Can You Freeze Alfredo Sauce?
Homemade Alfredo is one of the best comfort meals.
There are so many ways to make Alfredo sauce, and of course, you can always buy it pre-made as well. You can mix it with any type of pasta or you can use it for things besides pasta as well. One of the popular alternatives now is pizza.
Whether you make Alfredo sauce from scratch or use your favorite kind from a jar, it’s important to know the proper storage techniques to preserve it if you have leftovers.
A little bit of sauce can really go a long way, so it’s pretty common to have extra sauce that you have to figure out what to do with.
Can you freeze Alfredo sauce? Unlike some creamy sauces that don’t freeze very well, you can freeze Alfredo sauce for a short time with good results. The key to successfully freezing Alfredo sauce is properly reheating it after freezing and thawing.
In this guide, we will walk you through the entire process of freezing Alfredo sauce, sharing all of the tips and tricks that will help you to be successful. We will also share tips for using it after freezing, since this is really an important part of the process.
Stick with us to learn how to freeze alfredo sauce and more!
Freezing Alfredo Sauce – The Ultimate Guide
You’re familiar with Alfredo sauce. It’s a creamy white sauce loaded with dairy and garlic and more. Alfredo sauce recipes can vary but for the most part, the base ingredients are the same.
What makes Alfredo sauce more challenging to freeze is the existence of heavy dairy products.
Creamy products and sauces, especially with cheese, can sometimes be challenging to freeze. The common issue is that they tend to separate when they are stored.
However, you really can freeze some of these sauces if you are careful with the process.
It’s not so much freezing that might cause issues but how you use the sauce after it’s been frozen that can make your freezing journey successful. There are some specific tips for reheating that sauce that can bring it all back together the ways it’s supposed to be.
Do Cream Sauces Like Alfredo Sauce Freeze Well?
It’s time to lay this myth to rest. You’ve heard it before, that’s probably why you are here: Freezing any type of cream sauce comes with a certain risk.
This IS true but it doesn’t make the task impossible.
You see, while freezing a cream sauce can pose its risks and challenges, it is possible to successfully freeze it. You just need to know the best tricks to have the best success. Of course, that’s why we’re here, right?
After testing and research, we have all of those tricks to share with you here. We’ll explain the best freezing process to use on just about any type of cream sauce, including Alfredo. It’s the same concept across the board.
Will your sauce have separation issues? It just might, but there are ways to work with the separation and bring your sauce back to life.
The reason it’s so often not recommended to freeze cream sauces is that ingredients with heavy dairy and cream tend to separate and maybe even thin out. Lucky for you, we can combat those side effects.
If you freeze your cream sauces like Alfredo correctly, and reheat them correctly as well, you shouldn’t have many issues overall.
It’s not perfect but it is a reliable option when you need some way to preserve your cream sauce.
If you know you will need to freeze the sauce, freeze it right away after cooking. Don’t toss it in the fridge for 2-3 days and then freeze it. This will only make matters worse.
What Kind of Ingredients Are in Alfredo Sauce?
There is dairy and then there are other ingredients with the dairy in Alfredo sauce. The ingredients can vary depending on how you choose to have your sauce flavored or seasoned.
It is the ingredients within Alfredo sauce that can become a problem when you freeze the sauce. To better understand how freezing affects it, let’s look at those ingredients a little more closely.
Here is a quick list of the ingredients found in a traditional Alfredo sauce:
- Melted butter
- Half and half or cream
- Cornstarch
- Garlic
- Parmesan cheese
- Cream cheese
- Various spices to taste
Remember that these ingredients can vary but this gives you a general idea of what is typically in Alfredo sauce and what you might have to contend with if you are going to try to freeze your sauce.
How to Freeze Alfredo Sauce
Now, let’s talk more specifically about the process for freezing Alfredo. You can use these processes for both homemade and store-bought Alfredo sauce.
One thing to point out here is that store-bought sauces will last quite a long time if they remain in an unopened jar. This means you won’t need to freeze it unless you’ve opened it and have sauce remaining.
Both freeze pretty well. Store-bought sauce might actually freeze slightly better since it has been processed and canned previously to being used. However, in the end, if you do things correctly, both sauces will be able to be frozen.
Follow these steps to freeze your Alfredo sauce:
- Prepare your Alfredo sauce as normal, even if it just means opening the jar.
- Let Alfredo sauce cool to room temperature (if cooked). Don’t wait any longer to freeze it. The sooner you freeze it, the better but you don’t want it to be too warm.
- Separate sauce into heavy-duty freezer bags. Don’t overfill the bags, you want to be able to lay them mostly flat and have some space left in the bag as well.
- Squeeze as much air as you possibly can out of the bag.
- Seal your bags tightly, to be sure no leakage will happen and no air will affect the sauce.
- Label and date each bag.
- Freeze right away.
Freeze Alfredo sauce using this method for up to 6 months. Do not try to refreeze the sauce later.
This method is pretty simple. Keep in mind, you want to get your sauce in the freezer as quickly as possible. The less it sits at room temperature the better. At the same time, you want your sauce to have cooled off before you try to freeze it.
If you notice your sauce starting to separate as it cools, go ahead and give it a good stir before you spoon it into freezer bags. You don’t want the separation to already be taking place before the sauce even makes it to the freezer.
If you follow these steps, you really should be able to freeze Alfredo sauce without a problem. Remember that the real challenge will come when it is time to reheat that Alfredo sauce.
We promise, it’s not that hard. Your sauce will just need a little bit of extra attention and TLC. We will get to that here in a bit.
Can You Freeze Homemade and Store-Bought Alfredo Sauce the Same Way?
The good news here is that you can use the methods we shared for freezing purposes for both homemade and store-bought Alfredo sauce.
With store-bought Alfredo, you mostly likely won’t have to worry about letting it cool. Of course, if you already heated the entire jar up in a pan, then you do need to cool it before freezing it.
Other than that minor detail, the processes are exactly the same.
Remember that if you have an unopened jar of Alfredo in the pantry, it will most likely be good there for at least 6 months.
If it is in the pantry and is unopened, then you don’t need to worry about freezing it. Just keep it safely stored away in the pantry for when you need it!
You can freeze both homemade and store bought Alfredo sauce, using the same methods and expect very similar results in the end.
Handling Alfredo Sauce After Freezing
Now, let’s get down to the heart of the matter. We told you earlier in this guide that if you freeze your Alfredo sauce, the true key to success lies in how you handle it after it is frozen.
Following the proper freezing steps DOES matter tremendously but reheating it properly also matters almost just as much.
You see, freezing is just the preservation. In the freezer, it’s possible for some separation of ingredients to take place and that’s OK.
BUT when you take that sauce out of the freezer and you’re ready to use it, this is when you want to take extra care to get your sauce back to the way it was meant to be enjoyed and hopefully not experience any odd textures or flavors in the process.
Because this is such a vital part of successfully freezing Alfredo, we are including steps for using Alfredo sauce after it has been frozen, in order for you to have a successful experience.
Follow these steps after you have frozen your Alfredo sauce and you are ready to use it again:
- Allow Alfredo sauce to thaw out in the fridge overnight if at all possible. We recommend letting it thaw so you can handle it appropriately as you reheat it.
- Before reheating it, use a whisk or a sturdy spoon and stir it together really well until any separated ingredients have been brought back together.
- Reheat on the stove in a pot. Use a low heat and do not overheat the sauce. You want to heat it slowly on low heat to only about 160 degrees Fahrenheit. As you reheat, use a spoon or a whisk and stir it almost constantly to meld those ingredients back together as they should be.
Note: If your sauce seems too thin or as though it has excess moisture, you can add some diluted cornstarch.
Dilute approximately 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch with a couple drops of water and stir this solution into the sauce. Let the sauce simmer, with regular stirring and it will thicken in the process.
This part of the process is not overly complicated but it does require some attention from you in order to make sure your sauce reheats properly and you don’t run into any issues.
If you follow these steps and tricks, you shouldn’t have any issues with your sauce having an odd texture or flavor and it will be nearly just as good as the first time around.
The key is to stir it before reheating to bring the ingredients back together and to stir very regularly while it is reheating to maintain the ingredients together as well.
That’s it! You’re set to enjoy that Alfredo sauce all over again!
Remember, don’t try to refreeze the sauce after it has been frozen and reheated once.
How Long Can You Keep Alfredo in the Fridge?
If you anticipate using leftover Alfredo sauce within a few days, you can totally use the fridge.
If you opt to store the alfredo sauce in the refrigerator, the maximum timeframe for best quality is about 3-4 days. Since this is a product with dairy that has been cooked, it probably won’t keep any longer than that in the fridge.
For comparison purposes, you can store Alfredo sauce in the freezer for up to 6 months. Both of these storage times are depending upon being stored properly and being stored in an airtight method as well.
Can we let you in on a little secret? Your Alfredo sauce might experience separation while it is stored in the fridge as well.
A good way to combat this is to give a really good and hearty stir before you use it. If you feel like it has become thin, try adding just a tiny amount of flour or cornstarch to help thicken it back up.
Just a quick reminder, if you anticipate that you will need to freeze your Alfredo sauce, it’s best to go ahead and do that right way and skip the refrigeration step completely.
This is because the quality will degrade every day that it spends in the fridge and it won’t improve while it is in the freezer.
Remember that freezing items very rarely improves their quality but rather is just designed to preserve their quality as it is at the time of freezing. Storing your Alfredo in the fridge and moving it to the freezer will reduce the quality overall.
That being said, if you toss your Alfredo in the fridge and then realize you’re not going to get it used within a couple of days, go ahead and freeze it. Stir it well and get it in the freezer as quickly as possible when you realize you need to.
While it’s not the best practice to refrigerate and then freeze Alfredo sauce, it is a possible approach and it will work better than simply letting it go bad in the refrigerator and then having to toss it out!
Related Questions
We hope that you have found this guide to freezing alfredo sauce to be informative and helpful. You should now be equipped with every little detail that you need to know in order to freeze alfredo sauce successfully.
This process really works well when it is done correctly and it’s a great way to preserve alfredo sauce that could quickly have to be tossed out otherwise.
We invite you to review the following section for some frequently asked questions that might be helpful for you.
Can You Freeze Alfredo Sauce in a Jar or Container?
Yes! While our process recommends a freezer bag, you can use any container that will be airtight and is freezer-safe. Note that this usually does not include the jar your sauce came in.
We prefer freezer bags because they are simple for freezer storage but you are not limited to that option. Just make sure whatever you use will seal tightly, won’t leak, and is safe for the freezer to preserve the Alfredo sauce.
How Can You Make the Sauce Stay Creamy?
We recommend you check out the section in the guide that is based around handling Alfredo sauce after it has been frozen. This offers several tricks for the quality of your Alfredo sauce.
You can use a cornstarch paste and a lot of stirring and your sauce will be just as creamy.
Can You Make Jarred Sauce Thicker Without Cornstarch?
You can add anything you want to the sauce. Some people like to puree vegetables and mix it into the sauce. Others add milk to their canned sauce from the store.
You might be able to add some cream cheese, roux, egg yolks, or grated Parmesan cheese as well for added thickness.
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