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Can You Freeze Vegetables?

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By Ross Young

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Eating enough fresh vegetables is important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But veggies often go bad after just a few days. So, to make your life easier, you might be wondering if you can buy them in bulk and pop them in the freezer?

Can You Freeze Vegetables?

Yes, you can freeze most vegetables for up to 3 months. Some vegetables will last for longer than this, and there are other vegetables which do not freeze well, such as samphire.

Do Vegetables Freeze Well? Sometimes

Can You Refreeze Vegetables? Yes

How to Freeze Vegetables

It’s important to begin this section with a quick caveat. While you can freeze almost all vegetables, there are some exceptions. The likes of lettuce, cucumber, certain cabbage varieties, and various other salad-type vegetables don’t freeze well.

You also need to be careful when freezing potatoes, as they don’t always freeze particularly well, particularly if they’ve been cooked in a sauce or as part of a recipe.

But generally speaking, most vegetables freeze well and can be frozen for at least three months, but you will find that some will be fine for even longer than that.

To give you an example, here’s how to go about freezing mixed vegetables (peas, green beans, sweetcorn, and broccoli) that you can then serve up as a healthy accompaniment to your main meal: 

  1. Chop and Prepare: If you’ve bought your veggies fresh, slice them up and mix them together. Then, run them under the cold tap to rinse them before patting them dry with a paper towel. 
  2. Portion Into Bags: At this stage, it’s a good idea to split your vegetables into individual portion sizes, so you can easily remove whatever you need at any given time. Simply add them to individual freezer-safe bags, press out as much air as possible, and seal them. 
  3. Label and Freeze: Write today’s date as well as the use-by date on the front of each bag, and place them in the freezer.  
Frozen Vegetables

Which Vegetables Can You Freeze?

Generally speaking, nearly all vegetables can be frozen. The confusing part is how well they freeze and how long you can freeze those vegetables. We cover a whole range of posts here on Freeze It about which vegetables you can freeze.

Which Vegetables Can You Freeze Without Blanching?

Generally speaking, most vegetables will benefit from being blanched before freezing. Blanching will prevent the vegetables from losing their colour and texture whilst also locking in nutrients.

The only vegetables that tend not to benefit from blanching are onions, shallots and peppers.

Popular Vegetables to Freeze

Below is a sample of some of the most popular vegetables people want to freeze. Check out any of these to see how you can freeze them, how long for and the process for defrosting them:

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Which Vegetable Can You Not Freeze?

All vegetables can be frozen and are safe to freeze. However, some vegetables simply do not freeze well. If a vegetable is going to be eaten raw (lettuce, cucumber, radish or cress), then chances are it will not freeze well.

Leafy greens that aren’t going to be cooked will turn mushy and soggy and there will be no way of reversing this.

3 Tips for Freezing Vegetables

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

Some Vegetables Should be Blanched
Ultimately, blanching vegetables is down to personal preference. While it does preserve them slightly better, some people can’t be bothered with the additional effort associated with the process. You can check our database to find out if your chosen veggies need to be blanched or not before doing so. 

Check Veggies are Fresh
If you’re planning to freeze vegetables, it’s a good idea to do so on the day that you buy them. The fresher they are when you put them in the freezer, the tastier they will be when you come to eat them. 

Cook from Frozen
The vast majority of veggies can be cooked straight from frozen, meaning you don’t have to worry about defrosting them. This saves you lots of time and effort in the kitchen, and if you prepare your vegetables in advance and portion them in the freezer, you will have a nutritious supply of fresh veg throughout the year. 

How Long Can You Freeze Vegetables?

You can freeze most vegetables for at least three months. As already stated, make sure they’re nice and fresh when you buy and prepare them, and bag them up, so they aren’t affected by freezer burn.

You can then remove them from the freezer when you’re ready to cook them, and you don’t need to worry about defrosting them, as we explain below.

How Long Do Vegetables Last in the Fridge?

This will depend hugely on the quality of the product and the type of vegetable. Most vegetables will last for 4 to 5 days in the fridge. This is a very general guideline, however.

How Do You Defrost Vegetables?

Most vegetables can be reheated straight from frozen, so you don’t need to worry about thawing them.

However, if you want to enjoy your frozen veggies raw, it’s easy enough to defrost them. Remove the bag containing your vegetables from the freezer and allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight.

If you’re in a hurry, you can submerge the bag in room temperature water, which speeds the process up somewhat.

Can You Refreeze Vegetables?

In most instances, you can safely refreeze vegetables. The biggest concern with doing so is that some of them may turn mushy due to the texture changes that occur during the freezing process.

We advise you to freeze vegetables in individual portions to make your life much easier when defrosting the right amount at any given time. 

Do Vegetables Freeze Well?

On the whole, vegetables freeze really well. Given that most veggies don’t stay fresh for very long when stored in the fridge freezing them is a great way to extend their life.

Freezing vegetables is also handy if you enjoy buying seasonal veg, as you can buy what’s in season in bulk and then keep it in the freezer throughout the year. 

Related FAQs

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

Can You Freeze Vegetables Without Blanching Them?

There’s no need to blanch any vegetables. However, blanching vegetables will extend their shelf life, will help them to retain more nutrients and will preserve their texture for longer.

Can You Refreeze Frozen Vegetables?

Yes, most frozen vegetables can be refrozen. THe main problem you’ll have is that they may become a little mushy when you go to cook them in future if they have been refrozen.

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