Freezing spinach: This is how the vegetables stay fresh

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Freeze the spinach
This keeps the vegetables fresh

Freezing Spinach: Frozen spinach in a bowl

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by Kira Reckers

Spinach is extremely tasty and also very healthy. However, since it cannot be kept for that long, we explain how you can freeze spinach and make it last longer.

Freezing fresh spinach: Here's how it works

Fresh spinach only lasts for about two days in the refrigerator, so you can freeze it to keep it longer if you have bought too much of the vegetables or do not want to use them immediately. Proceed as follows:

  1. Before you can freeze the spinach, you should first Wash thoroughly, sort out dead leaves and cut off the stems. These taste bitter and are relatively hard, so that they would reduce the enjoyment.
  2. The next step is to blanch the spinach so that it retains its color and most of its nutrients. For this you have to boil the water and the spinach Hang in a colander in the pot for a minute. Then put the vegetables off immediately in ice water. Alternatively, you can use a ladle to help.
  3. Let the leaves drain well and, if necessary, dry them with a salad spinner or dab them with kitchen paper. The spinach must be completely dryso that ice crystals do not form when frozen and later water down the food.
  4. Now you can put the spinach leaves in a freezer-safe container – if you like, you can also chop them up in advance and, for example Freeze in portions in ice cube molds.

Freeze raw spinach

You can also freeze young, very tender spinach leaves without blanching them beforehand. It is important that they are fresh and thoroughly washed and dried. However, you should keep in mind that the green color will not be retained as well when frozen.

Freeze cooked spinach

Spinach that has already been cooked can also be frozen, but there are a few things you should keep in mind. If the food is stored too long at room temperature, the nitrate contained in the spinach can turn into nitrite. Nitrite is a hazardous substance that can inhibit the transport of oxygen in the blood – babies and small children should therefore not eat warmed spinach.

If you want to freeze cooked spinach, pay attention to the following points:

  • The food should be cooled quickly, preferably in the refrigerator or in a cold water bath.
  • Then immediately freeze the spinach in an airtight seal in the freezer.
  • Thaw the vegetables in the refrigerator and prepare quickly. Even better: Put the frozen spinach directly into the pot without defrosting, for example as an ingredient in a curry.
  • If you want to warm up the spinach, it should be heated to over 70 degrees Celsius for at least two minutes.
  • The vegetables should not be reheated a second time.

If you stick to these tips, nothing stands in the way of enjoying spinach. With us you can also learn how to cook spinach and whether you can eat spinach raw. Browse through the delicious spinach recipes from the BRIGITTE kitchen and let yourself be inspired!

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