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Can You Freeze Brewed Coffee? – The Best Way

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Quick Answer

Yes, you can freeze brewed coffee. The best way is to pour it into an ice cube tray, cover it, and freeze until solid. Alternatively, you can use an airtight container or freezer-safe plastic bag. Properly sealed, it can last in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Read on for more detail

Coffee is one of the beverages that you can either be very relaxed about, or quite fussy. Some people choose to only have a specific roast, brewed in a certain way, while others will take coffee however it comes.

If you are not too fussed about coffee, and find that you have large brews leftover in the morning, or do not feel like brewing a fresh batch of coffee every single morning, you might wonder how to store the coffee to enjoy later on.

Refrigerating coffee is not always the best option, as removing the coffee from in and out the fridge can cause condensation, which does ruin the coffee.

So can you freeze brewed coffee? Yes, you can freeze brewed coffee. For a long time, it wasn’t advised, as many people believed freezing coffee is a bad idea for the same reasons that refrigerating coffee should not be done. However, this opinion is beginning to change, and more and more people are choosing to freeze their coffee.

Keep reading to find out the best ways you can freeze brewed coffee so that you can enjoy the flavor of freshly brewed coffee without putting in the effort of actually brewing it. Win-win!

Freezing Brewed Coffee

One of the most common reasons people choose to freeze coffee, which also happens to be the best way to freeze coffee (in our opinion) is to make coffee ice cubes.

These can be used to cool down ice coffee drinks without diluting the drink with water ice cubes. It offers a great way to enjoy an ice coffee brew on a hot day.

Here is how to make coffee ice cubes:

  • Brew up your favorite coffee in whichever way you prefer your coffee brewed.
  • Pour the coffee into an ice tray.
  • Cover the ice tray with a lid (it is better to use an ice tray that has a sealable lid, as it prevents other odors and flavors from seeping into your coffee cubes).
  • Allow the coffee cubes to freeze until solid, around 5 hours, or leave them in the freezer until you are ready to use them.

There are some wonderful variations you can use to create different coffee ice cubes, here are a few:

Mocha Ice Cubes – Using a measuring cup, combine coffee, milk and chocolate milk to your preferred ratio. Whisk the liquid until combined and then it into the ice cube tray and freeze.

Caramel Macchiato Ice Cubes – Using a measuring cup, combine coffee, caramel, and milk. Whisk the liquid until it is all combine and pour it into the ice cube tray and freeze.

Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cubes – Using a measuring cup, combine coffee and sweetened condensed milk. Whisk the liquid until combined and pour it into the ice cube tray and freeze.

Another option to freeze coffee would be to pour the cooled brew into an airtight container, seal it properly and place it in the freezer.

If you are worried about space, you could allow the coffee to cool and then pour it carefully into a sealable freezer-safe plastic bag. This can be laid flat in the freezer, and more bags of coffee can be placed on top of it.

This coffee can either be reheated to be enjoyed at a later stage, or it can be used in a range of desserts and other drinks, such as smoothies and coffee granita.

Make sure to label the freezer container or plastic bag with the date the coffee was brewed and frozen, so you know when to use it.

Coffee is fine to remain in the freezer for up to 2 months. It might be fine to consume it after this, but it will lose much of its flavor and quality.

It is also important to properly store the coffee in the freezer, making sure it is protected from other odors and flavors in the freezer. Nobody wants to drink a cup of coffee that has picked up some flavor from chicken curry it was sitting next to in the freezer.

Thawing Frozen Coffee

How you thaw frozen coffee will depend on how you are intending to use it. When it comes to coffee ice cubes, you won’t actually want to thaw it, and instead, you will simply drop the cubes into the drink you are wanting to enjoy it with.

You can choose to leave frozen coffee to thaw in the fridge overnight to enjoy the next day. This way, the coffee is given enough time to thaw naturally, but not reaching a higher temperature than what your fridge offers.

If you are wanting to use the frozen coffee soon, and do not want to wait for it to thaw overnight, you could put it into the microwave, in a safe container, and turn the microwave onto defrost. Once the coffee turns to liquid, you can then use the heating function of the microwave to warm the coffee up to enjoy.

There are quite a few ways to thaw coffee, but it will all depend on how you want to use it, and how soon you want to use it.

Did you know you can reheat bulletproof coffee? Read this article we wrote to find out how.

Things To Do With Frozen Coffee

If you have some coffee frozen in the freezer but are unsure what to use it for, here are some great ideas on how you can make the most of the coffee, without it going to waste.

Cooking With Coffee

Your leftover coffee might be the secret to an amazing steak. You can choose a great piece of steak and use the coffee to marinate the steak. If you are feeling a little more adventurous, you can even cook your morning oats in some leftover coffee.

Coffee can also be used as a substitute for other acidic ingredients such as vinegar. You can use the coffee to make some chili or a caffeinated barbecue sauce.

Baking With Coffee

When baking, you can use coffee as a substitute for water. Instead of using water, why not try using coffee in a cake or brownie mix. It will give it a rich, deep flavor that water cannot achieve. You can also use coffee in icing and frosting for cookies and cupcakes.

There are so many dessert recipes that call for a shot of coffee, and have some stored away in the freezer makes it all so much easier.

Coffee Smoothie

In the morning, you can get your cup of coffee along with your healthy smoothie. Blend some coffee ice cubes, bananas, and a cup of yogurt or milk together for a tasty treat. For extra flavor, you can even add some cocoa powder, cacao nibs, or vanilla.

Watering Your Plants

Acid-loving plants such as orchids and azaleas can do with a great growth-boost offered by coffee. You can water these plants with diluted coffee every one or two weeks for some extra nutrition. However, if the leaves start turning yellow or brown, it could be a sign that the soil is too acidic.

Related Questions

Can I refrigerate brewed coffee?

It is not recommended to refrigerate brewed coffee, but you can try it out if you really want. Make sure to keep the coffee in an airtight container that seals tightly. This is to ensure that the coffee will not pick up other flavors from items in the fridge.

You should only keep brewed coffee in the fridge for up to a week before throwing it away.

Can I keep coffee grounds in the fridge?

Whether or not you should keep coffee grounds in the fridge is a big topic of debate in the coffee community.

To be safe, you should not keep the coffee grounds in the fridge, but instead, keep it in the pantry.

While coffee grounds should be kept somewhere cool, leaving the coffee grounds in the fridge or freezer might create too much moisture in the package, which could completely destroy the quality of the coffee grounds.

Speaking of quality coffee grounds, if you’re looking for your new favorite coffee, check out our ranked and reviewed list of the best coffee beans for pour overs!

Can you place hot coffee in the fridge to make iced coffee?

Making iced coffee is fairly easy. You can make it ahead of time for your own convenience. Brew the coffee in the morning or the night before and pour the contents into a pitcher and leave it in the fridge.

You can also choose to pour the leftover coffee into ice cubes, and then use these frozen coffee cubes in a drink later on, both to add a coffee flavor and to cool the drink down without diluting it with water.

Freezing Brewed Coffee

It is perfectly fine to freeze brewed coffee, and the way you do so will depend on how you are planning on using the coffee later on. Possibly, the best way to freeze coffee is to pour the coffee into an ice cube tray. These cubes can be used to make iced coffee or added to a special drink to give a rich coffee flavor.

The coffee should be sealed tightly in the freezer, to help it avoid picking up odors and flavors from other foods that are stored in the freezer as well.

You can get quite creative with what you use your frozen coffee for!

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