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Learn all the tips and tricks for freezing spinach to save time and money. Learning how to freeze spinach for smoothies, soups, and sauces is a great way to preserve this tasty staple of so many recipes.
Frozen veggies that are ready to be added to meals are incredible time savers. Having components ready to go to add to dinners or smoothies helps make your day just a little bit easier.
Of course, you can buy frozen spinach. But if your garden is producing more than you can eat, or you have a bag in the fridge you won’t be able to finish, freezing your own spinach helps reduce waste and saves money.
If you’re already googling things like “can you freeze spinach” like a cool kid, check out our posts on can you freeze kale and freezing swiss chard.
Can You Freeze Fresh Spinach?
Yes, absolutely! Fresh spinach often comes in huge bags and goes bad in the blink of an eye. Freezing fresh spinach is an easy way to prevent waste.
And because it’s so simple to do, you’ll never have to toss out wilted spinach again!
how long do you blanch spinach for freezing?
The spinach just needs two minutes in boiling water for the blanching process.
Do you blanch spinach before freezing?
Yes and no. It depends on how you want to use it. If you plan to use the frozen spinach within a few weeks, there is no need to blanch it first.
Unblanched spinach left in the freezer for too long will turn brown because of enzyme actions which will change the texture, flavor, and coloring.
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How to Freeze Spinach
Equipment
- Food processor {optional}
Ingredients
- 20 oz spinach
- ice
Instructions
How to Blanch Spinach
- Wash spinach, discarding old leaves and woody stems.20 oz spinach
- Fill a bowl halfway with ice water. Set aside.ice
- In a large saucepan bring water to a boil. Add spinach, making sure it is all under the water and cook for 2 minutes.
- Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove spinach and add to the ice water. Chill for 3 minutes.
- Transfer chilled spinach to a strainer and allow it to drain.
How to Freeze Blanched Spinach
- Squeeze excess water out of the spinach (I squeeze portions in my hand over the strainer).
- Transfer to freezer containers or a muffin pan lined with parchment paper liners.
- Freeze for 3 hours. If using the muffin pan method, transfer to freezer bags once spinach has frozen solid.
How to Freeze Unblanched Spinach
- Place washed and dried spinach in a freezer bag.
- Remove excess air from the bag and freeze for up to three months.
How to Freeze Spinach for Smoothies
- Add unblanched spinach to a food processor or blender and a splash of water. Pulse and then gently blend.
- Pour the puree into ice cube trays. Freeze for 3 hours and transfer to freezer containers.
Notes
- Use unblanched spinach within 3 weeks.
- Use pureed spinach within 3 months.
- Blanched spinach should be used within 3-6 months.
- There is no need to thaw the spinach before adding it to soups or sauces.
- 5 oz of spinach will wilt down to about 1 cup for freezing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The spinach cooking water will be super high in oxalates which cause medical problems for many people. It’s usually recommended that you discard the spinach cooking water, even though it may be high in some nutrients.
It is an excellent use for house plants in those cases.
Just what I was looking for spinach came out perfect
I’m so glad I could help, Dee! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
This has been very helpful. For some reason, it’s been almost impossible to find spinach in the frozen food aisle lately. I have a LOT of fresh baby spinach on hand that I need to use up, so finding this pin was quite timely. My morning smoothies say thank you.
I *might* know the answer to that or at least part of it. Because I listened to a supply chain podcast a few months ago and now I’m an “expert”. 🙂
With the supply chain being so wonky, and droughts (or flooding like in the PNW) everywhere, FRESH produce was harder to find and more expensive. But frozen produce often has a 3-4 month inventory in the warehouses so those prices basically remained unchanged.
So, when people couldn’t find fresh items or couldn’t afford them, they turned to frozen. And then probably got used to purchasing it. And now, that inventory is finally starting to catch up with the rest of the supply chain.
Hi! Can I steam the spinach (for better digestion) and then blend it to add to ice cube trays for smoothies?
Absolutely! I would still dunk it in the ice water after steaming though.
Our family garden has been spitting out leafy greens at an alarming rate. I used the method from this post to freeze swiss chard. It was easy, simple, and now I have a freezer full of greens for later!