Freezing Peas {How to Freeze Peas}
Learn all the tips and tricks for Freezing Peas to extend the harvest. Learning how to freeze peas is a great way to preserve this delicious springtime veggie without needing to know any special kitchen skills (like canning). Find out how to stock your freezer with frozen peas with or without blanching.
If you have a bumper crop of peas from your garden or fell upon an amazing deal at your farmer’s market, this post is for you! Freezing peas is like a delicious insurance policy for delicious winter eating. And I’m going to show you how easy it is to do!
Each year we get grow sugar snap peas and shelling peas on our DIY Trellis that we built a few years ago. It’s amazing how many peas you can grow in a 3×6 raised bed, and sometimes we can’t eat all we harvested.
So just like freezing blackberries, freezing cherries, freezing peaches, and freezing strawberries, we preserve the crop in the freezer.
Can Peas Be Frozen?
Yes! Peas are a perfect candidate for being frozen. They can be used in a lot of recipes like Make Ahead Smoky Pea Salad With Greek Yogurt or to replace the green beans in Paleo Chicken Pot Pie Soup.
What is Blanching?
Blanching is the act of quickly cooking fruit or veggies in boiling water and then stopping the cooking process with ice water.
Is It Ok To Freeze Peas Without Blanching?
Yes. And no. It’s heavily debated in preserving circles (you can imagine what a raucous bunch that is!) if you should freeze peas with or without blanching. At the end of the day, it is your choice.
If you decide to NOT blanch your peas before freezing, try to use those up within two to three months. Frozen peas that haven’t been blanched tend to discolor a bit when cooked.
Unblanched frozen peas would be perfect for adding to soups or something like this Instant Pot Beef Stew.
How to Blanch Peas
Blanching peas is very straightforward and easy to do. If you have a huge batch of peas to process, it can seem a bit time consuming (see the note above about options for not blanching before freezing), but it can go quickly.
Start by bringing a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Also, set up a bowl full of ice water, a place a clean kitchen towel unfolded and flat on the counter.
Add your peas to the boiling water and set the timer for 90 seconds.
Once the time is up, strain the peas through a colander and immediately add to the ice water for two minutes. Strain again and set aside to drain.
After a few minutes, gently transfer the peas to the towel and cover with a second clean towel to absorb any additional water.
Tools for Freezing Peas
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Parchment or Silpat
- Strainer/colander
- Reusable freezer bags or wide-mouth mason jars
- Large pot/saucepan
- Ice
- Large bowl
- 2 clean towels
- Straw
How to Freeze Peas
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.
Add the peas on the baking sheet and place the tray in the freezer. At this point, I like to stick my hand in the freezer and scoot the peas around to give them as much space as possible to freeze individually.
Sure, you could do this before adding to the freezer, but um, they’re peas and they’re just going to roll around when you move the baking sheet.
Pro tip: If you have a lot of peas to freeze at once, lay another piece of parchment on top of the peas and top with an additional layer of blanched peas.
Freeze for two hours.
Break apart any clumps that have formed on the baking sheet and transfer the peas to freezer-proof storage. I really like these silicone freezer bags because they stand upright on their own, making them easy to fill. You can also label them easily with a dry erase marker.
If zero waste is your jam, check out this post on Zero Waste Food Storage on how to green your kitchen.
If you’re using Ziploc-style bags, removing additional air from the bag will keep your peas safe from freezer burn. Sure, there are expensive machines to remove air from freezer storage containers, but with a simple straw, you can achieve similar results.
Place a straw in the corner of a freezer bag and close the bag as tightly as possible. Suck the air out through the straw 1-2 times and quickly remove the straw and seal the bag.
Freezing Sugar Snap Peas and Snow Peas
Yes, you can also freeze whole sugar snap peas and snow peas! You need to remove the stem end and any strings that may be present.
Follow the blanching instructions above but only leave the peas in the boiling water for 1 minute. Add to the ice bath and follow the other instructions for straining, drying, and freezing.
Frozen snap and snow peas won’t be great for “fresh” eating, but they would be wonderful in recipes that are cooked. I highly recommend using snap peas in place of broccoli in Instant Pot Paleo Beef and Broccoli, this 5-Minutes Sesame Snow Pea recipe or to be added at the last minute to the hot broth in Homemade Ramen Noodle Bowls.
How Long Do Frozen Peas Last?
Frozen peas will last in a conventional freezer for six months. If you have a deep freeze/stand-alone freezer, you’re safe keeping them in there for up to a year.
How Do You Reheat Frozen Peas?
There is no need to thaw frozen peas prior to cooking them! In fact, in recipes like Smoky Pea Salad, it’s actually better to use the peas while they’re still frozen. Gotta love when that happens!
To cook them for a hot pea side dish, add frozen peas to a pot of water at a low boil. Cook for three minutes and drain. Then you can use them in a recipe like Green Pea Salad With Feta and Mint.
For even more ideas on what to do with frozen peas, check out this guide on Roasting Frozen Vegetables.
More “How To” Posts Like This
- Freezing Strawberries {How to Freeze Strawberries}
- Canning Supplies and Preserving Equipment List
- How to Cut a Watermelon
- How to Cut a Peach
- How to Segment an Orange
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Learn the tips and tricks for Freezing Peas to extend the harvest. Learn how to freeze peas to preserve this springtime veggie with or without blanching.
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 freezer bag best to use reusable
- 1 silpat or parchment
- 1 colander
- ice
- 2 towels
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 bowl
Set up a bowl full of ice water. Place a clean kitchen towel unfolded and flat on the counter.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
Add your peas to the boiling water and set the timer for 90 seconds.
Once the time is up, strain the peas through a colander and immediately add to the ice water for two minutes.
Strain again and set aside to drain.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.
Add the peas on the baking sheet and place the tray in the freezer. At this point, I like to stick my hand in the freezer and scoot the peas around to give them as much space as possible to freeze individually.
Freeze for two hours.
Break apart any clumps that have formed on the baking sheet and transfer the peas to freezer-proof storage.
You do not need to add any water to the peas for freezing.
Frozen peas will last in a conventional freezer for six months. If you have a deep freeze/stand-alone freezer, you’re safe keeping them in there for up to a year.
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