How to Freeze Strawberries, Plus Tips for Proper Thawing

A trip to a strawberry patch or to the local farmers market to find berries is a terrific weekend activity with a sweet reward. But sometimes you wind up with way more berries than you can eat. Unless you plan on making a huge batch of strawberry jam, we have an easy way to store strawberries: Freeze them!

When you freeze food the right way, you’ll preserve its quality, nutritional value and, most importantly, flavor. Our Test Kitchen will show you how to freeze strawberries easily, so you can enjoy the sweet fruit for months to come.

How to Freeze Strawberries

2 sheet pans full of frozen strawberries SarahHartMorgan/getty Images

This method works with fresh-picked strawberries or the ones from the produce aisle.

If your meal prep involves freezing food, then you’ve probably come across the dreaded freezer burn. Check if the freezer burns safe to eat.

Directions

Step 1: Prep your berries

Choose berries that are dark red, firm and fully ripe. Discard any moldy berries. Clean the strawberries gently under cold water and drain them in a colander. Use a sharp knife or hulling tool to remove the stems and caps. (Here’s how to hull those strawberries quickly!) If your strawberries have mushy spots, slice them off. Lay the strawberries out in a single layer on clean kitchen towels or paper towels and allow them to air dry.

Editor’s Tip: Don’t soak the berries. They’ll absorb too much water, which will affect the texture and flavor. A quick rinse is all they need.

Step 2: Freeze the strawberries

Strawberries can be frozen whole, sliced or crushed, and with or without sugar.

For whole, unsweetened berries: First, freeze the strawberries in a single layer on a baking sheet. This will keep them from getting stuck together. Once they’re solid, place the berries in airtight containers or freezer bags. To prevent freezer burn, remove as much air as possible by either completely filling the containers or gently pressing extra air out of the bags.
For sweetened strawberries: Halve or slice strawberries into a bowl. For each quart of berries, add 1/2 cup sugar and gently stir until sugar is dissolved. Lightly crush berries if desired. Spoon the sugary berries into a freezer container, seal tightly and freeze.

Tips for Freezing Strawberries

Frozen strawberries. Frozen berries and fruits in a plastic bag in refrigerator Qwart/Getty Images

How long can you freeze strawberries?

When properly frozen following our directions above, you can keep your strawberries in the freezer for up to a year. However, it’s best to use them within six months of freezing. Although freezer-burned food, including berries, is still edible, the flavor and texture will not be as nice.

Is it better to freeze strawberries whole or cut?

Whether you freeze the berries whole or slice them first is entirely up to you—they’ll freeze well either way. Freezing the berries whole gives you more options for how to use the berries once they’re thawed. You can choose to slice them, dice them or mash them depending on the recipe. If you already know how you’ll use your frozen berries, slice or crush them before freezing to save time down the road.

Should strawberries be washed before freezing?

A silver colander full of strawberries being rinsed 4kodiak/Getty Images

Washing the berries is an important step to remove dirt and bugs as well as traces of pesticides. After all, strawberries are on the dirty dozen list of foods. It’s best to wash them before freezing since they’ll be very soft and liquidy (and messy) once thawed.

How to Use Frozen Strawberries

No Bake Strawberry Delight Nancy Mock for Taste of Home

Because strawberries thawed from frozen are darker, soft-textured and juicy, we don’t recommend using them in recipes meant for fresh, firm berries (such as chocolate covered strawberries or strawberry trifle). Instead, recipes where strawberries are cooked, mashed or blended are perfect choices for your frozen strawberries. Try them in a chilled strawberry treat like a sweet strawberry pretzel salad, blended into strawberry milkshakes or folded into a fluffy, pink strawberry delight.

Baked goods are a great way to use frozen berries too. Try an old-fashioned strawberry pie, a contest-winning roasted strawberry sheet cake or spiced strawberry muffins. The thawed berries can be cooked into strawberry soup or a homemade strawberry syrup. And don’t forget savory strawberry recipes! The thawed fruit makes tasty sauce for pork tenderloin and barbecued chicken.

How to Thaw Frozen Strawberries

The gentlest way to thaw frozen strawberries is to place them in the fridge for about eight hours or overnight. Sliced or crushed strawberries will thaw faster than whole berries. If you’re in a hurry, place the bag or container in cold water for one to two hours. Squeeze and break apart the berries occasionally to help move things along.

Thawing strawberries in the microwave is also possible, although doing so will heat up the berries, causing them to break down quicker. This method is best for recipes where the strawberries are to be cooked.

The Best Recipes for Frozen Strawberries

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Strawberry Bread My husband and I are strawberry lovers, so each spring we pick about 30 quarts. This strawberry bread recipe makes two delicious loaves. One we eat right away; the other we freeze and pull out when family comes to visit. —Shirley Durham, Poplar Bluff, Missouri <p class="listicle-page__cta-button"><a href="https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/strawberry-bread/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Go to Recipe</a></p>

Flaky Bumbleberry Pie Exps Ft24 20527 Ec 022724 3

Flaky Bumbleberry Pie Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Bumbleberry PieIt may have a funny name, but bumbleberry pie makes up for it with lots of berries (three kinds!) and tons of flavor.