Can You Freeze Greek Yogurt?

Can I Freeze Greek Yogurt

Q: Can you freeze Greek yogurt?

A: Let’s say there is a  BOGO sale for your favorite Greek yogurt at your local supermarket. You want to buy a cart full but will not be able to eat it before the expiration date. Will the Greek yogurt still be good if you freeze it?

Yes, it is acceptable to freeze Greek yogurt and it will actually extend the expiration for about three months or more while frozen.  However, don’t expect the texture to be the same as fresh, off the store shelf yogurt when thawed.

We experimented by putting a 5.3 ounce container of  Dannon Oikos nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt in the freezer overnight. We then removed the yogurt and let it thaw in the refrigerator for a little over a day. We found that the yogurt became a bit watery but the taste remained intact.

Other people have reported that the taste changes for the worse the longer it remains frozen; therefore,  it is probably best to thaw and eat the yogurt sooner rather than later.  If you are not keen on the texture change after freezing Greek yogurt, you probably would be alright making a smoothie or something similar without noticing the texture change. We personally were not bothered by the texture change in our experiment and would freeze Greek yogurt again;  likely for a short period of time.

We should mention that the completely frozen version did not transform into some awesome, ice cream like dessert, but rather a yogurt rock. It comes out more like shaved ice than ice cream. You’ll have to buy something like Ben & Jerry’s Greek Frozen Yogurt for that ice cream taste, which isn’t as healthy but tastes really, really good.

Additionally, if you do not trust our experiment, take it from the manufactures mouth. Hain Celestial, the manufacturer of The Greek Gods yogurt, indicates the following about freezing their yogurt, “The Greek Gods® Greek-Style Yogurt can be stored frozen for no longer than three months.  The texture and taste of frozen product that has been thawed will be different than product stored in the refrigerator. We recommend that the product is kept refrigerated for the best quality.”

Not all Greek yogurt is the same, so if you plan on freezing yogurt it is best to test out a small portion to see if you still like the thawed taste and texture before freezing it in bulk. It should be noted that freezing yogurt can kill some of the beneficial cultures. Yogurt that is fresh (never frozen) is going to be the best for your health and likely will have the best quality taste.