Wondering if you can freeze apples for smoothies?
You’ve come to the right place!
Freezing apples for smoothies is an excellent way to make it even quicker and more convenient to whip up a smoothie last minute.
Let’s take a look at how and why you might want to freeze apples…
Can You Freeze Apples for Smoothies?
You absolutely can and should freeze apples for smoothies! Here’s why:
Having pre-chopped frozen fruits or vegetables in your freezer is extremely handy. Freezing apples ahead of time can save you time when gathering ingredients to make a smoothie – just reach into your freezer and you’re good to go!
Freezing apples for smoothies is also a super quick and easy process, and can be a great way to save your apples before they start to spoil on your kitchen counter!
Additionally, frozen fruits are a tried and trusted way to make a smoothie thicker and colder. Oftentimes, it is the best way to do so, because adding alternative ingredients like ice tends to water the smoothie down.
How to Freeze Apples for Smoothies
Freezing apples for smoothies is very easy and straightforward.
Step 1: Cut up apples into slices or small chunks. The best size and shape of the pieces depends on what they will be used for. For smoothies, small 1-inch chunks can make blending easier.
Step 2: Lay pieces out in a single layer on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or wax paper. Ensuring a single layer and using parchment/wax paper will prevent the apples from sticking to each other or the tray.
Note: Optionally, after cutting up the apples, squeeze some lemon juice over the pieces, or dip them in lemon water, before placing them on the tray. This will help prevent browning over time.
Step 3: Put tray in freezer and let freeze for at least 2 hours.
Step 4: Transfer frozen pieces to a sealable container or bag. Keep stored in freezer.
Can You Freeze Apples With The Skin On?
You can freeze apples with or without the skin on.
If you are freezing apples for smoothies, those apples are going to get blended up anyways, so peeling the skin is not necessary.
In fact, the skin of the apple is where most of the nutrients and insoluble fibre is contained in the fruit, so I always like to keep the skin on to maximize the nutritional content.
That being said, some household blenders are not as powerful as professional blenders, and can have a hard time blending through apple skins. In this case, if you don’t have a high-powered blender and want to avoid grainy bits of apple skin in your smoothie, you might want to peel your apples before freezing them.
Does Freezing Apples Ruin Them?
Freezing apples does not ruin them, in most cases.
Freezing is actually a great way to preserve an apple in its ripe state so it doesn’t go bad on the shelf.
However, freezing apples does change the texture of the apple. Hence, when considering if freezing apples is going to ruin them, it is important to keep in mind what you intend on using the apples for.
For example, frozen apples are excellent for smoothies because they get blended up and help create a nice cold drink.
Also, frozen apples are great for many baking recipes, such as apple pie filling.
In these cases (smoothies and baking), frozen apples might even be preferred over fresh apples.
But in other cases, the texture of frozen apples may be undesirable. Once a frozen apple defrosts, it will become soft, mushy, and will have lost any crispness from its fresh state.
For example, you cannot put a whole apple in the freezer, let it freeze, then take it out, thaw it, and try to eat it like a normal fresh apple. It will be mushy, watery, lack freshness, and most certainly not be the same.
How Long do Frozen Apples Last?
Frozen apples can last in the freezer for several months without going bad, given that they are stored properly.
You want to store frozen apples in an airtight container or bag. Exposure to air is what causes oxidation and freezer burn to develop, which will diminish the state of the apple over time.
You also want to avoid thawing and re-freezing the apples when taking them out of the freezer to use them, as the exposure to air and light can speed up the browning/oxidation process (more on this below).
But other than that, frozen apples should last indefinitely really (see below).
For the most part, freezing preserves the state (i.e. ripeness, not necessarily texture) of the fresh apple at the time of freezing. Inevitably though, the quality of the apple will gradually decline over time – colour, texture, and taste will change over a couple weeks in the freezer.
Do Frozen Apples go Bad?
Frozen apples don’t really go bad in the freezer.
The freezing temperatures halt any bacterial growth or rotting processes that would normally occur out of the freezer.
Once you pull them out of the freezer however, those processes resume and the apples can then go bad upon thawing.
Note that you should freeze apples at the peak of their ripeness; a frozen rotting apple is still a rotting apple.
Why do Apples Turn Brown in the Freezer?
Apples turn brown in the freezer due to a process called oxidation.
Oxidation occurs when the flesh of a fruit, like an apple, is exposed to oxygen in the air.
However, this does not mean the apple is rotting. It is merely a change in colour, and perhaps taste and texture as well, that develops over time.
To reduce oxidation and help your apples retain their freshness as much as possible, make sure you store them in an airtight container or bag.
To help reduce oxidation, you can also try squeezing lemon juice over the chopped apple pieces, or dip them in a bowl of lemon water, before freezing them.
Conclusion
Freezing apples for smoothies is a great way to prep ahead, to save apples from spoiling on your kitchen counter, and to make smoothie-making even more convenient and efficient!
I hope this article showed you how you can freeze apples for smoothies in just a few quick and simple steps!
Let me know in the comments below if you like freezing apples for smoothies, or how this method of freezing apples worked for you!
For more tips on freezing fruits for smoothies, check out this post on freezing bananas.
How to Freeze Apples
Freezing apples for smoothies can help you save on prep time and whip up a smoothie in minutes! Here's how to freeze apples for smoothies in a few easy steps:
Materials
- Knife and cutting board
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper or wax paper
- Airtight, re-sealable container or bag
Instructions
- Cut up apples into slices or small chunks.
- Optional: squeeze some lemon juice over the pieces, or dip them in a bowl of lemon water (to help prevent browning).
- Lay pieces out in a single layer on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or wax paper.
- Put tray in freezer and let freeze for at least 2 hours.
- Transfer frozen pieces to a sealable container or bag. Keep stored in freezer.