Can you freeze soy milk? If you would like to know whether soy milk can be frozen or not, this article will give you the answers you need.
Many people drink soy milk, some of them very often. What should you do if you’ve got some leftovers of soy milk and you can’t really find a way to use them within a couple of days? What should you do when you’ve got a few unopened cartons of soy milk in the fridge and you need to leave your home for a couple of months or more?
There are at least two solutions to the mentioned issues. The first one is obvious – throw away the soy milk, you can always buy another carton when you’ll be in need of soy milk. The second one is obvious as well – freeze the soy milk. The answer to the question of whether soy milk can be frozen is affirmative – you can freeze soy milk. There are, however, a few things about the process of freezing soy milk that you should be aware of.
When you should consider freezing soy milk?
The thing is – freezing soy milk isn’t beneficial to this drink. Same thing is true for coconut milk and almond milk I’ll discuss those issue in more detail later. Because of that, you should consider freezing this non-dairy milk only when you have no other option. I assume that throwing the milk away isn’t an option and you would like to drink your milk somewhere in the future.
So, when you should consider freezing this soy beverage? Freezing soy milk is a good idea when it’s close to the expiration date and you can’t find a way to use this lactose-free drink. Please bear in mind that unopened shelf stable soy milk stored in the pantry should be fine for about a year. If the package is already opened, the drink should be fine for about two weeks, maybe a little more, when stored in the refrigerator. Therefore, check the expiration date before putting the package into the freezer. If you buy soy milk in bulk and you’re aware of the fact that you won’t be able to drink all the milk before the expiration date, freezing some of it is a good idea.
Useful information about freezing soy milk
If you need to freeze this dairy-free beverage, there are some things that you need to know. In the previous paragraph, I’ve mentioned that freezing isn’t very beneficial to soy milk. In fact, most soy milk producers state that freezing their products isn’t recommended. They say that soy milk often loses its texture and some of its flavor. Because of that, after freezing and thawing, consumers don’t find this soy beverage as tasty as it was before freezing. Here’s what Silk’s FAQ says about freezing Silk products (and soy milk amongst them):
We do not recommend it. Although freezing does not affect their safety or nutritional value, Silk products change in texture when thawed. However, Silk soymilk, almond milk and coconut milk perform well in frozen-dessert recipes.
There are some issues that you want to consider while freezing soy milk. Size of the soy milk’s package is the first one. The package should be a bit larger than the volume of the beverage. Soy milk consists mostly of water and, as we all know, water changes its capacity while freezing. Because of that, the liquid should have some space to grow inside the container. Otherwise soy milk might destroy the container and spill in the freezer. You should consider storing the soy milk in an airtight container. This way your lactose-free drink won’t absorb any odors from the freezer. If you need to unfreeze your soy milk, you should thaw it in the fridge. After that, it needs to be shaken, stirred or mixed because water will be separated from other contents of the liquid. Use the thawed soy milk within a few days.
Freezing Soy Milk FAQ
Below you can find answers to some of the most popular questions about freezing soy milk.
Can You Freeze Silk Soy Milk?
As already mentioned, Silk does not recommend freezing their products because of the change in texture after thawing. They also note that freezing doesn’t affect safety and nutritional content of their products. That means that if freezing Silk soy milk works for you, feel free to continue doing that.
Can You Freeze Alpro Soy Milk?
Alpro on their website makes a statement very similar to the one Silk made. Here’s what it reads:
Although freezing doesn’t affect the safety, or nutritional value of the product in any way, we cannot guarantee the same high quality standard in taste and texture after unfreezing the product.
In short, freezing is a-okay if you’re happy about the quality of Alpro soy milk after freezing and thawing.
Can You Freeze Soy Milk for Smoothies?
Definitely! Frozen and thawed soy milk works best in recipes, and making smoothies is one of the most popular ways of using soy milk. Please remember that you’ll get the best results when using thawed soy milk in rich, thick smoothies, where the changed texture will be hardly noticeable. If you’re thinking about blending half a banana, some greens, and two cups of soy milk, the results won’t be that good. In short, try thawed soy milk in your favorite smoothie recipes and see how you like them.
Can You Freeze Homemade Soy Milk?
Sure you can. As with store-bought soy milk, the texture will be altered after thawing and you might or might not be happy about the results. Since homemade soy milk usually doesn’t contain any preservatives, it goes bad quite quickly. Freeze it as soon as you realize it needs to be frozen.
Can You Freeze Soy Milk to Make Ice Cream?
Freezing soy milk mixed with some fruit won’t make ice cream. It will make a frozen clump of soy milk with fruit, nothing to be excited about.
If you, however, own an ice cream maker, using thawed soy milk in an ice cream recipe should work fine. The milk is just one of the ingredients in such a recipe and the texture change shouldn’t be noticeable after processing. Again, test out a small amount in your favorite recipe and see how you like it. You won’t know if it’s good or not until you take the time to actually find out.
Summary
Soy milk is one of the commonly used milk alternatives. Many people prefer to drink it simply because it’s a dairy-free and lactose-free drink. If you can’t use your soy beverage, you can freeze it freely. Please bear in mind that you can freeze soy milk, but it’s not recommended to do so. Do it only if you have to.