Summertime offers a bounty of delicious and healthy crops such as summer squash and zucchini from our gardens and farmer’s markets. Zucchini plants are fantastic vegetables and work well as a side or in a bread recipe. Knowing how to freeze zucchini for long-term storage allows us to carry their summer flavor and health benefits to our table all year long.
When you have a reliable freezing recipe, you can enjoy zucchini throughout the seasons. We developed this comprehensive guide to give you a central hub for freezing zucchini. In this guide, we answer the question, “Can you freeze zucchini?” and give you a few different freezing recipes from which to choose.
We even include our favorite recipe with frozen zucchini so you can put it to good use once you thaw it out. Before long, your winter table will groan with summer veggies, and your family will cheer.
Can You Freeze Zucchini?
When we think of preserving veggies, we often think of canning them. While canning zucchini is a viable storage option, sometimes freezing it is a little faster.
Can you freeze vegetables like zucchini, tomatoes, and green beans? Can you freeze Brussels sprouts? Yes, you can.
You’ll have to spend a little time and effort to get your summer zucchini or other veggies prepped and frozen. You don’t want to blow all of that energy on spoiled food, so it’s a good idea to have a tried-and-true preparation method.
When you have a reliable go-to option for selecting and preparing your zucchini, you can expect good results and tasty frozen food. You may also wonder “Can you freeze fresh mushrooms?” What about carrots and peaches? Can you freeze blueberries?
Yes, the methods for freezing asparagus and all kinds of fruits and vegetables are similar and the results are delicious. Freezing fresh produce and other foods like cheese and meats ensures that you have delicious treats to eat all year. Just pull a package or two from the freezer and you’re all set!
Keep cucumbers in the fridge or your zucchini if you plan to use them within a couple of days; otherwise, freezing is your best option. Preserve your veggies for several months rather than just for a few days.
Preparing, Preserving, and Thawing Zucchini
This section examines the preservation process of different types of zucchini from start to finish. Learn how to prepare your zucchini for long hibernation, how to use two different freezing methods and the safest way of unthawing your zucchini. When you finish this section, you’ll be ready to start preserving.
Preparing the Zucchini
Start with your vegetable selection. This applies for freezing all kinds of produce, including how to freeze potatoes. If possible, pick fresh zucchini or other veggies from your garden, so you know you’re working with the newest and tastiest specimens.
Always select unbruised and newly picked vegetables whenever possible, and avoid older or unripe veggies for a better batch on the other side of the freezing process. Produce that isn’t quite ripe or has blemishes will yield a product that just doesn’t taste as good as it should when you take it out of the freezer to use.
How to freeze squash begins with thoroughly washing all the zucchini in a basin. Once they are clean, trim the ends and prepare the veggies for freezing. You can use a food processor to cut your zucchini in a variety of ways for freezing, including shredded zucchini and whole zucchini.
For cucumber vs zucchini, we prefer cutting them into one-inch rounds for their versatility and ease of use. Cut all of the zucchini into rounds, and place them in a single layer on paper towels to remove excess moisture.
You can also follow these directions for the freezing strawberries, too. You can leave the strawberries whole or slice them vertically. Slicing them has an advantage in that they will take up less room in the freezer and you can more easily stack the freezer bags on top of each other.
Freezing Zucchini
Now that you’ve got the zucchini prepped and cut, you get to package and freeze them for the long haul. The freezing process for zucchini has much in common with our preferred method to freeze feta cheese.
To store zucchini by freezing, you can opt to blanch your zucchini in boiling water for a few minutes before freezing to protect them, or you can freeze them without blanching. We’ve included both recipes here, although we prefer the safety of blanching before freezing and feel that it’s the best way to freeze zucchini.
It is also possible to take care of freezing green beans without blanching in the same way as you do with zucchini, as with many other fruits and vegetables. However, blanching is the preferred method of preparation for freezing for most produce.
To begin the best way to store squash like zucchini, measure out the zucchini into individual portions, and place a portion in each freezer bag. Too much air can damage the vegetables and cause freezer burn, so try to get out as much air as possible.
Label the containers, and line them up in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Put the baking sheet in the freezer. After the zucchini freeze solid, remove the bags from the baking sheet and stack them in the corner of the freezer.
Can you freeze spinach the same way? Sure you can. Use this same procedure for packaging and you’ll have fresh veggies whenever you want them.
Add your zucchini rounds to the boiling water, and let them cook for about three minutes. Use a slotted spoon to pull the zucchini out of the water, and plunge them into an ice water bath as a way to stop the cooking process. The zucchini is now stable and ready for freezing.
Measure out portions, and place a part in each bag. Don’t put too much zucchini in each bag, or you might wind up with spoiled food.
Line up the containers in a single layer on the baking sheet, and put the baking sheet in the freezer. After the zucchini have frozen solid, stack the containers in a corner of the freezer.
How to Thaw Frozen Zucchini Safely
When it’s time to bring your zucchini back to room temperature, you need to be careful of how you do it so that you don’t introduce contaminants into the food and it is safe to eat. The same rules apply to thawing all fruits and veggies that you have frozen, including how to thaw frozen corn and how to thaw frozen celery, among others.
Rushing the process by plunging the bags in a hot water bath can damage the delicate vegetables and make them tough and tasteless. Knowing how to thaw frozen zucchini or the best way to thaw frozen mushrooms is as essential as knowing how to freeze them.
You need to take your time and get it done right if you want delicious zucchini meals or other delicious frozen produce as your reward. Pull as many freezer bags of zucchini as you need out of the freezer at least 24 hours before you use them. Put the bags of zucchini or other vegetables in the refrigerator.
The fridge is cold enough to thaw out the zucchini or for how to thaw frozen broccoli. Thawing slowly and gently allows them to stay in fighting shape and ready to eat. If you need your veggies sooner, you can put the frozen bag in a container of cold water. This will cut down a bit on the thawing time.
How to Freeze Zucchini – Why Freezing Zucchini is a Fantastic Idea
By now, you can answer the question, “Can I freeze zucchini?” There are a lot more questions to ask, though. The big question is, why should we bother to freeze them? I
t’s not like we’re hurting for food to eat this winter. What qualities make zucchini worth the prep work and freezing? This section answers that question and more.
You’ll find out about the health benefits you accrue when you eat zucchini regularly. And, we close out the article with one of our favorite recipes that includes frozen zucchini. You’ll wonder how you did without zucchini for so long by the time you finish.
Health Benefits
For starters, zucchini has no fat and contains lots of fiber and water. You’ll also get tons of vitamins B6, C, folate, riboflavin, and K when you eat zucchini regularly. Zucchini also improves digestion.
It soothes your stomach and reduces constipation and other digestive woes. Zucchini intake can reduce incidents of ulcers, colon cancer, and IBS.
Zucchini can also help slow down the aging process by adding lots of antioxidants and phytonutrients to your system, which aids in removing free radicals and reducing inflammation. Zucchini is a heart-healthy food and one of the building blocks of healthy blood pressure, too.
Incredible Texture and Flavor
One of the most beautiful parts of eating zucchini is the hearty crunch and summertime flavor that pops off your tongue. You can use that fantastic flavor in zucchini recipes such as pasta sauce, side dishes, zucchini noodles, stir fry, and zucchini bread. Zucchini’s flavor is an excellent substitute for yellow squash; try using zucchini instead of squash in your next recipe.
You can use zucchini’s unmistakable taste in zucchini cake, too. And, we especially enjoy it in this zucchini tart recipe, about which our family can’t stop raving.
Place a baking pan in the oven, and heat it to 375°F. Place the flattened pie dough on parchment paper, and raise the edges and crimp them. Mix the mustard and mayonnaise in a bowl, and spread the mixture on the crust, covering it completely.
Place the thyme and zucchini in a large bowl. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Toss the zucchini to combine everything.
Place the zucchini slices on the crust over the mayo and mustard layer. Remove the pan from the oven, and slide the parchment and crust onto the hot pan. Bake the zucchini tart for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
We hope you had a fantastic experience learning how to freeze zucchini squash and can now answer the question, “Can you freeze zucchini?” with a resounding “Yes!” Keeping the flavor and health benefits of zucchini all year long is essential.
You can also freeze zucchini bread and other recipes that contain this versatile veggie.
Our guide shows you how to prepare and preserve your zucchini for freezing, and we let you know how to thaw them and use them in recipes. Your family will thank you all winter.
Thanks for checking out our freezing zucchini guide. If you found our tips on how to freeze zucchini helpful, share these recommendations on how to store zucchini with your family and friends on Pinterest and Facebook.