Can You Freeze Raw Milk? 5 Tips For Freezing and Thawing

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Can you freeze raw milk? The short answer is yes! You can freeze raw milk when you have a surplus and enjoy it all through the dry season. You can freeze many kinds of raw milk, but I only have experience with raw cow’s milk and raw goat milk. I’m sure these tips would pertain to different types of milk as well, but just wanted to give you a heads-up.

Freezing raw milk is a great way to preserve it for you and your family. It’s simple, straightforward, and easy for new milkers to do. Another way you can preserve your milk is by turning it into other raw dairy products like cheese, butter, ice cream, and more!

Please note, this is not a discussion on raw milk vs pasteurized milk. It is simply a guide of tips and tricks on how to freeze raw milk. Choosing to drink raw milk or pasteurized milk is a personal choice, and I urge you to do your own research on which is best for your family.

What are some of the benefits of freezing raw milk?

The good news is that freezing raw milk is not only simple and easy to do, but there are also several benefits

• You have a “stash” for dry or slow times during your animal’s lactations.
• It helps get all that extra milk out of your refrigerator.
• If you buy your raw milk, it allows you to make fewer trips to your supplier.
• If you don’t get a lot of milk each day, freezing it is the best way to save it for future use for cheesemaking and such.
• It extends the shelf life of raw milk
• Provides you with a source of milk in case you have a new baby animal that needs to be fed.
• Freezing raw milk is a safe alternative to canning milk. (There are currently no safe tested recipes for canning milk. We follow safe canning guidelines here at Living Life Rural.)

Tips and Tricks for Freezing and Thawing Raw Milk

Each person (I’m sure) has their own way of freezing raw milk and a method for thawing. These are a few tips and tricks I’ve come across over the years, and I hope they can help you also!

1. The Milk You Use Matters!

Yes, it really does. You need to make sure the milk you are using is fresh, properly handled, and preferably skimmed.

• Use Fresh Milk – When you freeze raw milk, it is best to use the freshest milk possible. Freezing milk does not magically reset how long your milk will last unfrozen. If your milk sat in the fridge for a week before you froze it, you won’t have many days after thawing it to use it up.

• The flavor of your fresh milk affects the flavor of the thawed milk. For instance, different breeds of dairy goats are generally known to have different flavored milk. (Though that’s not all that can affect it) If you like the flavor of the fresh milk, chances are you will like the flavor of the frozen then thawed milk.

• If you are going to be freezing milk from your own animals, it is crucial that you properly handle the milk prior to freezing. Best practice includes cleaning things like cleaning the goat’s or cow’s udders before milking, sanitizing dairy equipment, cooling the milk as quickly as possible, and more.

• Skimming the cream from your milk before freezing may also be a good idea. Sometimes cream gets a bit of a weird texture after it is frozen and thawed. To prevent your gallon of milk from having a weird texture or mouth feel after thawing, just skim and use the cream for another project first. It is still perfectly good to use and drink if you don’t though!

2. The COntainers You freeze raw milk in Matter Also.

I highly recommend freezing raw milk in plastic containers or freezer-safe containers. Technically, you can freeze your milk in glass jars or mason jars, but if not done properly, there is a chance they will break. 

This is a lesson I have learned the hard way. It is so disappointing to go to pull a jar of milk out of the freezer only to find that the jar has cracked down the sides. For safety reasons, that milk is no longer suitable for consumption. So, not only do you lose a (kind of expensive) glass jar, but you also lose all the milk inside. 

So, stick to the much safer option, and use plastic containers. You can also use plastic freezer bags (like a ziplock bag) but in my experience, these usually end up messy. After the milk is frozen, it is VERY easy for the plastic bags to get ripped or get tiny little holes in them. Then when you thaw the milk it goes everywhere. Of course, you can sit them in a bowl or pan, but it’s still messy. 

The other problem with ziplock bags is that if they do get a hole in them, then the area of milk around that hole will get freezer burned. It’s not a huge deal, but it does make a portion unusable. 

My favorite containers for freezing raw milk are a plastic jug, pop bottles, and juice bottles! If we happen to get a gallon of grocery store milk, I will thoroughly wash it out and save it for raw milk. I do the same thing with 2-liter pop bottles and 64-oz juice bottles. The juice bottles work especially well since they are heavier plastic. 

You can thaw your milk right in the containers with no mess, and it gives them another use before they end up in the trash. 

Whatever container you choose (the rectangle plastic freezer containers you find in the canning section also work well), make sure to leave enough space at the top of the container for the milk to expand as it freezes. I also like to leave the lids off or loose until the milk is frozen just in case I didn’t leave enough room for expansion. 

3. Label and Date Your Containers

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve pulled a container of milk out of the freezer and wondered if it were goat milk, cow milk, colostrum (from a surprise species), only for soap making, or its age, I would have a lot more money, lol.

Label and date your containers when you put them in the freezer! Don’t think “I’ll write on this later” or “Oh, I’ll remember which milk we put in the green pop bottle”. You will not do it later and you will not remember, lol.

I like to use a Sharpie as it usually stays pretty well on any of the containers I use. If you absolutely have to use glass containers, you could put a piece of tape on the lid and a Sharpie to write the information on.

If I were more organized, I would also keep a spreadsheet on my computer or phone, or print one that I can write down the amount, date, and from what species the milk in the freezer is. I feel that would help me rotate through any old milk and not create any waste.

So, yes, just do yourself a favor, and label your containers. I promise, your future self will thank you!

4. Freeze Raw Milk Quickly

If you are going to freeze your raw milk, it is best to do it quickly. Not only quickly as in the fresher the better, but quickly as in get it from fresh from the goat temp to frozen as quickly as possible.

It is best to place your container of milk in the coldest part of your freezer. Freezing the milk in smaller containers will help it freeze more quickly as well. Rather than a gallon jug, use a half-gallon size or even quarts. You can even freeze your milk in ice cube trays for rapid freezing and ease of use for recipes that call for smaller quantities.

Research has shown that the colder the freezer you use to freeze your milk, the more nutritional value you are able to preserve. The quicker your milk is cooled and frozen, the longer it will last once thawed. Freeze your milk quickly for optimal freshness, flavor, and nutrition after it’s thawed.

5. Thaw Raw Milk Slowly

The best way (and the safest) to thaw frozen milk is to take it out of the freezer and put it directly into the refrigerator. By doing so, you will not accidentally let any of your delicious raw milk get too warm.

Do not thaw your milk at room temperature. If it gets too warm when thawing, that can lead to bacterial growth or at minimum, off-tasting milk.

Another alternative to the refrigerator is to set your container of milk into a bowl of cold water to thaw. If you choose this route, you will need to check on the water every couple of hours to make sure nothing is getting too warm.

If you are thawing a half-gallon or larger container, plan for it to take several days for your milk to thaw. I know that may take extra planning on your part, but it will be the safest for you and your family.

Oh, and don’t forget your milk may separate some while thawing. That is totally normal. Just give it a few good shakes and it should go back together.

So, Can You Freeze Raw Milk?

Absolutely! It is one of the easiest ways to preserve your milk for later use. Just make sure you’re using fresh, high-quality milk, choose the right containers, and freeze and thaw it correctly. You’ll have wonderful delicious raw milk that will last all year.