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How to Freeze Spinach: Preserving Freshness

how to freeze spinach
Photo: CC0 Public Domain / Pixabay – Mabel Amber

Do you have leftover fresh spinach that you don’t know what to do with? Freeze it! We’ll show you how to freeze spinach, and give you some tips about things to watch out for. 

How to Freeze Spinach: Here’s What to Do 

Spinach is a healthy and often locally grown leafy green that also happens to be delicious. It’s no wonder that it is so popular. Fresh spinach is especially delicious, but if you’ve accidentally bought (or grown) too much, freezing spinach is a simple way to preserve it and to lock in the flavor and the freshness.

For smaller amounts of spinach that you’re planning to use up soon, it’s worth taking a look at our guide on how to store spinach so it lasts longer, instead.

Read more: How to Freeze Bananas: Tips and Recipe Ideas

freezing spinach
Here’s how to freeze spinach: clean, blanch, dry, freeze – it’s that simple. (Photo: CC0 Public Domain / Pixabay – Kaz)

Here’s how to freeze spinach:

  1. Before freezing spinach, you should clean it and remove the stems. The stems are mostly bitter and not especially pleasant to bite into. 
  2. Blanch your spinach to help it freeze more easily: add spinach to a large pot of boiling water for about 30-40 seconds, or until it turns bright green. Afterwards, remove the spinach from the water and quickly place in a bowl of ice water, so that it cools down immediately.  
  3. Use a salad spinner to dry the spinach. Or you can lay your spinach out on a clean towel and pat down to remove any leftover excess water. This way there won’t be too much liquid when you thaw your spinach after freezing it. 
  4. After you’ve dried it, freezing spinach is easy. Depending on how you want to use the spinach later, you can chop it, mince it, or just leave it as is.
  5. To freeze spinach, transfer it to a reusable plastic, glass or metal container and place in your freezer. 

Now that you know how to freeze spinach after it has been blanched, here’s an extra tip: Freezing spinach raw is also an option. In that case, be sure the spinach is as fresh as possible and clean it thoroughly before placing in the freezer. This way you can prevent any dirt or bacteria from showing up later. 

Here’s an idea: Make freezing spinach part of your meal prep routine. Read more: Healthy Meal Prep Ideas: Easy Meal Planning Tips

Read on:

This article was translated from German to English by Christie Sacco. You can read the original here: Spinat einfrieren: So bleibt er frisch

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