Red onions are one of the most valuable and tasty forms of onion that you can have in your kitchen. If you’re a big fan and have bought a few too many, then do you know the best way to store them for the long term?
Can You Freeze Red Onions?
Yes, you can freeze red onions for up to 3 months. Peel the onion completely then finely mince the onion or slice it up before transferring the pieces of onion into a freezer bag. Seal the bag and then freeze.
Do Do Red Onions freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Red Onions? No
How to Freeze Red Onions
Grabbing a handful of red onions and tossing them into the freezer is not quite the way to go about it. There are a few steps you’ll need to take if you want to freeze them successfully:
- Prepare: Top and tail each of the onions you want to freeze before cutting away the outer skin and first layer of the onion.
- Cut Up: Now, you need to cut the onion up how you normally would. You can cut it into wedges, slices, half moons or tiny cubes. It’s up to you.
- Bag Up: Add portions of the onion into small freezer bags. Consider how much you use when cooking and freeze this quantity into each bag.
- Seal: Seal the bags up, pushing out as much excess air as possible. You can do this by sealing the bag up 90% of the way before pushing out all the air and then sealing up the remaining 10%.
- Freeze: Pop the bag into the freezer but ensure it is accessible. Then after 30 minutes, grab the bags and give them a little shake. This will prevent the onion pieces from clumping together too much.
Although whole red onions could be frozen, there is no point. Chances are, you won’t want to use whole onions, so you might as well freeze them prepared.
Yes, diced onions can be frozen. Once prepared, pop them into freezer bags and freeze them for 30 minutes. After those 30 minutes, give the bag a quick shake before returning it to the freezer.
3 Tips for Freezing Red Onions
Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing red onions to have the best results:
Combine With Other Base Ingredients
Red onions are often used with other base ingredients for sauces, stews and soups. It’s a great idea to freeze all these base ingredients in a bag as a ready-to-go soffritto. Ā You could even add a bay leaf or a few thyme sprigs.
Remember, They’re Smelly
Onions are, of course, quite smelly. For this reason, we would always advise that you make sure that the bag is sealed as well as possible. This will allow you to prevent the onion smell from permeating through your freezer, which would be bad for other food.
Prepare Them How You Use Them
If you use red onions when they’re sliced, then store them this way. If you use red onions diced into small cubes, then freeze them this way.Ā
How Long Can You Freeze Red Onions?
You can freeze red onions for around three months before freezer burn ruins their texture and flavour.
They are likely to remain safe beyond this point, but they will lose their bite and potency.
Red onions will last for an extremely long time in the fridge. They will keep for anywhere between 1 and 2 months. They can also be kept in a cool, dry cupboard.
How Do You Defrost Red Onions?
The simplest way to defrost red onions is to simply transfer the amount youāll be using directly into a hot pan – no defrosting needed!
They will thaw very quickly and can then be used to cook. Make sure not to use too much oil, however.
Can You Refreeze Red Onions?
Technically, yes, you can refreeze them.
Of course, red onions are not meat or fish, so can be refrozen. However, repeated freezing can damage their texture, so we advise against it where possible.
Do Red Onions Freeze Well?
Yes, red onions tend to maintain a lot of their texture and flavour when theyāre frozen and thawed, meaning that they can be great for storing for later cooking.
This is especially true when you freeze raw, prepared red onions, which you then cook. Any textural changes will be hidden through cooking them.
Related FAQs
If youāve still got questions about freezing red onions or red onions in general, then these may help:
Although you could freeze pickled red onions, they should last for several months when submerged in an airtight jar in the fridge, so there is not much point in freezing them.
Yes, cooked red onions can be frozen, but they must be cooled entirely beforehand. Once cooled, they can be portioned into freezer bags which must be sealed tightly before being frozen.
