Can You Freeze Raspberries?

Last updated on August 9th, 2022 at 04:54 pm

Raspberries are yummy right when picked or baked into a cobbler. They are easy to bake or you can use them in things like smoothies. No matter how you eat them they will provide you with a lot of nutrition. 

Packed into their small form is a lot of potassium, omega-3 fatty acids, and magnesium. They also have a lot of fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins. 

Raspberries are sweet to add to many dishes but also contain less sugar than most fruits. There are so many ways raspberries are beneficial to the body as well as being delicious. 

If you have gone berry-picking and have a bucket full of these red berries, can you freeze them to use later?

You can freeze raspberries to enjoy the delicious fruit in upcoming months. Frozen berries will easily last 6-8 months. 

When picking raspberries to freeze, choose ones that are well-colored and fully ripe. You want to avoid berries that are leaky, mushy, or discolored. 

If you have a bucket of berries you have picked or bought, remove the ones that are not quite ripe, moldy, or discolored. Wash the remaining raspberries in a colander and drain well. 

If you want separately frozen berries so they don’t freeze into a solid block, put them in a single layer on a cookie sheet or baking tray. This method will work best on berries that have not been washed. 

If you decide to wash them first, make sure they are dried thoroughly before freezing. Place the tray with the berries on it in the freezer making sure to keep it level and freeze until the fruit is solid. 

This process normally takes about a day or less. Do not leave the berries uncovered for more than a few days to prevent freezer burn. 

Remove the tray from the freezer and transfer the raspberries to freezer bags. When sealing the bags get as much air as possible out of it. 

One way that you can do this is to use the straw method. Simply place a straw in the end of the ebg to suck out all of the air. 

Once sealed up, label the bags with the current date and freeze until you need them. 

You can also freeze raspberries by putting them in freezer containers or plastic bags. Remove the air and leave about a half inch of space for expansion. Then label and freeze them. 

The raspberries will be more likely to clump with this method however. Either way you can freeze the berries for 6 to 8 months to enjoy the sweet and yummy fruit whatever you want or to turn them into jam or jelly. 

Are Raspberries Good Frozen? 

Fresh raspberries are so sweet and delicious but when you have too many to eat in a couple days you may want to freeze them. 

You may wonder if freezing them will affect their taste at all. Are raspberries good frozen?

Raspberries are still good after they have been frozen. Freezing them helps to lock in their flavor and keep them good for multiple months.

Along with freezing raspberries dry as I mentioned earlier, you can also freeze them sweetened. Mixing the berries with sugar will draw out the natural juices and create a syrupy substance that covers the fruit. This will protect the berries from exposure to air and they will keep their color and flavor. 

You can also freeze sweetened berries for longer than you can unsweetened ones. Just mix the right amount of sugar and pack as normal to freeze. There is even a way to freeze the raspberries in a sugar pack. 

Freezing raspberries is easy and will keep the fruit good.

Once you are ready to add your raspberries into a recipe or just eat them as a snack, you can use them frozen or thaw them in the refrigerator for about 12 hours. If you need to thaw them faster, you can place them on your kitchen counter for a few hours. 

It is not recommended to use the microwave to thaw the raspberries because this can affect the color and texture of the berries. 

The sweetened berries are good for pies but can be used in all sorts of recipes. Frozen berries can be eaten as a snack, put in your cereal, smoothies, yogurt, icecream, and more. You can also use raspberries in waffles, salads, or fruit salads. 

Raspberry muffins and homemade breads are delicious with added raspberries. Drop frozen berries into lemonade or punch bowls for that sweet zingy taste.

What Happens If You Freeze Raspberries? 

Raspberries are tart and sweet and if you wish to save them for many months you can freeze them. It is even said you can keep them for one year in the freezer if sugar is added to them. But what happens if you freeze this fruit?

Raspberries can be frozen and if stored properly they will still be good although they will not be the same texture as they were when they were fresh.

No matter how you freeze the berries, the texture will change. Freezing raspberries changes the texture of it because of the water molecules changing shapes as they freeze and defrost. 

Raspberries will be softer after they are frozen and then thawed so you will want to use them in baking or recipes. You can still eat them just as they are but they will taste different than when fresh. 

When raspberries are frozen the texture changes some but in all they are still delicious to eat and bake with. You can also make smoothies or jellies with frozen raspberries.

For most baked goods, keep the raspberries frozen and do not defrost them. If you defrost the raspberries some liquid will be present causing the dough to be affected and throw off the liquid to dry ingredient ratio of the recipe. 

For the best results, just use the frozen berries without defrosting them and toss them in a bit of cornstarch to help thicken any of the juice that may have formed during freezing. 

There are several thoughts on how to freeze raspberries and the different ways you can use them. By exploring them all you will be ready the next time you are freezing this delicious fruit.

Final Thoughts

You can freeze raspberries and when you do it properly they still taste great and can be used in many recipes. The texture will change a little bit once the berries are frozen and thawed but they will still taste good. 

Frozen raspberries are ideal for pies and baked goods. If you are baking with the fruit, don’t defrost it. Instead just use them frozen. 

Raspberries can last in the freezer for 6 to 8 months and even up to 12 months if you put sugar on them. So, when you catch a good raspberry sale at your local grocery store or go berry picking you can get as much as you’d like knowing they can be frozen and used months later.