How to Freeze Spinach and Kale, Recipe for Joe's Special (2024)

FAQs

How do you freeze kale and spinach? ›

Pack Greens into Freezer Bags

(If you have one, a vacuum sealer system works well with kale.) Avoid over-packing bags. Flatten bags before sealing to create kale portions that thaw quickly. Label your bags so you know when you put them in the freezer.

Frozen spinach also works well in dips, quiche, and pasta dishes. It brings flavorful nutrition to homemade egg rolls, meatballs, and marinara sauce. If you know you'll use your frozen spinach within six months, you can freeze it without blanching. This method yields more of a slimy product upon thawing.

Directions: Kale can be frozen without blanching but should be used within 4 weeks. Blanching greens before freezing stops the naturally-occurring ripening enzymes in the leaves. This will ensure that the leaves taste fresh and will not develop a bitter taste.

If you want to store your frozen leafy greens for several months they need to be blanched first. While you can freeze kale and other leafy greens raw they will only keep for a month to month and a half before the texture, color and flavor all start to deteriorate.

Blanching spinach before freezing helps preserve the colour and taste for longer as it delays the enzymatic process that leads to decay, however, it's not so good at retaining the nutrients. Blanching spinach before freezing also means that it will last a lot longer in the freezer, for up to a year.

Enzymes and Blanching

Enzymes are naturally occurring substances in plants that control the ripening process. Freezing only slows enzyme activity. Most frozen vegetables will lose quality in the freezer unless they have been blanched.

Wash and Freeze

Wash the spinach well. Pat or spin it dry in a salad spinner, being sure to remove as much water as possible. Lay the spinach in flat layers in freezer zip-top bags. Press down.

Thoroughly rinse any dirt or critters off the spinach and look for any damaged leaves to discard. Remove any super long stems and chop or rip large spinach leaves into bite sized pieces. If the pieces are already fairly small, you can skip this step.

Toss spinach into boiling water. To ensure even boiling, don't overcrowd the pot, repeat the process several times in small batches. When water returns to full boil, set timer and boil for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with freezing cold water and ice.

You can definitely freeze spinach. It's probably the best way to store spinach if you need to keep it for more than a week or so. The frozen greens are obviously great for smoothies, but they also work well in soups, sauces, casseroles, stir-fries, and so much more.

Does kale have to be completely dry before freezing? ›

Leafy kale has a tendency to trap dirt and requires a good rinse before freezing. Because the leaves and stems cook at different rates, you'll need to separate them before you freeze them. Roughly chop the leaves and cut the stems into 1-inch pieces, and be sure to thoroughly wash and dry both before freezing.

Store Whole Bunches In the Fridge

To avoid excess moisture, wrap the whole bunch of kale in a layer of paper towels, and store in a supermarket plastic bag or a zip-top plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer. The kale should keep for 1 week.

Freezing fresh kale is a simple process that helps to preserve its freshness and flavor for several months. The best way to freeze kale is to quickly blanch it in boiling water for 2-3 minutes to bring out the vibrant color and preserve its flavor. You can freeze raw kale, but it may have a more bitter flavor.

Enzymes and Blanching

Enzymes are naturally occurring substances in plants that control the ripening process. Freezing only slows enzyme activity. Most frozen vegetables will lose quality in the freezer unless they have been blanched.

Unfortunately, leafy greens are susceptible to wilting rather quickly, so many opt to freeze them to preserve their flavors and aesthetic for a bit longer. Usually before freezing greens, you would blanch them. As The Spruce Eats explains, skipping this step will lead your greens to become discolored and mushy.