So you’ve just enjoyed some sour cream with your nachos, and you’ve been extra careful not to double-dip or put any dirty utensils in there.
But you know you won’t use up this entire tub within two weeks, so you’re wondering:
Can you freeze sour cream? Will freezing spoil sour cream?
You’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll break down if you should freeze sour cream, how to freeze sour cream, and other storage methods you should consider.
Here’s the lowdown: Only use thawed sour cream in cooking or baking recipes, as the texture of sour cream changes after thawing. However, in recipes, you won’t notice anything unusual, and freezing will keep your sour cream good for up to six months!
How To Freeze Sour Cream
If you haven’t opened your tub of sour cream yet, your job is easy! Simply freeze the whole unopened original package.
If you have already opened your sour cream, it’s not much harder. Just pour the leftovers into an airtight container and freeze.
Remember that your sour cream will freeze solid, so portioning isn’t easy, and you don’t want to end up with a bunch of thawed sour cream you won’t use and can’t re-freeze.
Therefore, consider portioning out sour cream into cupcake trays. Then, cover the trays in plastic wrap or silver foil and transfer them to the freezer for 2 hours.
Now this “flash freeze” step is complete, and your sour cream blocks won’t stick together when you transfer them to an airtight container, which will help you save some freezer space.
When it comes to thawing, either leave the container or sour cream in the refrigerator overnight or add the frozen sour cream blocks in frozen.
Storage Period For Frozen Sour Cream
Your sour cream should last up to six months in the freezer.
Once you’ve thawed your sour cream, try to use it within a week.
What You Can Use Frozen/Thawed Sour Cream In
Here’s the downside of sour cream: because of its high water content, its texture will become grainy and separated. That means sour cream that has been frozen and then thawed isn’t nice when eaten on its own.
Instead, you can use thawed sour cream – or frozen sour cream blocks – in these recipes:
- pancakes
- muffins
- casseroles
- soups
- stews
- pies
Where Else Can I Store My Sour Cream?
Of course, freezing your sour cream isn’t your only option. The alternative is to store your sour cream in the refrigerator.
If you choose this method, store your sour cream in the refrigerator before you open it and after.
Once you’ve opened your sour cream, make sure you only use clean utensils and don’t double dip. Either reseal the packaging if possible or transfer it to an airtight container, which will act as a barrier against your sour cream and the bacteria and moisture of the outside world.
Unopened sour cream will last for about 1-3 weeks until its use-by date, according to the USDA. However, if you store your sour cream in the refrigerator as soon as you’re home from the grocery store, don’t be surprised if your unopened tub lasts 1-2 weeks after that date.
Once you’ve opened your sour cream, finish it within two weeks.
The Sour Cream Summary
Now you know if freezing your sour cream is the right option, plus how to freeze sour cream if you want to. Here’s the recap if you need it:
- Your sour cream will last 1-3 weeks in the refrigerator, and its storage life doesn’t change much once it has been opened. Therefore, if you’re planning to eat your sour cream soon, freezing might not be necessary.
- Freezing your sour cream will keep it good for up to 6 months.
- The downside of freezing sour cream is that its texture will change, so you should only use it when mixed in other recipes.
- The easiest method of freezing sour cream is popping the unopened tub in the freezer. That’s it!
