How To Freeze Asparagus

In this guide, I will show you how to freeze asparagus. I like to use frozen asparagus in recipes such as my Easy Roasted Asparagus, Air Fryer Asparagus, Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes, and Asparagus with Chickpea Pesto.

When the asparagus season is in full bloom, and there is such an abundance of this beautiful and nutritious vegetable, you may wonder what you should do with it. 

Can asparagus be frozen?

Yes, absolutely! Since the asparagus season is relatively short, freezing asparagus is a great way to store it for later when it’s no longer in season.

You can freeze asparagus spears by blanching and then storing them properly. This way, you’ll always have delicious produce available that’s suitable for soups, casseroles, quiches, sauces, dips, and so forth.

 However, it would be best if you kept in mind that although freezing will retain all that great taste, the texture will be softer than what you are accustomed to. In other words, the frozen stalks won’t snap as much as the fresh stalks. It certainly will not be a crunchy salad ingredient, but you can use them in dishes that need to be cooked.

Freezing asparagus is a straightforward process that involves blanching in hot water, cooling in cold water, and freezing. The process can be carried out in an hour or two.

A large spear of asparagus freezes best when it is fat. At least a pencil-sized stalk, and you’re good to go.

How To Freeze Asparagus?

Fresh and crisp asparagus is an essential ingredient here.  Frozen asparagus made from old, limp spears will taste horrible. Look for young, tender, firm, and crisp spears of asparagus.

When the asparagus is tightest, meaning before it starts to open at the tips, it is of the best quality.

Cut the ends of the stalks off. I like to snap the end off of the first one to determine where the tender part starts; then, I cut all the rest of them to that same length.

Washing the asparagus

Make sure the asparagus is well rinsed with tap water.

Trimming the asparagus

Sort the asparagus stalks into approximately equal-size groups. When you have various sizes, split them up into batches and blanch one or two batches at a time.

The reason why you will want to blanch the asparagus in similarly sized batches is so that it cooks evenly. Due to their size, giant asparagus will take longer to cook and freeze than thinner asparagus stalks.

For this reason, the stalks must be sorted into sizes based upon their diameters. Get rid of the outer stalk skin by scraping the scales with a sharp knife. Cut them into even lengths that will fit into your containers for freezing.

Make sure the pots are ready

You will need a large bowl full of cold water and ice, and a pot of boiling water about 1/3 full. For each batch of blanching asparagus, use a gallon of water per pound of prepared asparagus.

Blanching the asparagus 

In a blanching basket, place the asparagus in vigorously boiling water and push it to the bottom of the pan. You can also just place the asparagus in the pot without a basket. Cover the pot with a lid.

You should be able to get the water back to boil within a minute, or you may have used too much asparagus compared to the amount of boiling water.

Heat the water again until it returns to a boil. Blanch the asparagus according to its thickness; the fat stems take a bit longer than the small ones. I would do roughly 2-4 minutes.

 You can use the water for blanching several times. Be sure to keep the water level at the required height by adding hot water from the faucet from time to time.

Let the asparagus cool

When the asparagus has been blanched, cool them quickly in a bowl of ice-cold water to prevent overcooking, and drain the asparagus thoroughly.

Cool the asparagus in ice water for the same amount of time you blanched it for. For instance, if you blanch the asparagus for 3 minutes, it needs to be cooled in ice water for at least 3 minutes afterward.

Thoroughly drain the water from asparagus.

Put the asparagus in a freezer bag

Place the blanched and drained asparagus in a freezer bag before freezing it.

Try not to overlap the asparagus while freezing, instead keeping them flat so they don’t turn into one big clump. Once they are frozen, feel free to keep them accordingly.

That’s it!

Although you can freeze asparagus for almost as long as you want, the recommended maximum storage time is 12 months.

Is there going to be a change of texture?

You lose some of the crunch and vibrancy of fresh asparagus if you freeze it to use later, but you’ll still get all the nutritional benefits if you blanch it correctly before you freeze. The texture will be slightly different since the dish is already partially cooked.

How To Cook Frozen Asparagus?

Asparagus should be kept frozen until you need it to be used. If you are using it in a casserole or hot dish, you can place it in the dish to bake while frozen.

Let it come to room temperature before serving if you are using it in a cold dish. However, I feel that frozen asparagus is more suitable to use as an ingredient in cooked dishes rather than as a fresh ingredient.

Asparagus can be used with its savory taste and versatility in various ways, whether for pasta, savory pies, or topping for pizzas. Sometimes, though, our love of asparagus can make us buy too many bunches. Feel free to add all that goodness to your freezer if you are in the same situation.

How long can I store frozen asparagus?

Please keep track of the asparagus you have added to your freezer by labeling each bag so you can tell for sure how long it has been in there.

When properly packaged, frozen asparagus keeps well for a minimum of 2 to 3 months, but is exposed to air, will quickly become freezer burnt. 

Generally, frozen asparagus is best used within six months to make sure that it remains fresh. It can still be enjoyed for up to twelve months, but you will begin to notice a noticeable decline. After 12 months, it will definitely taste freezer burnt and be very mushy when cooked.

During asparagus season, you’ll be thankful for this easy freeze method. It’s always nice to have some asparagus throughout the winter!

More How To Freeze:

• How To Freeze Garlic?
• How To Freeze Onions?
• How To Freeze Strawberries?
• How To Freeze Cauliflower?
• How To Freeze Apples?
• How To Freeze Broccoli?

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