How We Flash Freeze Strawberries

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We regularly use frozen strawberries in smoothies and yogurt. When they are in season, we buy 10 to 12 pounds at a time, for a great price, to flash freeze. Our frozen strawberries are less expensive than the ones we buy at the store, taste better, and have a firmer consistency.

The whole process is very simple:

  1. Wash and core strawberries.
  2. Cut into pieces (halves or quarters depending on what size you’d like to achieve.).
  3. Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet with sides. We line ours with a baking mat to help with removal of the strawberries after freezing.
  4. Freeze until solid.
  5. Remove from cookie sheets and place in zip loc bags.
  6. Store in freezer until use.

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed,
and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself,
upon the earth: and it was so.” (Genesis 1:11)

20 thoughts on “How We Flash Freeze Strawberries”

  1. Thanks for describing the process and the host of photos. I notice the strawberries have been cut up though this isn’t mentioned. Is this a necessary step or just a preference?
    Do you use them for other recipes or just smoothies?

    1. I added that in! 🙂 Let’s just say I was tired when getting the post ready last night! 🙂 I should have seen that. Yes! We cut them into pieces–you can do halves or quarters depending on what size you’d like. We use these for smoothies!

  2. Dear Teri,

    great job on the strawberries! I do the same with banana slices and other fruit: it is definitely so much cheaper to buy them in bulk and freeze them.

    This year I have also started a small potted “berry garden”, and I hope to flash freeze some blackberries in about a month or so.

    Many blessings,

    Alice

    1. I like the flash freezing because then the fruit isn’t stuck together like it used to be when I just put them fresh into a ziploc bag to freeze. If I wanted to use the whole bag, fine, but if I only wanted part of the bag, it was hard because the fruit was solidly frozen together. Your potted berry garden sounds like it will product some delicious fruit for you to enjoy.

  3. We flash freeze as well. A tip from the strawberry patch is to leave the caps on berries that will be pureed since the berry nearest the cap has the most concentration of vitamin C.

  5. I have never done this! What a great idea! I always just froze them from fresh to solid. BUT, that usually meant a big clump froze together! Am curious, any idea how long you flash freeze them, time-wise? Thanks for sharing!!

    1. Usually I leave the strawberries in for several hours or even overnight because I don’t have time to package them after I have spent the time prepping them to flash freeze. However, when I did the batch for this post, I checked them at two hours, and they were frozen.

  6. We are thankful for a strawberry farm not far from us where we can pick fresh each year to freeze. And I agree with Beth, I always leave my caps on as well. We not only use ours for smoothies but to make fruit leather as well. Very pretty pics and a lovely smile from Teri as always.

    Blessings

  7. Thanks for this reminder! Teri, I would love to see some posts about how to handle things like siblings fighting, whining, talking back, etc. I have found your materials the most helpful of all the parenting/homeschool resources I’ve used (and that’s been quite a bit!). I just need some fresh inspiration for practical consequences on how to handle these kinds of things. When the squabbles and such multiply across several children, it becomes rather stressful!

    1. I am so glad, Dana, that our materials have been helpful to you as a homeschooling mom. Thank you for the suggestion about blog posts. What ages are your children?

        1. It’s tough, Dana, and constant! You can do it. Stay consistent and approach the issues unemotionally. “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”
          (Galatians 6:9).

        2. Thanks, Teri. Even that encouragement helps. I know you’ve talked a little about appropriate consequences somewhere (i.e., eating a dry morsel of bread after complaining maybe?). I have read so many of your materials over the years that I’ve forgotten where I’ve seen these little tips. Sometimes I have the impression that your children weren’t sinful like mine but I know that’s not the case, lol. I just want to be faithful to discipline and correct as needed and know when to just show them grace and let some things go. When we have so many people under one roof, there is a great probability that someone is not happy at any given moment. 🙂 I have recently found that assigning them to ‘thinking time’ when they are bickering or overly difficult gives them as well as myself some time to think!

        3. Yes, dry morsels is something we used for a consequence and have shared. Glad you know our children had sin issue because it is very true. I had and still have sin to battle as well. Thinking time sounds like a great idea. Keep it up!

  8. Are those from Anna and Mary’s strawberry plants? I bet y’all eat them fresh too… mmmmm… fresh strawberries. 🙂

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