How to Freeze Strawberries and Keep Them Fresh

You can do so much with fruit to prolong their shelf life, and one of the best ways you can keep them good for months is to freeze them–the proper way. Follow the simple instructions in this recipe if you want to maximize the longevity of your strawberry harvest.

How to Freeze Strawberries

You’ll just have to do a few simple steps of prep work before you’ll be ready to freeze your strawberries:

• Rinse. Place the fresh strawberries in a colander and gently rinse under cold water.
• Dry. Immediately pat the strawberries dry with a paper towel.
• Prep the strawberries. Remove the stems from the strawberries with a knife.
• Prepare the baking sheet. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Arrange the strawberries. Arrange the strawberries in a single layer on the prepared sheet.
• Freeze. Freeze the strawberries for about 4 hours (or until solid).
• Transfer. Transfer the frozen strawberries to a ziplock bag labeled with the date.
• Freeze. Return the strawberries to the freezer.

Learn How to Freeze More Fruits:

How to Freeze Blueberries

How to Freeze Peaches

How to Use Frozen Strawberries

There are all kinds of different things that you can do with your frozen strawberries. For starters, there are plenty of recipes that call for the use of frozen strawberries.

Some examples include things like:

• Homemade sauces or syrups
• Smoothies
• Puree them for baking recipes
• Homemade Strawberry Milk

On the other hand, you can also thaw out your berries if you would prefer. When it comes to thawing out strawberries, there are only 2 methods that I recommend using: either transferring them to the fridge or setting them under cold running water.

Does Freezing Break Down the Nutritional Content of Fruit?

Freezing your fruit will indeed change its texture, appearance, and even its flavor. However, the good news is that freezing your fruit will not affect its nutritional value.

With that in mind, it’s also true that certain types of fruit also freeze a lot better than other types. Fruits with a higher natural sugar content will actually see the sugar crystals expand as they freeze; but again, outside of changing the texture and appearance of the fruit, it won’t change its nutritional value.

There are several clear benefits to freezing your fruit. For one, it helps to significantly extend the shelf life of many types of fruit. It also helps to preserve more water-soluble vitamins, such as the B-complex vitamins.

(Also learn: How to Freeze Green Beans and Preserve Your Green Bean Harvest)

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