Akara, a small fritter popular in Western Africa, aren’t the quickest thing to make. So, is it possible to make life that little bit easier by freezing akara or should it be avoided?
Can You Freeze Akara?
Yes, you can freeze akara for up to 3 months. Flash-freeze uncooked akara fritters on a lined baking sheet, before placing the fritters into a freezer bag and sealing them tightly. (Full Instructions Below – Tips, Etc)
Do Akara Freeze Well? Yes
Can You Refreeze Akara? Yes
How to Freeze Akara
It’s not a good idea to freeze cooked akara. This is the best method to use:
- Place on a Baking Sheet: Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and then portion out the akara batter into fritters. You do not want to cook them.
- Flash Freeze the Akara: Put the sheet into the freezer for around an hour. This will be long enough for the outer layer to freeze well, preventing the akara from freezing together in the freezer bag.
- Bag Up: Place the flash-frozen fritters into a thick freezer bag, being sure to pack them efficiently.
- Seal: Seal the freezer bag, and press down gently on it while you do so. Freezing the akara with as little excess air as possible is a great choice to make sure that the akara don’t lose any texture.
- Freeze: Once bagged up, make sure the bag is labelled and then pop it into the freezer for up to 3 months.
3 Tips for Freezing Akara
Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 Top Tips to follow to have the best results when freezing akara :
Don’t Rush the Initial Freeze
Flash-freezing the akara is an integral part of making sure that they don’t stick together while they’re in the freezer bag. Don’t be afraid to flash freeze them overnight if they’re not completely solid.
Freeze Uncooked
Cooking the akara before you freeze them will lead to a textural loss. The reason for this is that the proteins are denatured in a specific way during cooking. Instead, freeze them uncooked.
Freezing Them for Over 3 Months is Possible
We recommend 3 months as that’s the general maximum time that you ought to freeze food for, but you can freeze them for up to 9 months without there being any significant levels of textural or flavour-based change in the akara.
How Long Can You Freeze Akara?
You can freeze akara for around 3 months without the akara becoming noticeably worse in its overall quality.
To that end, we suggest labelling the akara with the date that you first froze it – that will ensure your akara is in great condition when it comes to thawing and eating them.
You can store uncooked akara or akara batter in the fridge for around 3 days. Once cooked, they will only last for 24 hours.
How Do You Defrost Akara?
It’s unwise to cook akara frozen, as they are typically deep-fried. This would be a dangerous method, especially when frozen food is involved.
Instead, we suggest thawing the akara in the fridge before you cook with them. Remove the number you want from the freezer bag, and place them on a plate in your fridge overnight.
This will be plenty of time for them to thaw well, making them perfect for cooking afterwards.
Can You Refreeze Akara?
Yes, you can refreeze akara!
The vast majority of akara is made up of beans, which are perfectly safe to be refrozen several times over. The protein structure is unlikely to be damaged by this refreezing process since it’s incredibly dense in beans and pulses.
Do Akara Freeze Well?
Yes, Akara does freeze well.
They even freeze well beyond the 3-month window that we recommend, with some stating that they can be frozen for up to 9 months!
Over that time, they may become less crunchy and moister, but the overall Akara is still quite tasty and perfectly well textured after cooking.
FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing akara or akara in general, then these may help:
Yes, it is possible to freeze akara batter but you will need to thaw the entire batch to make akara with it. Instead, it’s far more convenient to freeze akara into ready-formed fritters.
