How to Freeze Strawberries

Strawberries are the only fruit with their seeds on the outside. They are consumed raw and go well with a variety of desserts, even cobblers. Apart from their delicious sweet taste, they also possess numerous health benefits. They are rich in vitamin C, vitamin K, riboflavin, copper, and manganese, along with phytonutrients, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids.

With the help of the right freezing techniques, you can preserve these fruits, while keeping their nutritional properties intact.

Materials Required

• Sheet pan (should fit into your freezer)
• Colander (to wash the strawberries)
• Ziploc freezer bags (alternative: vacuum food sealer)

Buy a desired quantity of fresh strawberries. Place them in the colander. Get rid of the mushy ones and remove the stems from the rest. Wash them gently, making sure you do not bruise the strawberries in the process. Allow these to dry, completely.

Place the strawberries on the sheet pan, not touching one another, and place the pan in the freezer. When they are completely frozen, transfer them to the Ziploc freezer bags, leaving about an inch of head space in the bags; store them in the freezer. The strawberries can be stored in this way for about 6 months.

Freezing Strawberries with Lemon Juice: Crush the strawberries and transfer them to an airtight container. Add 1 quart of water and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to it, seal the container properly, and then place it in the freezer. The lemon juice helps in retaining some of the strawberries' color.

Freezing Strawberries with Sugar Syrup: For this, you can either use the strawberries as a whole, or in its crushed or sliced form. For the sugar syrup, mix the sugar and water in a 4:1 cup ratio. Add ½ a cup of sugar syrup for every 250 grams of strawberries used. Stir the mixture, transfer it to an airtight container, and preserve it in the freezer.

Freezing Strawberries with Sugar: In this method, simply add sugar to the strawberries, before placing them in an airtight container. You can either use superfine sugar, also called fruit sugar, or the granulated kind. Add ¾ cup of sugar for every quart of strawberries. Stir the mixture well before freezing.

Freezing Strawberries In Ice Cubes: Place the strawberries into each square of an ice tray. Fill the tray with water and place it in the freezer. Strawberries stored in this way can be used over a period of two months.