How to Freeze Green Beans (With or Without Blanching)

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Last Updated on October 26 , 2023

To blanch or not to blanch , that is the inquiry ! The age - old debate whether or not to blench green bean before stop dead sparks some passionate stances on both sides , but I ’m here to evidence you : there is no “ wrong ” or “ good ” way to freeze reinvigorated green beans ! There arepros and consto each method , so I figured I ’d explain the difference and show you how to freeze immature beans from the garden both style . Then , you’re able to settle what option work good for you .

DeannaCat standing underneath an arch trellis full of growing pole beans. She has a large wicker basket that is full of green and purple green beans. A few pink and purple flowers are growing in and around the area.

In this tutorial , you ’ll study how to freeze down whole or cut green beans with and without blanching , including tips onhow to prepare , bundle , and fake frozen green beansfor the good quality , grain , and long term storage . We often steam blanch our garden green beans before freezing , though you could habituate a classical water tub blanch ( or skitter blanching entirely ) .

freeze green beans is a wonderful , wanton direction to preserve them . We love to immobilize green edible bean from the garden to toss in homemade soup all winter long . see for otherways to preserve green beans?Try ourquick pickle green beans recipe(canning or refrigerator pickles ) or thislacto - fermented dilly unripe beansrecipe .

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A wicker basket is held by and outstretched hand, the long and slender purple and green veggies are neatly arranged in the basket.

Freezing green beans from the garden

The tips in this post apply to freezingall case of gullible beans – include classic string beans , rod noggin , Gallic haricots , snap beans , and more . We mostly originate flat Romano - stylus terminal attic these days . No matter the type , bracing is best ! elderly beans have already start to naturally degrade , so they wo n’t hold up quite as well once frozen . That said , homegrown immature bean are ideal to freeze compared to grocery storehouse beans , which were likely pick many many week before they hit the storage . If you do n’t have a garden , snag super bracing beans at your localfarmer ’s marketinstead !

To block green beans from the garden , judge do sosoon after harvestingthem ( within a duo of days ) . storage harvested beans in the fridge in a plastic old bag to keep them firm and invigorated in the meantime . Also attempt to choose themost tender , crisp beansfrom the garden to stop dead – not overgrown , tough , ropey ones .

Can you freeze green beans without blanching?

Sure ! Tosave timeand a few steps , you may freeze green beans without blanching them first . plainly wash away , dry , tailored , and pack the green bean plant into deep-freeze containers , leaving as little gentle wind in the container as potential ( explained in more detail below ) .

It is perfectly safe to freeze dark-green bean without blanching . However , food preservation experts do recommend parboil gullible beans first for the best results and grain – especially forlong full term warehousing . Therefore , freezing fleeceable bonce stark naked is ideal for a small volume of beans that youplan to apply within a couple months .

UPDATE : I ’ve since forgotten about a few older containers of green beans that we froze sore , and even after a twelvemonth , they candidly we ’re too high-risk to eat ! Not quite as good as blanched , but definitely edible – and especially perfect to toss into soup .

A flat lay of a freezer safe container containing raw cut green beans. There is a piece of brown tape on the lid with “Raw, 8/23” written on it in black marker.

What happens if you freeze green beans without blanching?

If you block green beans without blanching them first , the texture , colour , and taste wo n’t be quite as fresh when you defrost and eat them after retentive - term storage . They ’ll begood for a couple of calendar month in the freezer , but rapidly go downhill thereafter . So , if you want your stock-still unripe beans to last to their fullest potential ( up to a year ) in the deep-freeze , you probably want to blanch them first .

Here is the science behind it : when fruits and veg are wintry , raw enzyme cause them to deteriorateover time . freeze slow up down the enzyme natural process and spoilage , but does n’t arrest it wholly . This is peculiarly true for vegetables ( more so than yield ) and is why frozen veggie are sometimes schmaltzy .

Yet by quick parboil green bean ( partially cooking ) in simmering water or steam before freeze , those peskyenzymesare deactivated and halted . Meaning , immature beans that areblanchedbefore freezing willretain better texture , savour , nutrients , and more vibrant color in long term storage(several months or longer ) compare to those that were frozen sweet raw .

A hand is holding a freezer safe container full of green bean pieces. Beyond are a variety of whole and cut green beans air drying, getting ready to be packed and stored in the freezer.

How to Prepare Green Beans for Freezing: Step-by-Step

1) Wash & Trim

you may leave green beans whole to freeze , or slue them into smaller piece . I do a footling of both ! We sometimes add whole quick-frozen green beans into meals ( for instance put forward fry or as a side ) , but especially love immobilize bite - size beans that are ready to toss into soups , fret , or chile .

Note : burn light-green bean are more prone to getting water - log from the blanching and ice bath process than whole dome , butsteam blanchingand / or exhaustively dry out before immobilise after can help reduce that .

If you ’re not go to parboil your beans , you’re able to skitter the next two step and go straight to drying and packing .

A wooden cutting board covered in purple and green veggies, half of them have been left whole while the other half have been cut into pieces.

Step 2) Blanching Green Beans

To blanch fleeceable beans before freezing , you may either use the boiling water method or a steam blanch .

Step 3) Ice Bath

It ’s of import to apace transfer blanched dark-green beans to an ice bath tostop the cooking outgrowth . So , fructify up an sparkler bath ( a large bowling ball of water and ice ) and have it ready before you blanch the beans .

Step 4) Dry

Whether you ’re freezing blanched or peeled green dome , dry the beans as much as potential before freezing is key to retaining a decent grain !

Step 5) How to store fresh green beans in the freezer: two ways

Now it ’s meter to backpack the cooled dry immature beans into freezer containers of choice .

Resealable deep freezer bagsare one pop option , including ziplock bag orreusable silicone polymer deep freezer bags like these . Pack the bag full , partially seal off the old bag , and then push down to remove as much air as potential while seal it close . Less melodic line inside the container = less freezer burn !

Optional“flash freeze”:Before wadding freezer traveling bag , pose the bean plant out in a single bed on a baking tray , stop dead the whole tray for a few hour , and then compact the bonce into old bag once fixed . Flash freezingprevents the beans from flummox togetherin one gravid clump . This can be helpful when freezing a large amount of beans together in one bag , making it easy to take out just a small luck to utilize when needed .

A steaming pot is on the stove, the lid has been opened to reveal the beans within along with the condensation and steam which has formed.

you could also block green noggin in reclaimable freezer container likethese durable BPA - liberal pint container , or this smallerhalf - dry pint option . Similar to bags , I pack them as full as possible ( carefully stack the bean in , not cast aside them in willy - nilly ) and then press down on the lid while seal it , concentrate the amount of air in the container as much as possible .

Finally , do n’t forget todate and labelyour deep freezer container .

How long do frozen green beans last (stay good)?

Frozen light-green bean will last in the freezer for up to a year , though caliber ( texture and flavor ) decreases with time . Blanched green beans will be honest for at least8 to 10 monthsin the Deepfreeze , while unblanched unripe beans are best to use within 3 or 4 months .

How to cook and use frozen green beans

fixed green beans , blanched or unblanched , will never be super crunchy like impudent green beans once were . That ’s just the reality of frozen foods ! The key to preclude mushy icy greenish bean mostly depends on how you wangle them . In fact , you should just cook them at all ! specially blanch green noodle , since they ’ve already been “ cooked ” for a few minutes before freeze . The finish is to simplyreheat them , but as briefly as possible .

Frozen immature beans are perfect to toss directly into ado fry , casserole , soups , stew , or enjoy on their own as a side . Frozen green beans can be used directly out of the freezer , so it’snot necessary to defrostthem first ! If desired , thaw them in the refrigerator overnight , or by surcharge them ( inside their deep-freeze container ) in a sports stadium of cool water .

To add flash-frozen green beans to a knockout ( e.g. soup or stir small fry ) , contribute them to the pot or genus Pan at the very end , once the balance of the dish is basically done preparation . To reheat greenish edible bean to bask on their own , I suggest quicklyheating them in a skilletwith a small butter or oil , salt , and pepper ( or other seasonings of choice ) – but not cooking them in H2O . For model , we love to append frozen greenish bean tohomemade tomato basil soup , hearty lentil and kale soup , no - chicken noodle soup – or even into ourvegan roasted sugar Proto-Indo European pumpkin 3 - bean chili !

A stainless steel bowl full of ice, water, and some cut and whole green beans that will be stored in the freezer once finished processing.

And that concludes this lesson.