How To Freeze Leftover Liquid Whey

If you have more whey than you can use before it’s expiration date, don’t throw it away, freeze it for future use.

When deciding if freezing whey is right for you, there are several factors to consider.

It is important to remember that the quality will change with freezing so it may not be appropriate to use for future starters or to make cheese.

However, there are still many uses for leftover whey that is left over after making homemade soft cheeses or homemade rennet cheeses that are perfectly acceptable after it has been frozen and defrosted.

Jump to:

• Things to consider prior to freezing whey
• Two ways to freeze liquid whey
• Frequently Asked Questions
• How To Freeze Leftover liquid Whey

Things to consider prior to freezing whey

The most important factors to consider prior to freezing liquid whey are:

• Type of whey you intent to freeze.
• Amount of whey that will be needed after it is defrosted.

The properties of sweet whey may be impacted greater than acid whey and therefore needs to be considered carefully

Sweet whey

If you are freezing sweet whey then you need to consider that it’s probiotic effects may be altered during the freezing process. Likewise, it will likely not be appropriate for making sweet whey cheese like ricotta. Instead, use it to soften grains or in recipes appropriate for sweet whey.

Acid whey

If you are freezing acid whey then most of it’s uses should continue to be relevant even after freezing.

Amount needed

When determining how to freeze the liquid whey it is important to think about its intended use.

If you are going need large amounts, like using as a boiling medium for pasta, then it doesn’t make sense to freeze small batches. Likewise if you need a small amount, like adding to smoothies, then it doesn’t make sense to freeze large batches that will require the whole amount to be defrosted at one time.

Two ways to freeze liquid whey

There are two ways to freeze liquid whey:

1. In large gallon freezer zip loc bags for large batches.
2. In small ice cube trays for small batches.

Large batch freezing

Freezing large batches of liquid whey is super easy. All you need to do is pour the desired amount into a large one gallon freezer zip loc bag, lay it flat on a cookie sheet, label the date, and put it into the freezer until frozen through. At that point you can remove the cookie sheet from the freezer. For best results, don’t over fill the zip lock back or it will take much longer to defrost.

Small batch freezing

For small batch freezing, pour the liquid whey into ice cube trays and place in the freezer until frozen. Once frozen, remove the whey cubes from the trays and place into one gallon zip loc bags.

Frequently Asked Questions