Can You Freeze Onions?

What happens when you freeze onions

Freezing collapses the crisp cell structure that makes a raw onion snap, so a thawed one is limp and a little watery. In anything that meets heat it makes no difference at all: the pieces soften and brown exactly as fresh ones do. Green onions come through better than most — the sliced tops stay recognizable and keep their bite in soup and eggs. What you give up is the salad, the burger slice, and the salsa.

How to freeze it right

1. Peel and chop to the size you actually cook with — fine dice for soffritto, slices for fajitas.
2. Spread the pieces on a tray and freeze them loose so they don’t weld into a brick.
3. Bag them thin and flat with the air pressed out, then double-bag: onion perfumes a freezer fast.
4. Slice green onions, whites and greens both, and freeze them in a jar.
5. Label the bag with the cut and the date.

Thawing and using it

Don’t thaw them. Tip frozen onion straight into the hot pan, the stockpot, or the slow cooker — it gives up a little extra water at first, then cooks down normally. Frozen green onion slices scatter over noodles, eggs, and soup right out of the bag.

Can you refreeze it?

Onions thawed in the fridge can go back in safely; each round leaves them limper and wetter, so freeze in cook-size portions and take only what the recipe needs.