Can You Freeze In Mason Jars? (Ultimate Guide)

Bored of the typical plastic containers? We all are, for sure. So what could be the best solution, which is not only classy but also pocket-friendly?

My solution is the Mason Jars, which are Elegant and economical yet Eco-friendly because if not broken, they can last forever.

Mason Jars are glass jars used for canning and preserving food for decades. It was in 1858, an American tinsmith named John Landis Mason used these jars, having screw lids to seal the food and store it for many days without affecting its taste and color.

These canning jars have been used to preserve fruits, vegetables, pickles, soups, sauces, jams, jellies, tomatoes, fillings, salsas, and many more food items.

Despite the fact that Mason Jars are economical and stylish, they need to be handled with a lot of care. They are fragile as they are made of glass, so it’s important to know well; how to keep them safe and make the most of them.

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Can You Freeze In Mason Jars?

Absolutely! In fact, freezing your leftovers in a mason jar is the simplest and easiest way to preserve your food and avoid wastage.

Simplest? How? Let me tell you how it’s the simplest method.

Other preserving methods need a lot of tools and fancy equipment, for example, vacuum sealers, fermenting, dehydrators, and so on. While on the other hand, freezing in mason jars mainly requires two things;

A wide-mouth mason jar
A proper lid

Another advantage of storing food in mason jars instead of plastic containers is that glass is a toxin-free material and keeps our food, its nutrients, and taste safe because, honestly, plastic is a material that I don’t trust when it comes to food.

How To Freeze Food Inside Mason Jars Safely?

Storing food in mason jars is a preferable way to preserve food; however, it’s not that simple. As we know that liquid expands when it cools; in that case, we need to leave enough room in the jar that when the liquid expands, it does not break or damage the jar.

Another important tip is to keep the substance cool while putting it in the jar. Do not add hot liquids as it breaks the glass jar.

Here are some tips I want to share with you to store your food safely in mason jars:

#1- Select the Rightly Shaped Mason Jar

Liquid expands when it cools, and this is a cause of broken jars when you store liquid foods like jams, jellies, and so on. In a mason jar, liquid can only expand in an upward direction as the glass is a rigid material.

Therefore, any curve or bend in the jar can cause it to break. This is why I prefer jars having straight sides, as it provides the liquid substance to expand freely, and the jar does not break, and my jams will remain safe.

#2- Select Jars with Wide or Regular Mouth

When it comes to freezing food in mason jars choosing the right type is also necessary. For instance, if you want to store pourable food like jams, sauces, salsas, etc., you should use a regular mouth jar so that it does not spill.

But, when it comes to storing fruits and vegetables, I would suggest you to use wide-mouth jars to easily pour out fruits from the jars.

#3- Leave Sufficient Space At The Top

As the liquid expands when it cools, we need to keep in mind to leave sufficient space at the top to avoid breakage.

different types of jars with foods in them

If you do not leave enough space in the jar, the expanding liquid may cause the jar to break, so fill the jar to a suitable limit, leaving enough room for breakage-free and safe expansion of the liquid.

#4- Select Mason Jars That are Freezer Safe

When you use a regular Mason jar for freezing food, it breaks or cracks as soon as you take it out of the freezer. This is because of the extreme temperature changes.

In that case, I would suggest you to use a tempered glass jar as it can resist extreme temperature changes and keep your food safe to consume without any breakage.

#5- Avoid Extreme Temperatures

Avoiding extreme temperatures is another necessary point to keep in mind while freezing food in mason jars. Here we need to take care of the slow and steady change in temperature to avoid the jar from breaking.

The food added to the jar should be at room temperature; after filling the jar, first put it in the fridge to cool and then afterward place it in the freezer. This will ensure the safe preservation of your food while avoiding extreme temperatures.

#6- Avoid Rusty Lids

When we store our food in a humid environment, it can cause the metal lids to corrode. This happens to mason jars as metal lids are most frequently used with them. Rusty lids of mason jars may spoil your food.

This is where plastic or wooden lids become useful; if you have glass lids, that would work too, but there is a risk of breakage. Plastic and wooden lids are the best to use as they are rust-proof and do not break due to temperature changes.

What Types Of Food Can You Freeze In Mason Jars?

Do you know that you can freeze almost everything in the mason jar? Yes, mason jars are some of the most versatile containers for food storage and preservation.

All kinds of food, from dry to wet, edible to non-edible, and raw and cooked food can be stored and frozen in mason jars, which can adjust effortlessly in these fancy jars from grains.

Various kinds of pasta, spices, coffee beans, sweet treats, cake and brownie mixes, fruit juices, smoothies, leftover food, pickles, soups, broths, and even dehydrated fruits and veggies can be frozen in the mason jars.

Whatever food you like and prefer, you can freeze it in the jar conveniently, but you have to be watchful of the temperature of your food that is being frozen in the jar.

More freezing guides:

How Long Can You Freeze Food In Mason Jars?

The shelf life of contents in mason jars depends on two major factors; the first factor is the kind of food, either dried or wet, is frozen in the jar.

The second factor is the quality of the glass from which the jar is carved and created. As for the first factor, grains, food mixes, spices, pasta, and other dried foods have greater shelf life than wet food.

Wet food, which includes smoothies, juices, pickles and etc., contains a shelf life less than dried food.

When we brief about the quality of glass, if the jar is made of appropriate quality, it won’t get damaged in lower temperatures, but if it constitutes poor quality, it will surely damage the jar.

How Do You Defrost A Mason Jar Without Cracking It?

Defrosting requires time. You have to be patient while you are defrosting your jar and the food contents. Mason jars are made of fragile material, so when defrosting the food contents, you must not hurry.

You must not insert any sharp material or directly place it on heat so as to fasten the process of defrosting because it can harm and deform the mason jar.

Keeping in concern the temperature deflections, it is a smart choice to gradually raise the temperature from lower to higher to achieve defrosting without cracking the jar.

Why Do Mason Jars Break In The Freezer?

There are a few major reasons behind the breakage of mason jars in the freezer, and that is temperature, thickness, quality of glass, strained lid, and level of food contents in the jar are also notable factors for the breakage, which cannot be ignored.

Tempered glasses are thin and temperature resistant. If your mason jar is made of tempered glass, it can easily withstand dynamic temperature changes.

While filling up your jar, food contents should be poured into a certain level because certain food expands in lower temperatures. If your jar’s lid is too tightened, it can produce stress on expansion and eventually break the jar.

Final Verdict:

Canning and preserving of food using mason jars is a basic and primary method for storing food. Mason jars can be used to freeze any kind of food as this is less expensive and requires no fancy equipment, but only a few precautionary measures and suitable physical conditions need to be taken care of.

As mason jars are made of glass which is a fragile material, we need to ensure that there are no extreme temperatures and the freezing process is slow and steady.

Also, avoid using corroded lids. Choosing the right shape and size of the jar is another important factor to keep in mind while preserving food in mason jars.

In the case of liquids, two important measures are to leave enough space in the jar for the liquid to expand safely without breaking the jar and to use regular mouth jars so that they can be poured out easily without being spilled.

You can simply store any kind of food in mason jars, and by taking the important measures, you can preserve your food for longer durations and enjoy your favorite pickles even after months.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Why Did My Mason Jars Crack In The Freezer?

Mason jars are made of glass. Your mason jar cracked because of one of the following reasons either you have overloaded the jar leaving no space for expansion, or you have placed the lid quite tightly, creating pressure inside.

Also, the quality of the glass is an important aspect; high-quality tempered glasses can survive extreme temperature alterations, but we cannot say anything about those glasses which we buy for 1$.

Why Are Mason Jars With Shoulders Not Freezer Safe?

Liquid tends to expand on cooling, and due to this property, when mason jars are filled with liquids like fruit juices and broths and placed in the freezer if the jar has no shoulders, it can eventually expand upwards, but if your mason jar contains shoulders than due to expansion, it can cause breakage.

How Do You Know If A Mason Jar Is Freezer-safe?

Mason jars should be freezer-safe as we have to store our food contents in them. You should check experimentally if your mason jar is freezer-safe or not by interacting it with steady temperature changes.

Your regular mason jar cannot withstand such temperature changes, so it is better for you to select a mason jar made of tempered glass, which has resistance against temperature variations.

How Do You Defrost A Mason Jar Without Cracking It?

Defrosting a mason jar would take some of your precious time only if you wish to defrost without cracking the jar.

You are aware of the fact that there’s a low temperature in the freezer; after you have removed your jar from the freezer, simply place it on your working station till it acquires your room’s temperature.

Further, you can expose it to little heat, which is completely optional. And this is the easiest method to defrost your jar without any sort of damage.

Can I Still Use A Cracked Mason Jar?

No, you may not use a cracked jar for storing and canning purposes. Cracked jars cannot seal and restrain humidity from entering the food contents, which will spoil the purpose of preservation as air and moisture can lead to food spoilage. Also, broken glass containers, such chemicals that cause serious diseases.

Can You Reuse Mason Jar Lids For Freezing?

Absolutely yes, you can reuse the mason jar’s lids for freezing as many times as you want.

No matter which material they are made of, as long as the lids are not damaged, broken, or rusty, they are functional.

Except, glass lids are delicate, and they have higher chances of getting broken, so it is better to use those lids other than glass lids.

Are Old Mason Jars Food Safe?

Your precious old mason jars are food safe until and unless they do not show any cracks or signs of breakage.

Unlike plastic containers, Glass jars are free of toxins and are reliable to be used for keeping food safe from unpleasant changes. It doesn’t matter how old your mason jar is, and it is usable until it perishes itself.

Can You Freeze Mason Jars With Lids?

Freezing mason jars with lids is a smart and safe. Our freezers contain different odors, and they are not always pleasant.

So as to save your food contents from bad odors, it’s the right choice to place the lid on top and seal your jar.

In order to increase the shelf life of the food stored, it is better to always freeze mason jars with lids.

Can You Freeze Mason Jars With Liquid?

Surely, mason jars can be used to freeze any kind of food, may it be a liquid.

You can conveniently freeze any liquid from soups, broths to fruit juices and smoothies in a mason jar, and with all the appropriate conditions, it can be frozen up to months and sometimes years.