Can You Freeze Shredded Mozzarella Cheese? How You Can Do This

Some people think that mozzarella cheese is a little bland, but it has to be used in the right scenarios. You can’t go wrong if you use it in Italian cookery. Just think of melted mozzarella on a Margareta pizza or as an addition to many pasta dishes. It’s also nice on toast with a bit of ketchup (see also Can You Freeze Ketchup). However, what happens if you find a really big bag of shredded mozzarella in the store on sale? It would be a shame not to take advantage of such an offer, but what do you do with the mozzarella you can’t use by the sell-by date. The answer is simple, just freeze it. It’s a lot better than throwing it in the trash. There is enough food that goes to waste these days.

Freezing Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Mozzarella cheese (see also Can You Freeze Alfredo Sauce?) is a great cheese to freeze. When you come to defrost it, it will taste almost the same as when it was frozen. While you may have some trouble freezing slices or rounds of mozzarella cheese (see also Can You Freeze String Cheese), you won’t have the same problem with shredded mozzarella. Shredded mozzarella isn’t as soft as the slices are so the consistency won’t change much when you freeze it. However, you may be worried that the cheese will clump. However, in this article, we will show you how to freeze shredded mozzarella cheese (see also Freezing Grated Cheese) without this happening.  

How to Prepare Shredded Mozzarella Cheese for Freezing

There are a couple of ways to prepare your shredded mozzarella cheese for freezing (see also Can You Freeze Mozzarella) and both will give you good results. However, one takes more effort than the other so you need to keep this in mind. It all depends if you want to add anything to your cheese or not.

Adding flour

An easy way to freeze shredded mozzarella cheese is to add flour, so if you are strapped for time this is the way to go. All you need is a tablespoon or two of flour. It won’t affect the taste of your cheese. Alternatively, you can use cornstarch which is good news for people who have an allergy to gluten. The flour or cornstarch will absorb any extra moisture the cheese has and this stops the cheese from clumping. It is simple to do. Just shake the flour or cornstarch over the cheese. You may find that some store-bought shredded mozzarella cheese has already been coated in flour. Just look at the ingredients on the packet.

Not Adding Flour

Perhaps you don’t want to add flour to your shredded mozzarella. It isn’t essential, but you need to spread the cheese out in a single layer on a baking sheet to stop it from clumping. Then put the cheese in the freezer for around 20 minutes. Then take the cheese out of the freezer. The shreds of mozzarella should have frozen separately.

The Next Step

Whether you have covered the shredded mozzarella cheese with flour or not, the next step is the same. Just get a freezer bag or an airtight plastic container and put in the cheese. Squeeze the air out of the bag if this is your method of freezing the cheese. If there is air in the bag, freezer burn can occur and your cheese will dry out and lose flavor.

Because the cheese won’t clump, you can just put it into one container or bag and take out as much as you need for a meal. However, there’s nothing wrong with freezing in smaller packages. The cheese will still stay good for a couple of days in the fridge if you don’t use it. 

When you have filled the bag or container, place it in the freezer. It won’t take long to freeze. It’s a good idea to put a label on the bag or container. If you freeze a lot of items you may not remember when you put the cheese in the freezer. 

What is the Shelf life of Frozen Mozzarella?

This is good news. Frozen shredded mozzarella will last for a least four months in the freezer without losing the flavor. You probably won’t want to keep it for this long anyway as it is a great addition to pizza, pasta, mac and cheese, and a whole range of other dishes. It will melt into a shepherd’s pie (see also Can You Freeze Shepherd’s Pie) nicely and will be a great addition to a melted cheese baguette with avocado, tomato, and pesto sauce. If you want to go really simple, put the shredded mozzarella in between two slices of bread and toast it in a sandwich maker.

How Can You Keep Shredded Mozzarella Cheese for Longer?

Perhaps you have found some shredded mozzarella on sale and couldn’t miss the opportunity to buy it. If so, you may end up freezing a big bag full of mozzarella, and don’t think you can use it all up even with the shelf life it has in the freezer. If this is you, then consider buying a vacuum sealer. A vacuum sealer will take out all the air from the bag and seal it perfectly. This will stop the cheese from getting freezer burn and it will retain the flavor. If you do this you will be able to keep the cheese for longer than a few months. 

What Can You Do With Frozen Shredded Mozzarella Cheese?

You don’t have to thaw frozen shredded mozzarella cheese. Just take it out of the freezer and add it to a pizza (see also ‘Can You Freeze Domino’s Pizza?‘) in the oven. It’s probably best to do this just about five minutes before you are going to serve it. Put a bowl of it on the table when you are eating pasta such as ziti and just add it as you need it.  It also melts well on a burger (see also Can You Freeze Hamburger Buns) or even a black bean burger for the vegetarians out there.  

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