The Simple Trick To Freeze Heavy Cream

If you’re making whipped cream, mashed potatoes, or any other rich and luscious dish, chances are you might have leftover heavy or whipping cream on your hands. Unlike milk, it’s not always as easy to finish the entire carton. (Unless you’re taking it in your morning coffee—which is a good reason to wake up early.) Thankfully, you can freeze leftover heavy cream and whipping cream, although there’s one important step you’ll need to remember. 

How To Freeze Heavy Cream

Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living contributor and co-author of The Global Pantry Cookbook: Transform Your Everyday Cooking with Tahini, Gochujang, Miso, and Other Irresistible Ingredients is an expert on pantry staples both basic and unexpected. Knowing how to store ingredients is just as important as knowing what to do with them, and freezing heavy cream is no exception. Here's what she recommends:

• Freeze heavy cream in an airtight container or plastic freezer bag (with as much air pressed out as possible). Do not store in the original carton.
• Store for no longer than a month or two. So label with date to track carefully.

How To Defrost Heavy Cream

Freezing heavy cream is pretty straightforward, but defrosting it requires a little more know-how. “There’s an old joke that says everything freezes well…but how it thaws, that’s a different story,” Pittman says. “Heavy cream might seem to fail the thaw test, as it will tend to separate when you thaw it after it’s been frozen. But it’s not a fail. You can easily smooth out the texture by shaking or whisking it.” Once you’ve given the cream a good shake to reconstitute it, plan to use it within a day or so.

Recipes To Use Up Extra Heavy Cream

These recipes only require a ½ cup or less of heavy cream, so they are perfect for using up what’s left in the carton.

Creamy Vegetable Pot Pie

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Creamy Lima Beans

Creamy Baked Eggs with Leeks and Spinach