How to Freeze Meatballs

Freezing meatballs can be an extremely useful method to do if you're looking for a quick appetizer to pop in the oven and eat for lunch or dinner. Most stores sell frozen meatballs but many have fattening ingredients that you're probably not satisfied with, or have certain ingredients that you're allergic to. Thankfully you can freeze your own batch of homemade meatballs that can last more than a month and still taste just as good.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Freezing the Meatballs Raw

1
Roll the meat into ping-pong sized balls. After preparing and making your batch for the meatball mixture, roll the meat into ping-pong sized balls. You don't want the balls too big because once they're frozen, it can be hard to completely shape them again. Rolling the meatballs too big will also cause them to clump together, forming into a bigger ball, so ensure you make the balls into the size of a ping-pong balls. ^{[1]
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- When making the meatball mixture, use good-quality meat. Quality meat will help the meatballs last longer in the freezer and will keep them fresh once thawed. ^{[2]
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2
Place the meatballs on a covered baking tray. Cover a large baking tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil. You can also spray the tray with non-stick greasing spray or spread melted butter over it. Lay each meatball on the tray, each one standing an inch away from each other. Placing the meatballs too close will cause them to join and clump together, so ensure they're not placed near each other. ^{[3]
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3
Freeze the meatballs. Place the baking tray in the freezer and allow the meatballs to freeze until solid and hard. All freezers vary when it comes to its timing of freezing, but it'll take approximately 5 hours till overnight for the meatballs to fully freeze. ^{[4]
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- When placing the meatballs in the freezer, ensure that any other frozen foods won't mistakenly squash the meatballs. Place the tray in a safe area in the freezer to prevent any accidents. ^{[5]
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4
Place the frozen meatballs in an airtight container. If you plan on keeping the meatballs for awhile in the freezer, keep and store them into an airtight container. Shut the container tightly and place it into a safe area in the freezer. The meatballs can last up to a month while being froze raw. ^{[6]
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5
Know how to thaw the raw meatballs. Remove the frozen meatballs from the freezer and allow it to thaw in room temperature for about 2-4 hours, or until the meatballs are no longer frozen and hard. Cook the meatballs to your liking; You can bake them in the oven, fry them on the stove, or cook them in a slow cooker or pressure cooker.
- You can also boil the meatballs into your favorite sauce to cook and thaw them. ^{[7]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Freezing the Meatballs Cooked

1
Cook the meatballs. Roll the prepared meatball mixture into ping-pong sized balls. Decide how you'd like to cook the meatballs; You may want to bake them in the oven, fry them on the stove, or cook them in a slow cooker or pressure cooker. Fully cook the meatballs, ensuring they are no longer pink but slightly crisped and golden brown.
- When cooking the meatballs, sprinkling a bit of oil while it cooks can keep the meatballs tasting good after being froze. ^{[8]
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2
Allow the meatballs to cool. After cooking the meatballs, allow them to cool on a large plate covered with a napkin, if needed. Leave them to cool until they are easy to handle, usually taking about 7-10 minutes. Letting the meatballs cool ahead of time helps the meatballs freezer faster and more efficiently. ^{[9]
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3
Decide where you'd like to freeze the meatballs. Cooked meatballs can be stored in an airtight container or in a Ziploc bag. Both methods work well and can keep the meatballs lasting up to three months in the freezer. ^{[10]
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Research source} After storing the meatballs, close the bag or container tightly and label it with a permanent marker and small piece of paper. Mention what type of meatballs are in the bag or container and what today's date is. This will help you know when you last froze the meatballs.
- All freezers vary, but it will usually take about 4 hours till overnight until the meatballs fully freeze. ^{[11]
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4
Know how to reheat the cooked meatballs. The meatballs won't have to be thawed since they're already cooked. To reheat the meatballs, you can cook them in a pan with sauce, bake them in the oven, or cook them for several hours in a slow cooker. Garnish the meatballs with cheese and enjoy!

Community Q&A

Question

Can I cook frozen meatballs in spaghetti sauce?

Community Answer

Yes. You could thaw and heat them in the sauce.
Question

Can I freeze an uncooked lasagna using previously-cooked and -frozen meatballs?

Michele

Top Answerer

As long as the meatballs were stored at no more than 40° F. Bacteria start to grow at that temp. So as long as they were unfrozen and defrosted in the fridge, you can refreeze them.

Warnings

It's best to avoid freezing meatballs that have cheese filled into them. The cheese will gradually get smaller while being froze and won't be as flavorful so it's best to use normal meatballs. ^{[13]
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