Can You Freeze Strawberries?

What happens when you freeze strawberries

A strawberry is water in a thin-walled berry, so ice crystals wreck the structure on the way in and the berry slumps on the way out. Flavor and color survive it fine; shape does not. Frozen whole and used still frozen they are excellent — blended, simmered into sauce, folded into muffins, dropped into a glass. Thawed and expected to sit up on a tart, they are a puddle with seeds in it.

How to freeze it right

1. Freeze them the day you buy them — the fridge only gives strawberries 2–3 days.
2. Hull them, rinse, and dry them completely; wet berries freeze into one solid brick.
3. Spread them on a lined tray and freeze until hard, then bag the loose berries.
4. Press the air out, label, and date the bag.

Thawing and using it

Use them frozen wherever you can — smoothies, sorbet, sauce, cobbler, jam. When a recipe needs them thawed, thaw them in the fridge in a bowl and keep the juice; it is the best part. A toss in sugar while they are still icy helps them hold their edges a little longer.

Can you refreeze it?

Fridge-thawed strawberries can be refrozen safely, but what returns is mush with ice in it. Cook them down into sauce or jam first and freeze that instead.