Endive is a delicious leafy green veggie that isnāt as popular as some of its brothers and sisters. However, itās delicious and packed with nutrients, making it a great addition to your kitchen. But whatās the best way to preserve it?
Can You Freeze Endive?
Yes, you can freeze endive for up to 3 months. You will need to blanch it first before adding it to a freezer-safe bag. After sealing and labelling the bag, endive should be good in the freezer for several months until you need to use it.Ā
Do Does Endive freeze well? Sometimes
Can you refreeze Endive? No
How to Freeze Endive
No matter the variety of endive youāve gone for, you can freeze it without issue. The first thing you need to do is to wash and chop it, and then youāre all set to follow the freezing instructions as listed below:
- Prepare
Slice your endive into suitable portions. There are many ways you can cut it, so think carefully about how you plan to use it in the future at this stage.Ā - Blanch
Prepare a pan of boiling water and add the endive. Leave it in the boiling water for around two minutes before removing it and submerging it directly into an ice bath.
This process is known as blanching, and it locks in the key nutrients and ensures the endive wonāt discolour during the freezing process. While you donāt need to blanch every veggie before freezing, itās best to take this step with endive.Ā - Dry
Using paper towels, pat the endive dry thoroughly before you proceed to the next step. If you donāt dry them, the ice crystals that form on the vegetables can cause them to spoil in the freezer.Ā - Bag Up
When youāve drained and dried the endive, add it to a freezer-safe bag. Before sealing the bag, push out as much air as possible, as this will protect it from freezer burn. - Label and Freeze
Write todayās date and the use-by date on the front of the freezer-safe bag and place it in the freezer. Remember, you can freeze endive for around three months.
3 Tips for Freezing Endive
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing endive to have the best results:
Freeze Other Greens
Many other greens that are relatives of endive freeze really well. You just need to remember to blanch greens, as this packs in their nutrients and ensures they donāt discolour in the freezer. In other words, they will taste and look great when you come to defrost them.
Portion Up
If you have a particularly large portion of endive, weād suggest portioning it up before freezing it. You can add chopped endive to several freezer-safe bags, as this makes things much easier when you come to enjoy the vegetable a little later down the line.
Only Freeze Once
Once thawed, you shouldnāt freeze endive for a second time. This is because the ice crystals that form can really affect the taste of the vegetable and may even impact its texture. This is why itās a good idea to freeze endive in smaller portions, so you can easily take out what you need at any given time.
How Long Can You Freeze Endive?
You can freeze endive for around three months. This is true for most leafy greens, but the sooner you use them, the fresher they will taste.
Endive will keep for a week or so in the fridge, but you should really freeze them as quickly as you can to preserve their freshness.
After all, if you freeze endive that is a week old, it wonāt taste particularly great when you come to enjoy it in the future.
You Can Freeze Endive for up to 3 Months
How Do You Defrost Endive?
The great news is that you donāt actually need to defrost endive before you cook it. You can simply add it directly to a pan of boiling water or microwave it, and you will have a delicious side of greens ready to enjoy.
However, if you want to thaw it for whatever reason, simply transfer the endive from the freezer to the fridge the night before you plan to enjoy it, and it will have thawed sufficiently and be ready to eat.
Can You Refreeze Endive?
You should only freeze endive once. Leafy greens are fairly delicate, and the freezing process does their taste and texture few favours.
As a result, freezing endive more than once can cause it to spoil, so you should avoid refreezing where possible.
Does Endive Freeze Well?
Providing you blanch it and protect it from freezer burn, endive freezes really well. Lots of leafy veggies are ideal freezing candidates, meaning you can keep your harvest fresh for several months.
However, endive is often used in salads and raw dishes. This is not going to be possible with frozen and thawed endive. It will become mushy and soggy during the freezing process. Instead, only use in cooked dishes, such as soup.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing endive or endive in general, then these may help:
Endive can be kept in the fridge for 4 to 5 days before it begins to turn soft and limp.
All varieties of endive can be frozen but the more delicate the leaves, the more the texture will breakdown when frozen. Curly endive will become mushy in the freezer so should only be used to add a bitter flavour to your dishes.
