15 Unexpected Ways to Use an Ice Cube Tray

The freezer is one of the most overlooked appliances in every home cook's kitchen—it can do a lot more than store frozen vegetables and leftovers. And when combined with its trusty sidekick, the ice cube tray, the possibilities open up even more.

Ice cube trays are something that most of us have, whether we use them for ice or they lie forgotten in the back of a cupboard. Regardless of which camp you fall into, our comprehensive list details the many innovative ways in which you can put your ice cube tray to work.

Consider using them to freeze and store a wide array of ingredients. Leftover wine from a dinner party, extra bacon grease from breakfast, and even minced garlic that you didn’t end up needing for a recipe can all be given a second chance with the help of your ice cube tray. We love this because it helps cut down on food waste and means we don't need to re-buy these foods, especially when we just need a small amount. So before you toss leftover ingredients, keep this handy list in mind and freeze what you can.

Wine

Most booze won’t freeze in conventional freezers because of its ethanol level, but wine freezes beautifully, especially in smaller portions.

How to Use: Add a cube straight from the freezer to deglaze the pan for recipes like risotto, bolognese, or chicken piccata. 

Sauces

Blended herb sauces like pesto and chimichurri are great to have on hand, whether you’re pouring them over chicken or fish or mixing them into a skillet of pasta. Spoon them into the ice cube trays and top them off with a thin slick of oil to help preserve their bright green colors. 

How to Use: If you have a bit of marinara sauce leftover from a recipe, it can also be stored in single-serve cubes. This is especially great when you need to throw together a quick kid-friendly plate—just warm up a cube or two and add some cooked pasta and a sprinkle of cheese. 

Broth and Stock

If you don’t use a whole box of broth, or you have a bit of homemade stock hanging around in the fridge, freeze it.

How to Use: Broth cubes are great to have on hand for sick days when a bit of chicken noodle or miso soup is calling your name. 

Bacon Grease and Schmaltz

Schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) and bacon grease are both flavor powerhouses that should never go to waste.

How to Use: Use bacon grease to fry eggs or grilled cheese sandwiches. Toss schmaltz with potatoes before roasting or use it to add even more flavor to caramelized onions. 

Compound Butter

You can add things like roasted garlic, fresh herbs, spices, and citrus to softened butter to create a compound butter.

How to Use: Pop one or two cubes of compound butter out of the tray and let it soften at room temperature before using it to flavor cooked meats, fish, vegetables, and even popcorn..

Infused Oil

Much like compound butter, you can add those same ingredients to warm olive oil to create flavored cooking oils. Depending on what you infuse the oil with, flavored oils are not always be safe to store at room temperature. Store them in the freezer; put 1-2 tablespoon portions in ice-cube trays and freeze.

How to Use: Defrost a cube or two of flavored oil to sauté with or use when you make a vinaigrette.

Brown Butter

Brown butter is a secret weapon for cooking and baking. Melting unsalted butter and keeping it over the heat once it has melted produces a fragrant and impossibly silky brown sauce beloved by pro chefs. Let it cool slightly, then freeze in cubes. 

How to Use: Brown butter can be used in savory dishes, like for basting a steak, or in sweet dishes like cakes and cookies.

Cold Brew Coffee and Tea

Store leftover cold brew coffee or iced tea to prevent watered-down iced coffee or tea.

How to Use: Freeze cold brew and brewed tea in ice cube trays and use them as ice cubes for your drinks. 

Minced Garlic, Ginger, and Mirepoix

You've probably seen the pre-packaged garlic in the freezer aisle at the grocery store. You can do the same at home but better. Also, save your future self a step at dinner time and prep aromatics like garlic and ginger ahead of time. 

How to Use: Prep these essential ingredients ahead and freeze to speed up dinner prep. Mirepoix and sofrito can also be sautéed in advance and frozen and are great starters for all kinds of sauces and soups.

Egg Whites

If you’re making a recipe that only calls for yolks, make sure to save the egg whites. Ice cube trays are the perfect size for individual egg whites.

How to use: Thaw them and use for egg white omelettes, frittatas, and desserts like macaroons and pavlova. 

Pre-Mixed Smoothies

If you don't finish your fruit smoothies, freeze them in ice cube trays.

How to Use: Once you have enough, just blend them again with some water and you have a no waste, no-stress on-the-go breakfast. 

Fruit, Citrus, and Green Juices

Freeze leftover fruit juices you can't finish before you go away, leftover citrus juice that was more than you needed for a recipe, and even freeze ice cube trays of leftover cold-pressed green juice for a no-waste use another day.

How to Use: Fruit juices like apple and cranberry are great for adding to smoothies. Lemon, lime, and orange juices will come in handy when you need a few tablespoons for a recipe. Cold-pressed green juice can be frozen for later if you can't finish it all before it starts to turn. 

Cookie Dough

Most ice cube trays happen to be the perfect size for pre-portioned cookies.

How to Use: Bake straight from frozen (you’ll need to add a few minutes to the baking time if you do this) or thaw, roll into perfect balls, and bake according to the original recipe.

Jam and Jelly

Want to make jelly but don't want to go through the canning/preserving process? Then use the freezer.

How to Use: Homemade jams and jellies can be stored in the freezer for up to six months and thawed as needed for breakfast for one—or more. 

Dog-Friendly Foods

Don't forget Fido when you're making use of your ice cube trays.

How to Use: Whisk together your pup's favorite foods like peanut butter, canned pumpkin, and sugar-free yogurt and freeze for treat-sized portions. You can even add their favorite fruits—blueberries and watermelon are popular options.