If you’ve been scrounging around for answers on how to defrost cookie dough, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll walk through the steps you’ll need to take to safely thaw your cookie dough as well as discuss what might happen if you choose to bake it from frozen.

Table of Contents
- How to Thaw Frozen Cookie Dough
- How Do You Defrost Cookie Dough Quickly?
- Can You Thaw Cookie Dough at Room Temperature
- How Long Does It Take to Thaw Frozen Cookie Dough?
- Do You Need to Defrost Frozen Cookie Dough?
- Should Frozen Cookie Dough Be Thawed Before Baking?
- How to Defrost Cookie Dough: You’ve Got Options!
- FAQs
How to Thaw Frozen Cookie Dough
There are several ways to thaw frozen cookie dough. These include:
- Using water
- Utilizing the microwave
- Thawing at room temperature
- Defrost from refrigerator overnight
How Do You Defrost Frozen Dough?
Your first option is to thaw your cookie dough using water. Doing it this way can be tricky as you have to be careful not to allow the water to reach the dough. Do this by making sure your dough is in an airtight bag (such as a freezer bag) before submerging it in lukewarm water.
This method isn’t always ideal because it can cause your cookie dough to defrost unevenly.
Your second option is to use the microwave. Simply nuke your cookie dough for a few seconds before popping your dough in the oven.
More details on this method are coming up!
Thirdly, you can thaw your cookie dough at room temperature. Just be careful not to allow your dough to sit on the counter for longer than 2 hours when using this method.
Lastly, consider defrosting most cookie doughs from the fridge. This is often the best method to use if you have the time. To do so, simply place your frozen cookie dough in the fridge overnight. This should be enough time to allow the thawed dough to become soft and pliable.
How Do You Defrost Cookie Dough Quickly?
As you can deduct from the previous segment, there are some ways that are faster than others when it comes to defrosting cookie dough.
In order to defrost cookie dough quickly, the best thing to do is to place it in the microwave.
Can I Thaw Cookie Dough in the Microwave?
When asking how to defrost cookie dough fast, the answer is undoubtedly to place it in the microwave. You can totally defrost cookie dough in the microwave, but you have to use caution when doing so. Because you can technically cook cookies in the microwave, you’ll have to be careful not to overcook your dough!
How to Defrost Cookie Dough in Microwave
To thaw in the microwave after freezing cookie dough, try nuking your dough at 30% power for 10 seconds. If the dough isn’t entirely defrosted, continue to nuke the dough at 5-10 second intervals until it is thawed.
Can You Thaw Cookie Dough at Room Temperature
Remember that though cookie dough can indeed be thawed at room temperature, you’ll only want to do so for no longer than 2 hours. Any longer than this could cause the various ingredients in your cookie dough to spoil. Thus, it is best to err on the side of caution when defrosting cookie dough from the freezer.
How Long Does It Take to Thaw Frozen Cookie Dough?
How long it’ll take to thaw frozen cookie dough will largely depend on how much dough you have and what thawing method you choose.
Generally speaking, it can take anywhere from a few seconds in the microwave to overnight in the refrigerator for your cookie doughs to defrost.
Cookie dough left at room temperature often thaw relatively fast, usually within 30 minutes to an hour, sometimes even less!
Do You Need to Defrost Frozen Cookie Dough?
No. Believe it or not, you technically do not have to thaw leftover dough from the freezer. Instead, you can feel free to toss frozen or refrozen cookie dough balls directly into the oven and expect them to bake up just fine.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that your cookies may or may not cook up the way you expect when cooked from frozen. Be sure to follow the proper guidelines for baking cookie dough from frozen as you’ll need to make a few changes to your cooking times to achieve the best results.
Should Frozen Cookie Dough Be Thawed Before Baking?
Though you don’t have to use thawed cookie dough when baking cookies fresh, there are many reasons why it is a good idea to.
Homemade cookie dough can be finicky depending on the ingredients in the recipe. If you’ve elected to freeze cookie dough you’ll likely notice that they aren’t as likely to spread the way cookie dough baked from fresh does.
The verdict? While you don’t have to thaw raw cookie dough from frozen, it does have its benefits.

How to Defrost Cookie Dough: You’ve Got Options!
When it comes to defrosted cookie doughs, it is important to know that how you choose to thaw is completely up to you. Use the microwave if you’re short on time but defrosting your cookie dough in the fridge is usually the best (and safest) option.
I hope this has helped you. Until next time!
FAQs
How do you soften cookie dough in the microwave?
Place your cookie dough on a microwave safe plate and adjust the microwave power to 30%. Nuke the cookie dough for 10-15 seconds before checking it. If the dough still isn’t thawed, continue microwaving the dough at 5-10 second intervals.
What is the fastest way to thaw frozen dough?
Thaw cookie dough in the microwave for the quickest results.
Best way to defrost frozen cookie dough in the microwave?
Adjust your microwave’s power to 30% and nuke the cookie dough balls at small intervals.
Do you need to thaw frozen cookie dough before baking?
You do not need to thaw frozen cookie dough before baking. You can freeze them, but it may alter your final cookie appearance. The good news is that doing so doesn’t usually alter the taste… unless the dough has developed freezer burn, that is!
How to thaw frozen sugar cookie dough?
Thawing frozen sugar cookie dough can be done by thawing an entire loaf overnight in the fridge, or thawing individual cut outs or slices using the instructions detailed in this post.
How long does it take to thaw cookie dough from the fridge?
Cookie dough often thaws from the fridge within a matter of minutes. It may take 30 minutes or less for cookie dough from the refrigerator to become soft again.
How long does cookie dough take to defrost?
How long your cookie dough will take to defrost will depend on how much of it there is and your method. Refer back to the post for more details!