How to Freeze Blueberries, Strawberries, & Blackberries
Learning how to keep freeze blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and other summer berries can be frustrating without a few important tips. An endless variety of summer berries are filling the markets right now (and filling our mouths as we stuff ourselves silly with them). This is the best part of summer, in my opinion -- but berries tend to spoil quickly, especially when it's warm out.
Prep Time 10minutes
Total Time 10minutes
Servings 4
Calories 84kcal
Author Stephanie Stiavetti
Ingredients
1poundBerries-- blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, cherries, or whatever you've got
Equipment:
Rimmed baking sheetthat will fit in your freezer
Parchment paper
Zip-top bagsor sealable containers
Instructions
Wash and dry your berries completely. Drying them is SO important. If your berries are wet when you freeze them, they'll freeze together in clumps. Having a two-pound block of frozen blueberries is not a fun way to deal with them. Trust me.
Find a rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan that will fit into your freezer without having to tilt it. Tilting the pan will cause all of your berries to roll to one side, completely negating the purpose of freezing them in a flat pan.
Line the pan with a piece of parchment.
Spread your dry berries onto the parchment in a single layer. Do not pile them up -- it's a lot better to do multiple batches of berries instead of layering them too thickly. (See above mention re: sad panda block-o-berries.)
Place the baking sheet in your freezer for at least 90 minutes.
Quickly, before they have time to defrost, pop all the frozen berries off of the parchment and place them in sealed containers or zip-top bags.
Use a sharpie to label the bags with what kind of berries you're freezing. Don't forget to write the date on the bag.
Immediately place the bag or container in the freezer. Do not let the bag or container sit around, or you'll have to start all over with wet, soggy berries.
Grab a new piece of parchment and repeat until all of your berries are frozen!