Goat milk is valued for its nutritional and skin benefits as well as its versatile uses. When you become a fan of goat milk, you may find extra in the fridge from time to time. This situation always begs the question, can you freeze goat milk?
Let’s answer this and talk about when you might freeze it, safety concerns, and a few tips.
Can You Freeze Goat Milk?
The quick answer to whether you can freeze goat milk is yes. Goat milk can be frozen to use later.
Raw goat milk should be consumed within 10 days of the milking date. While pasteurization can help extend the life, unfortunately with any dairy product, time is ticking for you to use it up before it spoils.
Luckily, goat milk can be used for a wide variety of things. From skin products like goat milk soap and goat milk baths to cooking and baking, there are a lot of uses. However, if you don’t want to use all of your liquid gold at once, freezing it is a good preservation option.
How To Freeze Goat Milk
Though goat milk can be frozen, there are a few recommendations to ensure safety. For one, it is recommended to freeze goat milk in its original container so that you can minimize the risk of contamination. No matter what you freeze it in, leave a bit of headroom to accommodate expansion during freezing.
Once the goat milk is completely frozen, there is less risk of contamination, so it can be transferred to a container of your choice with a tight-fitting lid to save space.
Thawing Goat Milk
Like there are recommendations for freezing goat milk, there are some for thawing frozen goat milk as well. When thawing frozen goat milk, it is best to place it in the refrigerator to thaw slowly. Avoid thawing it at room temperature as it may spoil the milk.
This means that you’ll need to plan in advance and leave yourself plenty of time if you are going to use frozen goat milk. Once thawed, the milk should be used within a few days and should not be refrozen.
Tips & Considerations for Freezing Goat Milk
Once you have frozen goat milk for a time or two, you’ll get the hang of it and find your own rhythm. However, here are a few tips to get you started.
Freeze In Small Batches
Though it is recommended to freeze goat milk in its original container, be mindful of how big of a batch you are freezing at one time. Since it is only good for a few days once thawed, if you freeze it in a big batch, you may not be able to use it all before it spoils. Think about what you will be using it for later to minimize waste.
Texture Changes
It is important to note that freezing goat milk can cause the fats to separate from the water content or cause texture changes. Though it will still be suitable for cooking, baking, soap making, or adding to a goat milk bath, frozen goat milk that has been thawed is not very palatable for drinking.
Ask For Recommendations
If you get your goat milk from a local farmer, consider asking them for recommendations to preserve your excess goat milk. Oftentimes, they have come up with a few nifty tricks in their experience. If you are raising goats yourself, your local agriculture extension office is a fantastic resource!
Freezing Goat Milk Key Takeaways
Ultimately, freezing goat milk to drink later is not ideal. However, if you have excess goat milk that you would like to use for cooking, baking, making goat milk soap, or other applications, freezing goat milk is a great way to prevent spoilage and reduce waste.