How to Freeze Strawberries

 By Davee Kaplan

Wouldn't it be great to always have some bananas and strawberries on hand for smoothies. At least those are the staples for most of my smoothies. Freezing strawberries is easier than you might think. You can freeze strawberries whole, sliced, and crushed. For smoothies, I like to freeze the fruit whole.

By having some frozen fruit on hand, you can always have the basic smoothie necessities ready for that surprise guest or late night snack. After all, who wants to have to run to the store to pick up some berries and bananas when you're in the mood for a smoothie now!

The best time to buy strawberries is summer. Choose strawberries that are dark red, firm, and fully ripe. 

Discard any strawberries with mold, damage, or discoloration.

Prepare Strawberries

Wash the fruit but do not soak, as this will deplete some flavor and nutrients

Drain the fruit thoroughly and pat dry

Remove stems and hulls (I personally like to use the tip of a potato peeler for this task)

Lift hull from strawberry and discard or save for compost

Strawberry without hull Continue to fill Pyrex dish or cookie sheet with hulled fruit

Whole Strawberries

Lay out strawberries in a single layer so they are not touching on cookie sheets or Pyrex glass baking dishes

After completely frozen, about 24 hours, place frozen strawberries in freezer containers or freezer bags and seal tightly

Leave about one inch of space in your container

Frozen strawberries are good for about two months.

Crushed or Sliced Strawberries

Crush or slice strawberries

Mix one quart of water with 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Place berries in airtight container leaving enough room for water and lemon mixture

Pour water and lemon mixture over berries to cover

Seal containers and freeze

The lemon juice helps the fruit retain some of its original color. Of course there are many great uses for frozen strawberries besides smoothies, like sauces for fruit salad, pancakes, frozen margarita, jams.

Freezing strawberries does not sterilize them, but the cold prevents microorganism growth which is the cause for food spoilage. Properly frozen strawberries will contain most of their taste and nutritional value.