Can You Freeze Romesco Sauce?

3 minutes

Who’d have thought that jarred red peppers whizzed up with almonds, bread and garlic would combine to create one of the richest, sweetest and most powerful sauces? But you’ll find a little goes a long way. So what do you do with the rest?

How to Freeze Romesco Sauce

Freezing romesco sauce is fairly simple and uses the method we would recommend using for any sauces, pestos or dips. It involves using an ice cube tray:

1. Portion Sauce Into an Ice Cube Tray
   Spoon portions of romesco sauce into the slots of an ice cube tray leaving a small gap at the top to allow for any expansion. You can optionally seal the top of each cube with a thin layer of olive oil but this is not essential.
2. Wrap the Tray
   Wrap the tray in a layer of clingfilm. This will prevent any spillages and also ensure the romesco sauce doesn’t take on any odours from your freezer.
3. Freeze
   Carefully place the tray into the freezer, keeping it as flat as possible.
4. Pop Cubes Into a Bag
   One frozen solid, you can pop the cubes out of the ice cube tray and into a freezer bag which you must then seal up, ensuring you remove as much of the air from the bag as possible.
5. Label and Freeze
   Finally, clearly label the bag with the contents and the date then carefully place the bag into the freezer.

3 Tips for Freezing Romesco Sauce

Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing romesco sauce to have the best results:

Make It Wet
You can make romesco sauce as thick or thin as you like by using more or less bread and almonds. If you’re going to be freezing some of the sauce, then opt for a slightly thinner and wetter sauce as it will freeze better. You can always thicken it up when it has thawed.

Label it Clearly
Red cubes can look like a range of things in the freezer. It could be a tomato pesto, tomato puree or even a sweet coulis… This is why it’s vital that you label the bag clearly with the contents.

Freeze In Container Too
If you know you’ll use larger quantities in future then an ice cube might not be big enough. Instead, you can freeze the sauce in small airtight containers. Just remember that it will take far longer to thaw.

How Long Can You Freeze Romesco Sauce?

We would recommend freezing romesco sauce for no longer than 3 months to avoid the flavour degrading and the colour becoming dull. Although it’s likely to remain safe to eat beyond 3 months, it might not be as appetising.

You Can Freeze Romesco Sauce for up to 3 Months

How Do You Defrost Romesco Sauce?

The best way to defrost romesco sauce is slowly. Take a cube out of the freeze, pop it into a dish and allow it to thaw in the fridge. It should only take a few hours as the cubes will be so small.

If you’re in a rush, then you can opt to do so at room temperature while you prepare the rest of your meal. We would, however, avoid using the stove or the microwave to thaw it even quicker as this can ruin the texture.

Can You Refreeze Romesco Sauce?

More often than not, refreezing any food is not a good idea as the ice crystals that form will ruin the texture over and over again. This is also the case for romesco sauce which can become a little grainy if refrozen.

Instead, use the ice cube method above to ensure you freeze small portions of romesco sauce that can then be grabbed a portion at a time.

Does Romesco Sauce Freeze Well?

If you follow the method outlined above and allow it to thaw slowly in the fridge, then romesco sauce freezes particularly well. In fact, you’ll be hard-pushed to tell the difference between freshly made sauce and one that has been frozen.

You may get a little separation as it thaws but this can soon be rectified with a quick stir. You could even place it into a mini blender to ensure all the parts of the sauce combine together.