One thing that I’ve really been working hard on this year is having a healthier breakfast. I was always a die hard cereal girl which is totally fine, but I was missing out on a lot of nutrients that could help me have a better, more energized day. So, I started drinking green smoothies with a little protein or doing breakfast parfaits with granola (or oatmeal but summer is generally more about the smoothies.), but I quickly realized three things which is why we are doing a post on how to freeze fruit and make better smoothies.
1. I needed a little fruit in my smoothies to love them, otherwise it was too bland or bitter for me. Plus everyone needs a little fruit in their lives.
2. Making smoothies is expensive. I know a lot of people that eat the whole foods diet or are big on fresh produce swear it’s not bad, but it is expensive.
3. I like my smoothies thick like a shake and not thin like a juice.
So my solution was to start buying things on sale and freezing them because it allowed me to still incorporate fresh fruits into the smoothies, saved us money and it thickened up my shake without adding ice. I’ve compiled a list of fruits that freeze well, but the how-to is quite easy. The most important part about this, other than actually freezing is to buy fruit when it’s on sale, and buy a lot. That way you can freeze fruit at it’s cheapeast and overall save money versus buying frozen or fresh fruit that’s not on sale.
How to Freeze Fruit
Rinse the fruit well, chop into pieces and dry with paper towels. Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the fruit out flat, trying to keep a little space between each piece. Now place the pan in the freezer for 3 hours or up to 1 day. Remove the fruit and place in a ziploc bag, pressing out all the air and sealing shut. Now the fruit will keep for 6-9 months.
Fruits for Freezing
*Strawberries
*Raspberries
*Blackberries
*Marionberries
*Bananas
*Pineapple
*Mango
*Papaya
*Blueberries
*Avocados
*Peaches
Jeannine
I can’t take credit for this, but can’t remember the genius who posted it either. You’ve probably checked out those (really pricey) power greens, the powder that’s so loaded with nutrition. Well, you can make your own by dehydrating all that extra spinach, broccoli, lettuce, arugula, and wild greens you can gather, like dandelions, lambs quarters, purslane, yellow dock, and more. Dry, crumble, store in airtight jars (like canning jars, then add to smoothies. And basically free if you garden, or have a friend with surplus. I always had lots that went bad before I could use it, before this!
Tammy Kipp
I usually freeze in a quart bag a variety of fruit so I just take the one bag out of freezer, dump in vitamix add almond milk blend and go. For those that use yogurt do you freeze it too
SYDNEY
I also have a Vitamix and just love it. Well worth the investment. I make smoothies every morning and freeze my own fresh fruits in season! I wanted to add sweet black cherries to the freezing fruit list -their great! I just put in my berries…add a half cup of FAGE Greek yogurt…some somersweet … And pomegranate crystal light made strong n wizzzz ?
YUM …. Thick – sweet and delicious! Low sugar recipe skipping the OJ.
M
Hi, I m interested to know step to freeze avacado as mine turned from green to brown in few days.
Thanks.
Sweet Basil
Really? How fresh were your avocados? If they are already starting to brown it’s hard to lock in the freshness in the freezer, instead it would start to brown faster than it could freeze. We pick a just ripe, not soft avocado and quickly chop then freeze on a cutting board with parchment paper. Then once frozen solid, like really frozen we place in ziplocs and suck out any extra air.
Jennifer
Spinach freezes well also! I havent tried Kale yet, but it is nice to be able to freeze the spinach so it doesnt go bad so fast when you buy the huge bags to save money
.
Sweet Basil
I’ve been dying to try it. How do you freeze it?
Becca
Probably already have the answer to this but I just put a cup of water in the blender & pack a small tub of spinach on top & puree it. I pour it into a lightly sprayed ice cube try & then when they’re frozen pop them out into a baggie. Add 2-3 to my smoothies. 🙂 works well for yogurt too, except I add about 5 cubes.
Sweet Basil
That’s fantastic! I’ll try that with almond milk which is what we use in our smoothies. 🙂
[email protected]
Thank you for the great list of fruits to freeze. I’ve done this with berries but didn’t consider bananas and others listed. I love smoothies!! And, I also like them thick. Not into green yet, however.
New reader. Found you via Jodee Weiland’s share on FB. Happy I did! I’ll add your other social media now, too!
Sweet Basil
Oh, she’s so sweet! The green smoothies took me time, but I found that it all depends on what was put in it. Thanks for stopping by and say hello often!
Jodee Weiland
I do this all the time! I think it’s a great idea and you have some great tips here. I especially like to freeze any fruit I have before we go on a trip…that way nothing goes to waste. Thanks for sharing your ideas!
Sweet Basil
that’s so smart! We are always trying to hurry and eat everything before we leave. Duh! Why didn’t I think of that?!
krussellyyc
Thanks for sharing! I recently started freezing bananas and it’s so nice to plop them into the blender without adding ice to the smoothie! It’s also great because I don’t have to wait for them to ripen anymore with already-ripened, frozen ones on hand. The list of fruits that freeze well is great. I will need to expand my collection!
Sweet Basil
Totally! It’s the best!
Janet
To save some time on your end bananas do not have to be sliced to freeze. They do not freeze rock hard so they are easy to cut off what you need from the whole banana. Hope this helps you.
Sweet Basil
Great tip janet! I just like them in chunks for blending easier and less work in the am. 🙂
CakePants
Thanks for the quick fruit-freezing tutorial! I’d been wondering about how to best freeze fresh fruit (or if it was even worth doing).
roxi
I’m doing this tonight – got berries on sale, and won’t be able to eat them before they pass their prime. Thanks Carrian!
Sweet Basil
Oh, booyah! Perfect timing! I have more bananas and mango in the freezer right now. I just need to experiment with veggies now.
Amy M.
I’m the same way! I got a vitamix for Christmas and have been making smoothies almost every morning! I’ve found frozen fruit helps keep the smoothies thick, as does a good heap of Greek yogurt. During the winter I was just buying the frozen bags of berries since they would have been so expensive!
– Amy
Sweet Basil
oh totally. THey get so pricey all winter. At the end of summer I freeze gobs more and put them in our outside freezer for all winter long.
Lindsay @ Life Love and Sugar
Yes, this is great! I’ve been trying to do the same thing with freezing fruit. I like my smoothies thick too – the more fruit the better!
Kimberly
Thanks for the tip! I’d love to hear some of your favorite smoothie recipes or combos!!
Matt Robinson
We love our smoothies just like this, Carrian. Our freezer is always full of frozen berries of all kinds.
Gaby
So smart! I love a thick smoothie and fruit is a must!