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Learn all the tips and tricks for how to freeze oranges to build a freezer stash of this versatile fruit. Freezing oranges is a great way to preserve without needing to know any special kitchen skills.
While oranges are available year-round in every grocery store, they are the tastiest when fresh.
Oranges shine during peak citrus season – November through April. If you find a great deal on some delicious oranges and are asking yourself “what can I do with too many oranges”, the answer is simple – freeze them!
How to Use Frozen Oranges
Frozen oranges are such a versatile ingredient, and you can use them in so many recipes!
It depends on what form you freeze them in (juiced, whole, etc.,), but I love having frozen oranges on hand for air fryer orange chicken and Instant Pot orange chicken.
How to Thaw Frozen Oranges
In many cases (smoothies, using as drink garnishes, etc.,), oranges are best kept frozen. But if you need to thaw oranges for baking, you can leave them on the counter for a few hours, or microwave slices/segments on 50% power for 60 seconds. Do not microwave a whole orange.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- If freezing orange juice in glass jars, you’ll want to choose wide-mouth jars and leave 1 inch of headspace at the top of each jar. This allows the juice to expand while it freezes and prevents the jars from cracking. Thaw at room temp or in the fridge overnight. Do not heat a frozen jar in hot water or the microwave as it might crack.
- You can store whole or sliced oranges for up to 12 months in the freezer. Orange juice and orange zest are best used within 6-9 months.
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How to Freeze Oranges
Ingredients
- oranges
Instructions
How to Freeze Whole Oranges
- Wash the outside of the orange and dry off excess water.
- Places oranges in a freezer-safe bag, seal, and remove excess air.
How to Freeze Orange Halves
- Wash the outside of the orange and dry off excess water.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper.
- Cut the orange in half down the middle (not end to end).
- Place oranges cut side down on the parchment. Freeze for 4 hours.
- Remove frozen orange halves and place in a freezer-safe bag, seal and remove excess air.
How to Freeze Orange Slices {With Rind}
- Wash the outside of the orange and dry off excess water.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper.
- Cut the orange in half from end to end. Slice each half in half, and then each of those halves in half. This will produce 8 total slices.
- Place oranges cut side down on the parchment. Freeze for 4 hours.
- Remove frozen orange slices and place in a freezer-safe bag. Seal, and remove excess air.
How to Freeze Orange Segments {No Rind}
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper.
- Slice the top and bottom off of the orange.
- Position the knife next to the pith (the white part inside the peel) and make a slice to the bottom following the shape of the rind. Trim the whole fruit.
- Hold the fruit in your hand, and position the knife on one side of the section. Carefully make a slice downward toward the center, making sure to not cut through the entire orange.
- Repeat on the other side of the section, popping the section out. Continue with the rest of the fruit.
- Place segments on the parchment. Freeze for 4 hours.
- Remove frozen orange segments and place in a freezer-safe bag. Seal, and remove excess air.
How to Freeze Orange Juice
- Transfer orange juice to wide-mouth glass jars (leaving 1-inch of headspace) fitted with a lid, or carefully pour into freezer bags.
- (If using bags), carefully remove excess air, and seal completely. Place flat on a baking sheet and freeze for 4 hours.
- To save space, stack frozen bags of juice on top of each other in the freezer or stacked vertically in a small container.
How to Freeze Orange Zest
- Wash the outside of the orange and dry off excess water.
- Zest orange, making sure you only zest the peel and not the pith (white part).
- Mix zest with a tiny bit of water, to create a "paste".
- Press the paste into ice cube trays and freeze for 3 hours.
- Remove zest cubes and place in a freezer-safe bag. Seal, and remove excess air.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yes I just read your comments on how to freeze oranges. I do have a question though if you could email me a answer to help me out a bit. I just bought a small bag of oranges and I am only one person and don’t want them to go bad but dont have any parchment or wax paper I just want to slice them into 4 pieces can I just go ahead and put them in freezer bags and freeze them like that until I am ready to use them in blender for smoothies.
Hi Fred, yes you can do that. They may stick together in the bags, but a quick bash against the counter should work to separate them again.