Can You Freeze Egg Noodles? – Step By Step
Egg noodles are one of those versatile foods that can be used for so many things. You name it, you can probably add egg noodles to it. Egg noodles are a variety of pasta and work much the same way.
Whether you’re making homemade beef stroganoff, chicken noodles, tuna casserole, or some other fine pasta dish, these are a great tool. What’s more, is that egg noodles often have more flavor than your everyday boxed pasta.
Can you freeze your egg noodles? Yes, you can freeze egg noodles. Whether they are cooked or uncooked, there are options. They freeze best when they are uncooked. But don’t worry, they do okay when they are cooked also.
In this guide, we will walk you through all of the details you should know about how to freeze your egg noodles. We will cover information on both raw and cooked egg noodles so you have a resource for both.
Keep reading to learn about freezing egg noodles, and more.
Your Guide to Freezing Egg Noodles
You read in the introduction that egg noodles can be quite versatile. There are a lot of various dishes you can make with egg noodles.
Here are some popular uses for your egg noodles.
- Stroganoff (chicken, beef, or any other meat)
- Noodle soup (Asian-style)
- Taco Noodle casserole dish
- Tuna casserole
- Chicken noodles
- Alfredo
- Various casserole dishes not yet mentioned
- Stew with noodles
- Skillet lasagna
Needless to say, your egg noodle uses are petty limitless. You can add egg noodles to almost any dish to enhance it. Additionally, nearly any pasta dish can use egg noodles rather than non-egg pasta.
It’s really up to you. Don’t let this list limit you. Another great thing about egg noodles is you can make them at home pretty easily. You can make them in bulk and then store your uncooked noodles in the freezer for quite some time.
What is the Difference: Egg Noodles vs. Regular Noodles?
When it comes down to choosing whether you want to use regular noodles or egg noodles for your dish, there are a few differences. Ultimately, it boils down to your preferences. Egg noodles are hearty noodles with a more developed flavor.
Let’s discuss just what the differences are.
Egg noodles are made with unleavened dough. That dough is boiled in water before the noodles are cut. The dough typically consists of a mixture of eggs and wheat or eggs and rice flour.
Egg noodles usually require a drying period before use but they can be used fresh as well.
Regular noodles are made with unleavened dough also. This dough also goes through a boiling process. The dough of regular noodles typically contains wheat or buckwheat. There are no eggs used in the dough of regular noodles. However, vegetables can be added to the dough.
Both types of noodles can be cut into various shapes and sizes, depending on the intended use. If you go to your local grocery store, you will see a variety of both types of noodles. You can always buy them that way or make either type on your own as well.
While they can be cut in various styles, egg noodles are almost always kept flat when cut. You won’t see bow-tie egg noodles like you do regular noodles. If you imagine the noodles used in chicken and noodles or similar dishes, they are usually straight, they might have a small twist in them.
Our favorite egg noodles come straight from Italy. You can find them here on Amazon.
How Egg Noodles Are Made
To give you an idea of what we are working with here, we think it’s relevant to cover the process by which they are made. Egg noodles are simple to make. You might make a mess while doing so when you get out the eggs and flour.
If you are going to take the time to make egg noodles, you should plan to make several batches and store them up for later.
The following is a quick walk-through of an egg noodle recipe. Keep in mind that recipes may vary and this is not the only one.
This is just used to provide you a resource for the general makeup of egg noodles.
- In this explanation, you would need all-purpose flour, eggs, milk, salt, and butter.
- Start by stirring flour and salt together in a bowl.
- Add beat eggs, milk and butter and knead together for about 5 minutes.
- Let rest covered for 10-15 minutes.
- After resting, roll out the dough and cut to shape and size desired.
- Allow pasta to air dry by laying on kitchen towels or cheesecloth.
- Proceed to either cooking or storing your egg noodles.
To cook the egg noodles, you would boil them just like regular pasta. They may take longer to cook through than what regular pasta does, depending on the thickness of the noodle.
Freezing Egg Noodles – Raw or Cooked
Here we arrive at the heart of the matter. How can you freeze your egg noodles? It’s really quite simple to do. There are some minor steps to be aware of but there is no complicated process.
First, you should know that freezing your egg noodles cooked is not as successful as freezing them raw. If you are not adding them to a specific dish, you should leave them raw to freeze.
The good news is if you cooked a dish you want to freeze that includes egg noodles, that will work great! The difference is your dish most likely has other juices that will help to keep your noodles moisturized.
The challenge with freezing cooked egg noodles that have no extra juice from a dish is that they tend to get sticky. Then when you try to use them, they sometimes turn mushy rather than maintaining their form.
Just be aware that you should either freeze them raw or freeze them as part of an entire dish for best results.
Freezing Cooked Egg Noodles
Remember we mentioned that your cooked egg noodles should be part of a dish. However, you can still freeze cooked egg noodles.
Here are your instructions for doing so:
- If your cooked egg noodles are part of a dish, freeze the dish with these same instructions.
- Refrigerate or freeze within 2 hours of cooking the noodles.
- Place noodles into freezer-safe containers or a heavy-duty freezer bag.
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Store in the freezer up to 6 months.
Freezing Raw Egg Noodles
Don’t forget to let your egg noodles air dry before trying to freeze them. This will give you far better results. Aside from remembering that nugget of information, it’s a simple process.
Here are your instructions:
- After air drying, place noodles into an airtight freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty freezer bag.
- If you want to keep your noodles flat, you can layer them on parchment or freezer paper and prepare several flat layers of noodles for storage.
- Leave about 1-inch of headspace in either storage method.
- Place in the fridge up to 5 days.
- Store egg noodles in the freezer up to 12 months.
You will see that there is a difference in the freezing time recommended for raw vs. cooked egg noodles. Also, if you purchased your egg noodles from the store, you can still freeze them with the instructions listed above.
In the event that you are using store-bought egg noodles, you can store them in the bag they are purchased in for quite some time. Dry egg noodles from the store can sit on your pantry shelf for up to 12 months.
Related Questions
We hope that you find this guide to freezing egg noodles to be helpful and informative for your purposes. You will find that the process is simple but there are some basic things you should know in the process.
We have compiled a question and answer section to provide some additional information. We invite you to check it out to see if it may be of use to you.
Are There Health Benefits to Egg Noodles?
Egg noodles have a broader nutritional value than your regular noodles. The fiber content is much higher and the carb content is lower. However, the cholesterol content is slightly higher due to the eggs.
Overall, egg noodles are high in protein and contain various amino acids that are essential to health.
Can Egg Noodles Go Bad?
Egg noodles do not usually spoil because of their overall process through creation. If they are properly stored, they should last you for quite some time.
If you purchase dry egg noodles from the store, they can remain unopened on your pantry shelf up to 2 years past the best-by date. However, if you make them fresh, they need to be frozen for storage purposes.
The most common issue with aged egg noodles is they may lose flavor or you may notice a difference in the consistency during cooking.
