How To Freeze Blueberries For Smoothies And Baking

Published 7/19/2021 Whether you got a stellar deal on blueberries at the grocery store or farmers’ market or grow your own blueberries, freezing them is super simple! We love having frozen blueberries on hand for easy access to smoothies and baking. While you can buy pre-frozen blueberries, freezing fresh blueberries is 100x better! In this post, we’re teaching you how to freeze fresh blueberries, how to thaw them, and ways to use them. Enjoy!

Kitchen Tools For Freezing Blueberries

Here’s what you need in order to freeze fresh blueberries: Save Money: during the summer months, fresh blueberries can be as low as $1/pint. Buy then while they are cheap and save money year-round! Easy Access: no food in the fridge? Stock your freezer with frozen blueberries for easy access to smoothies and baking

Baking SheetPaper TowelGallon-Size Bags

How to Freeze Blueberries (step by step)

STEP 1: PREPARE A BAKING SHEET

You don’t want to pour your fresh blueberries directly into a freezer-safe bag before freezing because you’ll end up with one giant clump of blueberries all frozen together. Speaking from experience here. So, start with a clean baking sheet with at least a 1/2-inch. lip to ensure your berries don’t spill all over your freezer.

STEP 2: PREPARE AND WASH BLUEBERRIES

It’s time to wash those berries to make sure they’re all clean and free of dirt and germs before freezing. Place blueberries into a strainer. Then, run cold water on top of them. Remove any stems that were missed when they were packaged. Next, discard any overly ripe blueberries.

STEP 3: LET BLUEBERRIES DRY

Once the berries are washed and prepared, make sure to let them dry FULLY on paper towels (or darker dish towels you don’t mind coloring bleeding from the juicy blueberries!) before placing them on a baking sheet to freeze. This will ensure your berries don’t carry that extra water with them in the freezing process, which can cause freezer burn!

STEP 4: FREEZE BLUEBERRIES ON A BAKING SHEET

Place your blueberries on a baking sheet, spreading them out evenly. This will ensure each of your beautiful little blueberries freezes individually instead of together with the berries touching each other. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or until all the berries are completely frozen. Because blueberries are a smaller berry, they won’t take as long to freeze as blackberries or whole strawberries.

STEP 5: TRANSFER TO FREEZER-SAFE CONTAINERS

Lastly, remove the baking sheet from the freezer and use a spatula to remove the blueberries from the baking sheet if any have frozen to it. Immediately place your frozen berries into a freezer-safe bag, remove air from the bag or container as much as possible, seal, and place in the freezer for easy access to perfectly frozen berries any time! Feel free to use Ziploc bags, Stasher bags, or glass or plastic meal-prep containers for storing the berries in the freezer.

How to Thaw Frozen Blueberries

Thawing frozen blueberries is super simple. Here’s how to do it: PS: some recipes such as smoothies or nice cream don’t even need to be thawed! You can even get away with using frozen blueberries in muffins. So, keep that in mind.

How to Use Frozen Blueberries

Now, there are endless ways to use frozen blueberries! So, don’t you worry if you’re at a loss for ideas. Blueberry Crisp: Our blueberry crisp is perfectly sweet and has the most amazing golden brown and buttery topping. Smoothies: Smoothies are our go-to when it comes to frozen blueberries. They’re ready in 5 minutes and blueberries add a delicious natural sweetness. Here are some of our favorites:

Blueberry Banana SmoothieTriple Berry SmoothieBlueberry Flax SmoothieBlueberry Date Smoothie Bowl

Blueberry Muffins: There’s nothing better than a blueberry muffin. Our recipe is naturally sweetened and so yummy. Blueberry Banana Smoothie Blueberry Banana Bread: Frozen blueberries are an easy addition to any banana bread recipe. Try our blueberry banana bread. You’ll love it. Blueberry Pancakes: add blueberries to your next pancake batter or top them with it! Try our blueberry protein pancakes recipe. Blueberry Crumble Bars: You seriously can’t go wrong with our Blueberry Crumble Bars. The main ingredient is blueberries! Blueberry Muffin Banana Soft Serve: blend up your frozen blueberries with frozen bananas to make this vegan frozen treat.