In a recent post on How to Save Money on Groceries When You’re Single, a reader asked if I could share a helpful list of what freezes well and what doesn’t. I thought that was a great idea, because I have found many people aren’t aware of just how many things you can freeze–but I also know people who have made the mistake of freezing stuff and it becoming unusable. Here is my list of what freezes well and what doesn’t! I hope this helps you know how to stock up on sales and how to keep food from going to waste.

What Freezes Well vs. What Doesn’t—A Simple Guide

Breads

This group includes not just loaves of bread, which freeze well, but tortillas, bagels, English muffins, pancakes, and waffles. If I see my kids’ favorite bagels on sale, I will buy several packages and throw all but one in the freezer. It’s the same with a low-carb bread I really like. It doesn’t go on sale often, so when it does, I usually buy 3-4 loaves. This can be especially helpful if you buy certain types of bread (such as organic or sprouted) that don’t have as long of a shelf life. You can keep the bread in the freezer and just pull out slices as you need them.

Cheeses

Almost all cheeses can be frozen, especially if the final texture doesn’t matter. You can freeze cheese before or after you shred it, but be prepared that if you freeze whole blocks of cheese and then try to shred it, it might be crumbly (which might be fine if you’re using it or something like macaroni and cheese. Cream cheese can also be frozen, but the texture will change, so only do that if you’re planning to use it for baking.

You can put pre-shredded bags of cheese directly in the freezer, or you can shred it yourself and then freeze it. This is my favorite way to freeze it because when you pull it out, you don’t even need to let it thaw if you’re using it for baking.

Dairy

Milk and heavy cream both freeze well as long as you let them fully thaw and shake well before using. Butter freezes beautifully. Yogurt can also be frozen, but don’t plan to eat it straight out of the bowl because the texture will change. Frozen yogurt works great for smoothies and baking.

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