Can You Freeze Cheese Balls?

Can You Freeze Cheese Balls?

Cheese balls are fun to make and more enjoyable to eat. Usually, you make cheese balls by mixing cream cheese with semi-soft cheese. Whipping them together gives a smooth consistency. You can add herbs, nuts, and spices before rolling them into balls. They make one of the best appetizers ever.

You can prepare large quantities of cheese balls for a gathering and preserve them carefully. But how do you store the cheese balls? Is it possible to keep them refrigerated?

Can You Freeze Cheese Balls?

Freezing dairy products can always be tricky because of the textural changes in these products after freezing and defrosting. However, textural changes are expected when freezing cheese. As a result, the cheese loses its moisture, becomes softer, and crumbles. However, it is possible to freeze cheese balls properly by following specific precautions.

How Do You Freeze Cheese Balls?

Since you have taken the recommended precautions, you can freeze cheese balls in the following manner.

  1. The fresher the ingredients, the better the freezing process. So, use fresh ingredients to prepare the cheese balls for freezing.
  2. Shape the cheese balls well and wrap them tightly using a cling wrap.
  3. Give more protection to the cheese balls by wrapping them again in aluminum foil. The idea is to limit as much exposure to air and water as possible. In addition, it protects the cheese balls from freezer burn.
  4. Place the wrapped cheese balls in an airtight container. Alternatively, a large freezer bag will suffice. Please ensure to remove excess air from the bag before sealing them airtight.
  5. Keep the freezer bag deep inside the freezer, where the chances of damage are low. But before that, we suggest labeling the bags with the contents and the freezing date.

Freezing Cheese Ball Leftovers

The process of freezing leftover cheese balls is the same. Maintaining the shape of cheese ball leftovers is not an issue. So, you can wrap them directly with aluminum or cling wrap and freeze them. But, we recommend consuming them quickly.

Freezing Store-Bought Cheese Balls

Unopened store-bought cheese balls are best stored in their original packaging. However, if you have opened the package, the freezing method is the same as that for homemade cheese balls.

Tips For Freezing Cheese Balls

These tips can help you freeze cheese balls better.

  1. We never recommend freezing cheese balls that does not hold their shape. While people can argue that freezing the cheese balls will give them the desired shape, defrosting it will make them softer and thus, lose shape rapidly.
  2. Skipping the toppings is advisable because the crunchy toppings can lose their crunchiness. Also, if you have jams and jellies as toppings, they could slide off when defrosting the cheese balls. So, it is better to freeze a cheese ball without toppings.
  3. Keeping it simple is better. You can postpone adding ingredients like dried fruits and olives to the cheese balls. The simpler cheese balls freeze better. Besides, you can always add these ingredients later on.
  4. Cheese can become bad if placed at room temperature for more than two hours. So, we do not advise freezing cheese balls if it has been sitting on the kitchen counter for a long time.

How Long Can Frozen Cheese Balls Remain Fresh In The Freezer?

A homemade cheese ball can stay in the fridge for two weeks without compromising its texture and taste. However, if you wish for extended storage, freezing is viable. The frozen cheese balls can stay fresh for four weeks.

Commercially-made cheese balls have a more extended shelf life. They last longer than the ‘Best By’ date if stored in their original packaging. The expiration date on the cheese ball packet is an estimation because much depends on the ingredients used for making the cheese balls. For example, cheese balls made with spices and herbs can be frozen for several weeks. On the other hand, a cheese ball with smoked salmon cannot last for more than a week because the smoked salmon has a shelf life of seven days in the refrigerator.

How Do You Defrost Frozen Cheese Balls?

Defrosting the cheese balls is tricky. But, here is how you do it.

  1. Please remove the cheese balls from the freezer and unwrap the aluminum foil. Keep the cling wrap layer to prevent the cheese ball from losing moisture and drying out as it defrosts in the fridge.
  2. We advise keeping the cheese balls on a plate to avoid the liquid leaking into the fridge and damaging other foods.
  3. Please allow the cheese balls to defrost in the fridge for 24 hours. The bigger the ball, the more time it takes for defrosting. So, large balls can even take up to 48 hours.
  4. Please confirm whether the cheese ball has defrosted fully. Then, you can insert a toothpick into the ball. The cheese ball is ready for serving if you can penetrate the toothpick easily into the ball.

We advise not to defrost the cheese ball at room temperature or in the microwave because it can cause textural changes and make them unpalatable.

Can You Refreeze Cheese Balls?

No, we do not recommend refreezing cheese balls because the damage to their texture and flavor can be extensive. The cheese balls could lose their taste and become inedible.

Can You Freeze Cheese Balls Made With Cream Cheese?

Yes, it is possible to freeze cream cheese balls. We have discussed the procedure in detail here.

Can You Freeze Cheese Ball Bites?

It is possible to freeze cheese ball bites as described here.

Can You Freeze Mozzarella Cheese Balls?

You can freeze mozzarella cheese balls easily.

Can You Freeze Sausage Cheese Balls?

Freezing sausage cheese is possible using the method described here.

Can You Freeze Goat Cheese Balls?

It is possible to freeze goat cheese balls for two months if you take the precautions properly.

Can You Freeze Potato Cheese Balls?

Potato cheese balls freeze well if uncooked.

Can You Freeze Olive Cheese Balls?

Freezing olive cheese balls is easy. You can place them on a cookie sheet and freeze them inside the freezer for a couple of hours before transferring them to a freezer bag for long-term freezing.

Can You Freeze Mini Cheese Balls?

Mini cheese balls are easy to freeze by following the above method for freezing olive cheese balls.

Final Thoughts

Cheese balls are excellent to have with various recipes. While preparing them should not be an issue, storing them requires care. Can you freeze cheese balls? Yes, you can, but we advise you to follow the instructions listed here in this article.

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