Can You Freeze Croissants?

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You did it – you pulled off a daytime-movie-worthy breakfast spread with a little something for everyone. Piles of bacon, mountains of scrambled eggs, and more croissants than you know what to do with. You find yourself asking the big question….can I freeze croissants?

It’s a valid concern. While few can resist the charms of buttery, flakey French pastry (certainly not me), croissants are basically ticking time bombs of staleness. When you have more than you could possibly stuff your face with while they’re still fresh, that presents a challenge.

Luckily, though, it’s a problem with a simple solution. Yes, you CAN freeze croissants!

Whether you’ve got an abundance of filled, baked, unbaked, or store bought croissants on your hands, here’s how to keep those beloved bread babies fresh for next week’s brekkie. 

How Do You Keep Croissants Fresh For A Week? Storing Croissants

Keeping croissants fresh for a week is possible – but it depends on your definition of “fresh”.

If you’re a purist about the word and only consider something fresh if it’s never been frozen, then I have bad news for you: you won’t have much luck. 

But if you’re like me and use the term a little bit more loosely, then keeping croissants fresh is as simple as tossing them into the freezer! 

Here are the three most common ways to store croissants and how long you can expect your pastry pals to last with each.

Storing Croissants at Room Temperature

If you like to live in the moment, keeping croissants at room temperature is always an option. As long as they’ve cooled down, you can put them in a sealed container, or on a plate with cling wrap.

If you live in a dry environment, you can even go without cling wrap (unless you have a cat who does not respect the ‘no cats on the countertops’ rules when you’re gone like I do).

However, if you want your croissants to last longer than 3 days, I’d recommend storing them a different way. 

Storing Croissants in the Refrigerator

Storing croissants in the refrigerator gives you a couple more days worth of freshness, approximately 4-7 days total. If you plan on eating them all pretty quickly and don’t want to deal with the hassle of thawing them out, this might be the way to go. 

A word of advice, though: preparing croissants for fridge storage is about as much work as getting them ready for the freezer.

You’ll need to make sure they aren’t being exposed to the moist air in your fridge, otherwise they’ll get tough and soggy. Make sure they’re completely cooled, and wrap them up well in plastic wrap. You can also use an airtight container or a zip top bag. 

By the time you finish all that, you could also just pop them into the freezer and keep them fresh for much longer. 

Freezing Croissants

This is the best way, and really the only way, to keep croissants guaranteed fresh for over a week. In fact, frozen croissants can be kept for months with minimal impact on their flavor and texture.

The only downside is that you have to thaw them before you eat them. But you’ll see that thawing is easier than you might think.

Can You Freeze Croissant Dough?

Let’s say you’ve toiled away at making croissants from scratch – precisely adding each ingredient, rolling them out, and shaping them with love. And you know as well as I do that few things compare to the flaky, crackling bliss of a warm croissant fresh from the oven.

But is all your hard work only going to net you one singular day of that indescribable feeling? 

Well, it doesn’t have to, because croissant dough freezes beautifully. Whenever you want to experience that flaky goodness, all you have to do is thaw and bake. (Is anyone else getting Legally Blonde ‘bend and snap’ vibes from thaw….and bake!)

Can You Freeze Croissant Dough Before Shaping?

You knew it was coming….here’s the proverbial exception to the rule. You can freeze croissant dough, but you can’t freeze it before shaping. 

When you thaw out croissant dough, it proofs (rises due to the yeast in the dough) as it thaws.

This 2-for-1 action is convenient if you want freshly baked croissants on demand, but trying to shape proofed dough is going to be a gluey, frustrating mess. 

Can You Freeze Baked Croissants?

Even though I’d argue that croissants are far superior to plain old bread (don’t come for me), they’re pretty much on par with bread when it comes to freezing. So the answer here is a resounding yes!

Freezing baked croissants is great for many reasons. You can sidestep their short lifespan. You can have them on hand for future meals. And if you see a killer deal on croissants that you can’t pass up, you can get the most bang for your buck. 

Simply take the proper steps to prep them, and you’ll have buttery, melt-in-your-mouth goodness at the ready for weeks to come.

If you can even resist them for that long, that is. 

Can You Freeze Costco Croissants?

Speaking of killer deals you (or any other sane person) can’t pass up, let’s talk Costco croissants. 12 enormous buttery croissants for just $5.99? I can’t pass them up!

They’re a great bargain, for sure. But if you have a small family or live alone, you might have wondered whether you could possibly eat them all before they meet their demise. 

You don’t HAVE to eat them all before they expire, because you can freeze them just like you would any other croissant. 

So, I guess it’s less of a question of “Can I eat all these croissants in the next few days?” and more of a question of, “How much room do I have in my freezer?”.

What About Freezing Filled Croissants?

That, my fellow pastry enthusiast, depends on the filling.

Some filled croissants are straightforward to freeze. If the filling is relatively solid, like fruit, chocolate, meat, veggies, cheese, or a chunky spread, you’re probably in good shape.

But the runnier the filling, the less appetizing of a thawed croissant you’ll have. The croissant will most likely get soggy from the filling as it thaws out. 

And some fillings, like creams or custards, are too delicate to be frozen and revived later. If you try, you’ll probably encounter some separation of the filling and waterlogged pastry- not really an appealing way to start your day. 

Can You Freeze Proofed Croissants?

If you’ve made it as far as fully proofing your croissants, you should probably just go ahead and bake them. After all, you’ve practically gotten to the finish line, and you’ve got the ease of freezing baked croissants on your side. Why wait?

I say this because freezing proofed dough of any kind is a big risk. It could maybe work out for you, but it could also go very wrong. Not only could the low temperatures be rough on your dough, but you also risk overproofing during the thawing process. 

If you want to stay on the safe side, either pop them in your freezer before you leave them to proof, or let them cool after baking and prep them for freezer storage. 

What Is The Best Way To Freeze Croissants?

Folks, it’s time to dive into the topic you’ve all been waiting for: the reason you’re here, the piece de resistance….how to freeze croissants, in dough and baked form. 

Freezing Croissant Dough

Freezing croissant dough is a fantastic life hack – I mean, who wouldn’t want fresh-baked croissants, whenever you want, with minimal effort? Here’s how you do it, step by step. 

1. First, make sure your croissants are shaped and filled if you’re making croissants with filling. Remember that cream and custard filling isn’t compatible with freezing, so if that’s what you’re making, you’ll be better off baking them all and finding a croissant-loving friend to offload your leftovers onto. 

2. When you’re done shaping and filling, place them in the freezer on a baking sheet before they start to proof. You can line the baking sheet with parchment paper to make it easier to move the frozen croissants later.

3. Once the croissants have frozen solid, take them off the sheet and put them in a freezer bag. Label it with the date, and you’re right as rain!

Freezing Fresh-Baked Croissants

Freezing fresh-baked croissants is the way to go if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of baking them later. 

Once again, if you’re using any custard or cream filling, you should probably find another use for your croissants. (I’m sure if you put your leftover croissants out in the break room at your work, you’d be the office hero!)

Here are some best practices for freezing baked croissants. 

1. First, it’s imperative that your croissants are fully cooled down before you pop them in the freezer. Warm croissants create condensation, and we all know pastry and condensation are a less-than-desirable mix.

2. Next, break out the cling wrap, and wrap up each croissant. Use a few layers to ensure your wrap job is airtight. 

3. Once all of the croissants are wrapped, place them into a resealable freezer bag. Before sealing, squeeze the bag to remove all of the excess air. 

4. Write the date on the bag for future reference. You’ll want to know when the croissants are past their prime. 

5. Place them in the coldest part of the freezer so they freeze as quickly as possible. This is what we call fast freezing. 

How Do You Defrost Frozen Croissants?

So….you had the foresight to know you wouldn’t be able to eat all your croissants before they went bad and decided to freeze them. Good thinking!

But knowing how to freeze croissants is only half the battle. Now, you need to know how to safely and effectively defrost those bad boys. Well, I’ve got ya. 

How To Defrost Frozen Croissants (Baked)

There are two ways to defrost frozen croissants if they’ve already been baked. Both of them are totally safe, but they might differ slightly in terms of final shape and texture. Feel free to experiment and see which you prefer.

Method 1

1. Remove however many croissants you’d like from their bag, and place them into the refrigerator overnight. You can probably let them thaw for a few hours at room temperature without incident, but if you want to avoid any risk of foodborne illness, I’d recommend using the refrigerator and waiting a little bit longer. 

2. Once the croissants have thawed, unwrap them and place them on a baking sheet and into a preheated oven for as long as it takes for them to get warm. No microwaving! That tantalizing texture you know and love will be toast. You don’t want to bake them even further, so keep an eye on them. 

Method 2

1. Before we start: If your croissants are filled, use method 1! Defrosting at a slow and steady pace is better if you want to keep the filling as tasty and fresh as possible. 

3. Remove the desired number of croissants from their bag, and unwrap them. Place them on a baking sheet. You can use parchment paper sheets to line the baking sheet if you like.

4. Place them into a preheated oven until warmed through. Keep in mind that your croissants are both thawing and reheating in this step, so you’ll need to leave them in the oven for longer than you would with method one.

And once again, don’t microwave them!  

How To Defrost Frozen Croissants (Dough)

You must let frozen croissants proof before you bake them – never take croissants out of the freezer and move them directly into the oven! 

Here’s the best way to do that.

1. Remove the desired quantity of croissants from their main bag, and unwrap them. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment. 

2. Leave the sheet out at room temperature for approximately 2-2 1/2 hours. The croissant dough will thaw and proof at the same time.

3. Once the dough has risen, preheat your oven to your recipe’s specifications and brush the croissants with some egg wash.

4. After your oven is preheated, put the sheet in the oven and bake for the recommended time. 

How Long Can You Freeze Croissants?

If you want to enjoy your croissants in their peak of freshness, it’s generally recommended to eat them within 1-2 months. 

That’s not to say they’ll be unsafe to eat after 2 months, so don’t feel like you NEED to throw them out. Just know to set your expectations a little bit lower since their flavor and texture will be a pretty big downgrade.

So, how long does it take before they become unsafe to eat?

Generally, a year. 

Even then, they’re not guaranteed to make you sick.  But it’s not like you have unlimited freezer space. (Unless you do, in which case…can I store some stuff in your freezer? Please?) At a certain point, you have to think about diminishing returns – and year-old frozen croissants definitely fall into that category.

Can You Refreeze Croissants?

Have you ever had a box of Smuckers Uncrustables start to thaw while you’re on your way home from the grocery store, only to put it back in the freezer? IYKYK, but if you don’t, let’s just say they become more like Crustables from then on: dried out and tough. 

And those are Uncrustables….not exactly a high-end, technical creation. When it comes to a refrozen croissant, you can expect the same – but even worse. 

Even if they’re well below the 2-month mark, thawing and refreezing is the kiss of death for any baked good. 

The croissants don’t even need to be baked for refreezing to be a bad idea. Remember, frozen croissant dough will proof as it thaws, and you shouldn’t freeze proofed dough … therefore, it follows that you shouldn’t refreeze dough, either. 

If I Freeze Croissants Will It Affect Quality?

I wouldn’t say there’s absolutely no difference between croissants fresh from the oven and thawed/reheated croissants, but the latter will still be almost as satisfying as the former. 

If you’re very picky about your baked goods, you might notice some minor degradation in the texture and flavor. But for the average person with an average palette, those differences should hardly be noticeable. 

The best thing you can do to be sure that your croissants are almost as good coming out of the freezer as they were going in is to follow the freezing prep instructions carefully. 

Freezing Croissants: My Final Thoughts

Freezing croissants is economical, reduces food waste, and gives you the option of fresh, delicious pastry at your fingertips. Whether they’re already baked or still in their formative stages, I wholeheartedly recommend freezing croissants!