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Can You Freeze Cucumbers?

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By Ross Young

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Reading Time: 5 minutes

Cucumbers make a fantastic addition to a salad, as a snack, or even to add a hint of fresh flavour to water as a refreshing drink. But what to do with any extra cucumbers you may have?

Can You Freeze Cucumbers?

Yes, you can freeze cucumbers for up to 10 months. You can either freeze slices (or chunks) of cucumber in freezer bags or you can freeze them in water. The good news is that cucumber does freeze well.

Do Cucumbers Freeze Well? Sometimes

Can You Refreeze Cucumbers? No

How to Freeze Cucumbers

When it comes to freezing cucumbers, there are a few steps you will need to take to ensure they freeze well:

  1. Wash
    Wash and dry your cucumbers thoroughly. If you want peeled cucumbers, then do this now.
Wash and Dry Cucumber
  1. Chop
    Chop up the cucumbers however you prefer – either in slices, chunks or even in whole sections.
Chop Cucumbers
  1. Flash Freeze
    Pop them onto a baking sheet and put them flat into the freezer for a few hours to flash freeze. You want to freeze the outside. They do not need to be frozen through. 
Flash Freezing Cucumbers
  1. Bag Up
    Once they have frozen, remove them from the baking sheet and pop them into a freezer bag before placing them into the freezer for up to 10 months.
Freeze Cucumbers
Can You Freeze Cucumbers Whole?

Although you can freeze cucumbers whole, it’s not something I recommend. It will take up a lot of room and you’ll have to thaw the entire cucumbers to use it. Instead, freeze it in portions to avoid unwanted waste in the future.

Can You Freeze Cucumber Soup?

Yes, you can freeze cold cucumber soup. Portion it out into freezer bags, seal the bags up and then freeze. Try to keep the bags up right when initially freezing them to avoid any leaks.

Can You Freeze Cucumbers for Smoothies?

Yes! A great way to prepare plenty of cucumbers for a smoothie is to create a cucumber puree that you freeze into individual ice cubes. Blend cucumber with a bit of water, pour into an ice cube tray and then freeze into cubes of ready-to-go cucumber puree that can be popped into smoothies.

How Long Can You Freeze Cucumbers?

Cucumbers can last for up to 10 months in the freezer, either in water or by themselves. Perfect for ensuring you have a constant supply of summer veggies throughout the winter.

If you can freeze them just after picking them, they will lock in that fresh flavour and goodness and be even better!

How Long Do Cucumbers Last in the Fridge?

Cucumbers will last for around 2 weeks in the fridge when left whole. Unfortunately, once you cut into it, it will go bad within a few days.

How Do You Defrost Cucumbers?

Cucumber is one of those things that are really easy to defrost, and you won’t even need to for many of their uses! If you have your cucumber frozen in water, you most likely want to use them in its frozen state.

You can pop your cucumber ice cube into your water or juice. The ice will add the slushie texture we all love and enhance the drink.

If you want to thaw out your cucumbers, you need to take them out of the freezer and pop them into a bowl. Put it in the fridge and allow them to thaw for a couple of hours.

When it thaws, it will lose a lot of liquid and flavour with it so make sure you keep the liquid and mix it into your sauce, soup or recipe if you can.

Can You Refreeze Cucumbers?

Refreezing cucumbers is generally not recommended due to their high water content. Each time cucumbers are frozen, ice crystals form within the vegetable, which can cause damage to its cellular structure.

This can result in an even softer and mushier texture when thawed a second time, which would be unappealing in many dishes.

It’s best to freeze and thaw cucumbers once and to use them immediately upon thawing.

Do Cucumbers Freeze Well?

Whether or not cucumber freezes well depends on how you want to use it. As a raw ingredient, then no, unfortunately, it doesn’t. It has a high water content, and when frozen, this changes the texture quite considerably.

However, if you plan to use it as an ingredient in something where you need flavour and texture isn’t essential, you can successfully freeze cucumber and not worry about the texture change.

What to do with Frozen Cucumbers

So, you’ve got a bit carried away. We all do it! Suddenly, you’ve got a whole freezer drawer full of cucumbers and only cucumbers. Well, here are some ideas for what to do with them now:

Refreshing Frozen Cucumber Smoothie

I love whipping up a simple, refreshing smoothie using frozen cucumbers. These frozen chunks add a wonderfully refreshing cooling factor to any smoothie blend.

To make my favourite cucumber smoothie, I blend frozen cucumber slices with some Greek yoghurt, a splash of lemon juice, a handful of fresh mint leaves, and some honey to taste.

Cucumber Ice Cubes for Skincare

Cucumbers are known for their soothing and cooling properties, which can help reduce puffiness and inflammation (more about the benefits here).

Try pureeing cucumbers in a blender, then pour the mixture into an ice cube tray. Once frozen, take an ice cube and gently massage it on your face.

The cold temperature combined with the beneficial cucumber extracts refreshes my skin instantly.

Cucumber Cold Soup

Another excellent way I use frozen cucumbers is in a cold soup or a cucumber gazpacho. The frozen cucumbers help chill the soup quickly.

To make this, I blitz frozen cucumber chunks with some ripe avocados, garlic, dill, and vegetable stock until smooth. I then season it with salt and pepper and chill it for a few hours before serving.

Avoid in Salads

Unfortunately, although cucumbers still taste great when they have been frozen, they do become mushy. This means they don’t work particularly well in a fresh salad.

Sources

We have verified the information on this page using the following resources:

The Kitchn

Masterclass

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