Pizza is a popular food to eat whether you’re dining out or at home. With pizzas, due to their large size, most people will not be able to finish it all in one sitting. For that reason, you’ll end up with leftovers and will need to store them for later. If the pizza is cooked already, would it be possible to freeze them?
So can you freeze cooked pizza? Yes, you can freeze the cooked pizza. To ensure that the taste and texture don’t deteriorate while it’s in the freezer, you need to prep and properly store it. If it, you can expect the cooked pizza to maintain its quality for 1-2 months.
Does Cooked Pizza Freeze Well?
Cooked pizza freezes well in the freezer. This is due to all the ingredients such as the pizza sauce, cheese, vegetables, and meat is cooked already. For that reason, the ingredients will less likely get freezer burn.
To ensure that the pizza remains fresh while it’s frozen, you need to properly store them. Just simply placing them into a plastic bag and tossing it into the freezer will not work. Within a week time, the cooked pizza will go bad due to freezer burn.
Therefore, to ensure that the pizza freezes well, double wrap the pizza and store them in the proper storage container.
How To Freeze Cooked Pizza
When it comes to freezing pizza, the process is pretty much straightforward. Since the pizza is already cooked, you only need to spend a small bit of time prepping it.
Below are the process of prepping and freezing cooked pizza:
- After the pizza is cooked, wait for it to cool down to room temperature. You don’t want to freeze while it’s still hot or condensation will occur in the storage container.
- Once the pizza has cooled completely, using an aluminum foil, wrap the pizza a couple of times. This will help prevent the pizza from getting freezer burn.
- In an airtight container or freezer bag, place the wrapped pizza in it.
- If using a freezer bag, press on the bag to remove as much air from the bag that you can before sealing it. For an airtight container, make sure the lid doesn’t have any leaks before securing the lid tight.
- Label the bag or container with the date of freezing and place them into the freezer.
If are using freezer bags and want to save space in the freezer, you can stack the pizza on top of each other. Make sure the cooked pizza is completely frozen first before doing so.
How Long Can You Freeze Cooked Pizza?
Cooked pizza stored in the freezer can last for up to 2 months. After that, you can still eat the pizza, but it won’t be as tasty as it should.
Cooked pizza that is left longer than 2 months in the freezer will start to deteriorate due to freezer burn. This isn’t something that you can prevent, but you can prevent freezer burn from progressing too quickly.
Therefore, to ensure that the pizza is at its best quality, you should eat it within a month after it’s frozen.
How Do You Defrost Cooked Pizza?
When it comes to defrosting frozen cooked pizza, there are several methods you can try. However, the best way to thaw pizza is to leave them in the fridge. This will prevent the frozen pizza from becoming mushy and rock hard when you re-cook it.
To thaw frozen cooked pizza in the fridge, remove the slices of pizza from the freezer. Leave them in their aluminum foil wrapping and place them onto a plate. Let it thaw overnight or for at least 3 hours. After you defrost it in the fridge, reheat it with the method of your choice. Or, you can simply eat it cold since the pizza is already cooked.
If you’re hungry and can’t wait several hours for it to thaw, you can thaw frozen pizza in the oven or microwave. Beware, using these methods could cause the pizza to become rubbery or tough.
To avoid the cooked pizza from becoming tough and rubbery, use the defrost setting for the microwave or set the heat at around 120 degrees Fahrenheit for the oven. Check every 1-2 minutes to make sure the pizza isn’t becoming rubbery.
Can You Refreeze Cooked Pizza?
Yes, you can refreeze cooked pizza. Just make sure that pizza hasn’t thawed completely yet and that it’s thawed in the fridge.
While refreezing cooked pizza is fine, the problem is the bacteria contamination and the change of texture.
Bacteria grow rapidly when the temperature is warm. This means once the pizza has thawed and left at room temperature could possibly cause bacteria to start growing on it.
If the pizza is contaminated with bacteria, freezing it doesn’t kill it. The extreme cold just drastically slows its growth. Once it’s thawed, the activity of the bacteria will resume and multiply at an exponential rate.
As for the texture, when the pizza is frozen and thawed, the texture will change a bit. Due to the melting of ingredients, the texture will become soft and mushy. By freezing it again, the pizza will even become softer.
As you thaw it for the second time, the texture will deteriorate greatly and you may not enjoy the cooked pizza.
Can Frozen Cooked Pizza Go Bad?
Like any other food stored in the freezer, cooked pizza do go bad as well. It’s usually due to the pizza being stored in the freezer for a prolonged period of time or it’s left to thaw for too long.
The average shelf life of cooked pizza in the freezer is 2 months. After that, the quality of the pizza will start to deteriorate. Due to the freezer burn on the pizza, it will start to lose its flavor and texture.
The cooked pizza can still be safely eaten after 2 months, but you may not enough eating it. If it’s been in the freezer longer than 5 months, while it’s still safe to eat it, it’s best to throw it away. At 5 months or longer, the pizza will no longer have any flavor and the texture will deteriorate greatly.
Besides leaving them in the freezer for too long, letting the cooked pizza thaw for too long can cause them to go bad as well. When the pizza begins to thaw, some of the ingredients will start to melt. Pizza sauce has a lot of water and once it’s melt, it will cause the dough to become soggy and vegetables to be soft.
For that reason, once the cooked pizza has thawed, you should reheat them right away.
Other Questions about Cooked Pizza
Can you freeze leftover Domino’s Pizza?
Yes, if you have leftovers from Domino’s Pizza, you can definitely freeze it. Properly stored pizza will last for up to 2 months in the store. To keep them fresh and tasty, wrap the pizza in aluminum foil first. Then place them into an airtight container or freezer bag.