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Can You Freeze Strawberries?

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By Ross Young

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Reading Time: 5 minutes

Sweet, juicy and packed full of flavour, strawberries are one of the most popular fruits. But with such a short season, being able to have a stash in the freezer can be a huge relief.

Can You Freeze Strawberries?

Yes, you can freeze strawberries for up to 4 months. You can freeze them whole, in slices or even as a coulis depending on how you would normally use strawberries.

Do Strawberries Freeze Well? Yes

Can You Refreeze Strawberries? Yes

How to Freeze Strawberries

Once you’ve picked and prepared your strawberries for freezing, it’s time to actually get them frozen. If you want to freeze strawberries whole (or cut them into halves) then this is the best method.

Follow these instructions to freeze your strawberries correctly:

Clean Strawberries for Freezing

1) Clean: Place your strawberries in a colander and run under cold water for a few minutes to give them a clean. Try not to soak the strawberries as this can draw out some of the flavours. Drain them, and pat try.

Flash Freeze Strawberries

2) Flash Freeze: You now need to get a baking tray or sheet and place your strawberries on it in a single layer. Ensure none of the strawberries touches one another. Place the tray in the freezer, trying to keep it level.

Bag Up

3) Bag Up: Give the strawberries around an hour to form a frozen outer layer then remove the tray. Remove your strawberries from the tray carefully and tip into a ziplock bag.

Final Freeze

4) Final Freeze: Return to the freezer, and you’ll have strawberries perfectly frozen that you can pick out as and when you need them.

How to Freeze Strawberry Slices

Would you prefer to have slices or pieces of strawberry frozen which you can use to top desserts or mix in with yoghurt for breakfast? Then the good news is that you can also freeze strawberry slices (or chunks or pieces).

It does take some effort to do so, but if this is how you often use your strawberries, then it’s worth putting the effort in initially as you’ll save time in the future.

We’ll assume you’ve got clean strawberries that you have already sliced up into the sizes you’re most likely to use.

  1. Flash Freeze: Grab a baking tray and line it with baking paper. Place your strawberry slices on the tray, trying to ensure none of the pieces touches each other as they will freeze together. Place the tray in the freezer to flash freeze. This will take a couple of hours.
  2. Bag Up: Once frozen, you can tip the strawberries into a freezer bag to store for the long term. Make sure you remove as much air from the bag as possible when sealing it up.
  3. Final Freeze: Label the bag and place it into the freezer.

When you want a handful of strawberry slices, you can grab them straight from the freezer. Because you have used flash-freezing none of the strawberries will clump together.

Can You Freeze Sliced Strawberries

3 Tips for Freezing Strawberries

Now you know how to freeze strawberries, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing them to have the best results:

Use the Ripest Strawberries
Strawberries will not ripen or improve when frozen. You will halt the ripening process. This is why you must use the best quality, ripest strawberries you can find.

Flash Freeze
By flash freezing, you can easily grab the amount you need at a time. This prevents any need for refreezing or unwanted wastage.

Use Frozen in Smoothies
You can use frozen strawberries directly in smoothies. This will give you both a hit of strawberry flavour whilst also keeping your smoothie nice and cool.

How Long Can You Freeze Strawberries?

Strawberries will retain their juicy texture, sweet taste and red colour for several months in the freezer.

In most cases, they will last for around 6 months without any degradation. Aim to eat them up within 3 to 4 months to really enjoy them at their best.

How Long Do Strawberries Last in the Fridge?

Most strawberries will keep in their punnet for around 1 week. Beyond this, they will slowly become mushy.

How Do You Defrost Strawberries?

This depends on how you plan on using them. If you want to eat them fresh or plan on putting them into a dessert whole, you are best defrosting them.

The best approach here is to place them in a bowl in the fridge overnight to avoid them going mushy.

If you want to use your strawberries in a smoothie, then you can throw them straight into the blender from the freezer. The strawberries will act as both a fruit AND the ice.

Finally, if you want to use your strawberries to create a sauce or a compote, you can again use them directly from the freezer.

You will need to cook them down over a lower heat than usual but once thawed they will continue to break down to create a delicious sauce.

Can You Refreeze Strawberries?

Yes, you can refreeze strawberries but only if you don’t mind your strawberries being soft and mushy. But, chances are, this is not what you want. This is why refreezing is not advised because it can ruin the texture of strawberries.

Do Strawberries Freeze Well?

If you take time picking fresh, tasty strawberries and freeze them as soon as possible, then you will struggle to tell the difference between fresh and frozen. The key is in the choosing of the strawberries, however.

Related FAQs

If you’ve still got questions about freezing strawberries or strawberries in general, then these may help:

How Do You Freeze Strawberries Without Going Mushy?

To stop frozen strawberries from going mushy, you need to make sure you defrost them slowly. You should also avoid refreezing them. This is where you’ll find their structure breakdown leaving you with mushy, soft strawberries.

Can You Freeze Strawberry Coulis?

You certainly can. The best way to do it is by using an ice cube tray to freeze the coulis or strawberry sauce into portions. Pour the coulis into the slots on an ice cube tray (only fill them about two-thirds of the way). Once filled, carefully wrap the tray in a layer of cling film then pop it in the freezer.

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