Can brie cheese be frozen? - The best way

The smooth and creamy brie cheese is irresistible served with pieces of bread, biscuits, honey and jam. But often you end up with leftover brie chunks or an entire wheel that you had planned to bake but ran out of time.

Can brie be frozen? Yes, you can freeze brie cheese. As brie is a soft cheese, it undergoes changes in texture. But these changes are minimized with the proper freezing technique. You can freeze brie both sliced and whole. In both cases, the cheese will last up to 3 months in a cold room. 

From multiple freezing techniques to freezing brie in puff pastry, we’ll cover it all.

What is the shelf life of brie cheese?

Brie, the soft French cheese we all love, has a very limited shelf life.

Being different from other varieties of cheese in that brie represents a soft interior under a white moldy rind, you may have some questions about the storage conditions of this cheese.

Unopened brie will last 1-2 months in the fridge. As it is a dairy product, you should be more attentive to how you store brie cheese. Also, pay attention to the expiration date on the packaging.

Some manufacturers claim that the cheese is safe to consume within 14 days of the printed date. But if you decide to eat a brie cheese that is past its expiration date, be sure to inspect it carefully to avoid any health risks. 

But what if you want to extend the shelf life of brie cheese? What if you’ve bought a wheel or two of brie to bake for a late-night gathering, but it’s been postponed?

As we all know, freezing is the storage method par excellence to extend the shelf life of a series of products. And luckily, brie is no exception. You can freeze the brie to extend its shelf life.  But to get satisfactory results, you have to know how to do it correctly.

How does freezing affect brie cheese?

Freezing definitely affects the flavor and texture of brie cheese. As brie is a variety of soft cheese with a high water content, freezing and thawing can make the cheese softer and slightly crumbly.

If you freeze sliced brie without any protection, the pieces will get freezer burn and dry out.

That being said, you can keep all texture changes to a minimum by learning how to properly store brie in the freezer.

It is best to use frozen and thawed brie in meltable dishes. And in these cases, the texture changes won’t matter anymore, since the cheese will melt anyway.

When it comes to flavor, the longer the cheese spends in the freezer, the more its flavor and texture will deteriorate.

But if you freeze the cheese while it’s still good and choose the right freezing technique, the flavor of this soft cheese should remain almost unchanged, especially during the first few months it’s in the freezer.

What you should know before freezing brie cheese

If you’ve found a good deal on brie at your local market and bought a few wheels, it’s a good idea to freeze them as soon as you get them home.

In fact, the sooner you freeze the cheese, the better. Freezing the brie as soon as you bring it home is the perfect scenario, but it’s not always possible. You never know if you’ll get to eat the cheese before the printed date or not.

So even if you don’t freeze the cheese right after you bring it home, you should make sure it’s fresh and the date printed on it hasn’t passed.

Also, freeze brie cheese to extend its shelf life only if you’ve stored it properly.

You should store a wheel of brie cheese in the fridge loosely wrapped in parchment paper. As for the brie cheese wedges, you should store them wrapped in food paper.

How to freeze brie cheese

To freeze brie well, you need to pay attention to how you package the cheese before storing it in the freezer to avoid major changes in texture or flavor.

1. Wrap the wheel of brie well with a layer of food paper. You can also use aluminum foil.
2. If the cheese is in its original container, wrap it with a layer of plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent air or moisture from reaching the cheese.
3. Place the cheese in an airtight plastic container. You can also use a freezer bag. However, the first protects the cheese from being crushed.
4. Put a date label to use the cheese while it is still good.

Freezing whole brie has its pros and cons. The good thing is that it does not require much time or effort. But the downside of freezing a whole wheel of brie is that you’ll have to use it all at once.

If you later defrost the wheel of brie and you have leftovers, you should not refreeze it. Not only is it unsafe to refreeze the food, but the texture and flavor of the cheese will be so affected that it’s unlikely you’ll end up using it later.

How to Freeze Brie Cheese Slices or Wedges

If you have leftover brie wedges or simply prefer to freeze sliced brie for later use in soups, stews, and casseroles, there are two ways to do it.

If you put a little more effort into freezing your brie slices or wedges, you may be able to eat them fresh. Thawed cheese might not be very presentable for a late-night gathering, but it sure works for a family breakfast.

Method 1

The best way to freeze brie slices or wedges is to wrap them individually so they don’t dry out. Here’s how to do it:

1. If you have a wheel of brie or large wedges, cut it into whatever size pieces you like. If you’re melting the cheese on plates, the size of the chunks doesn’t really matter. However, cutting the cheese into smaller pieces will allow you to use the amount you need at the time.
2. Wrap each piece of brie cheese with food paper. Be sure to coat the cheese on all sides to protect it from freezer burn. If you have smaller pieces, it may take some time to do this job. But doing so is absolutely essential if you want to prevent the cheese from drying out and the pieces from sticking together.
3. Place the plastic-wrapped brie chunks in an airtight container. You can also use a resealable freezer bag to save space in your fridge.
4. Label the bag or container with the date.

Method 2

If you don’t want to spend a lot of time preparing, this method for freezing brie chunks is for you.

1. Cut the brie into pieces the size you want.
2. Line a baking tray with a layer of parchment paper.
3. Place the pieces of cheese on the tray, making sure that they do not touch each other.
4. When the cheese pieces are frozen and not sticking together, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag.
5. Label with the date.

Keep in mind that this method of freezing is only good when you know that you will be using the cheese on hot dishes, where it will melt and the dryness of the outer layer will not matter. 

Note : When using this method, make sure there are no items in the freezer from which the unprotected cheese chunks could absorb odors.

How long can Brie cheese be frozen?

Properly stored Brie in the freezer will keep well for 3 months and maybe longer. If the constant temperature of your freezer is 0 degrees, cheese, like many other products, can be kept indefinitely.

However, you should always keep in mind that the longer the cheese stays in the freezer, the more changes in texture and flavor it will undergo. 

Therefore, it is safe and better to use frozen brie cheese before 3 months . Considering that the shelf life of opened brie stored in the fridge is around 14 days, extending its shelf life to a minimum of 90 days is still a big step forward.

How to defrost brie cheese

When thawing brie cheese, the key is not to expose it to drastic changes in temperature. Otherwise, the texture of the cheese will be affected.

This is what you should do.

1. Take the cheese out of the freezer at least 12 hours before you plan to use it. Do this to make sure it’s ready and thawed when you need it.
2. Put the cheese on a plate to prevent water from seeping into the fridge. If you’ve frozen the brie wedges, thaw only the amount you need. Leave the cheese in the fridge until it has softened completely. This can take anywhere from a few hours to a day, depending on the size of the piece of cheese you are defrosting. Obviously, a wheel of brie cheese will take longer to defrost than slices or wedges of brie cheese.
3. Before eating the cheese, take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for half an hour.

If you don’t have time to wait for the cheese to thaw in the fridge, you can speed up the defrosting process with the help of the microwave.

Another method is to place the plastic-wrapped cheese under cold ( never hot ) running water. Although these methods work, they greatly affect the texture of the cheese.

Use thawed brie within 2-3 days. During this time, keep the brie refrigerated.

If you have thawed the cheese in the microwave or under cold running water, use it immediately and do not store it in the fridge for later use.

Tip : If you’re adding the brie to a soup or stew where it’s going to melt anyway, don’t waste time thawing it. The heat from the hot plate will do the job.

Freeze No-Bake Brie Cheese In Puff Pastry

A puff pastry-wrapped wheel of brie is one of the easiest and most delicious appetizers you can make. And the nice thing is that you can make brie in puff pastry ahead of time and freeze it to use later.

You can freeze brie in puff pastry both baked and unbaked.

To freeze brie in no-bake puff pastry, simply wrap the cheese into the dough however you like. You can do without brushing the dough with a beaten egg; you can do it before baking the brie.

Wrap the brie with plastic wrap. Use several layers to ensure that you have protected the puff pastry from freezer burn. You can put the paper towel-wrapped brie in a resealable plastic bag for an extra layer of protection.

When storing dough-wrapped cheese in the freezer, make sure not to put anything heavy on top.  Frozen puff pastry is very firm and cannot be easily damaged, but unfrozen puff pastry is not.

So when you first put your puff pastry-wrapped cheese in the freezer, make sure it doesn’t touch anything. Heavier objects can easily break or dent the dough. You can move it around once the puff pastry and cheese are frozen.

It is not necessary to thaw the frozen brie in the puff pastry. When you have to serve the brie, transfer it from the freezer directly to the oven. It will take about 50 minutes to bake the frozen brie in puff pastry at 350°F.

Don’t forget to brush the puff pastry with a beaten egg before baking it. 

Freeze baked brie in puff pastry

You can also freeze the brie in baked puff pastry. It’s a great way to save time preparing dinner.

To do this, bake the brie wrapped in puff pastry brushed with a beaten egg. When the puff pastry is puffed up and golden, remove the brie from the oven and let it cool.

Note : Never put brie puff pastry in the freezer while it is still warm. Doing so will cause condensation that will affect the texture of the puff pastry. It will also increase the temperature in the freezer. This, in turn, will undoubtedly affect the safety of products already in the cold room.

When the puff pastry wrapped brie has cooled, gently wrap it with food paper. As the baked puff pastry is very flaky and fragile, we recommend that you put it in a plastic or glass container with a tight-fitting lid.

Do not let puff pastry wrapped baked brie thaw in the fridge or at room temperature. Doing so will only make the dough soft and mushy.

Instead, preheat the oven to 200°F and bake the frozen brie in the puff pastry for about half an hour. The puff pastry will be flaky and crisp as if it were freshly baked, and the cheese will have completely melted.

We recommend freezing the baked brie in puff pastry only a few days in advance.  This will give the appetizer the right flavor and texture when reheated.