Can You Freeze Brie Cheese? Here’s What You Have to Do to Get It Right
Updated on March 2, 2023
If you’re a fan of all-things-cheese, then you’ve certainly stumbled over brie a time or two. In fact, if you want to make sure all that brie you bought on sale does not go bad, you may want to consider freezing it.
Of course, the question pops up whether or not you can actually freeze brie cheese or not, as not all foods can be put into the freezer.
Can You Freeze Brie Cheese?
Since brie cheese is pretty expensive to buy on a regular basis, sales are important to save some money. Of course, when this happens, you may end up with products that are closer to their best-by date, so you’ll want to freeze them up so you can prolong their life. One of our readers sent us a message asking about what to do with so much cheese.
I absolutely love brie cheese, but I find it’s very expensive to buy. So, whenever it goes on sale at my local market, I try to stock up and buy a few packages at once. Unfortunately, I often find that I buy too much brie, and then I can’t eat it all on time. This time, I bought several packages of brie, and I’m determined not to let them go to waste. I’m not sure what the best way is of preserving it. Can you freeze brie cheese?
Yes, you can freeze brie cheese, but it won’t come out looking the way it did before you froze it. In other words, while it will still be edible and taste good, you might not be serving it at your next wine and cheese. Soft cheeses are much more difficult to freeze than hard cheeses, partly because of their higher water and fat contents. When water freezes, it expands. Then it contracts again upon thawing, changing the consistency of the cheese.
How to Freeze Brie Cheese?
To freeze brie for best results, freezing it in smaller portion sizes might be a good idea, since you can’t refreeze previously frozen cheese.
- Take the piece of brie that you want to freeze and double wrap it in plastic wrap, ensuring that no part of the cheese is left exposed to the air. This helps to protect the cheese against freezer burn.
- Once wrapped, place the piece of brie in a freezer bag, and squeeze out the excess air.
- Seal the bag, then label and date it.
- Place the bag in the freezer where the cheese will not get squished by other items.
For best results, use frozen brie within 2-3 months, but it can be safely stored for up to 6 months.
How to Keep Your Brie Cheese for Longer?
One thing we figured out about freezing food is that a food saver is literally going to help you save money and time. These devices help take out all the air from the bags or containers and give them a perfect seal, ensuring that you can keep them in the freezer for a lot longer than when you use a regular bag.
Our favorite is the FoodSaver V4840 2-in-1 Vacuum Sealer Machine which works with numerous containers, including 8 and 11-inch bags. The FoodSaver will keep your brie safe and sound until you feel like having it again.
How to Defrost Brie Cheese?
Most of the change in texture occurs during the thawing out process, so this is perhaps the most crucial step to ensuring that your cheese retains as much of its original texture and shape as possible.
It’s important that brie be thawed in the fridge, and not on the counter. Thawing the cheese in the fridge reduces the amount of condensation that forms on the cheese, damaging the texture. Allow the brie to thaw for about 24 hours before removing it from the fridge and allowing it to slowly come to room temperature before serving.
Use thawed brie within two days for best results, and never refreeze previously frozen brie cheese.