Four Easy Steps to Freezing Fruits and Vegetables

It’s harvest time! Fresh vegetables and fruit packed with flavour, vitamins, and freshness. So good. You want to save all of that tasty goodness for the cooler months just around the corner, don’t you? Freezing fruits and vegetables locks in that flavour and freshness.

Why Choose Freezing?

There are many ways to preserve your harvest, from canning, to baking and cooking, to dehydrating or freezing. Freezing is one of the simplest ways to keep your fruits and vegetables for many months. It doesn’t require a lot of equipment or expertise. It’s safe and easy to do.

Follow these four easy steps to preserve all of that fresh from the garden flavour. You can jump to the how to summary, but I suggest reading through the reasons behind each step so you can avoid the common mistakes many beginners make and ruin their harvest.

Step # 1 Blanch Your Vegetables

This first crucial step is often missed! Before you freeze your vegetables, you have to blanch them. If you have skipped this step before and thrown your vegetables straight in the freezer, you likely wondered why your vegetables tasted awful after a while. Maybe you haven’t heard of blanching or don’t know how to do it.

I have put together a post on how to blanch vegetables that walks you through the steps. Make sure you check it out before proceeding.

Here are some FAQs on blanching that you might find helpful.

What is Blanching?

Blanching is parboiling your vegetables to kill the enzymes in them that ripen and break down the plant.

What Does Blanching Do?

Blanching locks in flavour, colour, texture, vitamins. Not blanching means you will get starchy, mushy, bland vegetables.Blanching isn’t hard, though, so why skip this step?

What Vegetables Can Be Frozen Without Blanching?

Herbs, mushrooms, onions, peppers (both hot and bell), tomatoes, and zucchini do not need to be blanched before freezing.

How Do I Freeze Tomatoes?

Tomatoes can be washed, dried, and thrown in to a freezer bag whole. The skins will slip right off after thawing them for a few minutes.

You can also skin them in advance of freezing, which is the same process as blanching.

Check out my post on blanching to learn how to do this.

Do I Need to Blanch Fruit?

Nope. This might surprise you. But no, you don't have to blanch fruit, unless you are skinning it, like peaches.

Why Don't I Have to Blanch Fruit?

I did try to find a scientific explanation because I am curious too. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find anything that clearly explained the reason, but I suspect it is the higher sugar content. If anyone has a link to an explanation, please share it in the comments.

This article explains the science of what happens to fruits and vegetables when they are frozen. Fruit turns brown, or oxidizes, and both fruit and vegetables get large fruit crystals when frozen slowly.

Why Should I Freeze Fruit?

Fruit is great to have on hand for smoothies, baking or desserts. Freezing it locks in the ripe flavour and prevents over-ripening. Freezing fruit is even easier than freezing vegetables! Why? Because you can skip blanching!

How Do I Prevent My Fruit From Turning Brown?

Browning, or oxidization, isn’t harmful and doesn’t affect the flavor, but it does affect the color, and therefore the quality.

Simply dip your fruit in Vitamin C or citric acid powder dissolved in water to prevent browning. This can be done to any fruit you serve.

See my link below to citric acid powder.

Why Are Ice Crystals Bad in Frozen Food? How Do I Prevent Ice Crystals in My Frozen Fruit and Vegetables?

The problem with ice crystals is that the larger they are, the more damage they do to cells, resulting in mushier fruits and vegetables when thawed. You can’t prevent ice crystal because when water in the fruits and vegetables freezes, it forms ice crystals. But you can make the crystals smaller so they cause less damage.

I will show you a simple way to do this.

What Fruits and Vegetables Don't Freeze Well?

Cooked or raw potatoes don't freeze well, they get grainy. But, if you blanch them first by partially cooking them - till they are still firm, but not mushy, and then submerge them in an ice bath until cold, you can. This is also a great way to make French fries!
Cucumbers and lettuce turn mushy.
Watermelon - eat frozen or put in a smoothie.
Cabbage and celery can be cooked and then frozen. Hello cabbage rolls!

Most any fruit or vegetable can be frozen. It depends on what you want to use it for after and the acceptable texture.

There isn't much can be done for lettuce or cucumbers. But who freezes lettuce and cucumbers? Well, my crisper does sometimes…

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Step # 2: Flash Freezing

Don’t Skip This Step!

Fruit and vegetables contain a lot of water in their cells. When they are frozen that water turns to ice. A mistake many people make when freezing blanched vegetables or fruit is to throw them straight into the freezer instead of doing this important step first.

Why Should I Flash Freeze My Fruits and Vegetables?

Quality Control
Ease of Use
Faster and More Even Cooking or Processing Time

Foods that freeze slowly get larger ice crystals in them which ruptures the cells and makes them mushier. The faster you freeze your food, the smaller the ice crystals and the better-quality thawed food you will have. This is especially true with fruit because it is often eaten raw from a frozen state. And mushy fruit isn’t something many people like, except maybe bananas…

When you go to use your fruit or vegetables from the freezer you want them to be easy to separate. That way you can take what you need and leave the rest in the freezer. It is not a good idea to thaw and refreeze food because it will get freezer burnt. **Never refreeze meat that has been thawed unless you cook it first.

The longer it takes your frozen vegetables to thaw the less evenly they cook. Throwing a lump of frozen beans in a pot of water will cook the outside first and the inside will still be frozen. This means overcooked and under cooked veggies in the same bowl.

Your blender will thank you too when you make a smoothie if your fruit is separated into smaller pieces.

What Is Flash Freezing?

Flash freezing is freezing your fruits and vegetables in small, bite-sized pieces quickly before putting them into their final storage container for the freezer.

It’s pre-freezing your food.

What Fruits or Vegetables Work Best for Flash Freezing?

Any fruit or vegetable that you wish to freeze in a bite-sized chunk.

You can also flash freeze fruits and vegetables that are shredded or mashed.

What Fruits and Vegetables Don't Need to be Flash Frozen?

Saskatoons, also known as service berries, can be washed, drained and frozen directly in a bag. They have a tougher outer skin - related to apples, and don't stick together like blueberries do when frozen without flash freezing.

Bananas can be frozen whole, with their skin on, and thawed as needed. Same with tomatoes, you can freeze them with their skins on.

How Do I Freeze Shredded or Mashed Fruits and Vegetables?

Shredded or cooked, mashed vegetables like the squash family (pumpkin, zucchini), mashed bananas, and greens such as Swiss chard, can be frozen flat in a bag with the air squeezed out. Keep the layer as thin as possible to help it freeze faster.

To use, break off pieces as needed, or freeze in the portion size you will use.

Photo showing how to roll bag of greens to remove air for freezing — Roll bagged greens from the bottom end and press out any excess air.

Roll the bag or give it a squeeze to get out the air. You can leave a little moisture because it is full of the juices from the blanched vegetables and will help keep the food from drying out.

Swiss Chard bagged, labelled, with air removed, and ready to freeze

Unroll and freeze flat. Break off amount needed once frozen and reseal, removing as much air as possible.

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How to blanch vegetables
Freezing Fruits and Vegetables — Blanched beans on trays ready to flash freeze

Wait!

Don’t put too many warm (room temperature) fruits and vegetables in your freezer at once! This is another common mistake people make when freezing fruits and vegetables. This warms up your freezer too much, which slows down freezing causing larger ice crystals and more freezer burn on the rest of your frozen food. To prevent this, do your freezing in batches.

Step #3: Bag Them

Without the proper protection, your fruits and vegetables will still spoil in the freezer. Freezer bags are designed to protect foods from the harsh temperatures of the freezer. Use the right bags and remove air to keep your fruits and vegetables from spoiling.

Later in the post I explain the difference between the type of freezer the food is stored in and how important it is to choose the right freezer or even where in the freezer you store your frozen fruits and vegetables.

Does a Vacuum Sealer Keep Food Fresher than Regular Freezer Bags?

You bet! One of the most effective ways to remove air and prevent freezer burn is to use a vacuum sealer.

The Problem with Vacuum Sealers

The problem with vacuum sealers is that you have to portion your food because once you open the seal, you can’t seal it up again, without a new bag.

This is an easy fix though.

The Solution

The great thing about vacuum sealers is that they make it easy to create portioned size bags. You just cut the bag to the size you need, seal the end, fill it up, and vacuum seal it. I have used a vacuum sealer for over twenty-five years and I swear by them, especially for freezing meat. You will save thousands of dollars in preventing food waste by using one.

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Step #4: Label Them

Even with the proper blanching and bagging, your food will need to be used up within the next year.

How Old Is That? What Is That?

If you are like me, you convince yourself that you will remember when you froze your fruit and vegetables. I mean, you put so much time and effort into growing, harvesting, prepping, and blanching them, how could you forget when it was, or worse, what it was? And then you do. The easiest way to prevent this is to label your food.

Blanched sugar snap peas labelled and ready for the freezer
Freezing Fruits and Vegetables — Sugar snap peas bagged and labelled for the freezer.

First In, First Out

This is a standard in the restaurant and grocery world. Use the oldest food first, or eventually, you will have to throw out that bag of peas because it became freezer burnt. Labelling makes this much easier.

Freezing your Fruits and Vegetables

Now that you have your fruits and vegetables flash frozen, bagged, and labeled, let’s talk about your freezer.

Your Freezer

Your freezer is the biggest factor in how long your frozen food will last. You may not be able to change the type of freezer you have, but understanding how to store your food in your freezer and what not to do, will help prevent some of the worst damage.

Shut The Door!

Freezers work best when they are kept closed. By opening them frequently you introduce warm air. The warm air then washes over the frozen food, warming it slightly. This warm surface then draws moisture out of the food and refreezes, causing ice crystals and freezer burn.

The design of your freezer will determine how much warm air enters the cavity each time the door opens.

Location, Location, Location

Store your frozen fruits and vegetables in the middle of your freezer. Do not store them on the door of your fridge freezer. By preventing warm air from reaching them, they will stay fresher longer.

What is the Best Type of Freezer to Use?

Chest freezers keep foods at the coldest temperature of all home freezers. Air doesn't circulate through them and warm up the items - the top layer does have more risk of freezer burn. The biggest drawback of a chest freezer is finding something on the bottom. Put your foods in bins to help keep your food sorted.

Are Upright Freezers Good for Storing Food?

After a chest freezer, next best place to store frozen food is an upright chest freezer. It keeps food at a colder temperature than a fridge freezer but every time you open the door you create a vacuum that pulls warm air in and through the contents. This takes a while to cool off again and the warm air slightly thaws your food, and then it refreezes, leading to freezer burn.

What About My Fridge Freezer? Is it Okay to Store My Frozen Fruit and Vegetables in the Refrigerator Freezer?

Okay, not everyone has a chest freezer or an upright freezer and obviously, any freezer is better than no freezer. Fridge freezers don’t keep your food at as cold of temperature as a chest or upright freezer. Your fruits and vegetables will get freezer burnt faster in a fridge freezer.

What is the Worst Place to Store Food in a Freezer?

In a refrigerator freezer, the worst place to store any food is the door. Why? Because its the warmest place in the freezer. Every time you open the door, it warms up the food stored there.

While the interior is a better spot, it still isn't great. Like the upright freezer, every time the door is opened, it sucks in a warm draft. BUT it is better than the door.

Ice block from ice maker created by warm drafts from opening drawer — I end up with a big block of ice in my ice maker because the bottom drawer creates a draft of warm air each time it is opened. This allows the ice to melt a little, then it refreezes. This causes a loss of quality and makes it hard to add to a drink. I use this up when blanching.

Drawer style fridges are slightly better, but they still let in a lot of warm air from the sides with the vacuum created as the drawer is opened.

How Long Do Fruit and Blanched Vegetables Keep in the Freezer?

The general rule of thumb is one year from date of freezing – sometimes as little as six months, depending on the freezer, but unless the bag looks like it has thawed and frozen, you should be okay. I found a bag of sugar snap peas from last summer in July and they were just fine to eat. Starting to get slightly freezer burnt, but edible.

If your fruits or vegetables are freezing into a solid lump, that is a sign they have been thawing and refreezing. Use them up soon or they will dry out and become inedible.

Proper storage of your fruits and vegetables will help prolong their freezer life. Using a vacuum sealer and storing them in a chest freezer will keep your fruits and vegetables the freshest, longest.

Summary of Best Practices for Freezing Fruits and Vegetables

In short, follow the four easy steps to freezing your fruits and vegetables, use the proper bags, and store your frozen foods in the coldest part of your freezer to prolong their storage life.

How To in Four Easy Steps

How to Freeze Fruits and Vegetables

Blanch Your Vegetables
I have put together a post on how to blanch vegetables that will walk you through the steps.
Flash Freeze Your Fruits and Vegetables
A. Cut your fruit into bite sized pieces. Vegetables are cut before blanching.

B. Drain off excess water and juice. You don’t want there to be too much liquid or your food will freeze into a block.

C. Spread out the pieces of fruit and vegetables on baking sheets in a single layer. Try to keep the pieces from touching each other as much as possible. Place the trays in the freezer, keeping them as level. Freeze solid.

* Shredded or mashed fruits and vegetables are flash frozen in their freezer bags. Keep the layers thin and squeeze out as much air as you can. Don’t drain too much liquid from shredded or mashed fruits as it will protect against freezer burn. But you don’t want them floating in liquid either. Too much liquid makes it hard to break off chunks as needed and slows down freezing.
Bag Your Frozen Fruit and Vegetables
Once your fruits and vegetables are frozen solid, you put them into freezer bags. Don’t wait too long to do this or you will increase the chance of freezer burn on the exposed food.

Make sure you use bags that are designed for the freezer. Sandwich bags are not thick enough and will allow freezer burn.

Give the bag a squeeze to remove the air and tie off or zip shut. This is important. Don’t leave too much air in the bags or your food will spoil faster.
Label Your Bags with the Date and Contents
Use a permanent marker. If it is a reusable bag or container, masking tape can be used and removed when washing.