How To Freeze Fresh Spinach From The Garden

bowl of spinach leaves on a cutting board

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Have you ever wondered if you can freeze fresh spinach? Well, you can!

Freezing spinach is really simple, and handy if you would like to have extra vegetables stored in your freezer. Come learn all about the 4 different ways I like to freeze spinach and several ideas for what to make with frozen spinach!

bowl of spinach leaves on a cutting board

Click HERE to save these instructions for Freezing Spinach to Pinterest!

I often buy those extra large tubs of fresh baby spinach because they're usually the same price as the smaller containers.

Sometimes, though, we end up not being able to get through the whole container of spinach in time. Either because we're smoothie-d and juice-d out, or the kids are gone and Kevin and I are the only ones eating it.

Pretty quickly I learned about freezing spinach so I could benefit from the better price without ending up with wasted food. If you've ever been wondering how to freeze spinach, or why you might want to do that, look no further!

Using any of the 4 methods outlined below, you can freeze spinach for later use. I've thrown in a few recipe suggestions for you as well.

How to Freeze Spinach

Just like most frozen vegetables, the vegetable is changed in the freezing process. Don't expect to freeze spinach and be able to thaw it for a fresh salad.

The best ways to use frozen spinach later on involve using it in recipes where it is cooked or blended so the consistency and texture doesn't matter.

1. Make Freezer Smoothies with Frozen Spinach

Frozen spinach works great for freezer smoothies. You don't have to worry about the post-freezing texture when the frozen spinach is blended with other ingredients.

What is a freezer smoothie?It is basically a pre-assembled baggie that contains all of the necessary ingredients for your favorite smoothie recipe.

Start by placing your favorite fruits and veggies in individual sized freezer baggies.
Label the bag the contents, date, and then freeze it.
Next time you want a smoothie, open the bag and transfer the contents to the blender along with any liquids or protein powders and blend.

Don't like the idea of having to blend your frozen spinach smoothies later? You can also make pre-blended smoothies to use up your spinach and stash them in the freezer for later. Here's how:

blender with spinach, fruit, and other greens to make a green smoothie

Click HERE to save these instructions for Freezing Spinach to Pinterest!

Start by preparing your spinach smoothie recipe of choice. I like to make a larger batch than I usually do so I have plenty in the freezer.
Transfer your blended spinach smoothie to individual serving containers. These 8 ounce freezer canning jars work great!
Label the containers with the type of smoothie and the date. Transfer them to the freezer.
Thaw until drinkable before consuming. My kids like these in the lunches, too. You can also eat them with a spoon like soft serve if you keep them partially frozen.

For smoothie recipe ideas, check out the smoothie recipes section of the recipe index. Substituting frozen spinach in place of kale in smoothies should always work just fine.

2. Puree and Freeze Spinach in Ice Cube Trays

This method for freezing spinach is perfect when you just want to add small amounts of spinach puree to smooth, chunk-free recipes like smoothies, soups or sauces, or if you'd like to make homemade baby food.

Click HERE to save these instructions for Freezing Spinach to Pinterest!

To puree and freeze spinach in ice cub trays I like to puree 3 – 4 cups of packed spinach with 1/2 – 1 cup of water.
I find that the "juice" cycle on my blender works best.
After pureeing, pour the juice into ice cube trays and then freeze the spinach cubes.
After the cubes are frozen, pop them out of the tray and into a freezer bag.
Label the bag with contents and date before stashing it in your freezer.

Add frozen, pureed spinach into your favorite soups or pasta sauce recipes (try this pasta alfredo or the best ever marinara sauce with a little frozen spinach added) for an extra boost of vegetables.

You can also toss these frozen spinach cubes in a smoothie or use it as baby food.

3. Freeze Spinach Chopped in Baggies

frozen cubes of spinach on a cutting board with white background

Click HERE to save these instructions for Freezing Spinach to Pinterest!

Freeze pre-portioned of chopped spinach in small freezer baggies. You'll want to think about what amount and size you typically would use in a recipe.

Really it will depend on how you want to use the spinach and what recipes you make most frequently. I like freezing chopped spinach in amounts ranging from 1/2 – 1 cup best.

Freezing spinach in this way is great for anything you would want to add pre-chopped spinach to.

If you're spinach isn't pre-washed, definitely wash and dry it in a salad spinner before chopping and freezing. Any extra liquid will just create ice with your frozen spinach.

If the recipe is something that is already pretty liquid (like soups) and thus won't be affected by adding a little extra moisture to the recipe, you can pretty safely just add the spinach directly to the recipe according to the recipe's instructions.

If you're making something where extra moisture won't go unnoticed, like these Sundried Tomato and Spinach Lasagna Rolls, you'd want to thaw the spinach and squeeze it dry.

Click HERE to save these instructions for Freezing Spinach to Pinterest!

I think the easiest way is to place thawed spinach inside a paper towel and squeeze that over the sink.

Sautéing the spinach for a minute or two will also dry them out a little more. If you need to dry out frozen spinach even more, then you can sauté it to release additional moisture.

Recipes to use chopped frozen spinach

Here are a few recipes that work great with chopped frozen spinach added in:

Baked Sausage and Vegetable Spaghetti
Lemon Chicken and Orzo Soup
Easy Tomato Florentine Soup Recipe
Chicken, Black Bean, and Spinach Enchiladas
Sun-Dried Tomato Spinach Rice Pilaf
Rosemary White Bean Artichoke Spinach Dip
Artichoke Spinach Pizza with White Beans
Alfredo Sauce

4. Freeze Spinach in a Baggie or Container (without chopping it first)

Freezing whole spinach leaves is ideal when you know you'd like to add spinach to various smoothies, but you don't want to be boxed into anything in particular the way you would if you pre-assemble smoothie bags.

plastic container with baby spinach leaves

Click HERE to save these instructions for Freezing Spinach to Pinterest!

Or if, like me, you're feeling a little too lazy to do any extra prep work. I've been known to stick a full tub of baby spinach directly into the freezer. But, it is probably best to transfer it to something a little more air-tight, like a gallon sized freezer bag, or at least a container meant for freezer storage.

When using the whole frozen spinach leaves frozen in a bag, you pull out a handful or two of spinach as you need it.

Green Smoothie Bowl
Pineapple Green Apple Green Smoothie
Pineapple Coconut Green Smoothie
Caramelized Onion, Spinach and Bacon Pizza
Taco Pizza
Roasted Potato and Spinach Frittata with Feta

What to Make with Frozen Spinach

Looking for more recipes suggestions for using up that frozen spinach? You can head over to the spinach recipes archives and browse all of my recipes containing spinach. But, don't forget – you can always add spinach to recipes that don't call for it if you like experimenting with something new in the kitchen!

Don't see what you're looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.

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Ingredients

16 ounces Spinach Leaves

Instructions

MAKE FREEZER SMOOTHIES

1. Stuff a freezer bag full of your favorite fruits and/or vegetables (including the spinach), label, date, and freeze. When you're ready to make your smoothie, dump the contents in the blender, add your liquids and blend.

PUREE AND FREEZE IN ICE CUBE TRAYS

1. Puree 3-4 cups of packed spinach leaves with 1 cup of water using the "juice" cycle on your blender.

2. Pour the spinach puree into ice cube trays and freeze.

3. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a larger freezer bag. Date and label the bag of frozen pureed spinach and stash in your freezer.

CHOP AND FREEZE IN BAGGIES

1. Chop the spinach and freeze in pre-portioned amounts in small freezer baggies.

2. The pre-portioned size depends on what you want to use the frozen spinach for, but usually amounts ranging from 1/2 cup to 1 cup are ideal in our kitchen.

FREEZE AS IS

1. Simply remove spinach leaves from their container and freeze in a large baggie until ready to use.

Notes

What to Make with Frozen Spinach

Looking for more recipes suggestions for using up that frozen spinach? You can head over to the spinach recipes archives and browse all of my recipes containing spinach. But, don't forget - you can always add spinach to recipes that don't call for it if you like experimenting with something new in the kitchen!

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 26 Total Fat 0g Saturated Fat 0g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 79mg Carbohydrates 4g Fiber 3g Sugar 0g Protein 3g

GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.