Can You Freeze Shallots?

How to Freeze Shallots

When it comes to freezing your shallots, you have a few options. However, we recommend that you prep the shallots beforehand and chop or slice them before freezing. This makes it much easier to use at a later date.

This is really easy to do, and other than cutting the shallots, there is not too much preparation work to worry about.

You can also make delicious infused butter and oils and freeze these too. You can cook with these instead of using your usual oils and butter, and it adds a lovely delicate flavour to your meals without overpowering it.

How to Freeze Chopped or Sliced Shallots

If you want to keep things simple and have shallots frozen in chunks or slices, then here is the approach to take: 

1. Discard Damaged Shallots
   Check your shallots and get rid of any that have sprouted too much or are showing any signs of damage or spoiling. For the best results when freezing, you only want to freeze the best shallots.
2. Peel and Chop
   Peel the shallots and then choose how you would prefer to chop them. How you chop them will depend on how you prefer to use them. If you use them differently, you could always chop some finely and then chop others into slices and freeze them separately in different bags.
3. Bag Up
   Once you have prepared the shallots, you can pop them into a freezer bag. It really is this easy! Squeeze out any excess air, and then seal the bag tightly. Add a label with the date and contents, so you know what you have frozen and when.
4. Freeze
   Put the freezer bag into the freezer but keep it near the top of the freezer because you will need to access them for the next step.
5. Shake and Return to the Freeze
   When the shallots have been in the freezer for about 20 minutes, take them out. Give the bag a gentle shake to separate out the chopped shallots and avoid them freezing together into too much of a clump. Pop the bag back into the freezer for another half an hour. After this time, grab the bag out again and give it another gentle shake. Finally, return to the freezer. 

How to Freeze Shallot Infused Oil

Infused oils are an incredible way to add flavour to your cooking without having to prepare any shallots. The great news is that it freezes really well:

1. Make Oil
   First, you need to make your infused oil. To do this chop your shallots roughly into large chunks. Pop these into a bottle of your favourite oil and seal it tightly. Make sure you choose an oil that can be frozen. Store this in a dark, cool cupboard for a few days. The longer you leave it the more flavour the oil will have. Once you are ready to freeze the oil then you can remove the shallots.
2. Portion Into An Ice Cube Tray
   For freezing, you will need some ice cube trays. Pour a little of the infused oil into each section of the ice cube tray. Make sure you leave a gap at the top because the oil will expand a little
3. Freeze
   Pop the tray of infused oil into the freezer and allow it to freeze for a few hours.
4. Bag Up
   When the oil has frozen, you can remove the tray from the freezer and transfer the cubes of infused oil into a freezer bag.
5. Return to the Freeze
   Seal the bag tightly and label it with the date and contents. This can then be put into the freezer. Now, you can grab out a cube or two whenever you need some infused oil for cooking.

How to Freeze Shallot Infused Butter

If butter is more your thing, then you can also make a shallot butter which can then be melted and cooked in to add a subtle onion flavour to your cooking: 

1. Make the Butter
   Making shallot infused butter is easy to do. All you need to do is chop up your shallots finely. Stir these into some butter. You could also add some garlic and herbs for a little extra flavour. Pop this into the fridge for a day or two to allow the butter to infuse with the flavour. The longer you leave it the more flavour it will have. Just don’t leave it too long because the ingredients will spoil and go mouldy if left for too long.
2. Portion Into An Ice Cube Tray
   To freeze the infused butter into handy portions, you need an ice cube tray. Spoon a little of the butter into each section.
3. Freeze
   Pop the tray into the freezer and allow the butter to freeze for a few hours.
4. Bag Up
   Once the butter has frozen, you can remove the tray from the freezer and transfer the butter cubes into a resealable freezer bag.
5. Freeze Again
   Label the bag with the date and contents and pop it into the freezer.

3 Tips for Freezing Shallots

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

• Freeze in Portions – Freezing shallots is really easy to do, but sometimes you can find that they freeze together into a big clump. To avoid this, you could pop them into separate freezer bags in individual portions. It takes up more space in the freezer, but it does make them much easier to use at a later date.
• Avoid Freezing Shallots Whole
  It is always best to freeze your shallots already prepared and chopped up. Whilst you could freeze your shallots whole they don’t freeze well like this and they won’t taste as good and they will be more difficult to use. You can freeze your shallots chopped or sliced, however, you prefer.
• Try Freezing Shallots In Different Forms – Making infused oils and butter is a delicious way to use up any leftover shallots and stop them from going to waste. What is even better is that you can freeze these too! There is no excuse to allow any of your shallots to go to waste.

How Long Can You Freeze Shallots?

Your shallots can keep well in a dark, dry cupboard for a few days and sometimes longer. If you want to freeze them and make them last even longer you can freeze them for up to three months.

You Can Freeze Shallots for up to 3 Months

How Do You Defrost Shallots?

If you have frozen your shallots chopped, sliced or infused into butter or oil you don’t need to thaw them out at all. They cook best from frozen so throw them into your pan or recipe from frozen and allow them to thaw and cook at the same time.

If you hoped that your shallots could be used in salads and be eaten raw and would like to defrost them, you could pop them into a bowl and into the fridge to thaw for a few hours.

However, we wouldn’t recommend you use your shallots this way because they will have lost their crunch and not taste as good raw as they would have done from fresh.

Can You Refreeze Shallots?

While it is not recommended that you refreeze any shallots that have been thawed out, you could freeze them if you have popped frozen shallots into your recipe and want to freeze leftovers from the meal.

Do Shallots Freeze Well?

Shallots freeze well enough but they won’t have quite the crunch you are used to from fresh shallots. They will be a little softer but their flavour should remain the same. This is why we would recommend that you use your frozen shallots in cooking rather than try and eat them raw.

Related FAQs

If you’ve still got questions about freezing shallots or shallots in general, then these may help:

Can You Freeze Raw Shallots?

You can freeze raw shallots. They are one of the few vegetables (along with onions) that do not need to be blanched before freezing. As always, consider how you will use shallots and then cut them up appropriately before bagging them up and place them into the freezer. 

What Can You Do With Extra Shallots?

If you’ve got an abundance of shallots then one of the best ways to store them is by freezing them. This will extend their life by around 3 months and will ensure you’ve always got a decent supply of shallots to use in your cooking.