Daikon might look impressive, but it is similar in flavour to the usual red radish you are familiar with. It’s certainly harder to come by, however. So, if you’ve managed to bulk buy some daikon, how should you store it?
Can You Freeze Daikon?
Yes, you can freeze daikon for up to 3 weeks. You should prepare and then blanch the daikon before freezing it in good-quality freezer bags.
Do Does Daikon freeze well? Sometimes
Can you refreeze Daikon? No
How to Freeze Daikon
When it comes to freezing your daikon, you need to do a little preparation beforehand, and you will need to blanch them first. It isn’t quite as tricky as it seems. This is how you do this
- Wash: Wash your daikon radishes to remove any dirt from them. Also, check them and remove any radishes showing signs of spoiling or damage. You will also need to chop them up a little to make them easier to freeze and use later.
- Prepare for Blanching: Grab a large saucepan and a bowl of ice water. Put the saucepan onto the stove and boil some water. While the water is heating up, get your bowl of ice water and put it by the stove.
- Blanch: When the water is boiling, put the chopped-up daikon into it and boil for about 3 minutes. The idea is to partially cook the daikon so it doesn’t spoil in the freezer. You don’t want to overcook it, though. After 3 minutes, pop it into the ice water.
- Drain and Dry: Next, drain the daikon and leave it to dry for a few minutes while preparing the next step of the process.
- Freeze Quickly: Pop some parchment onto a baking sheet and lay the chopped daikon onto it into a single layer. Put this into the freezer and freeze for an hour or two.
- Bag Up: When the daikon has frozen, you can take it out of the freezer and transfer it into a freezer bag.
- Final Freeze: Label the bag with the date and contents and then seal it, and put it into the freezer until you need it.
3 Tips for Freezing Daikon
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing daikon to have the best results:
Maybe Don’t Bother
Daikon is relatively easy to freeze, and it freezes pretty well, but you may not want to. There is quite some preparation to do, and you can only freeze it for up to 3 weeks which is not a lot of time, so you might be better off using it up instead of trying to freeze it. There are many recipes you can try, so there is no reason it should go to waste.
Keep It Airtight
To ensure your daikon stays as tasty as possible in the freezer, you want to avoid it getting freezer burnt. This happens when the air in the freezer has access to the food for too long. You can ensure this by squeezing out as much air as possible from the bag before freezing.
Blanch Beforehand
It is really important to blanch the daikon before you freeze it. Without doing this process, the daikon may spoil and become inedible.
How Long Can You Freeze Daikon?
You can only freeze daikon radish for up to 3 weeks which is not a long time. After this time, the daikon can start to degrade, and it might eventually spoil and become inedible.
Daikon, which is left whole, will keep in the fridge for around 2 weeks. Once it has been prepared and chopped up, it will only last for a day or 2.
How Do You Defrost Daikon?
When you need to defrost and use the daikon, you can pop it into the fridge to thaw out slowly overnight.
Another method you can use is to cook them right from frozen. We wouldn’t recommend eating them raw, but they are perfect for popping into stir-fry to add delicious flavour and texture.
Can You Refreeze Daikon?
No, it is not recommended that you refreeze daikon once it has been thawed.
Unfortunately, daikon is quite delicate with a high-water content. By refreezing it, you risk entirely ruining the texture. It’ll be soft and mushy, which is the opposite of what you want from daikon.
Does Daikon Freeze Well?
As long as you follow the blanching and freezing process outlined in this article, you should have very few problems with your daikon. Any changes will be minimal.
The primary thing you will notice between fresh and frozen is that they are a little cooked rather than raw.
This means they are more suitable for stir-frying and cooking than salads. This shouldn’t be too much of a problem as daikon is a delicious addition to any stir-fry meal.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing daikon or daikon in general, then these may help:
Yes, mooli can be frozen for around 3 to 4 weeks. It must be blanched before it is frozen, however, if you want it to retain some texture. 
By blanching the daikon before freezing it, you lock in any nutrients and help it retain its texture. Without blanching, you may find that the daikon spoils even quicker in the freezer, unfortunately.
Your tips regarding kitchen store items are really working. Most of the tips I have followed in my kitchen is yours. Now the radish daikon too, it can freeze daikon.