Can You Freeze Zucchini? Here’s How You Can Do This
Updated on March 2, 2023
Zucchinis are delicious and such a versatile vegetable as you get to enjoy it raw in salads or cooked in stews, soups, or as the main start of the dish. When you have too many, however, can you freeze zucchinis?
One of the things we love about zucchinis is that you can have them in a million different ways. So, whenever we have too many, freezing them seems like a great idea.
Can You Freeze Zucchini?
One of our readers had a similar issue with their zucchinis, as they ended up with too many. Here’s the message we received.
My neighbour has a huge garden and brought me over a basket of zucchini. I don’t want them to go bad, but there are too many for me to eat at once. Can you freeze zucchini?
Absolutely! Zucchini freezes really well, but it needs a little bit of preparation to ensure the best results. Without preparing the zucchini, they will become mushy and bland, and won’t taste good in recipes. Fortunately, preparing zucchini to freeze is a simple and relatively quick process that’s well worth the extra effort to have bright, tasty zucchini all year long.
How to Freeze Zucchini?
To prepare zucchini for freezing, they should be blanched first.
- To blanch zucchini, first wash the zucchini.
- Then, cut it into the size and shape pieces you want. The most common way to slice it is in cubes or rounds.
- If you plan to add zucchini to baked goods such as zucchini muffins or zucchini bread, consider grating the zucchini.
- Then the zucchini needs to be blanched in order to kill any bacteria, and to slow the decomposing process so that zucchini freezes well.
- To blanch zucchini, bring a large pot of water to boil.
- When water is boiling, add cut zucchini to the water in small batches.
- Allow the zucchini to boil for 2-3 minutes, and then remove with a slotted spoon.
- Place the cooked zucchini in a large bowl of ice water until cool. Consider replacing the ice water between batches is the water gets too warm.
- Drain zucchini in a colander to remove most of the water.
- Then transfer the zucchini to a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
- Cover the top with additional paper towels and pat dry to remove as much water as possible.
- To avoid clumping while freezing, place the zucchini in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in the freezer for about 20 minutes, until zucchini is slightly hardened.
- Remove tray from freezer, and place zucchini into freezer bags.
- Lay bags on their side so that zucchini is in a single layer.
- Squeeze out air from bags and seal tightly, then layer in the freezer. Label and date bags for reference.
- Frozen zucchini should be used within one year of freezing.
How to Keep Zucchinis for Longer?
If you want to make sure that your zucchinis will last for longer, using a vacuum sealer is the way to go. These appliances take out the air from the bags and create perfect seals.
We have a long list of vacuum sealers that you should try out, but if you want a great recommendation, the FoodSaver V4840 2-in-1 Vacuum Sealer Machine should work just fine. It’s an absolutely fabulous tool that works with freezer bags and containers of different sizes, so you can save smaller servings or large dishes.
How to Thaw Zucchinis?
- To use frozen zucchini, remove the bag from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator for several hours, until thawed completely.
- Zucchini can also be thawed in their bags under cold running water.
- For use in soups or stews, frozen zucchini can be added directly to the recipe.
- Previously frozen zucchini will not be as firm as fresh zucchini, so it is best used in recipes that are cooked completely, and not for use in dishes such as salads that require fresh zucchini.
Zucchini Recipes
If you want to make sure that you use your zucchinis in a delicious dish, we have a great option for you: