Can You Freeze Beets? Here’s How to Do This Right
Updated on March 2, 2023
Freezing is an excellent way of preserving food for later use. The process isn’t lengthy at all, and it’s mostly the same for all vegetables, including beets. While there are several other ways to preserve beets, freezing is a convenient choice.
Thankfully, the whole process is easy to go through and there are ways to freeze all types of beets, in all stages – whether raw or cooked.
Can You Freeze Beets?
Yes, beets can be frozen and it’s actually pretty simple to go through the whole process. In this way, you’ll get to keep the beets for longer, saving money in the long run.
How to Freeze Beets
When it comes to freezing beets, you’ll have to follow a few steps.
- After trimming and washing the beets, you’ll need to boil them according to their size.
- The larger ones will need to go into the boiling water first.
- After 2-3 minutes, when the beets are tender, you’ll need to transfer the beets to ice water.
- You will then need to remove the peels and cut them into edible-sized pieces.
- Finally, you will seal them in suitable freezer bags before placing them in your freezer.
There are other things you’ll need to remember while you attempt to preserve your beets. I’ll explain the whole process and answer several other questions, so make sure you read the entire article!
Can You Freeze Raw Beets?
You’ll need the best quality beets if you want to maximize their shelf life. If the beets are young, you’ll have no trouble freezing them. If you don’t pick fresh beets in the first place, they’ll spoil faster and lose their freshness very quickly. Look for beets that are crisp and without any dry patches.
Typically, experts recommend cooking the beets before you put them in the freezer. If you freeze raw beets, they might not remain as fresh and might also become grainy. You can freeze beets raw, but they might not have a long shelf life. After buying some fresh beets, you need to chop them into small pieces.
- Chopping the beets before freezing is excellent if you want to prepare a soup, for example.
- Also, you won’t have to blanch the beets if you chop them.
- After chopping, you can bag the chopped beets, label them, and freeze them.
Can I Freeze Love Beets?
Love Beets are fat-free and low in calories. Conveniently, they are rich in potassium, antioxidants, and folic acid. They have a firm texture rather than the standard soft one, but they are very easy to cook.
These beets are airtight-sealed, pre-cooked, and ready to eat. The marinated ones stay fresh for about a week. As they already come ready to eat, it is not recommended that you freeze them. So, no you should not freeze Love Beets.
Love Beets is the company that produces Love Beets. They strongly advise against freezing their beets because they could lose their texture.
After going through several blogs and scouring the internet for some answers, I’ve found that you do need to refrigerate Love Beets as soon as you open them. It is also recommended that you use them within three days.
Typically, you can store Love Beets in your pantry for a while before opening. However, if you want beets that can stay fresh for longer, you can try the vacuum-sealed, freshly cooked beets, from the same company.
How to Blanch Beets to Freeze?
Similar to boiling, blanching is another way of cooking beets. As I’ve already mentioned, you’ll need to cook the beets before you freeze them so that they can retain their freshness and have a longer shelf-life. Blanching will not cook the beets through entirely like boiling does, but it will partially cook them, and you are then almost ready to freeze them.
For freezing, you’ll need to blanch the beets for two to three minutes beforehand. This is just enough time to deactivate the natural enzymes that would naturally break the beets down.
The following steps outline how you would blanch your beets after washing them thoroughly.
Step One
Take a pot with water and set it on the stove to boil.
Step Two
Peel their skin with a sharp knife and cut them according to your needs.
When the water is boiling, add the beets for 2-3 minutes.
Step Three
Use an ice water bowl to plunge the beets in afterward. Once the beets cool, you’ll need to drain the excess water using a colander. Put a few beets in at a time and keep replacing the water in order to ensure it remains ice cold.
Can You Freeze Cooked Beets?
Roasted beets can be frozen successfully too. I will take you through the stages you need to complete in order to freeze roasted beets.
Step One
Cut the green parts from the beets but make sure that you’re leaving a couple of inches of stem.
Step Two
- Trim the long roots.
- Wash the beets.
- Use a vegetable brush to scrub and remove the remaining dirt and/or excess water.
- Set the oven’s temperature to 400℉.
Step Three
On a roasting pan or a large baking pan with rims, add a cup of water. This should create a half-inch depth on the pan.
Step Four
Organize the beets on the pan and tightly wrap them in foil. Put them inside the oven and let them roast for about 45 to 60 minutes. When the beets’ size seems perfect, and they also look tender, according to your preference, you can take them out of the oven.
Step Five
Once the beets cool down, cut the root ends and stems. Peel the skin off using a vegetable peeler or knife. Wear gloves because there will be some excess beet juice.
Step Six
- Chop the beets into ¼ inch thick pieces.
- Pack them into robust freezer bags.
- Label them and keep them in the freezer.
The beets will last for about eight months in the freezer.
Freezer Beets: How Long Do They Keep?
Depending on the type of beets you’re freezing, they will last for a certain amount of time.
- Cooked beets in the freezer for 10 to 12 months,
- Uncooked beets for 12 to 18 months.
- Canned beets for 1 to 2 months.
Note: Cans are a form of preservation and are not designed to withstand any form of moisture. If you are freezing can beets, ensure these are out of the can.
How Long Do Cooked Beets Last In The Freezer?
Everything has an expiration date, and beets are no different. Your beets can sit in your pantry for about a week, but if you choose to freeze them, they will last for about 10-12 months.
The answer to this question also depends on the storage conditions. You need to freeze the beets within two hours of cooking them to elongate their shelf-life. For the best quality beets, the freezer temperature should be at 0℉ all the time.
How Do You Thaw Frozen Beets?
Defrosting beets is a straightforward process and requires no extra effort. You’ll only have to transfer the bags of frozen beets from the freezer to the fridge. The vegetables will thaw overnight for several hours.
You can serve the beets as they are, once thawed. Reheating the beets is not a good idea because doing so might make their texture soggy. If you want, you could also add thawed beets to the cooking dishes, and they will taste just fine.
How Do I Use Frozen Beets?
There are so many variations and recipes to try when it comes to using frozen beets. Here are a few I’ve personally tried and tested. After thawing, you can try to use your beets in the following ways:
Side Dish –Add your seasonings like salt, pepper, dill, and butter to the beets. Use them as a side dish.
Hummus –Add a handful of beets to any hummus recipe after thawing and draining them. The dish should taste earthy and look very bright.
Salad and Soups –Beets are an excellent addition to salads and soups. For salads, you can try an apple and beet salad or add frozen beets to any soup. You could also try roasted walnut and beet salad.
Smoothies –Beets have rich pigmentation, and adding a few frozen pieces to any drink will give it a rich color and boost it with nutrients.
Basic Pickled Beets –You will need to microwave the beets by placing them inside a microwave-safe dish with a little water and cover them. After cooking for five minutes, you can add white onions, cloves, peppercorns. Add apple cider vinegar for a delicious, tangy taste.
Are Frozen Beets Good?
Frozen vegetables are an excellent nutrition choice and don’t vary much from fresh ones. Yes, frozen beets are good. Beets are very healthy for you as they have an earthy and sweet flavor with numerous health-boosting nutrients.
Beets contain vitamin C, magnesium, folate, betalains, and nitrates. They make an excellent food choice because of all the fantastic things they can do for your body. Here is a list of their health benefits:
- Reduce oxidative stress and inflammation
- Improve cardiovascular health and cognition
- Expand blood vessels, increasing the blood flow to the brain.
- Lower blood pressure
- Reduce muscle fatigue
Though beets are sweeter than most vegetables, they certainly aren’t less healthy. As they contain high levels of fiber, the sugar absorption is slow into the bloodstream. Considering everything, you have plenty of positive reasons to include beets in your diet.
Conclusion
With their versatility and earthy flavors, beets can be added to so many dishes and boost your health at the same time. Now that you’ve found your answer to the question ‘Can You Freeze Beets?’ you can go to the store, buy some and try out different kinds of recipes!