How to Freeze Fresh Blueberries (With or Without Sugar)
Got some extra blueberries? Why not freeze these antioxidant-rich berries so you can enjoy their health benefits and wonderful flavor later in the year? In addition to being one of the best ways to deal with a surplus of fresh blueberries, freezing is a great way to save money: simply buy extra blueberries when they are in season and the prices are low, and then freeze them for out-of-season use. And, when using frozen blueberries, you can take heart in the fact that frozen blueberries are as good as fresh blueberries in terms of providing antioxidants and key nutrients.
Both cultivated and wild blueberries can be frozen, with or without sugar. The only thing to keep in mind is that blueberries that have already been frozen, and then thawed, cannot be frozen again. Below, you will find step-by-step instructions on how to freeze fresh blueberries. As you will see, freezing blueberries is extremely easy, even easier than freezing fresh raspberries which tend to stick together unless you pre-freeze them individually on trays. For ideas on what to do with frozen blueberries, scroll down to the bottom of this article.
How to Freeze Blueberries
- Blueberries can be frozen without washing, in which case you will have to wash the frozen berries when you take them out of the freezer. Another option is to wash and pat dry the berries before freezing.
- Put the blueberries you want to freeze in Zip-Lock freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. If you want, you can sprinkle a little bit of sugar on top of the berries in order to boost their flavor, but you can also freeze blueberries without adding sugar.
- Remove as much air as possible from the bags or containers, and seal and label them. Put them in the freezer, and freeze for up to 6 months.
- Keep in mind that frozen blueberries cannot be re-frozen once they have been thawed.
How to Use Frozen Blueberries
Substitute Frozen Blueberries for Fresh in Muffin Recipes. Fresh blueberries – especially the small but mighty wild blueberries – are great in muffins, but frozen blueberries can be used as a substitute for fresh blueberries at a 1:1 ratio in any muffin recipe. Try this blueberry muffin recipe if you are trying to reduce your intake of white sugar and other highly processed sweeteners.
Use Frozen Blueberries to Make Guilt-Free Frozen Desserts. Another great thing you can do with frozen blueberries is to use them to create healthy frozen desserts by pureeing or squeezing the frozen berries into sorbet-like desserts.
Use Them to Make Antioxidant-Rich Smoothies. The Internet is full of smoothie recipes that call for frozen blueberries, and blending a smoothie is definitely one of the easiest and healthiest ways to use frozen blueberries. When making a smoothie with frozen blueberries, look for dairy-free recipes to maximize the antioxidant properties of blueberries: a study published in the March 2009 issue of the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine found that milk inhibits the antioxidant activity of blueberries.
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