Every home needs a good stock of sultanas and dried fruit in the cupboard for baking, snacks and recipes. Luckily they keep in the store cupboard for a long time, but what can you do to extend their shelf life further? Can you freeze them?
Can You Freeze Sultanas?
Yes, you can freeze sultanas for up to 12 months. Because they have a low water content, they freeze really well and can be used frozen without a need to thaw out for many recipes.
Do Do Sultanas freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Sultanas? No
How to Freeze Sultanas
The trickiest part of freezing sultanas is ensuring that they donāt all stick together so that you end up with one big ball of sultanas all clumped together!
The method below ensures this doesnāt happen and that you get a handy bag of sultanas to use whenever you need them:
- Line Tray: Line a baking tray with parchment paper. The baking tray you use must be suitable for the freezer.
- Spread Out Sultanas: Sprinkle a layer of sultanas onto the baking tray. Keep them as separate as possible so that none are touching. You need to make sure there is only one layer of sultanas.
- Flash Freeze: Place the baking tray into the freezer. Keep the baking tray flat so that no sultanas fall off the edge. After about thirty minutes, the sultanas should be frozen enough to take back out of the freezer and continue the process.
- Transfer to Bag: Transfer the sultanas from the baking tray into a freezer bag. Seal the bag and label it with the date and contents.
- Final Freeze: Pop the bag into the freezer. Whenever you need a handful of sultanas, you can grab the bag and pour out the number of sultanas you need before putting the rest back into the freezer.
Yes, you can freeze raisins for around 12 months. Spread them out on a lined baking tray and pop the tray into the freezer. Once the raisins have frozen solid, tip them off the tray and into freezer bags before returning them to the freezer. 
How to Freeze Other Dried Fruit
Most dried fruit can be frozen, and the great news is that it freezes well because it contains very little moisture. You shouldnāt notice any difference between dried fruit that has been frozen and dried fruit that has been in the cupboard.
You can freeze dried fruit using the same method outlined for freezing sultanas, and most dried fruits can be kept in the freezer for up to a year.
2 Tips for Freezing Sultanas
Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 2 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing sultanas to have the best results:
Portion Appropriately
If you like eating sultanas or raisins as a sweet and healthy snack, you can freeze them in portions instead. Use the same method outlined in this article but instead of putting the sultanas in one freezer bag, put smaller portions into separate freezer bags.
Remove Air as you Seal
To ensure your sultanas donāt taste freezer burnt, you need to ensure they are airtight. Squeeze out all the air from the freezer bags before sealing to do this. If you have problems with freezer bags, you could try using a freezer-safe container with a tight-fitting lid instead.
How Long Can You Freeze Sultanas?
Sultanas can be frozen for up to 12 months! Considering their long shelflife, this means you can keep sultanas ready for use for a really long time!
If you need to keep your sultanas frozen for a little longer, they should be safe to keep in the freezer for up to a year and a half. But if you do this, the quality may suffer a little, affecting the taste of the sultanas.
Although dried, sultanas will not keep indefinitely in the cupboard. If kept in an airtight container, away from sunlight and temperature fluctuations, then sultanas will keep for around 6 months.
How Do You Defrost Sultanas?
You shouldnāt need to thaw out the sultanas for baking and cooking. Throw the right amount into the recipe completely frozen! The only time you would need to defrost them first is if you need to soak the sultanas first to plump them up.
If you need to defrost, you can take the sultanas out of the freezer and pop them into the fridge to thaw for a few hours before using them.
Frozen sultanas also make a great snack. When they are frozen, they are great for a cooling treat on a warm day.
Can You Refreeze Sultanas?
We would not recommend that you refreeze sultanas once they have been defrosted. Whilst they freeze the first time brilliantly, there is no guarantee they will keep the same high quality if you freeze more than once.
Do Sultanas Freeze Well?
Sultanas and other dried fruits all freeze very well!
Even though you can keep them in the freezer for a long time, they rarely change in texture, quality or taste while frozen. You shouldnāt notice any difference, especially if you put the sultanas in your baking.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing sultanas or dried fruit in general, then these may help:
Yes, dehydrated fruit can be frozen in airtight containers for up to 12 months. It will also keep in the cupboard for around 6 months.
Yes, mixed peel or candied peel can be frozen. Sprinkle them with cornflour, then pop them into a freezer bag. Seal the bag up, pushing out as much air as possible then freeze.
