How to Freeze Zucchini? Several ways
The zucchini is a long-shaped fruit that is reminiscent of cucumber. It is a summer pumpkin that does not climb. The fruit is picked unripe when they are 15 to 20 centimeters. To freeze a zucchini it is useful to know a number of things. You can read that in this blog; how to freeze zucchini.
Freezing zucchini: Wash and slice the zucchini. Arrange zucchini slices on a plate overlapping and let them freeze. After 2 hours of freezing, remove the slices of zucchini and put them in a freezer bag. Freeze at –18 degrees for up to 12 months.
To freeze a zucchini there are always some questions about how you can / should do that. In this blog, we talk about the ‘how’ of freezing zucchini but also the why. Freezer temperatures are also discussed, along with the why answer. So a lot of information about freezing zucchini.
Can You Freeze Zucchini
Yes! You certainly can. You can freeze zucchini and it has a ‘but’ attached to it. Zucchini that you freeze, in cubes or slices, will come out differently than you put it in. That is, when you have thawed the zucchini, you will be left with a moist, soft whole. You can use this ‘paste’ very well for soups and sauces, for example.
All the vitamins have been preserved, so there is nothing to worry about in that regard. If you want nice slices of zucchini after you have frozen it and then thawed it, then unfortunately I have to disappoint you. That is not possible. After thawing, they become really soft!
Freeze Zucchini Spaghetti
You can freeze almost anything, including zucchini spaghetti, but you can no longer get it on your plate as such after defrosting.
That is, once frozen zucchini spaghetti that thaws becomes soft and moist. It will never be the real beautiful strings of zucchini spaghetti again, unfortunately. You can of course use this spaghetti for a soup or sauce. So you really don’t have to throw them away!
If you freeze this zucchini spaghetti, you can keep it for 12 months when the freezer is at –18 degrees!
You can freeze zucchini
There is one more way to freeze zucchini. By blanching! How is zucchini blanched and what is that, blanching?
Blanching is the short cooking of vegetables so that color and flavor are better preserved. This kills all bacteria in or on the zucchini. So it may be that this short-cooked zucchini has a longer shelf life.
Zucchini Freezing Method:
- Cut the zucchini into slices.
- Place a pan with water on the heat source and boil the water, without salt.
- Grab a colander and put it in the sink to drain the zucchini twice later.
- Place a large pan of ice-cold water on the counter, possibly filled with ice cubes.
- Add the zucchini slices to the boiling water and set a timer for 3 minutes (this time ensures that all bacteria are killed, so no shorter)
- Drain the zucchini in the colander, after 3 minutes of cooking, making sure that the moisture can drain well from the colander.
- Then immediately put the zucchini in the cold water so that the cooking process is completely stopped and let them cool well.
- After cooling, pour the zucchini slices into the colander again and let them drain well.
- You can let them dry on kitchen paper if necessary.
- Place the slices on a plate, overlapping with tiles, and cover with plastic wrap.
- Place the plate in the freezer and separate the slices after 2 to 3 hours.
- Now you can put the slices of zucchini in a freezer bag or container. Place a sticker on the bag with the date of freezing. That way you will never forget when you have frozen it.
- At -18 degrees, a normal setting for a freezer, these zucchini slices will keep for 12 months.
Freezing Zucchini Without Blanching
Yes, freezing zucchini without blanching is quite possible. However, it is advised to blanch beforehand. You can do without blanching. You can read how this works below:
- Wash zucchini well because you are not going to peel this fruit. This way the vitamin remains in the fruit. The skin also gives the zucchini some grip once it is thawed.
- Cut slices or cubes from the zucchini.
- I prefer a dish on which I put the slices of zucchini on top of the tiles. Then I cover the dish well with plastic wrap and put it in the freezer. The slices then freeze super fast.
- After about 3 hours I take the shell out of the freezer and you will see that they are already well on their way to total freezing. Separate the zucchini slices and put them in a freezer bag. This saves a lot of space.
- Stick a sticker on the freezer bag and write the date of freezing on it and what’s inside. You can keep zucchini for 12 months at a temperature of minus 18 degrees. When the temperature is higher you can / should keep the zucchini shorter.
Tip: if you want to use the frozen zucchini for soups or sauces, add them to the sauce when frozen. So do not defrost the slices in advance!
Zucchini Raw Freeze
No, you cannot freeze a whole or half zucchini raw.
The cells containing the moisture of the zucchini break during the freeze. So the moisture, as it were, runs out of the zucchini. Therefore, when the zucchini thaws, the whole or half zucchini becomes a limp, wet mess.
When you thaw half or whole zucchini, it doesn’t look like it. You still have to cut it because you are not using a whole zucchini or half for anything.
Not handy for freezing half or whole zucchini.
There are many other ways to store zucchini than just freezing. Read our blog “How to Store Zucchini? Multiple ways”.
