We cover step-by-step how to freeze green beans. You will learn about blanching green beans and why we recommend BUT you don’t have to blanch string beans if you don’t want to.
Green beans are such a versatile food item to have in your kitchen.
You can have fresh ginger green beans with delectable baked salmon or you can add some texture and flavor to your mashed potatoes and steak dinner with a handful of them.
However, you choose to utilize this fantastic vegetable; you cannot go wrong with it.
If you happen to be a voracious lover of green beans, then you must have wondered at some point in your life just how to freeze green beans so that you can devour them well past their peak season.
I love to freeze fresh green beans because of how convenient it is to use them to add some much-needed flavor to my recipes when I’m strapped for time.
What’s more, is that it saves me from using canned green beans.
In fact, on most days, when I feel like adding veggies in my meal, I simply take out some frozen green beans from my freezer and throw them into my recipe!
So, without further ado, let’s look at how you can freeze green beans in five simple steps.
It’s super easy to freeze green beans, even if you are a novice cook like me.
What’s more, is that frozen green beans will happily last in your freezer for up to a year.
Follow these five instructions on how to freeze green beans so that you can enjoy them for the next few months.
Things You Will Need
- Fresh green beans
- Freezer bags
- Boiling water
- Ice-cold water
- A large pot
- A large bowl
Instructions
Step 1: Trim the Stem Ends
- Before freezing green beans, make sure to gently yet thoroughly wash fresh green beans under running tap water.
- Next, pick up a handful of beans and neatly line them up.
- Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice off the stems as they are too knobby and tough to eat.
- Repeat this process with the remaining beans.
If you like, then you can also chop off the tapered tail ends of your green beans; however, they are perfectly fine to eat.
Pro Tip: Some green beans have a sinewy fiber that goes through the top to the foot of the bean pod. If the beans you bought have this string, then make sure to remove it from each bean.
Removing it will ensure that your cooked beans are tender and perfect to eat.
Step 2: Cut the Beans Into small Pieces
- Many soups and stir fry recipes require cut green beans. So, if you cut the green beans up into small bit-size, 1-inch pieces before freezing them, you can save a lot of your prep time later on. However, if you prefer to freeze the beans as is, then you can definitely do so.
Step 3: Blanch the Green Beans
If you are unfamiliar with the term, blanching involves boiling the beans you plan to freeze for a few minutes and then immediately dumping them into ice-cold water.
Blanching allows the beans to retain their color, flavor, and freshness while frozen.
Here’s how you can blanch green beans:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. (1 gallon of water per pound of green beans)
- Gently add the green beans into the pot of boiling water. Be careful during this step so that hot water doesn’t splash up and burn you.
- Boil them until they are tender to the touch.
- Take a large bowl and fill it with ice-cold water.
- Once the beans are completed boiling, immediately plunge them into the ice-cold water.
- Once they have cooled, drain the water from the bowl.
Step 4: Prepare the Beans for Freezing
Here’s how you can prepare the beans before freezing them:
- Pack the drained beans into freezer bags.
- Make sure to shake each bag thoroughly to place the beans inside.
- Keep adding more beans until there’s only half an inch of space left in the bags.
- Tightly seal the bags.
Step 5: Freeze the Bagged and Sealed Green Beans
- Label each freezer bag with its content and date.
- Lay the bags flat and store them in your freezer.
Pro tip: Leave some space near your green bean bags so that air can circulate around them and keep them fresh for a longer time.
Watch this video on how to freeze green beans for further clarification.
For the best taste, make sure to use your frozen green beans within 8 to 10 months of freezing them.
Helpful Cooking Tips:
- Meal Prep 101: How To Freeze Kale In 3 Simple Ways
- How To Freeze Ginger
- Can You Freeze Salami – All Things You Need To Know
- Are You Curious If You Can Freeze Pepperoni?
Can You Freeze Green Beans Without Blanching Them?
Even though blanching green beans will help them retain their flavor, you can definitely skip this step if you are short on time.
Honestly, I actually prefer skipping this step before freezing as it is so much more convenient.
Here’s how to freeze green beans without blanching them:
Things You Will Need
- Fresh green beans
- Freezer bags
- Baking sheet
Instructions
- Wash and drain the beans thoroughly.
- Snap or chop off the stems.
- Break the beans into tiny pieces if you like.
- Spread the beans on a baking sheet and freeze them for about an hour.
- Remove the beans from the sheet and place them in a freezer bag.
- Label the bag with the date and place it in your freezer.
Whenever you feel like eating them, you can take the green beans out of the freezer and boil them until they are tender enough to eat.
Pro Tip: When it comes to freezing green beans, it’s crucial to choose beans that are fresh and tender.
Make sure to skip out on tougher, older beans as they won’t freeze as well as the younger ones.
When are Green Beans in Season?
The peak season for green beans is during summer and fall – from May through September and early October.
You can easily buy fresh green beans from the farmer’s market during these months.
Make sure to choose brightly colored and crisp green beans that are free of any blemishes.
Should I Cut Green Beans Before Freezing Them?
Many green bean recipes call for small pieces of green beans.
Cutting green beans up into small pieces before freezing them will help you avoid the prep time that you’d otherwise spend on cutting them up later on.
However, you can choose to freeze them without cutting them as well.
Final Thoughts
Even since I started freezing fresh green beans, my life has become so much easier.
Freezing green beans allows you to use them conveniently in your recipes whenever you want.
It also saves a lot of your time as you can take them out of the freezer, boil them a little, and season them right away.
What’s more, is that you don’t even need to blanch them as the traditionalists would like you to believe.
You can choose to wash, chop, and freeze them to use later on, and they will taste great.
We hope you enjoyed this straightforward step-by-step guide on how to freeze green beans.
How To Freeze Green Beans (Blanching or No Blanching)
How to freeze green beans. We cover how to blanch green beans in these steps but you can freeze green beans without blanching them as well. Read above for those instructions in detail.
Ingredients
- Fresh green beans
- Freezer bags
- Boiling water
- Ice-cold water
- A large pot
- A large bowl
Instructions
Step 1: Trim the Stem Ends
- Before freezing green beans, make sure to gently yet thoroughly wash fresh green beans under running tap water.
- Next, pick up a handful of beans and neatly line them up.
- Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice off the stems as they are too knobby and tough to eat.
- Repeat this process with the remaining beans.
If you like, then you can also chop off the tapered tail ends of your green beans; however, they are perfectly fine to eat.
Pro Tip: Some green beans have a sinewy fiber that goes through the top to the foot of the bean pod. If the beans you bought have this string, then make sure to remove it from each bean. Removing it will ensure that your cooked beans are tender and perfect to eat.
Step 2: Cut the Beans Into small Pieces
- Many soups and stir fry recipes require cut green beans. So, if you cut the green beans up into small bit-size, 1-inch pieces before freezing them, you can save a lot of your prep time later on. However, if you prefer to freeze the beans as is, then you can definitely do so.
Step 3: Blanch the Green Beans
If you are unfamiliar with the term, blanching involves boiling the beans you plan to freeze for a few minutes and then immediately dumping them into ice-cold water. Blanching allows the beans to retain their color, flavor, and freshness while frozen.
Here’s how you can blanch green beans:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. (1 gallon of water per pound of green beans)
- Gently add the green beans into the pot of boiling water. Be careful during this step so that hot water doesn’t splash up and burn you.
- Boil them until they are tender to the touch.
- Take a large bowl and fill it with ice-cold water.
- Once the beans are completed boiling, immediately plunge them into the ice-cold water.
- Once they have cooled, drain the water from the bowl.
Step 4: Prepare the Beans for Freezing
Here’s how you can prepare the beans before freezing them:
- Pack the drained beans into freezer bags.
- Make sure to shake each bag thoroughly to place the beans inside.
- Keep adding more beans until there’s only half an inch of space left in the bags.
- Tightly seal the bags.
Step 5: Freeze the Bagged and Sealed Green Beans
- Label each freezer bag with its content and date.
- Lay the bags flat and store them in your freezer.
Pro tip: Leave some space near your green bean bags so that air can circulate around them and keep them fresh for a longer time.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g