In Minecraft: Java Edition 26.4 Snapshot 3, a Potion of Freezing is brewed by combining an Awkward Potion with an Ice Ball in a brewing stand. The normal drinkable potion lasts 0:45. Add Redstone Dust to extend it to 1:30, Gunpowder to make a splash version, or Dragon’s Breath to turn a splash potion into a lingering version. You can then surround a Lingering Potion of Freezing with eight arrows to craft Arrows of Freezing.
This is development content from the snapshot published on October 6, 2026, not a guaranteed feature of every stable Minecraft release. The recipe and item names below apply to that Java snapshot; check your exact edition and build before planning a survival-world brewing setup.
What do you need to make a Potion of Freezing?
The recipe starts with the same base used for many Minecraft potions, then adds the new freezing ingredient. Gather these items before opening the brewing stand:
- A brewing stand
- Water bottles
- Nether Wart
- One Ice Ball for each batch of Potion of Freezing
- Redstone Dust if you want the extended duration
- Gunpowder if you want a throwable Splash Potion of Freezing
- Dragon’s Breath if you want a Lingering Potion of Freezing
- Arrows and a Lingering Potion of Freezing if you want Arrows of Freezing
The essential ingredient is the Ice Ball. It is added to an Awkward Potion, not directly to a water bottle. The official Java Edition 26.4 Snapshot 3 description specifically says that Lingering Potion, Splash Potion, and Potion of Freezing can be brewed using Ice Balls.
How do I brew the basic Potion of Freezing?
Use this sequence in a brewing stand. The important checkpoint is the Awkward Potion: if the bottles still contain water, the Ice Ball will not produce the freezing potion.
- Place water bottles in the brewing stand. Put the water bottles in the bottle slots at the bottom of the brewing interface.
- Add Nether Wart. Place Nether Wart in the ingredient slot above the bottles and let the brewing operation finish. The water bottles become Awkward Potions.
- Replace the ingredient with an Ice Ball. Keep the Awkward Potions in the bottle slots, put an Ice Ball in the top ingredient slot, and brew again.
- Collect the result. The Awkward Potions become Potions of Freezing with a regular duration of 0:45.
You can brew several bottles in one operation when the brewing stand is filled with compatible bottles. Each bottle still needs its own Ice Ball for the conversion, so plan your Ice Ball supply around the number of potions you want.
How can I tell whether the first stage worked?
Before using the Ice Ball, verify that the bottle label has changed from Water Bottle to Awkward Potion. Nether Wart is the base step; skipping it leaves the bottles in the wrong state for the freezing recipe. If the result is not a Potion of Freezing, check the ingredient slot and confirm that the item is an Ice Ball rather than another ice-related item.
How do I make an extended Potion of Freezing?
Add Redstone Dust to a completed Potion of Freezing. The regular drinkable potion lasts 0:45; the Redstone-enhanced version lasts 1:30.
- Put the Potion of Freezing bottles in the brewing stand’s bottle slots.
- Place Redstone Dust in the ingredient slot.
- Finish brewing and remove the extended Potions of Freezing.
Redstone changes the duration rather than the delivery method. The result remains a drinkable potion unless you perform another brewing conversion with Gunpowder.
How do I make Splash, Lingering, and Arrow versions?
Each variant changes how the freezing effect is delivered. Start with the drinkable Potion of Freezing, then apply the modifiers in the order shown below.
Making a Splash Potion of Freezing
- Place Potion(s) of Freezing in the brewing stand.
- Add Gunpowder to the ingredient slot.
- Collect the Splash Potion(s) of Freezing when brewing completes.
Gunpowder converts the drinkable potion into a throwable splash potion. The splash version uses the same regular and extended duration values listed for the drinkable potion: 0:45 normally or 1:30 when extended with Redstone Dust.
Making a Lingering Potion of Freezing
- Place a Splash Potion of Freezing in the brewing stand.
- Add Dragon’s Breath to the ingredient slot.
- Collect the Lingering Potion of Freezing.
Lingering versions have shorter listed durations than the drinkable and splash forms. A normal Lingering Potion of Freezing lasts 0:11, while an extended one lasts 0:22.
If you need the extended lingering duration, extend the Potion of Freezing with Redstone Dust before converting it with Gunpowder and then Dragon’s Breath. This keeps the duration upgrade as the potion changes delivery form.
Making Arrows of Freezing
- Obtain a Lingering Potion of Freezing.
- Open a crafting table.
- Place the Lingering Potion of Freezing in the center slot.
- Surround it with eight arrows, filling the remaining slots.
- Take the resulting Arrows of Freezing from the output slot.
The arrow recipe uses exactly one Lingering Potion of Freezing and eight arrows. Because the crafting pattern is built around the lingering potion, a drinkable or splash potion cannot be substituted directly for this recipe.
What is the difference between the freezing potion variants?
Choose a variant based on whether you need to affect yourself, throw the effect, leave it in an area, or deliver it through arrows. The durations documented for the Java 26.4 Snapshot 3 recipe are summarized here.
| Variant | How it is made | Duration | Delivery and targeting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potion of Freezing | Awkward Potion + Ice Ball | 0:45 | Drinkable; used by the potion holder |
| Extended Potion of Freezing | Potion of Freezing + Redstone Dust | 1:30 | Drinkable; longer effect time |
| Splash Potion of Freezing | Potion of Freezing + Gunpowder | 0:45, or 1:30 when extended | Thrown delivery; can be aimed at nearby targets |
| Lingering Potion of Freezing | Splash Potion of Freezing + Dragon’s Breath | 0:11, or 0:22 when extended | Leaves the lingering form’s area effect after use |
| Arrows of Freezing | Lingering Potion of Freezing surrounded by eight arrows | Based on the lingering potion used | Arrow delivery against a struck target |
The table’s duration values are the recipe values reported for the development snapshot. A stable release could alter the recipe, labels, timing, or even whether the feature is present.
What does the Freezing effect do?
Freezing is a damage-over-time style effect with a visible progression. An affected player shakes, gradually becomes frozen as though standing in Powder Snow, and eventually takes damage. The effect is therefore more than a movement slowdown: leaving the source or protecting the target matters before the damage stage is reached.
Does leather armor protect against Freezing?
Leather armor protects against Freezing in the same way it protects against Powder Snow. It helps protect the wearer from the freezing danger, but it does not prevent the effect from being applied. A player can still receive the effect icon and its associated visual behavior while wearing leather armor.
How are mobs affected?
Mobs that are vulnerable to Freezing take additional damage. The official snapshot specifies a five-times multiplier for vulnerable mobs. The wording is conditional: the multiplier applies to mobs susceptible to the effect, not automatically to every creature in the game.
Is Potion of Freezing available in the normal Minecraft release?
The authoritative recipe is from Minecraft: Java Edition 26.4 Snapshot 3, published October 6, 2026. The Minecraft Wiki labels Potion of Freezing as development content and notes that the full update adding it had not yet been released. That means a current stable installation, a different Java version, or Bedrock Edition may not show the item or accept the Ice Ball recipe.
Snapshots are testing builds. Features can be revised, moved behind another experiment, renamed, or removed before a full release. If you open a survival world in a snapshot to test the potion, make a backup first and avoid assuming that the same world will behave identically after changing versions.
What should players check before troubleshooting the recipe?
- Edition: Confirm that you are playing Java Edition, because the documented recipe is Java-specific.
- Build: Check that the game is running Java 26.4 Snapshot 3 or a later build that still includes the feature.
- Feature status: Look for snapshot or experimental-content notes in the version you selected; the full update was not yet released when this recipe was documented.
- World safety: Keep a backup before loading a valuable world in an unreleased build.
Why is my Potion of Freezing not brewing?
Most failures come from using the wrong intermediate potion, the wrong ice item, or a version that does not contain the feature. Work through these checks in order.
The bottles are still water bottles
Run the Nether Wart stage first. Ice Ball is the conversion ingredient for Awkward Potions; it is not a replacement for Nether Wart.
The brewing stand accepts the ingredient but gives no freezing potion
Confirm that the ingredient is an Ice Ball and that the bottles are Awkward Potions. An ice block, packed ice, blue ice, snowball, or another visually similar item is not the documented ingredient for this recipe.
The basic potion works, but a variant does not
Use the conversion chain in order: Potion of Freezing to Gunpowder for Splash, then Splash Potion of Freezing to Dragon’s Breath for Lingering. For arrows, use the Lingering Potion of Freezing in the center of a crafting table with eight arrows around it.
The potion is missing entirely
Check the edition and build before changing ingredients. A stable release or Bedrock world may not contain this development feature, so a correctly arranged brewing stand can still lack the recipe.
Which version should I choose for a particular situation?
Use the drinkable version for a self-applied effect
The ordinary Potion of Freezing is the simplest form and gives the longest regular duration among the documented versions. It is appropriate when the user of the potion is also the intended target.
Use the extended drinkable or splash version when time matters
Redstone raises the drinkable and splash duration from 0:45 to 1:30. Choose the drinkable form for direct use or Gunpowder’s splash form when you need thrown delivery.
Use lingering or arrows for controlled placement
Dragon’s Breath creates the lingering form, whose documented duration is 0:11 normally or 0:22 when extended. Arrows of Freezing provide a projectile-based delivery option, but they require the extra lingering-potion crafting step and eight arrows per batch.
What should you remember about this recipe?
The entire chain hinges on one item: an Ice Ball added to an Awkward Potion. From there, Redstone Dust controls the drinkable or splash duration, Gunpowder changes the potion into a throwable form, Dragon’s Breath produces the lingering form, and eight arrows around a lingering potion create Arrows of Freezing. Because Potion of Freezing is still documented as development content in Java 26.4 Snapshot 3, verify the release and edition before expecting the recipe in a stable world.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the Potion of Freezing recipe work in Bedrock Edition?
The documented recipe is for Java Edition 26.4 Snapshot 3. The available evidence does not establish a matching Bedrock recipe, so Bedrock players should not assume that an Ice Ball and Awkward Potion will produce the item.
Why can a snapshot world lose access to the potion after an update?
Snapshot features are unfinished and may be changed or removed before release. Keep a backup of any world used for testing, and recheck the version notes if the brewing result changes.
Can I use a drinkable Potion of Freezing to craft Arrows of Freezing?
No. The documented crafting pattern specifically places a Lingering Potion of Freezing in the center of a crafting table and surrounds it with eight arrows. Convert the potion through the splash and lingering stages first.
Does leather armor remove the Freezing effect?
No. Leather armor provides the same protection against freezing danger as it does against Powder Snow, but it does not stop the effect from being applied to the wearer.