Want to know how to freeze spinach? Keep reading! This is the easiest and best way for perfect frozen spinach in no time!
Who doesn’t love the green and fresh leaves of spinach? Besides incredible flavor, this green vegetable is full of essential nutrients such as iron, potassium, calcium, Vitamin A, and much more.
To take advantage of the benefits provided by spinach is an excellent idea to have a supply of spinach in your kitchen.
Now, of course, you can’t keep the fresh leaves of spinach for much longer. So the solution is to freeze the spinach and enjoy it whenever you want!
Can you freeze spinach?
Yes. You can freeze spinach and get a much better taste than the frozen spinach options available in the supermarket. Today, many different companies offer frozen spinach. Still, you can’t compare the nutritional value and flavor of such products with fresh spinach leaves that you freeze yourself! And if you are wondering how to freeze spinach, we have you covered! It’s incredibly easy.
How to Freeze Spinach [Step by Step]
First of all, you have two methods, one faster without blanching and another with blanching.
If you are going to use it in a few weeks, you can freeze spinach without blanching.
For long-lasting periods, it’s better to blanch.
Let’s look at the step-by-step processes through which you can freeze spinach and enjoy it all year round!
Method 1 – How to freeze spinach without blanching:
That’s the super-easy way to freeze spinach.
Step 1: Choose fresh spinach and remove the stems using a knife or scissor.
Step 2: Rinse the leaves to wash off any dirt. Maybe you will need to repeat twice to be sure the spinach is pretty clean.
Step 3: Drain the water using a colander or a salad spinner. It’s essential to remove the water, so you can gently squeeze the spinach leaves in a paper towel or absorbent cloth.
Step 4: Place the spinach leaves on a plastic bag and extract all the air in the bag before placing them directly in the freezer.
Nothing could be easier! The detail with this frozen is that the action of enzymes can slightly change the color, texture, and taste of spinach.
Method 2 – How to freeze spinach blanching them:
Step 1: Pick Fresh Leaves
Before you think about the freezing process, you need to buy fresh spinach from the market. The local farms are great places to get fresh spinach. But if you can’t, look for fresh spinach in your retail store or supermarket.
It is easy to tell the difference between fresh and old spinach leaves. A key difference is the color of the leaves. Therefore, avoid any spinach with old and yellow-colored leaves.
Step 2: Rinse
After procuring fresh and highest-quality spinach, it is time to wash off any dirt or other unwanted particles. It is best to rinse the spinach in freshwater a total of three times.
Wouldn’t you want to see dirt once the spinach is in the frozen form, right? That’s why it is better to properly clean this green vegetable by performing a triple rinse in clean water.
Step 3: Remove Stems
Now that we got our green leaves all clean and healthy, it is time to remove the stems. We only want the leaves because it is the part which we used in cooking. You can use a knife or a scissor to remove the stems.
If the size of the leaves is too big, you can divide a single leaf into many small pieces.
Step 4: Blanching
Transfer all the spinach leaves into a pot of boiling water for around 2-3 minutes. Then transfer the spinach leaves in cold water for approximately 2-3 minutes. Then, strain the spinach.
The heating and cooling will complete the process of blanching this green vegetable.
You will notice that after putting the leaves in hot water, the color of the water turns green. That’s happening because some of the nutrients of the spinach are transferred to the water. You can use this green-colored water for cooking rice or other grains.
Step 5: Freeze It
It is time to let the spinach leaves dry by putting them on a thick and absorbent cloth. Once most of the water is removed from the leaves, you can transfer the spinach leaves to a freezer bag.
Make sure that there is no air left in the bags. If any air is present, it could cause the leaves to experience the process called “freezer burn.” You can use a straw to remove any air that is present in the bag. Once you sucked out the air, you can seal the bag and put it in the freezer.
Label the bags with the date to ensure that your frozen spinach doesn’t go wrong.
FAQs about freezing spinach
How long do frozen spinach lasts?
You can use frozen spinach for up to a year when you freeze them using the blanching method and a few weeks without blanching.
Is there any difference in flavor between fresh spinach and frozen spinach?
Of course, you are not going to get the same flavor witnessed in fresh spinach. But it will be much better than the options present at the frozen department of retail store.
Can I freeze spinach without blanching?
Yes, if you plan to use it in a few weeks, you can freeze spinach without blanching.
Does freezing spinach loose nutrients?
Not at all Frozen spinach keeps all the nutrients and good for you vitamins and antioxidants.
Implements and equipment you need to freeze spinach
You need only a few things to freeze spinach.
For method 1, without blanching, you will need:
- Knife or scissor.
- Colander or salad spinner.
- Paper towel or absorbent cloth.
- Plastic bags.
For method 2, with blanching, you will need:
- Knife or scissor.
- Pot for boiling water.
- A recipient for cold water.
- Strainer/Colander.
- Thick and absorbent cloth.
- Plastic bags.
That’s all you need to begin the spinach freezing procedure.
How to thaw spinach
Now that you learnt how to freeze spinach you are probably wondering how to thaw it. You can either use a microwave or slowly heat it over a low flame for a few minutes to defrost the spinach.
Or, if you have time, leave the frozen spinach in the refrigerator a few hours before cooking.
What can you make with frozen spinach?
Since spinach is a nutrition buster, and you have some frozen spinach in your fridge, you can use it in many dishes.
- Smoothies: Start your mornings with a delicious smoothie to which you add a handful of spinach that you don’t even need to thaw.
- Pasta sauce: You can prepare cannelloni or any pasta with a ricotta and spinach sauce. That’s a perfect match and also with low calories.
- Soups: You can use frozen spinach on a lentil soup or a chickpea soup.
- Quiche: Prepare an easy and delicious spinach quiche using frozen spinach. Just be careful to use the spinach completely dry to avoid a watery quiche.
Want to learn more about freezing your favorites?
- Check this post about how to freeze cupcakes the right way!
- Read how to freeze asparagus easily and in no time
- Check this post about how to freeze strawberries
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