How to Freeze Strawberries

Guide Note

Wondering how to freeze strawberries so that you can enjoy them all year long? Never fear—it's a snap, and frozen berries are just about as versatile and full of taste as fresh berries. Want to learn more? Keep reading!

Table of Contents

Strawberry Freezing Tips

  1. Freeze only firm, ripe berries with good color.
  2. To avoid freezer burn, dry berries thoroughly and chill them in the refrigerator before freezing.
  3. Use frozen strawberries in smoothies or for cooking to get a great, strong strawberry taste.

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Introduction

(Creative Commons photo by blmurch)
(Creative Commons photo by blmurch)
  • In the warm months, when strawberries are abundant and cheaper than usual, it makes sense to stock up on several cases at once. Fresh fruit doesn't stay fresh for long, though, so how can you manage to keep those berries past their prime? The simple answer is to freeze them. Freezing strawberries is easy and will let you get the best out of your berries at any time of the year.

Choosing Strawberries

  • When choosing strawberries to freeze, pass up the berries with bruises and the berries that are soft, mushy or overripe. Those berries won't freeze as well as strawberries that are bright, firm and just ripe.1
  • If you want to eat some berries fresh and freeze others, simply pick out any berries that are overripe or becoming soft and set those berries aside to eat later. Freeze the remainder.

Freezing Fresh Strawberries Step-by-Step

  1. First, get your supplies together. You'll need fresh strawberries, a colander for rinsing, a cookie sheet, a sheet of wax paper to cover the cookie sheet and zip-top bags to store the frozen strawberries.3
  2. Using the colander, rinse the strawberries thoroughly and pat them dry.4
    (Photo by Carly Schuna)
    (Photo by Carly Schuna)
  3. Cut or twist off the strawberry stems and remove any leaves or other non-berry items.5
  4. Coat a cookie sheet with one layer of wax paper, then spread out the strawberries on the cookie sheet and refrigerate them for about an hour.4
    (Photo by Carly Schuna)
    (Photo by Carly Schuna)
  5. After the strawberries are chilled through, place the cookie sheet with the uncovered berries on it in the freezer overnight or until the berries are completely frozen through.5 6
  6. When the strawberries are frozen, remove them from the baking sheet and transfer them to a zip-top bag. Seal the bag tightly and keep the berries in the freezer. They can be stored that way for up to six months.3
    (Photo by Carly Schuna)
    (Photo by Carly Schuna)

Other Ways to Freeze Strawberries

(Creative Commons photo by Robert Brook)
(Creative Commons photo by Robert Brook)
  • Though freezing fresh and whole strawberries is healthiest, it's also possible to freeze strawberries with a dry sugar coating, with syrup or in a puree.

With Sugar

  • Dry cane sugar can turn into a liquid coating for frozen strawberries.
  1. Slice the strawberries in halves or smaller slices.
  2. Sprinkle the berries with a generous coating of sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.
  3. Freeze the berries in a sealed container.2

In Syrup

  • Strawberries will retain a sweet taste if you freeze them in a homemade syrup.
  1. To make enough syrup for a few pints of berries, combine 1 1/4 cups water with 1 cup sugar.4
  2. Mix the water and sugar together until the sugar has completely dissolved.
  3. Put the sliced or whole strawberries in an airtight container and pour the syrup over the berries before freezing.

Crushed or Pureed

  1. Use a blender, food processor or pastry cutter to mash, crush or puree the strawberries thoroughly.6
  2. Store the crushed strawberries with or without sugar or syrup in an airtight container in the freezer.

How to Use Frozen Strawberries

  1. Add a frozen strawberry to a cold drink, such as champagne or punch.4
  2. After thawing, you can use frozen strawberries in jams, jellies, desserts or sauces.
  3. Frozen strawberries are excellent in fruit smoothies.6
  4. Whole, unsweetened frozen strawberries make a delicious and refreshing snack in the summertime.

Tips and Tricks

(Creative Commons photo by thebittenword.com)
(Creative Commons photo by thebittenword.com)
  1. Make sure the whole berries are entirely frozen before removing them from the cookie sheet and transferring them to the zip-top bag.3 That will keep each berry distinct and separate.
  2. Label zip-top bags with their contents and date so you stay aware of what's in the freezer and when you put it there.5
  3. Dry off the strawberries as well as possible before freezing them to preserve their taste.6
  4. Strawberries will likely darken when frozen. If keeping their bright red color is important to you, try adding ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to the berries before you freeze them.
  5. To prevent freezer burn, get as much air as you can out of the zip-top bags you use to store the strawberries before you seal them.
  6. You can use this same method of freezing for raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches and many other types of fruit.

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References for How to Freeze Strawberries

  1. ↑ The Garden Path: Picking and Freezing Strawberries
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Helium: How to Freeze Strawberries
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 eHow: Freezing Strawberries and Other Berries
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 How to Do Things: How to Freeze Strawberries
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Pick Your Own: How to Freeze Strawberries to Use Later
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 wikiHow: How to Freeze Strawberries