The invention relates to a method for the portioned packaging of liquid or pasty products by means of a packaging machine, in which the product is fed to a metering chamber via an inlet, then metered to a product portion in the metering chamber by means of a metering element, the product portion being subsequently transferred into a package via a metering outlet. In order to avoid damage to the products which are susceptible to from damages, which are sensitive to crystallization in the rest state, the invention proposes that the metering chamber is operated in continuous flow in at least one operating state of the packaging machine among the downtimes of the packaging machine, the start-up of the packaging machine and the operation of the packaging machine, in which the product is discharged - either entirely or partially - from the metering chamber and is recirculated via an outlet provided in addition to the metering outlet, thereby passing the metering element. The invention further relates to a packaging machine suitable for carrying out such a method.