When it’s the cherry-picking season you may have too many. One way to use these up is to make cherry juice! But, can you freeze cherry juice and make it even easier to store?
Can You Freeze Cherry Juice?
Yes, you can freeze cherry juice for up to 12 months. You can either freeze large portions in thick freezer bags or small amounts in an ice cube tray. (Full Instructions Below – Homemade & Storebought)
Does Cherry Juice Freeze Well? Yes
Can You Refreeze Cherry Juice? No
How To Freeze Cherry Juice
Freezing cherry juice couldn’t be an easier process. There is very little prep work involved, aside from making the cherry juice in the first place if you’re going for the homemade approach.
We have a couple of methods for you to choose from and which one will depend on how you want to use it.
We would recommend freezing your cherry juice in portions either in larger portions if you plan to use the cherry juice to drink or cook with or in small ice cube sized portions which is absolutely perfect for popping into a drink or smoothie.
How to Freeze Cherry Juice Ice Cubes
For this method, you need some ice cube trays, a large freezer bag and a sharpie.
- Pour Into Ice Cubes: Pour your cherry juice into the sections of the ice cube tray. Leave a little gap at the top of each section because the cherry juice will expand as it freezes and could spill over into your freezer.
- Freeze: Place the ice cube trays into the freezer gently. Keep them flat so the juice doesn’t spill and then leave to freeze for a couple of hours. You need the cherry juice to freeze completely before moving onto the next stage.
- Bag Up: When the ice cubes have frozen take them out of the freezer and pop them out of the tray. Transfer these cherry juice ice cubes into a freezer bag and seal it tightly.
- Freeze: Label with the date and the name of the contents and put the bag into the freezer.
Whenever you need a cherry ice cube or two then you can open the bag and take out the amount you need before resealing the bag and putting the rest back into the freezer.
How to Freeze Larger Portions of Cherry Juice
Make sure your cherry juice is in a container that you can easily pour it or grab yourself a ladle. You also need some freezer bags or a container with a tight lid and a permanent marker.
- Label: Label your freezer bags with the contents and the date. You need to do this before adding in the cherry juice if possible as it becomes very difficult to label the bags once they contain liquid.
- Portion: Ladle or pour a portion of cherry juice into each freezer bag or container.
- Seal: Seal the bags tightly or pop the lid onto the container. You can add a second bag to ensure you don’t get any spills in the freezer.
- Freeze: Place the bags or containers into the freezer carefully. If you have used freezer bags you need to be extra careful to keep them upright. If you have a large Tupperware container then you could stand the bags upright in this to freeze.
3 Tips for Freezing Cherry Juice
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing cherry juice to have the best results:
Label It Clearly
If you have frozen other juices (or red liquids) then it’s a good idea to write a clear label on the container so you know which is cherry juice and which is not. It’s harder than you think you tell the difference when they’re frozen.
Consider Uses
Think about how you use cherry juice and find containers of that size so you freeze it in portions sizes that are appropriate to your lifestyle.
Try Making Lollies
Grab a lolly mould, top it up with cherry juice and freeze. It makes an incredibly refreshing summer snack and you know it’s not full of rubbish.
How Long Can You Freeze Cherry Juice?
Cherry juice is amazing not just because of how many versatile uses it has but also for how long it can be stored!
As long as you have frozen the cherry juice properly, you can freeze cherry juice for up to twelve months without worrying about the taste or quality degrading.
How Do You Defrost Cherry Juice?
When it comes to using your frozen cherry juice you have plenty of options.
You can eat the cherry juice as it is completely frozen! Cherry juice makes lovely ice lollies and desserts so pop it into a bowl, grab a spoon and enjoy.
You can also use your cherry juice ice cubes from frozen. Either pop them into a glass of water for a refreshing drink or throw some into the blender with other ingredients and blend for a delicious smoothie.
If you do need to defrost the cherry juice before use then the best way to do this is to pop it into a bowl or jug and put it in the fridge for a few hours until it has thawed out completely.
There is no other way of defrosting it without also heating it up. If you want your cherry juice heated then you can do this by putting it into the microwave and defrosting before heating it up.
Or, you can put it into a saucepan on the hob on a low heat until the cherry juice has defrosted and then heated up.
Can You Refreeze Cherry Juice?
No, you shouldn’t refreeze cherry juice.
Even though it does freeze well, it can’t be guaranteed that there will be no changes, especially if you want to freeze it multiple times. When you are thawing and heating several items there is also a chance of bacteria growth which can be harmful.
Does Cherry Juice Freeze Well?
Cherry juice does freeze well!
There is little difference between fresh and frozen juice, especially if you are planning on using the cherry juice frozen or using it in cooking.
FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing cherry juice or cherries in general, then these may help:
You can make cherry juice lollies by simply decanting your juice into an ice lolly mould and letting it set. If the juice is thicker than water or strong then you can water it down a little to make it easier to freeze and also make it go a little further.
This is not a good idea. There might not be room for expansion which can cause the carton to split.
Once opened, cherry juice can be kept in the fridge for around 2 weeks before it goes off.
