Can You Freeze Peanut Butter?
Do you love peanut butter? And why not?
Peanut butter is a popular, nutritious spread made from ground, dry-roasted peanuts. We use it in many recipes, especially as a spread on toast, crackers, and sandwiches. From kids to adults, everyone loves to taste peanut butter.
Many people are curious to know if they can freeze peanut butter. Can you freeze peanut butter?
In short, you can store peanut butter in a freezer for half a year, maximum. Please put the item directly in the freezer without peeling out its packaging. Otherwise, you may consider different methods like splitting it into different storages.
We are here to discuss the possibility of freezing peanut butter and the associated benefits and drawbacks. You will find out how to freeze peanut butter and how long it can be stored in the freezer. Besides, you may also learn about the potential effects of freezing on the texture, taste, and nutritional value of peanut butter.
Can You Freeze Peanut Butter? – Is It Possible?
So, the question is all about freezing peanut butter. Is it really possible to store it without lessening the taste or quality? Well, you can indeed store the butter in a freezer for long months. Freezing peanut butter can make the item behave a bit differently. Let me discuss this point in detail.
Typically, water or moisture from any food item you put inside a freezer is frozen. But here is a thing – peanut butter is not so rich in moisture. So, it may appear different than other foods you store in the fridge. There will not be any pure block of brownish ice. But this butter will be a pure block of brown fat. Strange, isn’t it?
One more thing, you don’t need any special freezer to freeze this item; a regular freezer will work well. After all, the freezing point of peanut butter is 3°C/37°F. It can be a reason why many people do not love to eat a frozen version of it. But don’t worry, a regular freezer will keep this food safe.
Freezing the butter is good for convenient uses. But if you store it for a long time, like 6+ months, the taste won’t remain the same as expected. Some people consider storing it for 9 months too. But it is not good if you love to have its absolute taste.
Why Do You Need to Freeze Peanut Butter?
You have bought several jars of butter from the market. Now, you can only consume a few spoons of it. What shall you do with the rest? Throw in the can or leave it open, thinking you will have it later. Does this sound good?
Freezing is the best way to store peanut butter for a long time. Not only for the bought items, but you can also make your own peanut butter at home at bulk. Then, store them properly by keeping them in the freezer.
Keeping the butter jars open or outside of the freezer may keep the food fine for only a few days. Then, you may not have it anymore as its taste and quality will be compromised soon. Alternatively, keeping it inside the refrigerator can lock its purity, nutritional value, and taste quality.
How Fast Does Peanut Butter Freeze?
Which one do you love – homemade or store-bought peanut butter? However, if you get the butter, you can store them in the fridge. It may take minimum of 45-60 minutes for single-serving peanut butter (like an ice-cube container. It may start freezing within 6 hours if it is a full jar.
Thus, this speed depends on the type of butter you want to freeze. For example, if you wish to freeze pure peanut butter, it will freeze faster. But this time can be different if you add ingredients to the butter like sugar, salt, oil, and others.
There is also peanut butter available which may not freeze at all for the quantity of non-peanut ingredients in them. But don’t worry; most of the peanut butter from the market is good to store in a fridge.
Can You Refreeze the Frozen Peanut Butter?
Few people out there do not love to refreeze the thawed peanut butter in the fridge. Maybe the worsening taste and quality are the reason why they think so.
But most people may consider refreezing the once-frozen peanut butter. Hence, it helps them to make more recipes like homemade fudge brownies.
Recommended Containers for Freezing Peanut Butter
You can choose these things to freeze the peanut butter locking its quality and taste:
- Plastic Freezer Bags
- Plastic Containers with Lids
- Aluminum Foil
- Vacuum-Sealed Bags
- Glass Jars with Lids
Effects of Freezing Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is a highly perishable food item. Freezing it can help prevent it from going bad as it is an effective way to extend its shelf life and preserve its texture and flavor. While freezing peanut butter can help to extend its shelf life, it can also cause changes in its texture and flavor.
A. Shelf Life
Freezing peanut butter can help to extend its shelf life by slowing down the rate of spoilage. Peanut butter contains high fat and protein, which can become rancid when exposed to heat, light, and oxygen.
When frozen, the rate of spoilage is significantly reduced. Also, the shelf life can be extended by several months. It is very beneficial for those who want to buy large quantities of peanut butter and keep it for an extended period.
B. Texture and Flavor Changes
Freezing can also cause changes in its texture and flavor. The freezing process can cause the fat in the peanut butter to become brittle, resulting in a gritty texture.
The flavor of the peanut butter can be affected by the freezing process, resulting in a slightly different taste. For this reason, we advise you to consume frozen peanut butter within a few weeks, as the texture and flavor will be at its best.
How to Freeze Peanut Butter in * Ways
We know you want to freeze tasty butter for reuse purposes. But what are the most suitable ways to freeze peanut butter? Well, it depends! Multiple types of peanut butter are out there. They have different ways to freeze in the freezer. Here are some valuable suggestions:
Freezing a Full Unopened Jar
Freezing peanut butter in a glass jar is often less inspired. The substances are prone to expand when you freeze them, which puts pressure on the jar. As a result, the glass wall of jar may shatter, resulting in hygiene and health safety issues. Still if you want to use glass jars for freezing peanut butters, you should keep the lid open. It will prevent the jar from shattering. Also, it may help to maintain the quality of the food item.
If you do not want to keep the jar unopened, we suggest you change the lid when the peanut butter is frozen. Usually, it takes 6 hours to freeze a peanut butter jar.
Freezing an Opened Jar
If you have opened the jar for a moment or it is half-full, you should transfer the peanut butter out of it. Then, store them in an airtight container or a freezer-safe Ziplock bag. Please, try to choose a bag or container with the same size as the quantity of peanut butter for freezing purposes. It will keep the container out of air left inside it.
For a bigger container, you can place a layer of plastic wrap on the container surface before you put the lid on. It prevents air from damaging the quality of the peanut butter. Do the same thing with a Ziplock bag; it should not have excessive air inside it.
Freezing Peanut Butter in a Portion
It is always better to freeze peanut butter in small quantities. You may freeze it like the ice in the ice cube trays. Usually, you can store 2 tbsp butter in a standard tray. But we suggest you check the tray before you place the butter. Now, add some peanut butter to each tray cube and start freezing them. After freezing in the cube tray, pop out and place the peanut butter in the Ziplock bags. Then, label and date on the bag.
Other Ways to Freeze Peanut Butter
Freezing the butter may change the texture after defrosting. But here is a way you can get the actual smooth texture back when you defrost the peanut butter:
Make small pieces of peanut butter and place them in a plastic container. As the butter has oil in it, there is no chance of sticking to the cotton. Still, you can shake the container so that each piece gets an even layer of oil. Then, store the container in the freezer after labeling it and adding a date.
You may add a teaspoon of oil to the container frozen inside the freezer. Instead of oil, you may add water or apple sauce when the butter is thawed properly. That’s it. When you defrost the peanut butter, it will remain smooth.
How to Thaw Peanut Butter Properly?
You should not just bring out the frozen peanut butter and start using it. It is always better to thaw it first. While thawing it, you may see a portion of oil coming out the butter. You can reduce this separation of oil by thawing it properly. At this step, we will discuss how to thaw peanut butter properly.
Before bringing the butter out of the freezer, let it thaw overnight inside the freezer. If you do it outside the freezer, you will see a condensed outer surface and maybe inside peanut butter. Usually, natural peanut butter thaws at room temperature.
For quick use of the butter, you can thaw it on the counter. Therefore, we do not suggest you bring the food and place it in the microwave. It will allow the peanut butter oil to react unexpectedly to the hot microwave. Still, keep the setting lowest in the microwave if you wish to do so.
If your peanut butter has additives in it, you can spread the butter quickly. You can easily defrost it on the kitchen counter as the additives won’t let it separate easily.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q. Does the frozen peanut butter taste good after defrosting?
- If you securely freeze and properly thaw the peanut butter, it will still taste good after defrosting.
- Q. Can I lose weight by consuming peanut butter?
- You can count it in your balanced, healthy diet to reduce weight. But you should be aware of the quantity of eating peanut butter as it is a food high in calories and fat.
- Q. What are the nutritional benefits of eating peanut butter?
- A 2 tbsp peanut butter is enough to have 25% of daily saturated fat needs. Also, you can have fatty acids, essential amino acids, phosphorus, zinc, calcium, and vitamin B6 from it. Each serving may contain around 1.8g fiber and 7g protein.
Conclusion
So, what do you think – can you freeze peanut butter?
You can surely freeze the peanut butter in a container or jar by making them airtight for up to 6 months. There will be no or slight change of smoothness of the texture. Still, you get the same delicious taste if you thaw it properly.
We hope you enjoy knowing about freezing and defrosting the peanut butter. Have a nice peanut buttery day!
