Q&A for How to Freeze Blueberries

You can use the freezer burned blueberries in a baking recipe and no, they won’t hurt anyone. However, be sure to use a recipe that is generous in good flavoring, such as plenty of sugar and butter, because freezer burned berries may taste less than optimal and can even impart a rank taste through the baked item. It’s a good idea to have the expectation that the end result has a fifty-fifty chance of tasting good or bad, and by not expecting too much, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Try using the blueberries in a way that can help soften the skins, such as pureeing, making a blueberry sauce, using as pie filling or adding to a dessert that has plenty of cream or soaks them in alcohol, juice, etc. Sometimes the variety of blueberry has a tougher skin due to growing conditions, etc., while sometimes it’s due to what you do with them after thawing; try to avoid microwaving the berries, as this is likely to toughen their skins. Some also think washing the berries before freezing toughens their skins but others don't agree, so perhaps experiment with this.

It is likely that the blueberries were sour before freezing; unripe blueberries are tart or sour tasting and will retain this even after freezing. Alternatively, the variety of blueberry may have been very sour, even when ripe, before freezing the blueberries. Try tasting a few of the blueberries before freezing them, to be certain you’re preserving the right batch of berries for your preferences.

You can refreeze thawed blueberries but be aware of what will happen; the once separated blueberries will congeal into one solid mass and form a "block" or "brick" of blueberries. Freezing ruptures the cell walls of the frozen food, meaning that the food shape is lost. For the first freeze, everything stays in place as it was frozen but after thawing, you’ve made everything soft again. Effectively, by refreezing, you are putting back in a softened mass without any structure, so this is why it all mushes together. Do not refreeze thawed berries that have been subjected to hot room temperatures for more than a half hour, to avoid bacterial problems (and, if you had to blueberries outdoors, such as for a picnic or barbecue, dispose of the leftover ones).

Unless the recipe says to thaw the blueberries before baking, then it’s best to use them frozen. There are several reasons for this. First, the fact that thawed berries will be moist in the batter can cause an imbalance of moisture in the baked item. Second, the thawed berries are more likely to bleed through the batter and leave a dough that has greenish-tinged streaks in it, which look messy and may even be off-putting to some diners. Use them frozen unless otherwise instructed in the recipe.

Blueberries can be kept in the freezer for 6 to 8 months (to enjoy them at their best) and up to a year (likely still very good). They will still be safe to eat after that time but they deteriorate in flavor and texture and may experience freezer burn.

There are two schools of thought. One says that it is best not to wash blueberries before freezing because this removes their protective coating that keeps in the moisture. Once this is washed off, it is thought that the freezing process will dry them out and instead of moist blueberries, you’ll have dried ones. The other school of thought says that washing berries is important for removing dirt before freezing and any drying or toughening of the skin is barely perceptible. Since there is no one “right” answer and the outcome likely depends on which variety and the size and quality of the blueberries you’re freezing, it is a good idea to experiment with both and choose the one that works best for you.

For help with freezing fresh strawberries, check out the wikiHow: How to Freeze Strawberries .

Absolutely! Eating frozen blueberries can make for a delicious snack, especially on a hot day. The only exception would be to avoid eating any frozen blueberries that have experienced freezer burn or cross-contamination with other odors, as they won’t taste very pleasant. You can also eat frozen blueberries by adding them on top of ice cream or a hot dessert like pie fresh from the oven, or you can add them to drinks like smoothies or lemonade.

We have kept frozen berries in a freezer tight container for 1 1/2 years with no problem.

You can't reverse freezer burn but the next time you freeze blueberries you should seal them tightly in a bag or container to prevent it from happening again.

Unfortunately, many fruits will become soft after freezing and thawing. Freezing causes the water in the fruit to become ice crystals, which expand and damage the cell walls all through the fruit. When they thaw, the cells are not as strong as they used to be, which gives the fruit a softer texture.