Yes, You Can Freeze Butter. Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Butter is one of those staple ingredients that gets used so much in the kitchen, it’s best to always have some on hand. When stored in the refrigerator, it can last for quite awhile. But what if you want to store butter for even longer? Is it safe to stash it in your freezer? Can you use frozen butter the same way? Here’s everything you ever needed to know about freezing butter.

Butter has a relatively long shelf life — about 1 to 3 months, so it can be tempting to just throw it in the fridge. However, butter picks up flavors from the fridge pretty easily, even when it’s still in its packaging, so storing it in the fridge for months at a time isn’t the best option for preserving its own flavor. The freezer, on the other hand, can keep butter fresh and off-flavor free (if stored properly) for up to a year.

Having extra butter at the ready is also a great way to avoid an unwanted surprise trip to the store when you’re ready to make a batch of pancakes or a pan of butter mochi and realize you’re all out.

Butter can be frozen in its original packaging, which has the advantage of saving you work and having the best-by date printed on it for future reference. To protect butter from freezer burn and from soaking up the odors and flavors of other foods, place it (in its packaging) in a zip-top freezer bag.

If freezing butter outside of its original packaging, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then place it into a zip-top freezer bag or airtight container. Label the bag with the date for future reference.

Storage time depends on whether butter is salted or unsalted. Salt acts as a preservative, extending butter’s shelf life. Unsalted butter can be frozen for up to 9 months, while salted butter will keep in the freezer for up to one year.

Though butter can be stored long term in the freezer, it should be noted that past the one-year mark butter can become freezer burned, which affects texture and flavor. Don’t freeze butter that is expired or past its sell-by date. (The freezer can’t turn back time.) Always check butter — previously frozen or not, for any off colors or smells, which can indicate spoilage.

The safest way to thaw frozen butter is in the refrigerator. This allows the butter to soften slowly without being exposed to higher temperatures where bacteria can grow rapidly. If you need to use frozen butter quickly, you can soften or melt it completely in the microwave. Depending on its intended use, you can also grate frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater. This works well for use in baked goods or if you need softened butter quickly, but don’t want to risk it melting completely in the microwave.

You can use thawed frozen butter the same way you would refrigerated butter. As long as the butter was frozen properly and doesn’t have any signs of freezer burn or spoilage, there shouldn’t be any discernible difference. 

Grated frozen butter is great for use in baked goods like pie crusts, Southern-style biscuits, and puff pastry, where chilled butter helps achieve maximum flakiness.