How To Freeze Blueberries | Quick & Easy

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Freezing blueberries is one of the best ways to preserve them for later use. The way I freeze blueberries is so quick and easy, it takes just a few minutes.

WHY FREEZE BLUEBERRIES

Freezing Blueberries for later use is a smart thing to do because blueberries are not only delicious but they are so good for you. It’s the perfect answer to having a continuous supply of berries on hand year round.

The thing is, blueberry season only lasts for a couple of months in the summer and then all of the fresh berries are gone until next year. That’s why it is so nice to have a stash in the freezer for you and your family. Having frozen blueberries on hand makes it so easy to cook healthy and delicious meals and snacks all year long.

FREEZING BLUEBERRIES CAN BENEFIT YOUR HEALTH

Blueberries are considered to be one of the “superfoods” this is because they are so high in antioxidants. They also contain phytoflavinoids, vitamin C, potassium and are considered anti-inflammatory. So it seems we can all benefit from eating blueberries all year long not just when they are in season.

HOW TO USE FROZEN BLUEBERRIES

Our favorite ways to use frozen blueberries are in smoothies and muffins. This muffin recipe from a few years back is still one of our favorites. We also use them in salads, fruit bars, and on top of oatmeal, yogurt and cereal. They are also great straight out of the freezer as a frozen snack.

QUICK AND EASY STEPS TO FREEZING BLUEBERRIES

The first thing that I do when I bring in my berries after picking them is to lay them out on a cookie sheet and sort through them removing any stems, leaves, and crushed or unripe berries.

Then I consider my berries clean enough to go in the freezer. One thing that helped me come to this conclusion is when I realized that my kids eat as many berries straight off of the bush as they put in the bucket. So if they are clean enough to eat they are clean enough to freeze.

There are a few reasons that I don’t wash my berries before freezing. The first is that I feel like it makes the berry skins become tougher if they have been washed first. The second is that it makes the freezing process a lot more complicated and long.

By not washing the berries first you can put them straight into a gallon freezer bag and stick them in the freezer.  You can watch me do this in my video. I also show you what the frozen berries are like when you pull the bag out of the freezer to use them.

We keep and use our frozen blueberries in the freezer for at least a year, sometimes longer if we really had a lot to freeze that year.

USING FROZEN BLUEBERRIES

When you freeze your blueberries this way it is so easy to pull out your bag of frozen berries and take out just the amount you need for the recipe you are making. A lot of times I just take my measuring cup to the freezer and scoop out the exact amount I need, then stick the bag right back in the freezer.

At this point you can wash your berries if you feel the need to. You can also just give them a good rinse under some cool water. If I want to thaw my berries quickly for some reason I just run some warm water over them while they are in a colander. Normally I put my berries straight into whatever I am making straight from the freezer still fully frozen.

So here is a quick recap:

1. Pick Blueberries.
2. Lay out and sort. Pick out leaves, stems, and any unripe or crushed berries.
3. Place dry (remember don’t wash them) sorted berries into gallon freezer bags.
4. Place the bags in the freezer.
5. Use your frozen berries all year to make healthy meals and snacks for your family.

I hope this post and video has encouraged you to go out and pick enough blueberries to freeze some to use later. If you don’t have your own blueberry bushes, “you pick” blueberry places are usually pretty easy to find and a lot of them raise organic blueberries which is even better.

Also if  you don’t have your own blueberry bushes I would encourage you to consider planting a few. Blueberries are so easy to grow and pick and they are so good for you!

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