Depending on the season, you might find certain fruits hard to come by or more expensive to purchase. Because of this, many people look for different ways of storing their fruits to ensure they can have a supply of their favourite nutrients all year round.
Can You Freeze Fruit?
Yes, you can freeze most fruits for around 6 months. Most types of fruit freeze really well and preserve their nutrients and flavours while in the freezer. To freeze fruit, peel and slice it if necessary and store it in sealed freezer-safe bags.
Do Does Fruit freeze well? Sometimes
Can you refreeze Fruit? No
How to Freeze Fruit
Freezing fruit is pretty straightforward. When youāre freezing the likes of berries for your morning smoothies, you can simply drop them in a freezer-safe bag and place them straight in the freezer ā itās as simple as that!
Other fruits ā banana, pineapple, melon, etc. ā should be peeled and prepared before freezing to make your life easier once they have been defrosted. Below, we introduce the required steps you need to take to freeze fruit before explaining in the following section which fruits you should avoid freezing.
- Rinse: Run your fruits under cold water in the sink to ensure theyāre clean. There’s no point freezing dirty fruit! You’ll just waste space in the freezer.
- Drain and Dry: Drain the fruit of any excess water and then pat the rinsed fruits dry with a paper towel.
- Bag Up: Drop your fruits into a suitably sized freezer-safe bag and push out as much air as you can before sealing.
- Label and Freeze: Write todayās date, as well as the use-by date on the front of the bag before placing it in the freezer.
This is a very basic method for freezing fruit. This tends to work well for larger fruit pieces.
If, however, you want to freeze berries, cherries, cubes of mango or grapes then doing so on a baking tray before bagging them up is a good idea – you don’t want them sticking together!
Which Fruit Can You Freeze?
There are very few fruits which cannot be frozen. Some might go a little mushy. Some might lose a little flavour. But pretty much any fruit can be frozen.
We’ve covered a huge range of fruits on Freeze It and how to freeze them. Below are some of the most popular fruits to freeze and how to go about doing so:
Citrus fruits tend to lose a lot of their texture when frozen which can leave you with mushy oranges and grapefruit. Watermelon is another fruit which loses a lot of its texture. You can, however, freeze these fruits to use in smoothies.
3 Tips for Freezing Fruit
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing fruit to have the best results:
Fruits to Avoid
While most fruits freeze well, others shouldnāt be frozen. Apples and pears often go mushy in the freezer, while watermelon and grapes donāt respond well to the thawing process.
When youāre freezing fruits, just be mindful that those with a high water content are less likely to freeze as well as others.
Freeze Separately
Itās okay to freeze different fruits in the same bag, particularly if youāre preparing ingredients for a smoothie. But in most instances, itās best to freeze fruits separately as they all respond slightly differently to the freezing process.
So, consider having a bag of frozen strawberries alongside your bananas, blueberries, blackberries, etc.
Freeze Fruit When Fresh
The best time to freeze fruit is when itās fresh and ready to eat. If your fruit is too ripe or if it has been sitting out at room temperature for a while, itās unlikely to taste great when it has been frozen and thawed.
As a general rule of thumb, freeze your fruit as soon as you buy (or pick) it. That way, it will be delicious and fresh when you come to enjoy it.
How Long Can You Freeze Fruit?
You can freeze fresh fruit for up to six months. As you will know, some fruits last longer than others at room temperature or in the fridge, and the same is true when you come to freeze fruit.
While you could probably freeze fruit for longer than six months, itās best to use it within this time period to ensure it tastes as good as you would expect when it has been thawed.
How Do You Defrost Fruit?
When itās time to defrost your fruit, remove it from the freezer and place it in the fridge overnight. This will give it sufficient time to thaw thoroughly, and it will be delicious to eat.
But this being said, not every type of fruit needs to be thawed before you enjoy it. In fact, most berries can be enjoyed frozen and can be dropped straight into your blender as you go to prepare your smoothie.
You should avoid defrosting fruit at room temperature or in the microwave.
Can You Refreeze Fruit?
In some cases, you could probably get away with refreezing fruit. But the biggest problem with doing so is the fact that itās likely to go mushy.
This is because of the high water content of many fruits and the fact that ice crystals form during the freezing process.
As such, we wouldnāt recommend refreezing fruit if youāre planning to eat it as it is. If youāre planning to use frozen fruit in your smoothies and the texture doesnāt matter too much, you can get away with refreezing it.
Does Fruit Freeze Well?
The vast majority of fruits freeze really well. As such, freezing fruit is a great move if you buy it in bulk or donāt think you will use up your current batch before its use-by date.
In all cases, you should bag your fruit up, seal it, and store it in the freezer for up to six months.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing fruit or fruit in general, then these may help:
This depends on the fruit and the size it has been cut. Generally, fruit will freeze within 4 hours. Blueberries and blackcurrants might only take 2 hours. Large mango wedges might take more than 4 hours.
Yes, it’s perfectly safe to eat frozen fruit without allowing it to thaw beforehand. Of course, some fruit will be hard to eat without allowing it to soften a little first. You can also use frozen fruit directly in a blender to make smoothies.
