How To Freeze Strawberries To Keep Them Fresh For Longer

Can You Freeze Strawberries?

Strawberries can be stored in the freezer. It actually helps to preserve the freshness and quality of the fruit for a longer period. The freezer generally allows the strawberries to be fresh for up to 6 months. However, the storing period can be extended up to 1 year if the freezing process is followed properly. 

During seasonal months, strawberries come in abundance. Practically, it is not possible to consume all during that time. So, to prevent the fruit from wastage and to retain them for future use, you can store them in the freezer.

Why Freeze Strawberries?

"What happens if I don't freeze strawberries" Does this question ever come across your mind? If yes, your answer is here. The fruit starts to spoil and lose its flavors and nutrients, resulting in wastage. You can prevent these things simply by keeping the fruit in the freezer.

Let's get into the reasons for freezing strawberries one by one: 

Preservation of nutrients

After you buy fresh strawberries and don't plan to use them anytime soon, freeze them. Not freezing them leads to the loss of their essential nutrients. This happens due to excess exposure to room temperature and dryness.

So, preserve the fruit right after you get back home to retain the nutrients for a longer term. This way you can enjoy fresh and nutritious berries whenever you want to. 

Extending shelf life

Strawberries must be stored in the freezer to increase their shelf life. Leaving the fruit at room temperature quickly affects its freshness. The exposure introduces the formation of harmful bacteria in the fruit, resulting in its spoilage. 

So, store the berries in the freezer to keep them fresh and lively. The cooling atmosphere slows down bacterial growth and leads to longer shelf life. 

Convenience

Freezing strawberries is an ideal choice due to its convenience. Convenience in the sense that you can use the berries anytime you want from the freezer. This reduces the need to go to the grocery store time and again. It can be used with other fruits to make smoothies, salads, jams, and sauces. 

Cost-efficient

You can save some bucks by freezing strawberries when they are abundantly available in the season. Due to the larger supply in the market, strawberries become cheaper during seasonal times.

Once the season ends, the price gradually starts to rise as the supply decreases. There comes a time when price hikes for this fruit and in that time, you can use frozen strawberries. This avoids the need to buy fresh ones and helps you save some big amounts from spending. 

Maintaining flavor

Strawberries tend to spoil quickly due to their short shelf life. The result is a fading of flavor. To retain the flavor, it is important to freeze strawberries in the freezer. This lets you enjoy the same taste of flavor even after 6 months to 1 year. Whereas, not freezing the fruit leads to its spoilage.

Reduce wastage

Wastage of fruit becomes a major concern when you don't freeze them. After you have paid the price to buy or grow the fruit, don't let it waste just like that. This doesn't sound like a fair deal.

How To Freeze Strawberries

Proper freezing is crucial to preserve the freshness and quality of the strawberries. Whereas failing to do so leads the fruit to spoil. The reason for spoilage could be bacterial growth due to fluctuation in the temperature and cross-contamination with external factors.

Thus, to avoid these issues, strictly follow the given steps while freezing strawberries:

1. Pick fresh strawberries

Choosing fresh strawberries is essential for freezing. This is because the older one might have already developed the formation of harmful bacteria. Even if you try to freeze it, it will get spoiled within a day. Instead, other fresh strawberries will also be impacted greatly. 

So, always choose fresh strawberries that have a bright red color, smell fruity, and look full. Also, consider the one with fresh green leaves on it.  Avoid the berries with any blemishes or brown spots. 

2. Wash and dry the fruit

The second step is to pour the berries into a large dish. Then, rinse them with cold water 2-3 times. It helps in washing away excess dirt from the fruit.

After that, use a paper towel to pat dry the fruit. This step is important to absorb the excess moisture or water droplets from the fruit. If extra moisture is left and the fruit in the freezer, might lead to cross-contamination in the fruit. 

3. Remove the hulls

After cleaning the fruit, you need to remove the hulls from the strawberries. Use a sharp knife to cut green stems and cleanly remove that part. If you have a huller, you can use that to pull the hull. 

Since the hull becomes too hard to pull after freezing, it is important to remove it beforehand. Similarly, it has a slightly bitter and not favorable taste, which might influence the flavor and texture of the fruit. When it is removed, the flavors and texture are maintained well in the freezer.

Strawberries can be stored either sliced or whole. This depends on your choice. If you need sliced strawberries in the future time, then cut them into slices. This is because whole strawberries are slightly difficult to cut into pieces after being frozen. So, choose an option that is convenient for you. 

5. Flash-freeze the fruit

Before you freeze the strawberries, flash-freezing them is crucial. To do this, spread the fruit on a tray with lined parchment paper. Make sure the berries are not touching each other.

Place the tray inside the freezer for about 2-3 hours. The strawberries should be fully frozen by that time. You can extend the freezing time until the fruit gets frozen. 

The purpose of flash-freezing is to create a firm icy texture in the berries. This is done to prevent them from sticking together in the freezer. As a result, you can take out berries individually without affecting the others. 

6. Transfer to a freezer bag

After flash-freezing the fruit, transfer them into a freezer bag such as a sealable plastic bag or an airtight container. After adding the berries to the bag, tightly seal it. While doing this, don't overcrowd the berries into a single bag or container. If needed use two bags. 

Here, you need to ensure the bag or container is airproof. So that air can't enter into the bag and cause bacterial growth. 

7. Store in the freezer

Once the berries are packed, place the bag in the freezer. Choose a part that is the coldest and avoid placing it near the freezer door. Frequent opening and closing of the door may affect the quality of the berries. 

8. Maintain the temperature

Lastly, ensure the temperature is maintained until you decide to unfreeze the strawberries. The temperature should be set at 0°F (-18°C) or lower. This is the ideal temperature to retain the freshness and quality of the berries for up to 6 months to 1 year. 

You can use the frozen berries anytime when you're in need and turn them into your favorite smoothie or sauce. 

Is It Better To Freeze Strawberries Whole or Sliced

The choice between sliced or whole strawberries completely depends on your preference. Since both kinds of strawberries can be used for the same purpose. 

First, let's talk about why you should slice the strawberries. Sliced strawberries are easier to use in smoothies, pancakes, or any dish of choice. You should slice if you don't want to face the struggle of chopping the whole frozen ones.

This is because they have an iced hard layer that makes the cutting thing a bit difficult. Besides that, sliced strawberries are quickly thawed for reuse. 

On the other hand, whole strawberries take a slightly longer time to freeze and thaw due to their thickness. These berries can be incorporated into smoothies or jams, which might take a slightly longer time to blend into than sliced ones.

As frozen whole strawberries are hard, you will have to pay attention while cutting them into halves or quarters so as not to mess up the fruit. 

Therefore, the choice is all yours. You can choose to cut the berries into slices or store them as a whole. The only primary difference is the easiness of using them to make dishes of your choice. 

How To Thaw Frozen Strawberries

Once you know how to freeze the strawberries, it becomes equally important to learn to thaw berries. Not having knowledge of this matter may affect the texture and flavor of the fruit. This directly influences the freshness and quality of the fruit.

So, to avoid this issue, follow the given ways to properly thaw the frozen strawberries: 

Thaw in the refrigerator

Refrigerator thawing is one of the most common ways to unfreeze the frozen strawberries. To do this, take out the required frozen berries from the bag and place them in a bowl. Then, keep the bowl in the refrigerator overnight. This method retains the flavors and texture without reducing its quality. 

Thawed berries are a great choice to incorporate into smoothies by mixing them with other fruits. 

Thaw in the cold water

Another popular method to thaw frozen strawberries is to submerge them in the cold water. Fill a large bowl with cold water and place the plastic bag filled with frozen strawberries. Let berries drown in the water for up to 1-2 hours.

When the first 30 minutes are reached, the water loses its coolness and starts to turn into normal temperature. So, keep changing the water every 30 minutes. This is important to do because normal water temperature doesn't align with the berries' temperature. The difference in temperature affects the qualities of the berries, making them too soft or mushy. 

Thaw in the microwave

Microwave thawing is the best option to go with if you need to thaw the frozen strawberries quickly. To do this, set the microwave in the deforest setting. Arrange the berries in a shallow dish, maintaining the distance from one berry to another.

After that, put the dish inside the oven and leave it to deforest for up to 30 to a maximum of 60 seconds.

Make sure you don't leave the strawberries for more than 60 seconds. If the berries are sliced, deforest them for 20-30 seconds.

What To Make With Frozen Strawberries

There are several options in which frozen strawberries can be included as one of the main ingredients in many desserts and sweet dishes. Some of the options are smoothies, cupcakes, frosting, and many others. Let's explore some ways to turn frozen strawberries into sweet and delightful dishes:

1. Smoothies

Smoothies are a popular option to use frozen strawberries. This recipe is quick and requires very little effort to make. Add some frozen strawberries and other fruits like bananas, milk, and yogurt in a mixer. Blend these ingredients well until you see a smooth and consistent paste.

The sweet and healthy smoothie is ready to be served. Make this drink a part of your breakfast to achieve health benefits. Since the fruits are filled with essential nutrients that gives you a good amount of energy.

2. Cupcakes

Cupcakes are another option to incorporate frozen strawberries. Whether it's a birthday party or family gathering, bake some strawberry cupcakes to serve them as a dessert.

Gather some dry ingredients such as flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whereas wet ingredients include buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, butter, and strawberry puree. Mix dry and wet ingredients separately in two bowls and combine them together. Bake the mixture in small cups and enjoy. 

3. Frosting

Frozen strawberries can be included with butter and sugar to make strawberry frosting. This frosting has multiple uses such as using as icing on cupcakes, pancakes, or toppings in the bread. 

Blend the sliced strawberries along with the mixture of butter and sugar. Beat them together until they turn into a smooth and thick paste. This way you can serve the frosting dip the fruits and enjoy the sweet flavor and creamy texture. 

4. Jam

Fruit jam is a great choice to incorporate frozen strawberries. From kids to adults, everyone loves eating their crusty bread with jam on it in the breakfast. Instead of buying jam from stores, make them at home using frozen strawberries. 

Its preparation requires you to have ingredients such as some frozen strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook this mixture in a pan and mash the mixture well. The whole process may take up to 20-25 minutes to turn the mixture into a thick and consistent paste.