If you are like me, you grew up eating lots of pudding. Pudding is one of the most common desserts in every home because of how easy it is to whip up. It is a favorite of almost every kid, especially when served with whipped cream.
When you make pudding, you may make a lot at a time. This begs the question, can you freeze pudding?
You’ll be glad to know that you can freeze your pudding to increase its shelf life. The pudding freezes very well. Its texture may change a little bit but that’s it.
Before getting into the details of freezing pudding, you need to have some information about it. It’s the only way you can know how to freeze it properly.
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What is pudding?
Pudding is an amazing dessert. The name pudding came from the French word “boudin” which means small sausage. In the United States, pudding refers to a milk-based dessert whose consistency is similar to that of custards.
In the United Kingdom, the word pudding refers to sweet and savory desserts. Despite this difference, everyone seems to agree that pudding is a super delicious dessert.
Pudding has been in existence for a really long time. There is evidence that people enjoyed chocolate pudding as early as the 1700s. Soldiers in the Royal Navy were served with boiled pudding in the 18th century as well.
Pudding is one of the easiest desserts to make at home. You also don’t need to spend so much in the kitchen making it. With the ingredients ready, you’ll spend only ten minutes or less making it.
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You can either use an oven or a stovetop to make this amazing dessert. The ingredients are also readily available. All you need is milk, sugar, and thickening agents like rice, gelatin, eggs, cornstarch, or tapioca.
If you do not want to make pudding at home, you can buy pre-made pudding at the store. Most varieties come pre-packaged ready-made.
Alternatively, you can buy the cook-to prepare. With this kind, you will either cook it on your stovetop or oven.
If you are watching what you eat, you are in luck because there are endless options of reduced-fat, non-fat, and sugar-free versions of pudding. All of them make for tasty desserts regardless of the form.
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Can you freeze it?
For whatever reason, I always end up with extra pudding every time I make pudding. I am sure you do too, once in a while at least.
As I mentioned early, there is no need to worry because pudding freezes quite well, and we all know that frozen desserts come in handy especially when you are not in the mood to make dessert.
As much as pudding generally freezes well, there are a few things that you need to pay attention to. The first is the ingredients you used to prepare your pudding or the ingredients in your store-bought pudding. Not all types of puddings freeze well.
If you use common ingredients to make your pudding, then it should freeze just fine. Some of the puddings that freeze well include; yogurt pudding, rice pudding, bread pudding, gelatin pudding, cream pudding, and caramel pudding.
Now let’s talk about these other ‘special pudding’. Most people try adding flavor to their pudding by adding ingredients that are a bit crispy like biscuits or cookies.
I suggest that you do not freeze this type of pudding. Freezing the pudding will make the crispy ingredients soggy.
Consequently, the pudding will not taste as good as it should. Don’t get me wrong, the pudding won’t ‘go bad’ or anything of the sort. In fact, it will still be safe to eat. However, the quality won’t be as good and you may not enjoy it.
If you want to add toppings like cookies or fruit, I suggest that you add them when you remove the pudding from the freezer. Freezing pudding without the toppings will always be the safest option.
Frozen pudding can stay fresh for up to three months. The consistency may change a little bit and become similar to that of ice cream. Personally, I do not mind the consistency of frozen pudding, but some people do.
If you have never tried eating frozen pudding, I suggest that you freeze a little bit at first. This way, you can easily decide whether you like the consistency or not. If you like it, then you can freeze the rest, if not, don’t.
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Best way to freeze pudding
Freezing pudding is no rocket science. In fact, it is quite easy. Freezing increases the shelf life of pudding, which makes it a great option for the storage of this amazing dessert.
First things, after preparing your pudding, you need to let it cool down first before freezing it. Pudding does not take too long to cool, so this should not be a problem.
Gelatin pudding
There are various ways to freeze gelatin pudding. The most interesting way to do this is by turning it into flavored popsicles. It may sound complicated, but it isn’t.
Remember how we said gelatin pudding will have a consistency similar to ice cream when frozen? What better way to enjoy it than turning it into popsicles?
All you need to do is mix the pudding with cold milk. Once the two are combined, pour the mixture into Popsicle shapers and place them in your freezer. Anytime you need dessert these gelatin pudding popsicles will come in handy.
Bread and rice pudding
If you have made baked bread pudding or rice pudding, I suggest that you cut it into small pieces before freezing. Doing this will ensure that the pudding freezes properly.
Once you do that, wrap the pieces properly in aluminum foil. If you do not have aluminum foil, you can use plastic wrap instead. Once done, you can store it in the freezer.
Alternatively, just put the pieces inside an insulated lunch box. They will freeze just fine.
Banana pudding
With banana pudding, you need to be extra careful when freezing it. This is because banana pudding tends to absorb the aroma and flavor of whatever else may be inside the freezer.
I suggest storing banana pudding in an insulated container before freezing it. All in all, I don’t recommend freezing banana pudding.
This is because it tends to lose its color when frozen, so it may not be visually appealing. Its flavor may also change because it easily absorbs the flavor of other items in the freezer.
Persimmon pudding
Personally, I wouldn’t freeze this pudding given the chance. Persimmon pudding has an interesting tangy flavor. Some of the ingredients used to make this pudding are cinnamon and persimmon.
These two ingredients are quite sensitive to temperature change. When you freeze and defrost, the texture of the pudding will change completely, and you may not like it.
However, if you do not mind the texture, freeze it by placing it in several airtight cups before placing it in your freeze
Store-bought pudding
Freezing store-bought pudding is quite easy. All you need to do is cover the pudding with plastic wrap and you are good to go.
When you freeze store-bought pudding, its texture will be similar to that of ice cream. You can eat it immediately you remove it from the freezer. Quite convenient, right?
How to thaw frozen pudding
Once you freeze pudding, you can eat it immediately you remove it from your freezer. However, some people prefer to thaw. Like most people, I prefer eating pudding straight out of the freezer because it just tastes better.
You can thaw homemade pizza because it will have a rich creamy taste. Store-bought pudding may not give you good results when thawed. This is because the pudding contains preservatives that may alter the taste.
The best way to thaw frozen pudding is by placing it in the freezer overnight. This may seem like a long time to wait, but trust me, it’s the best option.
Alternatively, you can just leave the pudding at room temperature and eat it when you feel like it has thawed fully.
Does pudding go bad? How to tell that it has gone bad.
Although pudding lasts for long compared to other desserts, it can also go bad. The first sign that your pudding has gone bad is there is liquid in between the pudding in various parts. This is usually an indication that your pudding has gone bad.
Another sign is when you see molds growing on the surface of your pudding. Your pudding probably stayed for longer than it should or you simply did not store it properly. If your pudding has molds on it, throw it out.
If you smell your pudding and it smells off, it has probably gone bad and you should throw it out. The pudding should have a pleasant smell. Better safe than sorry.
Conclusion
Generally, you can freeze pudding because it freezes well.
However, if you have used crispy toppings, I suggest you do not freeze the pudding because the toppings will become soggy and you will not enjoy eating it.
