The wonderful thing about cheese is that it generally has a very long shelf life.
That said, there are still plenty of valid reasons you would want to freeze cheese, and it’s natural for many of us to think cheese, especially goat’s cheese, doesn’t freeze very well.
As long as you have the correct method, it’s perfectly freezable.
How do you freeze goat cheese?
So, while the answer is that you definitely can freeze goat cheese, knowing how to do it properly is really important.
If you just throw it in there, it will be essentially ruined—it will lose its lovely texture and a good deal of its flavor.
Depending on how you intend to use the cheese, you might first want to chop it up into portions.
Say, for example, if you plan to use it in recipes, then you could measure out amounts and freeze them individually, meaning you can take portions out as needed.
In any case, wrap each piece of the whole cheese very tightly in saran wrap or cling film.
You can even use a food saver here to vacuum seal the cheese—although this is not necessary.
Then, put each piece or the whole wrapped piece into airtight, ziplock freezer bags.
Make sure to squeeze out all the air you can.
Try your best to keep the cheese off any actual direct surface of the freezer.
It will become freezer burned if it gets stuck to the side or to the bottom.
How long can you freeze goat cheese?
One of the most important steps not mentioned above is to label the cheese with the time and date that you put it in the freezer.
Don’t tell yourself you’ll just remember—you won’t!
Properly stored, goat’s cheese will keep in the freezer for up to six months.
After this time, it will start to lose its texture and flavor regardless of how well you stored it—so do your best to use it up within that time.
And, just to reiterate, labeling will be so helpful for this aspect.
How do you defrost frozen goat cheese?
There isn’t much to defrosting it—certainly, you don’t need to be as careful as you do when putting it in the freezer to begin with.
Depending on the density of the cheese, it will probably take 2-3 hours to defrost.
So, all you really need to do is leave it on the counter and let it defrost.
Alternatively, you can put it in the freezer.
This will actually retain some of the texture a little better than leaving it on the counter, and it shouldn’t change its flavor profile as much.
However, it will take a bit longer to defrost this way.
Either way, most important thing is that you give it plenty of time to fully defrost—if you try and use it while it’s still frozen, it will not taste right.
Can crumbled goat cheese be frozen?
It can, yes.
It won’t necessarily freeze as well or retain its flavor so much, but it certainly can be done if needs be.
The best way, typically, is to simply tightly wrap the original packaging up and put that in the freezer.
If you think it will be in there for longer than 2 months, put it in a heavy-duty bag, too.
Then they should keep in the freezer for just as long as a full block.
Can you freeze goat cheese tarts?
Yes, you can freeze goat cheese tarts.
It’s a slightly different process, though.
First, cover the top of the tart with baking paper.
Then, wrap the whole thing in plastic, and then again in foil.
Remember: label and date it!
Then, your goat’s cheese tarts can be frozen for up to three months, and properly contained, will retain their great texture and flavor.
For thawing, you will want to thaw a tart in the fridge.
Leave it in the fridge for around 24 hours, making sure it is completely thawed before you eat it.
So, as you can see, it’s not as simple as throwing it in a container and putting it in the freezer.
You need to apply a careful method to freezing the goat cheese, otherwise it will come out ruined, or at least not very nice.
Every part of the process has to be pretty carefully executed.
Though you might think this is more effort than it ends up being worth, relatively complicated processes like this only seem so at first.
Once you’ve done it a few times, it will feel much easier.