Hazelnuts have a fairly long shelf life if you keep them in a dry place such as your kitchen cupboard or well sealed in the fridge. But, if you are going to keep them for longer than eight months what do you do?
Can You Freeze Hazelnuts?
Yes, you can freeze hazelnuts for up to 12 months as long as you have kept them airtight. You won’t be able to eat the nuts raw in the same way but if you want to bake or add them to your recipes then they will be fine for this.
Do Do Hazelnuts freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Hazelnuts? No
How to Freeze Hazelnuts
Freezing hazelnuts is a straightforward process. There is almost no prep work involved!
- Prepare Containers
Choose a container for freezing your hazelnuts in. If you want them to stay whole and undamaged, then a plastic or glass container that is safe to put in the freezer works best. If you don’t mind, if your hazelnuts end up a little broken and scuffed, you can use a freezer bag instead. - Spread onto a Baking Tray
Get a baking tray and pour out the hazelnuts onto it. You want to place them so that they are in a single layer on the tray. This ensures they freeze separately and not as a clump. - Flash Freeze
Place the baking tray into the freezer and freeze for an hour or until the hazelnuts are frozen. - Pour into Containers
Take the tray out of the freezer and transfer the hazelnuts from the tray into your freezer bag or container. - Remove Air and Seal
If you are using a bag, squeeze out as much air as possible and then seal it tightly. If you are using a container, all you need to do is pop the lid on and make sure it is sealed tight. - Freeze
Label with the date and contents and pop the hazelnuts back into the freezer. Whenever you need a portion of hazelnuts, you can grab out the precise measurements you need, then seal up the bag again and put the rest back into the freezer.
How to Freeze Hazelnut Milk
Hazelnut milk is a fantastic alternative to dairy and soy milk. For an extra luxurious hot chocolate, use hazelnut milk instead of your usual dairy milk or water. It makes it extra creamy and gives it a taste similar to Nutella.
If you have an excess of hazelnut milk, then, unfortunately, we would not recommend you try and freeze it. Even when kept in the fridge, hazelnut milk can separate, and freezing only makes this worse, which can leave you with a grainy texture that isn’t pleasant to drink.
3 Tips for Freezing Hazelnuts
Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing hazelnuts to have the best results:
Pre Chop Hazelnuts for Freezing
If you know you will be using chopped hazelnuts in your recipes, you can chop them before freezing. Just place them into a freezer bag and put this on a heavy chopping board.
Take a rolling pin and gently crush the hazelnuts until you get them to about the right size for your recipe. Then you can continue to freeze them using the same method outlined above.
Remove Air
If you are using freezer bags, it is important to squeeze out as much air as possible. One method of doing this is by using a straw. You close the bag almost all the way and then pop a straw into it. Suck out the air, being careful not to suck up any hazelnuts. Then, take the straw out and seal the bag up fully.
Milk Will Split
When freezing hazelnut, be prepared for it to split. Unfortunately, the fats can separate from the liquid, which leaves you with grainy milk. Where possible, avoid freezing hazelnut milk.
How Long Can You Freeze Hazelnuts?
Hazelnuts keep for a really long time! You can keep them in the fridge or even in a dry cupboard for up to eight months before you need to worry. However, you can extend this life considerably by freezing.
Once frozen, your hazelnuts should be able to stay good for up to a year. You need to keep them protected from the air and moisture in the freezer for them to get their full shelflife, though.
You Can Freeze Hazelnuts for up to 12 Months
How Do You Defrost Hazelnuts?
The best way to defrost hazelnuts is to take them out of the freezer and put them into a bowl in the fridge. The hazelnuts will defrost slowly and retain their flavour. Unfortunately, there is no real way to speed up this process.
Can You Refreeze Hazelnuts?
We would not recommend that you refreeze hazelnuts. One thing you will notice when you take your frozen hazelnuts out of the freezer is that they have changed in texture slightly.
Rather than crisp, they will be a little softer. If you freeze again, this change would only worsen.
Do Hazelnuts Freeze Well?
As long as you are using hazelnuts in cooking only, they freeze fine for this purpose. Unfortunately, they will change in texture while in the freezer, so we would not recommend that you freeze them and then try and eat them raw.
By the time they are cooked into your baking, the texture change won’t be noticed, so this is the best method to use those hazelnuts.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing hazelnuts or nuts in general, then these may help:
Most nuts can be frozen using the same approach as we have used for hazelnuts. This also means that most nuts can be frozen for around 12 months. This applies to walnuts, pecans, almonds and macadamia nuts.
If you know you’re more likely to use chopped hazelnuts over whole nuts, then we would actually advise freezing hazelnuts chopped. It makes it far easier to use in future if they’re already chopped up as they will thaw quicker.
