Brussels sprouts greatly benefit our health with tons of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. As such, they’re still a necessary presence in every kitchen.
So, can you freeze Brussels sprouts like how you do with types of sprouts?
Definitely yes! You can freeze Brussels sprouts for about 12 months. The vegetables can freeze uncooked or roasted. However, we recommend blanching them before freezing.
To preserve vegetables requires time, skill, and effort. If you’re unsure about how to keep frozen Brussels sprouts, we’re pleased to help.
Let’s get to know more about the reasons for freezing Brussels sprouts!
Why Freezing Brussels Sprouts?
Aside from the better, sweeter taste, there are many upsides to freezing Brussel sprouts.
If you buy Brussels sprouts in the summer for winter stock, storing them frozen is best to keep them living until the wintertime.
It’s especially helpful to have frozen vegetables available in your fridge if your home is far from the greengrocery store or supermarket.
You can reduce the frequent trips to buy foodstuffs, which wear you out and cost you a lot of money on fuel and time.
So, freezing Brussels sprouts does make sense when you intend to buy them in bulk for later-day uses.
On top of that, frozen vegetables can remain fresh for an extended period. You won’t have to worry about leftover vegetables after a meal. Can’t you eat up all the Brussels sprouts in today’s feast? Freeze them for tomorrow’s one.
Likewise, if unexpected visitors suddenly come and stay for dinner, you don’t have to rush to the faraway supermarket to grab some vegetables. The supplies you prepare in advance are ready to serve a delicious, healthy meal.
In a nutshell, it’s helpful to keep Brussels sprouts in your freezer.
How To Freeze Brussels Sprouts Properly?
If you’ve never tried freezing Brussels sprouts before, the easiest method is to blanch your greens first like you’re freezing them uncooked or raw.
As you won’t cook them, you can choose how you’re going to use them after defrosting, such as pickling or grilling.
Prepare Your Brussels Sprouts
When buying Brussels sprouts at a grocery store, remember to pick the compact, green, and firm ones.
Prep and trim your vegetables first. You’ll need to thoroughly wash and allow them to dry completely.
To get rid of pesticides or insects, soak the greens in icy water and add a spoonful of vinegar solution and salt for around 30 minutes.
This compound will scare any bug away and rinse off the excess pesticides, ensuring the cleanest sprouts for freezing.
After ensuring the leaves and heads are free of insects and bugs hiding, trim the sprouts’ heads and remove the coarse exterior leaves. Then, sort out the heads according to sizes into small, decent, and large ones.
Water Blanch Them
Fill a pan with water and set it to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil to a very high temperature, prepare a big bowl full of iced water beside the stove.
Once the water boils, add your vegetables to the pan. The tip is to put in the large ones first, then the medium, and lastly, the smallest ones.
Next, water blanch your sprouts. You’re aiming to blanch the smallest ones for about 3 minutes, the medium-sized for 4 minutes, and the largest ones for 5 minutes.
If you freeze these sprouts without blanching, you can expect them to last for two months. Meanwhile, your frozen sprouts will have an increased lifetime of up to 12-15 months with blanching.
This difference is because blanching protects the vegetables from the spread of molds, bacteria, yeast, and other unhealthy micro-organisms.
Freeze
After the blanching process, it’s time to cool the sprouts by soaking them in the prepped cold water bowl with ice. Then, store them in airtight plastic containers or resealable plastic bags and stick them in your freezer.
Maintain the temperature of 0 degrees F to last the greens’ shelf life nicely to a year!
The Bottom Line: Can You Freeze Brussels Sprouts?
So yes, you can stick Brussels sprouts in your freezer and save them for later meals.
Though it takes extra steps and prep to freeze green Brussels sprouts, the effort is worthwhile. This storage is a good idea to maximize your delicious vegetables with no waste.
Do the task several times, and it’s sure to turn breezy!