Try This Ridiculously Easy Way to Freeze Zucchini and You'll Never Look Back
Here's your step-by-step guide to freezing zucchini and summer squash to enjoy all year.
Sometimes I put a little too much in my grocery cart. Especially if there’s an item I love, like zucchini, thaton sale. No matter how hard I try to use it all though, I’m typically left with extra. That’s when I put my culinary training to use and recall that my freezer makes for an awesome long-term storage space.
What? You didn’t know that you can freeze your zucchini surplus? You can and doing so means you can enjoy it any time you want. Use the steps below to help guide you through the process.
Related: How to Buy and Cook Zucchini: A Complete Guide
Can You Freeze Fresh Zucchini Raw?
You may be tempted to chop up your raw zucchini, toss it in a freezer bag and be done with it. But “future you” won’t be happy when you pull that bag out of the freezer. To maintain texture and lock in color, it’s worth the time to blanch and shock your zucchini first says Christy Wilson, RDN. Doing so also helps shorten the cooking time once you are ready to add it to your next dish.
How to Freeze Fresh Zucchini
Before you freeze your zucchini, think about how you’re most likely going to use it in the future. Do you make a lot of stir-fries or sauteed vegetable dishes? Then dice or chop the zucchini. Are you smitten with making pasta with zucchini noodles? Then grab your spiralizer and turn them into noodles first. If you are looking for quick additions to muffins, pancakes, smoothies, or fritters, use your grater to shred it.
Related: Wait, Is Zucchini a Fruit or Vegetable?
Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt (2 tablespoons per quart of water). As a general rule of thumb, The National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends using one gallon of water per pound of vegetables for blanching.
Step 2: Set a bowl filled with ice water next to your cooktop and set a slotted spoon or kitchen tongs nearby. Have a towel-lined baking sheet next to the bowl
Step 3: Add chopped zucchini (working in batches if you have a large amount) to the boiling water. Return to a boil, then cook until zucchini are crisp tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 4: Remove zucchini with a slotted spoon or tongs and transfer to a bowl of ice water. Push zucchini down to fully submerge. Let them sit until fully chilled, about 2 to 3 minutes. Use the slotted spoon to move them to the towel-lined baking sheet and pat dry.
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Step 5: Once fully dry, line the baking sheet with parchment and add zucchini, spreading in an even layer. Freeze until zucchini is frozen, about 1 hour. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or storage container. Remove any air and seal, then label and date your container.
How Long Is Frozen Zucchini Good For?
If you follow the steps outlined above, your frozen zucchini should last up to three months. Chef Jessica Swift Harrell RDN, LD, IFNCP recommends that for best results, ensure the zucchini has been sufficiently patted dry before freezing. This helps prevent the formation of ice crystals and freezer burn. She also suggests using a large enough sheet pan for the initial freeze. The extra space ensures your zucchini cubes don’t get frozen together into one large mound.
Related: This Easy Method Gives You the Most Decadent Zucchini of All Time
Should You Thaw Frozen Zucchini Before You Cook With It?
Swift says there’s no need to thaw frozen zucchini before cooking it since doing so may actually have a negative impact on texture. Prevent super-soft, mushy zucchini by cooking it straight from frozen. But keep a watchful eye on your zucchini as it cooks, she says. Since it’s already been partially cooked with blanching, it will likely cook more quickly than if you started with raw.
How to Use Frozen Zucchini
Whether you choose to blanch and shock your zucchini or not, frozen varieties won’t have the same texture as fresh ones. That means you need to use applications that make sense. Swift recommends soups, stews, curries, or stir-fries, and Wilson suggests frittatas and calabacitas. Consider other fabrications too. Grating zucchini or turning it into zucchini noodles before freezing is also a great idea. Frozen grated zucchini is great for making fritters, quick bread, muffins, or cake!
