Sugar is essential to survive – so you may want to store it longer. As you know, freezing things often make them last longer, so you may ask, ‘can you freeze sugar?’
Yes, you can freeze sugar, however, it is not the optimal way to preserve it. Freezing your sugar for an extended period of time could have some detrimental effects on the sugar. If you want to freeze sugar, it is important to do it correctly.
Let’s dig into more detail.
Yes, you can freeze sugar. White sugar doesn’t become clumpy and does not spoil as fast as brown sugar, but it’s still an excellent choice to freeze your sugar.
Although, the optimal way to store sugar is in a dark, dry, and cool area. This means you don’t have to take up space in the freezer with your sugar. For most people, this is their pantry or basement.
Keeping it in room temperature will make the sugar last just around the same amount of time as freezing it, so freezing it or not is up to you.
But, if you choose to freeze your sugar, you may decrease the chance of it becoming lumpy with excess moisture or melting in the summer if you’re in a warmer location.
Can You Freeze Brown Sugar?
Yes, you can freeze brown sugar. Brown sugar becomes clumpy often within 3-6 months. Most people will probably want to store their brown sugar for longer.
Luckily, freezing brown sugar will prevent the sugar from becoming clumpy or melting. I have been storing my brown sugar for around two years and it’s still good.
You can also store your brown sugar in a refrigerator if you don’t want to take up valuable space in the freezer.
Brown sugar is best stored in a cool, dry location – which makes the freezer a good option. If there is moisture, that can make the brown sugar clumpy.
Precautions to Take When Freezing Sugar
You will need to make sure of a few things before freezing your sugar.
Here is a quick list of them:
- Seal your sugar in an airtight bag (I use FirstDRY 1 Gallon Mylar Bags)
- Put the sugar in the freezer fast
- Label the bag with sugar when you’re done.
Why You Should Freeze Sugar
You should freeze sugar because it may keep its flavor and texture better than leaving it outside.
It’s also best for white sugar not to be exposed to any form of humidity or moisture – so sealing it in an airtight, dark bag will extend its “shelf life” significantly.
I put quotes around the shelf life, because sugar doesn’t really go bad, but it can become less sweet and have a different texture with time, but typically doesn’t expire easily.
How to Freeze Sugar?
The first step to freezing sugar is to choose the amount of sugar you want to store. This is often the size of the bag you’re using. I recommend you use FirstDRY 1 Gallon Mylar Bags.
Next, place the sugar in the FirstDRY 1 Gallon Mylar Bags. Seal the bag and place it in the freezer for 2.5 hours.
Then, bring the sugar back out and let it thaw for half an hour. Finally, reseal the sugar in the airtight bag and put it in the coldest spot in the freezer.
It is essential to put your sugar in an airtight bag because sugars are very absorbent to odors – and most people have things in their freezers that give off some odor.
White sugar doesn’t absorb as much odor as brown sugar, but sealing white sugar is still worth it.
- 3-in-1 bundle
- 100% food safe & bacteria-free
- Lock moisture 10x longer than any bag
- Durable & strong bag
How to Soften Frozen Sugar?
Now, fast forward and you want to use your sugar for eating, how do you soften your sugar?
You will first need to take out the sugar and let it thaw at room temperature for a day or two. You can also thaw it in the microwave by putting it in there for around 2 minutes.
Once you thaw your sugar, put it in a bowl the stir it up. This is to get rid of the clumps that have formed.
If you are softening brown sugar, you want to put a wet paper towel on top of it, when thawing.
Now, you’re ready to use your sugar for whatever you need!
How Long Does Sugar Stay Fresh?
So, now you might be wondering how long sugar stays fresh. Eating beyond these points doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get food poisoning, but it will definitely not taste as good.
Room Temperature
In room temperature, white sugar stays good for around 2 years, while brown sugar stays good for around 6 months.
White sugar can be in room temperature just fine. But, you need to make sure that it is dry and dark. The basement, garage, or pantry would work for most people.
Fridge
You can store white sugar for two years and brown sugar for up to 1 year in the fridge.
It’s optimal for brown sugar to be stored in the freezer.
How to Tell When the Sugar Expires
Now, granular sugar doesn’t really expire in the sense that it will give you food poisoning since it typically wards off germs.
You can tell sugar expires when it has mold, bugs, or smells bad. If it just smells a little, and it doesn’t have mold or bugs, chances are the sugar just absorbs some surrounding odors.
But, if you store sugar for a very long period of time, the sugar will taste off and it may smell a little.
Last Words
Yes, you can freeze sugar. This probably will not extend your white sugar quality taste and smell for longer than two years.
After that, if it’s at room temperature or in the freezer, it will start to have a different texture and may become less sweet.
For brown sugar, it’s recommended that you freeze that regardless, since freezing it or even refrigerating it will extend its shelf life dramatically.
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