Quick Answer: How to Freeze Cream Soups
Cream soups are as easy to freeze as they are delicious to have. While soups in general are known to freeze quite well, it bears keeping in mind that freezing cream soups comes with a few added challenges. The chances of changes in texture of flavor after freezing and thawing increases significantly, however, it is still safe to freeze. I would recommend holding off adding the cream while freezing to add it later, only if possible.
This comprehensive, step-by-step, detailed guide has been put together to help you learn how to freeze cream soups easily at home!
We have used our time-tested experience, in addition to expert opinion as well as those of freezing enthusiasts, topped off with hours’ worth of research to put together this guide such that it leaves no stone unturned in helping you efficiently freeze your cream soups!
Read right on to learn the first method of how to freeze cream soups!
How to Freeze Leftover Cream Soup
It is very easy to store leftover cream soup.
However, there are a few things to note and take care of before you do so that your soup actually freezes well and its quality is preserved inside the freezer.
You need to use good quality freezer bags and containers, and follow carefully.
Materials
- Sturdy spoon
Tools
- Resealable airtight freezer bag / airtight freezer-safe container with tight-fitting lid
Instructions
- Prep the cream soup for freezing – What this basically consists of is to make sure that there are no food debris left mixed in with your leftover cream soup.
If not removed carefully, these will significantly speed up the degradation process of the ingredients of your cream soup inside the freezer. - Spoon the cream soup into an airtight container or freezer bag – Once prepped, use a sturdy spoon to transfer your leftover cream soup into either an airtight freezer-safe container that has a tight-fitting lid (a Tupperware will do) or a resealable airtight Ziplock bag.
Whichever you go with, it would be helpful to choose a bag or container that fits all of the leftover soup in it without leaving too much space for air.
At the same time, take care to not fill the bag/container to the brim with the soup, as the liquid may expand while freezing. - Seal securely and freeze – Make sure you squeeze out any excess air from inside the freezer bag and then seal it securely.
If you are using a freezer-friendly container, snap on the lid tightly. Label the bag, and it is ready to freeze!
Always make sure that the freezer bags or containers that you choose to freeze the leftover soup in are of good quality and have been thoroughly cleaned, sanitized, and washed.
Freezing Freshly Made Cream Soup All Together
Time Taken: 15-30 minutes
What You Need:
- Aluminum foil/plastic wrap
- Airtight, rigid, large freezer-safe container with a tight-fitting lid
Suppose you have made a sizeable batch of cream soup and wish to store it for some occasion later.
In that case, you can use this method; it is also quite simple and allows you to defrost all of it at once, ready to serve!
And for this one, we recommend a large, freezable rigid container.
Prepare your cream soup as per recipe
If possible, avoid using mayonnaise or any sour cream-based ingredients that usually do not freeze well and would also degrade the overall freezing capacity of the cream soup. Add them after thawing.
Spoon the cream soup into an airtight container or freezer bag
Once prepped, use a sturdy spoon to transfer your fresh cream soup into a large, rigid airtight freezer-safe container that has a tight-fitting lid.
Again, see to it that the container fits all of the soup in it without leaving too much space for air.
Do not fill the container to the brim with the soup (leave around an inch of space!) as some ingredients may expand while freezing.
Seal securely
Make sure you snap on the lid tightly and securely.
Wrap the container with plastic wrap or foil
For one layer of added protection, especially against freezer burns, use some plastic wrap or foil to carefully and tightly wrap the entire container.
Label the container with the storage date, and it is ready to freeze!
Just in case you haven’t actually made your soup yet and are just exploring your options, here is a quick refresher on the classic tasty cream soup recipe
Freezing Freshly Made/Leftover Cream Soup in Portions
Time Taken: 30-40 minutes
What You Need:
- Small airtight Ziplock freezer bags
- Sturdy spoon
It is always, always strongly advised to freeze any food in serving portions, so that you are able to take, thaw, and use only as much as you need at a time without bothering the rest;
that way, you can avoid having to thaw more than you need and then refreezing unnecessarily.
Spoon the cream soup into small airtight freezer bags, based on serving portions
Divide the cream soup into serving portions (as in, roughly the amount you would need each time), and put accordingly into small airtight freezer bags.
Do not fill to the brim; leave at least an inch to expand.
Seal and freeze
Before you seal the bags, squeeze out all the air from them possible. Then seal the bags very tightly and securely.
Label the bags, and pop them into your freezer. They are good to be frozen for up to three months!
If you are (understandably) feeling a little queasy about keeping soup in freezer bags, you can also transfer the pouches into one or multiple airtight freezer bags, or keep the soups directly in airtight, rigid, freezer-safe containers, whichever works best for you.
If you are sure that you will not be using up the entire amount of cream soup you are freezing at one go, you should definitely freeze the soup in this method.
That way, you can use the frozen cream soup over a period of time, saving time, effort and space.
How to Freeze Salad
Time Taken: 15-30 minutes
What You Need:
- Sturdy spoon
- Resealable airtight freezer bag / airtight freezer-safe container with tight-fitting lid
Salads are another incredibly tasty, yet very healthy dish. Salad and soup together make the most scrumptious meal ever, and one of my personal favorites.
Freezing them at the same time is a great idea – saves you so much effort later on when it’s too hard to put a meal together!
It is very easy to store salad. However, there are a few things to note and take care of before you do so that your salad actually freezes well and its quality is preserved inside the freezer.
Spoon the cream salad into an airtight container or freezer bag
Once prepped, use a sturdy spoon to transfer your leftover cream salad into either an airtight freezer-safe container that has a tight-fitting lid (a Tupperware will do) or a resealable airtight Ziplock bag.
Whichever you go with, it would be helpful to choose a bag or container that fits all of the leftover salad in it without leaving too much space for air.
At the same time, take care to not fill the bag/container to the brim with the salad, as some ingredients may expand while freezing.
Seal securely and freeze
Make sure you squeeze out any excess air from inside the freezer bag and then seal it securely. If you are using a freezer-friendly container, snap on the lid tightly.
Label the bag with the storage date, and it is ready to freeze!
How Long Can You Freeze Cream Soup?
Cream soup does not, strictly speaking, freeze well, but if kept correctly, it can actually be preserved for an extended period of time. It is recommended that you consume the cream soup within 4 to maximum 6 months for optimum flavor.
The longer you keep the cream soup in the freezer, the more it is going to lose its texture, consistency, flavor, and taste as the ingredients will start to lose moisture, separate, and get spoilt. So, make plans to eat it up accordingly.
Whatever you do, by no means keep your cream soup in the freezer for beyond 6 months.
How to Store Frozen Cream Soup?
Cream soup can be kept in freezer storage in airtight freezer bags, as prescribed in the methods above, whether homemade or store-bought, leftover or freshly-made, all together or separately in individual serving portions.
Other freezer storage tips include making sure that the temperature in the freezer remains consistent and that the sealing has been done securely and carefully.
Remember that your cream soup may not hold up well in the freezer even beyond a couple of weeks if the storage is not done properly, following all the instructions correctly and meticulously and making sure you use the best quality materials.
How to Defrost Frozen Cream Soup?
To defrost frozen cream soup, just transfer the container from the freezer to the fridge and allow the soup to thaw overnight. You can reheat if after that, and remember to stir well to recombine the ingredients properly together again.
Thawing in the refrigerator overnight it the best way to go about defrosting frozen cream soup. If your soup is in a container, it can be kept directly it into the refrigerator.
If the cream soup has been frozen in a bag, put the bag in a container first, and then into the refrigerator.
This way, if, the bag, by any chance, got damaged in the freezer, the soup will be prevented from spilling all over the place and making a mess. It is better to be safe than sorry.
If you need the soup thawed faster, don’t worry, there is a method for that as well. Simply submerge it in a container with cold water for a couple of hours.
However, it is recommended that you use this method only if absolutely necessary, and stick to the fridge thawing method.
Once the cream soup is all thawed and nice, you can transfer it into a pot.
Heat it over medium heat for a while. All the while, be sure to keep stirring the soup really well with a sturdy spoon or ladle, to recombine all the ingredients.
It is while reheating that you can safely add the cream and stir it into the soup while reheating it.
If you haven’t already added the cream. In case your soup already has cream and you would like to add a little more after thawing, you can also add and stir while reheating.
At this point, you may also want to add the milk, herbs, or any other such ingredients of the cream soup. It should be ready for consumption in not more than a few minutes.
Can You Re-freeze Frozen Cream Soup?
It is never a good idea to refreeze cream soup. It can suffer significantly with regard to its texture, flavor, taste, and appearance. Therefore, it is best to avoid refreezing cream soup.
Even for freezing, freezing in portions, is the most recommended as it lets you defrost and use only as much of it as you need, at a time, without having to go into the hassle of refreezing.
Try your best to use up the entire amount of cream soup that you have thawed at one go without having any leftovers.
In case you do end up with some, it is best to discard them as the chances are that they are simply not fit or safe for consumption anymore.
Does Cream Soup Freeze Well?
While it largely depends on the kind of ingredients involved, on a general note, yes, cream soup freezes fine, despite having a dairy ingredient.
If prepped carefully following the right methods, it can even be kept in freezer storage for up to five to even six months.
That said, do note that the longer you keep cream soup in freezer storage, the greater are its chances of slowly getting mushier and poorer with regard to its texture, and even taste and flavor.
So, freeze the cream soup accordingly, with plans to consume it by the earliest.
This is why I always recommend labelling the containers or freezer bags with the date, so that you do not end up forgetting about the soup and keeping it in the freezer for an extended period of time beyond the recommended period!
FAQs
Yes! If you have frozen your cream soup carefully using the proper method and are having it within a reasonable time from freezing it, your cream soup should be just fine to have!
Just make sure you carefully follow the instructions given here for thawing and reheating – messing up those procedures may possibly hamper the taste and quality of your soup.
You can add herbs and other such ingredients to your cream soup, as with the dairy products, while reheating and after thawing. This is how they will turn out the best.
You should be able to store your cream soup in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. So, if you are planning on finishing it up by then, there is no need to freeze.
However, to store for longer, I would recommend freezing to be your best alternative.
Cream soup works great with a whole variety of different light food items, including (as mentioned earlier!) a salad, some grilled meat or fish, some dinner rolls or even garlic toast! Enjoy your meal!
You can give the cream soup a good stir to help it regain its original consistency as much as possible. Stirring and re-mixing vigorously usually reconstitutes and recombines all the ingredients of your cream soup after it has been frozen and thawed.
Yes, absolutely. Pour the thawed soup into a microwaveable bowl, and then run it on high for 20 seconds. After that, stir the soup once well, and then, if necessary, reheat again for 20 more seconds.
Sure thing. Pour the thawed and separated soup into the blender, and blend for 30 seconds. This would make all the ingredients of your cream soup recombine in no time and make it ready to reheat and eat!
Bottom Line
We hope this comprehensive, step-by-step guide covering the best methods to freeze cream soup successfully at the safety and ease of your home has helped you!
For any further questions you may have regarding freezing cream soup, please do let us know by reaching out to us!
If you have any other tips and tricks you have discovered about freezing cream soup, feel free to reach out and let us know; we will add them to this guide so they can help more people!
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