Perhaps you are a vegan or a vegetarian and drink soy milk, pour it on your cereal, and even cook with it. If when you go to the store you find that soy milk is reduced in price, you would probably want to stock up. However, some cartons may surpass the sell-by dates by the time you come to use them. So what do you do? The simple answer is to freeze the soy milk (see also Can You Freeze Tofu?). In this article, we will tell you more about freezing soy milk (see also How To Freeze Almond Milk) so that you can get it right.
Is it Possible to Freeze Soy Milk?
Yes, you can freeze soy milk, and other dairy-free milks (see also How To Freeze Coconut Milk) although it might lose some of the creamy texture that it has when fresh. The ingredients in soy milk (see also article on freezing almond milk) can separate when it is frozen and therefore you won’t get what you had before you froze the milk.
However, it is still worth doing if you intend to use it in recipes such as soups and baked goods. You could use it in dishes like beef stroganoff or in the sauce for something like moussaka or a pasta dish. You may not feel like pouring it over your cereal after freezing, but it’s still worth a try to see how it tastes.
How Do You Freeze Soy Milk?
You will want to avoid the soy milk from separating if at all possible, so shake the carton or stir the milk vigorously when you put it in a container. It is best not to freeze the soy milk (see also Freezing Milk) in freezer bags as it is easy to spill it when it has thawed. Also, when it is frozen, it expands and the bag could break. That would make a terrible mess in your freezer. The best thing to do is get a freezer-safe container and put the soy milk in that. Leave a few inches of space at the top because, as we have said, the soy milk will expand. Make sure that the container is securely sealed and then label it with the date. It is always a good idea to check all the containers periodically to make sure that they are not going out of date.
How Do You Defrost Soy Milk?
It is best to freeze soy milk that hasn’t reached its sell-by date as freezing isn’t going to make it fresh. Soy milk does deteriorate when it is frozen (see also Can You Freeze Tempeh) so it is best to defrost and use it within two to three months.
Don’t defrost the soy milk on your worktop. If it defrosts too quickly, it will definitely be watery and bacteria might develop. The best thing to do is place the container in the fridge and leave it to defrost for a few hours or even overnight. You will then be sure that it has fully defrosted.
When you think that the soy milk has defrosted, shake or stir it to try and regain some of the original consistency. It won’t be quite the same, but you may get back some of the creamy texture.
It is best to use thawed soy milk the same day that you defrost it. Don’t think that you can keep it for days to pour over your cereal. Bacteria can develop very quickly in soy milk. It is a good idea to thaw it when you need a lot of it, say when you are using it in recipes. Of course, you could get small containers so that you only have to thaw out a small amount each time you need soy milk. Remember not to refreeze soy milk once you have defrosted it as that can cause bacteria to develop.
