How To Freeze Strawberries
Freezing strawberries is one of the easiest ways to preserve the sweet taste of summer. Whether you’ve just returned from a pick-your-own farm, stocked up at your local farmers’ market, or snagged a great deal at the grocery store, learning How to Freeze Strawberries allows you to enjoy that juicy, just-picked flavor all year long.
Just like Freezing Peaches without blanching, sweet strawberries are a versatile food for smoothies, desserts, and jams. Be sure to check out strawberry pie filling with jello for a great recipe using fresh strawberries.
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💗 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Extend Shelf Life: You can freeze whole strawberries as well as sliced berries. Do some of both, especially during the strawberry picking season, to ensure your freezer is full of frozen fruit for future use.
- Recipe Ready: Perfect for smoothies, jams, sauces, baking, and more. Frozen strawberries can be added to a wide range of recipes, including smoothies, this recipe for strawberry cheesecake bars, jams, easy strawberry lemonade recipe, strawberry ice cream topping, and Strawberry Cream Cheese Rolls, adding a burst of fruity goodness to your dishes. Perfect for strawberry shortcake, strawberry muffins, or a variety of other strawberry desserts.
- Budget-Friendly: Buy in bulk during strawberry season or when they are on sale and save money.
🛒 Ingredients Needed
Freezing strawberries is easy, and by doing this in the spring, you can enjoy them all year long.
Strawberries – That’s it! Choose ripe, plump strawberries with bright red coloring and vibrant green stems. Avoid berries that are soft, mushy, or bruised, as they won’t freeze well.
🔪 How to Freeze Fresh Strawberries
This is the best method to freeze strawberries to use year-round. The process for how to freeze fresh strawberries is quite simple.
Step 1: Rinse and Dry. Gently rinse fresh berries under cold water. Lay them on paper towels to drain, then blot any excess water or air dry thoroughly.
Step 2: Remove the Stems. Use a small paring knife (or strawberry huller if you have one) to cut off the green tops.
Step 3: Prepare Your Pan. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the berries if you prefer, or leave them whole.
Step 4: Freeze in a Single Layer. Spread berries in a single layer, making sure they don’t touch. This prevents a big clump and makes it easier to portion later. Freeze whole berries or sliced ripe strawberries.
Step 5: Flash-Freeze Strawberries. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 1–2 hours or until the berries are solid.
Step 6: Transfer and Store. Place frozen strawberries in labeled, freezer-safe bags, plastic freezer containers, or airtight containers. Remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn.
💭Pro Tips
These are tips and suggestions for freezing and storing frozen strawberries to help maintain their quality. These tips will ensure your berries stay fresh and flavorful for longer periods, ready to be enjoyed whenever you need them.
- Line Pan: Use a piece of parchment paper to keep berries from sticking to the sheet pan.
- Label and Date: Label and date your plastic freezer bags to keep track of freshness.
- Measure: Pre-measure berries before freezing (like 1 or 2 cups of strawberries per bag) for easy use in recipes.
- Freeze: Avoid refreezing after thawing to preserve texture and flavor.
- How Long to Freeze: For best results, use frozen berries within 6–12 months.
❔ Recipe FAQs
It is not necessary to sweeten the strawberries before freezing them. I usually wait to add sugar depending on the recipe I will be using them in later.
Frozen strawberries will usually last 6-12 months in the freezer if stored properly in airtight freezer containers or freezer bags.
Yes, you can use frozen strawberries in recipes that call for fresh strawberries. Keep in mind that frozen berries may release a bit of liquid when thawed, so you may need to adjust the recipe slightly to compensate for the extra moisture.
This depends on the recipe you are using. When making smoothies, cobblers, or desserts, it is usually not necessary to thaw the strawberries first. They will thaw as they cook in the dish.
It is recommended not to refreeze the strawberries for later use once they have thawed. This will affect the taste and the texture.
Yes. Wash and freeze berries in a single layer without touching.
More Delicious Recipes with Strawberries
If you tried this recipe on How to Freeze Strawberries or any other recipe on my blog, please consider leaving a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe:
How To Freeze Strawberries
Ingredients
- 1 quart Strawberries Fresh, or more
Instructions
- Rinse and Dry: Gently rinse fresh berries under cold water. Lay them on paper towels to drain, then blot any excess water or air dry thoroughly.
- Remove the Stems: Use a small paring knife (or strawberry huller if you have one) to cut off the green tops.
- Prepare Your Pan: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the berries if you prefer, or leave them whole.
- Freeze in a Single Layer: Spread berries in a single layer, making sure they don't touch. This prevents a big clump and makes it easier to portion later. Freeze whole berries or sliced ripe strawberries.
- Flash-Freeze Strawberries: Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 1–2 hours or until the berries are solid.
- Transfer and Store: Place frozen strawberries in labeled, freezer-safe bags, plastic freezer containers, or airtight containers. Remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn.
Notes
- Line Pan: Use a piece of parchment paper to keep berries from sticking to the sheet pan.
- Label and Date: Label and date your plastic freezer bags to keep track of freshness.
- Measure: Pre-measure berries before freezing (like 1 or 2 cups of strawberries per bag) for easy use in recipes.
- Freeze: Avoid refreezing after thawing to preserve texture and flavor.
- How Long to Freeze: For best results, use frozen berries within 6–12 months.
An easy way for freezing strawberries to use year round.
Thanks for this post. new information for keeping our fruit good
I always buy frozen strawberries for my smoothies. Why have I never thought of this? Duh!
Such a great idea! Strawberries spoil so fast and this is such a simple and great way to enjoy them longer. Thanks!
I love to freeze berries! For the first time this year, our little strawberry plants have enough berries for us to have them with shortcake. If we ever have enough to freeze, I’ll keep your tips in mind.
Wow, I’ve never thought of doing that, instead of realizing we haven’t eaten them all and they are now spoiled! Thanks!
You are welcome!