Ice lollies are quite the snacks for warm summer afternoons. However, similar to ice creams, ice lollies can melt when temperatures increase. That often leads to the question– is it safe to refreeze ice lollies if they melt?
You can refreeze ice lollies in case they melt. Unlike most foodstuffs, ice lollies have a relatively long life span. So, you can refreeze them without any adverse health impact. However, if made from ingredients that can quickly go bad, it’s best not to refreeze your ice lollies.
If you’re still reading, chances are you’re an ice lolly junky and want your summer snack to last a lifetime. Read on to learn more about how long you can freeze these yummy desserts and whether refreezing them is a good idea.
Can Ice Lollies Go Bad?
Ice lollies can go bad if you don’t store them in the right conditions. You should keep them at a temp of 0°F (17°C) before consuming them and only refreeze them once. Standard ice lollies made from juice tend to last longer than those made from milk or yogurt.
Ice lollies made using water, flavorings, and sugar as the main ingredients can have an indefinite shelf life if stored at temperatures below (0°F or -17°C) consistently.
However, those made with milk, yogurt, and juice may go bad if you keep them at room temperature. While the juice ones may be fine if you refreeze them a couple of times and never let them get genuinely hot, you should never refreeze and consume dairy ice lollies.
It is also perfectly safe to refreeze such ice lollies, provided you don’t mess with their packaging.
For How Long Can an Ice Lolly Last in the Freezer?
If stored at consistent temperatures (0°F or -17°C), ice lollies can last in the freezer for up to 12 months without losing taste or texture. The trick to prolonging the shelf life of your ice lolly is to maintain a constant freezing temperature.
So, that means you should avoid removing ice lollies from your freezer unless you plan to eat them.
Tips For Refreezing Ice Lollies
While ice lollies can maintain their fresh flavor for well over a year, challenges like power outages can occur along the line, forcing you to devise alternative strategies to keep them fresh.
If you can’t consume your ice lollies immediately after a power outage, you can place them in a cooler to prevent them from melting completely.
While regular ice can prevent your ice lollies from melting completely, dry ice can keep them frozen in a cooler for a more extended period. However, you can also use regular ice if the power outage is temporary.
If you carried more ice lollies to a picnic than you could consume, then it’s best to return them to your freezer immediately after you get home. Don’t let the ice lollies sleep in the cooler, as they might lose their texture if allowed to melt completely.
The best way to keep your melting ice lollies fresh is to keep them in the freezer and try not to let them thaw out entirely if you can’t keep them in the freezer. When it comes to these sweets, fresher and frosty is always best.
How To Tell Your Ice Lollies Are Not Good for Consumption
First, you should always discard ice lollies if they’re contaminated or unhygienically handled after melting. As a rule, you should never open an ice lolly’s wrapping not unless you plan on eating it.
But if you’ve stored your lolly for long and want to know if it’s still suitable for consumption, then it’s best to check if it has developed a sticky (gummy) coating. You should also throw out ice lollies if they’re encrusted with ice crystals (freezer burn) after a long period of storage.
If your ice lollies are made from milk and other products that tend to go bad fast, then it’s best to eat them immediately when they start melting. Refreezing such lollies can expose you to health risks, especially if the milk-based ingredients went bad after melting.
Hi all! I’m Cora Benson, and I’ve been blogging about food, recipes and things that happen in my kitchen since 2019.