you worried.
However, the actual process of freezing brie is shockingly simple and doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes. And no, you don’t have to be a culinary expert to do it right:
As long as you follow our instructions, own a working freezer, and have some plastic wrap on hand, you’re good to go!
On that note, here’s how to freeze brie cheese like a real culinary pro, with minimal impact on its taste and texture:
Slice Your Brie Into Portions
By splitting your wedge or wheel of brie into portions, you can grab as much as you need, rather than thawing an entire block at once, even though you need only a slice or two.
You can use a regular slicing knife to get it done. The shape and size of these slices are entirely up to you, but make sure that you can use them in one go.
Double-Wrap Each Piece
Now that you have the individual pieces of cheese cut up, double-wrap each one with plastic wrap.
Do this as tightly and neatly as you can, and make sure that there aren’t any air pockets or exposed parts left. Otherwise, the slices might absorb the smell and flavor of other foods you have in the freezer or develop so-called freezer burns.
Add An Aluminum Foil Layer (Optional)
If you feel like another layer of protection would be unnecessary, feel free to skip to the next step.
However, if you’re worried about freezer burns or you have a freezer that’s running on a lower setting, adding a layer of aluminum foil on top of the plastic wrap might be a smart move.
Transfer Into Freezer Bags (Optional)
You could probably get away with using only plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
However, adding another layer of protection in the form of re-sealable freezer bags is advised. Always make sure to squeeze out any remaining air before you seal the bags tightly, though.
As far as preparations for freezing brie cheese go, that’s about it – your brie is now ready to be transferred to the freezer, where it can stay for the next couple of months.
We told you that it was going to be a piece of cake!
Oh, and one more thing:
Be sure to find a spot where it won’t get squashed by other frozen foods. Otherwise, your efforts to preserve it would’ve been for nothing.
Bonus Tip: Once everything’s wrapped and ready for the freezer, take a second to label the individual containers with the exact date of when you froze them. That way, you’ll know precisely how long the cheese has been sitting in the freezer and whether it’s still safe to eat.
Defrosting Your Brie Cheese: How It’s Done
Freezing is only part of the equation; how you thaw brie plays a much more significant role in preserving its quality than you might think.
Now, the good news here is that your fridge will do all the work for you – all you have to do is move the brie from the freezer to the refrigerator. The bad news, however, is that thawing brie is a painstakingly slow process.
Brie is much more complex and sophisticated than, say, shredded cheese available in the supermarket; allowing it to defrost slowly is key in preserving as much of its moisture, texture, and shape as possible.
Trust us; it’ll be worth the wait.
As a rule of thumb, brie should sit in the fridge for a day – yes, 24 long hours – until it’s completely thawed. Depending on when you plan on serving it or cooking with it, you should give it about 30 minutes to reach room temperature after spending a day in the fridge.
That said, be sure to use up all the thawed brie within two days. If not, throw it away – you can’t re-freeze your brie.
Bonus Tip: We don’t recommend cold water baths as a go-to brie defrosting method because it affects the taste and texture. However, you can get away with it in a pinch – especially if you’re preparing a dish where these changes won’t be as noticeable.
Freezing Brie: Final Thoughts
Your brie will most likely never come out of the freezer as good-looking as it was when it first went in, but if you’re looking for a way to make it last longer, freezing it is pretty much your only option.
Like we mentioned earlier, the real question here isn’t can you freeze brie. We already showed you that you could – and quite successfully so:
Brie is a cheese that can last for months in the freezer, albeit with some minor changes in taste and texture.
The real question is how to do it right so that you minimize the impacts of freezing – and that’s what we wanted to address with this guide.
As long as you follow our tips, hardly anyone will know that you were using frozen brie in your recipes!