Can You Eat Freezer-Burned Ice Cream?

Last updated on September 17th, 2022 at 01:51 pm

Whether it is a hot summer day or a rough afternoon, ice cream is a sure way to make your day better. There are several different flavors out there to make your ice cream eating experience enjoyable. 

If you want healthier ice cream, you can get ice cream with fruit and nuts in it. If you are a fan of all things peanut butter, there are several different options of peanut butter flavored ice cream. 

The options for ice cream seem almost limitless. The other day I was at Walmart and even saw some habanero ice cream!

If you can think of something you’d want to add to your ice cream, the chance is there’s already a company that makes it. If not, get your favorite flavor of ice cream and some of your favorite mix-ins to create your own unique ice cream flavor. 

Sometimes when you go to the store and purchase your ice cream, your eyes end up being much bigger than your stomach. You get home and place your ice cream in the freezer. After a rough day, you remember that you have ice cream waiting for you. After opening your ice cream, you find that ice crystals have started to form on your delicious ice cream. 

How could this happen? 

Freezer burn doesn’t mean that your ice cream is inedible, but it does give it a different texture. Freezer burn happens when the moisture starts to leave the ice cream and mixes with the air in the freezer. The moisture will freeze on the surface of your ice cream and leave tiny ice crystals. 

If ice crystals have formed on top of your ice cream, is it safe to eat? Can you still eat your freezer-burned ice cream? 

Though your ice cream may be freezer burned, you can still eat it. Even unopened ice cream can end up freezer-burned after a few weeks in the freezer. It is best to eat your ice cream within a week of storing it in your freezer to avoid freezer burn altogether. 

The ice crystals that form in your freezer do not care about the expiration date on your carton of ice cream and will form after a few days in the freezer but will get really bad after a couple of months. 

As long as your ice cream still tastes alright you can still eat it even if it does have ice crystals or some freezer burn.

Does Eating Freezer Burned Ice Cream Make You Sick? 

Have you ever eaten something that made you sick? For a long time, you are very nervous to be anywhere near that food. The food may not have even been the reason that you became sick either. 

You could have come down with a stomach bug and had pizza for lunch. After the stomach bug eventually won in your body, you wanted to avoid pizza for a long time. 

With most foods, you know ahead of time whether or not they’ll make you sick. They either have a smell or just look a little off and you can avoid them. 

What about freezer-burned ice cream? You know the ice crystals are just ice crystals and shouldn’t harm you, but can they? If you eat freezer-burned ice cream can you get sick? 

Freezer-burned ice cream is okay to eat, but it is not ideal. You can scrape off the freezer-burned parts of ice cream and eat the non-burned portion underneath. However, if the ice cream has been thawed, refrozen, and then freezer-burned, you do run the risk of getting food poisoning. 

Once the ice cream has been entirely thawed (so left out for multiple hours) and refrozen, bacteria can start to grow within your ice cream. 

How Do You Know If Your Ice Cream Has Gone Bad? 

Ice cream is one of the best desserts. You can eat it by itself, with different foods mixed in, or on top of other desserts. You really can’t go wrong with the many different ways that you can eat ice cream. 

There is no right or wrong way to enjoy ice cream as long as you enjoy the combination flavor that you’ve created. Ice cream can last in your freezer for a few months, but is there a way that you can tell when your ice cream has gone bad? 

One of the fastest ways to tell if your ice cream has gone bad is by how big the ice crystals are on your ice cream. If the freezer burn runs deep through your ice cream, then it’s best to just throw out the container. If you can easily scoop off the top layer and still have good ice cream underneath, then you’re good to go. 

Another way you can tell if your ice cream has gone bad is by the texture. Ice cream should be firm when frozen and creamy when thawed. If your ice cream ends up being gooey, it’s gone bad. 

Once thawed, your ice cream should be creamy and easy to move around with a spoon. If the ice cream has gone bad, it won’t be creamy. The ice cream will be more of a gooey, sticky consistency. 

Is It Possible To Reverse Freezer Burn? 

You bought a carton of ice cream to enjoy one night and it tasted amazing. However, the next day, you weren’t really in the mood for ice cream, so you snacked on something else. A few days later, you remember you have an open carton of ice cream waiting for you in the freezer. 

You excitedly go to open it only to find it is covered in freezer burn. Is there a way you can reverse this process? 

Freezer burn is not something that can be reversed. One of the best ways to protect your ice cream from freezer burn is by covering the top with saran wrap and placing the lid on top. This will slow the freezer burning process but not stop it completely. 

If your ice cream becomes freezer burned, you can scrape off the freezer-burned parts and still enjoy the rest of your creamy ice cream. 

Final Thoughts

The next time your ice cream becomes freezer burned, you don’t need to throw the whole carton away, you can save the ice cream. Scrape off the freezer-burned parts and enjoy the ice cream underneath. 

The best way to slow the spread of freezer burn on your ice cream is by wrapping the open container in saran wrap and placing the lid back on top. This will lessen the chance of moisture escaping and freezing on top of your ice cream.