Q. My grandson likes apple juice, so whenever he comes to visit I make sure to have some on hand. He’s very young, so he doesn’t drink very much of it and I always have most of the container leftover. No one else in the house drinks it, so when he goes home the leftovers just stay in the fridge until someone throws it out. I was thinking that it might be a better idea to freeze the leftovers and just defrost some apple juice when my grandson comes for a visit. Can you freeze apple juice?
A. It’s sweet that you purchase apple juice just because your grandson likes it. To answer your question, yes, you can freeze apple juice. Like most fruit juices, apple juice freezes quite well. However, there are a few things to remember when freezing apple juice. First, the high water content of the juice will cause it to expand upon freezing, so make sure to leave some room for expansion in the container when you freeze it. Also, the juice may become cloudy upon freezing, but the colour will return to normal once thawed. Finally, sometimes the sweetness of a juice can increase with freezing, so you may find yourself needing to dilute the juice a bit before serving it to your grandson.
To freeze apple juice, give the juice a shake or a stir to incorporate any sediment at the bottom of the container. Make sure the juice is as fresh as possible. Pour the juice into a hard sided freezer container or into a freezer bag. I would recommend freezing it in single serving sizes for your grandson, but you can also freeze the leftover juice in one larger container. Leave some headroom for expansion, then seal the container. Label and date the container, and then put it in the freezer.
To thaw frozen apple juice, remove the juice from the freezer and allow the juice to thaw on the counter or in the refrigerator for several hours. Once thawed, give the juice a stir and then taste for sweetness. Dilute the juice if necessary. Thawed juice will last a few days in the fridge. It’s best to discard any unused juice within a few days rather than refreezing it.