You want to preserve and save food. Therefore, it’s important to know: Can you freeze mason jars? Yes. But you must do it correctly. See below for pictures of my cracked jar. The two most important things to do are:
- Do not overfill; leave space
- Don’t freeze hot liquids
I include more tips below.
Glass has many benefits over plastic. In addition, mason jars are convenient for many foods. You can use them for home canning, and to store jams, soups, sauces, bone broth, dressing, spices, and more.
You can use mason jars in many ways. Freezing in mason jars, whether it’s food or liquids, is a way to preserve foods longer.
Here’s what to know before sticking these glass jars in the freezer. You don’t want them to break.
Can You Freeze Mason Jars?
Mason jars are made of glass, which, when put into the freezer, can break. Using mason jars in the freezer isn’t a bad idea. As long as you do it right, you can use these jars to store and freeze different food types.
That said, if the jar does break, it will likely break into only a few, manageable pieces. I’m speaking from experience on this! I filled a jar to the top with cooled chicken bone broth, and it cracked. I overfilled the jar, only leaving a tiny bit of room.
It was a waste of the chicken broth, and I had to throw my jar away. However, because it was frozen, and the way it cracked, it was intact. I simply threw it away. There wasn’t shattered glass anywhere in my freezer.
Are Ball Mason Jars Freezer Safe?
You can use the Ball brand of mason jars just like any other mason jars, so yes, you can use them in the freezer.
In fact, these jars are made with thick glass, making them resistant to breaking in many instances and will hold up when in the freezer.
You can choose to use these mason jars for freezing vegetables or animal stock, fruit jams, and other liquids for use later.
These jars are also ideal for saving leftovers, ensuring you have less food wastage.
Why Do Mason Jars Break in the Freezer?
Keep in mind that although you can keep mason jars in the freezer, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to take certain precautions.
To ensure they don’t break, you need to understand why they break in the first place. You might think that the glass is to blame for the jar’s damage, but it is actually due to the liquid placed inside the mason jar.
When any liquid becomes solid, it will occupy more space than usual.
This means, if you fill the jar to the top, it will break the glass jar. So, you need to know how much liquid to put into each jar.
Right Amount of Liquid to Pour
There is really no specific amount in terms of liquid measurement since mason jars come in various maximum capacities.
Instead, the approximation will depend on up to where you should fill the jar. That will also depend on the shape of the jar you have. Leaving an inch or so of unfilled space in a wide mouth jar is more space than one that is wider at the bottom and narrow on top.
Standard Shape
When freezing in mason jars, the recommended height to stop pouring the liquid is at one or two inches from the lid.
That will allow the liquid enough space when it freezes without causing the glass jar to break and ruin your ability to use the contents.
Mason Jars With Shoulders
A mason jar with shoulders is wider than standard ones. It also curves up around the top section where the lid is screwed on. When freezing these mason jars, you will want to stop one or two inches before the curve starts.
Straight Shape
If you have a glass jar that is equally wide all the way down, you will want to stop filling it up a bit below where the lid would screw on.
You will want to be more careful with the straight-shaped jars since they are often shorter and do not offer much room between the lid and the liquid.
Can I Freeze Mason Jars With Metal Lids?
Well, technically, yes, you can use mason jars with metal lids in the freezer because they won’t break easily.
However, this is not recommended because the metal lid does not do well over time in the freezer or humid temperatures.
The metal tends to rust after multiple uses. That is something you can deal with for some time if you are only going to do a few mason jar canning projects. But this is not something you can do for a long time.
Instead, using plastic lids or rubber covers are a better option. The plastic is better at dealing with expansion and will not rust.
Likewise, the rubber lids can hold tight to the outside of the jar. It will also allow for more expansion since it will stretch with the frozen liquid.
If you do not have those options around your house, you could leave the jar in the freezer without a lid.
Keep in mind that placing a mason jar in the freezer is advisable only for a few hours. The trick is once the liquid is already frozen, you should put a lid on top of the jar or place it in a plastic bag.
This technique will allow the expansion to happen without a lid, lower the chances of breaking, and keep your liquid from being tainted from the flavors or odors of the other items inside the freezer.
Alternative Lid Options for Freezing
If your metal lids are rusting or if you want other ideas, you can cover glass mason jars with these lid ideas before freezing:
Silicone lids: These are flexible and long-lasting. They will “give” as well, helping if you overfill. They also provide an airtight seal.
Wax paper or parchment: You can use wax paper or parchment paper to cover a jar. Secure tightly with a rubberband to create an airtight seal.
Screw bands with plastic freezer jars lids: These are rustproof and made specifically to seal mason jars. Instead of using a metal ring, you can use these plastic rings. They come in widemouth and standard size.
Can You Freeze Food in Mason Jars?
Freezing is one of the oldest food preservation techniques, and using a mason jar can help keep your freezer more organized and lessen plastic usage.
Placing and freezing liquids like broth or juices in a mason jar are one thing, but what if you want to freeze solid food in mason jars?
Can you freeze in mason jars solid items? Well, the good news is that you can pretty much put any food into a mason jar to freeze.
What’s better is that the process of how you freeze food in mason jars is the same as freezing liquid contents.
The basic steps you will follow include:
Step #1: Allow the Food to Cool a Little
Before you put your leftovers in the jars for the freezer, you need to make sure the food isn’t too hot.
If not, the heat could damage the glass or worse, it could break easily or even before you place it in the freezer.
Step #2: Pick the Right Jar
Whether you are putting sauce, soup or a solid food inside, you want to ensure that you have the right jar for the job.
If the food you want to freeze is wide, you will want to get a wide-mouth option to allow enough room for the food items.
On the other hand, if you have a smaller amount of soup or stew to freeze, choosing a smaller option that doesn’t have a shoulder is better.
It has plenty of room for expansion while letting you save the larger jars for other items.
Step #3: Label the Jar
When asking, Can you freeze food in mason jars?, you should also be aware of how long you can keep them freezing in mason jars.
Generally, you can keep food in the freezer for a few months, so you might not remember what is inside after a while.
The best way to keep track of the items you are keeping is to label them clearly.
Place a piece of tape (not scotch tape) on the jar’s body or lid, and then write the item’s name using a permanent marker. The great thing about mason jars is they are clear, so you can often see what’s inside them.
Equally important is to label the date you put the jar in the freezer. In this way, you’ll have an idea if the content is still safe to use as an ingredient or reheat and then consume.
Put the lid on and make sure it’s screwed well to prevent any leakage.
Step #4: Place the Filled Jar in the Fridge
You don’t want to break the glass when filling it, so be sure the food or liquid isn’t boiling hot when you transfer it to the mason jar.
In addition, before putting the filled and sealed jar in the freezer, you want it to cool completely. You can put the closed jars in the fridge for a few hours to ensure that there is no heat left to crack the jar.
It’s important to note, hot items placed in the refrigerator or freezer can have a negative effect on the appliance, as well as increase the temperature of the other items inside it.
Step #5: Freeze the Jars
After this is all done, you can now place the mason jars into the freezer. For best results, store the mason jars toward the back of the freezer. You can also put them in a drawer in the freezer.
Whatever type of freezer you own, just try not to store the jars near the opening — such as the freezer door shelf. You want to keep the temperature as stable as possible.
It’s important to know how to store food long term. You can keep mason jars frozen for two to three months, but the earlier you use them, the better.
Just remember to thaw the food thoroughly before attempting to heat it.
Also, if you are having trouble with getting the larger food items out, just run some warm water over the outside of the jar. This will help loosen it up. You will then be able to place the food onto a plate.
Freezing in Mason Jars With Solid and Liquid Food
So, can you freeze mason jars to store food safely and for longer? Yes! Store foods, including soups and broths, in mason jars and then freeze them. This helps takes advantage of:
- Batch cooking: Make larger quantities to use in the future
- Meal prepping in advance: Thaw and serve
- Preserve leftovers
- Ensures you aren’t wasting foods
Freezing in mason jars is practical for batch cooking and for leftovers. Preserving by freezing allows you to save money on buying new food items and helps you live a lifestyle that doesn’t have much waste. Home food preservation can be a way to save money for some people.
Mason jars work well for many different food items and can help them last for months while in your freezer.
However, when working with mason jars, you need to be aware of the amount of liquid or food items that you put into the jar to ensure that it doesn’t crack.
As long as you follow the steps we explained, you can safely freeze any kind of food in mason jars. You can freeze solid and liquid items in mason jars.
One of the best things about mason jars is they are readily available. Many people use them for canning. If you buy local honey or jam from farmer’s markets, you may have several already.
The sky is the limit when it comes to freezing mason jars! Just make sure you don’t overfill the jar.
Learn more about preserving and storing food:
References: