Everything You Need to Know About Freezing Celery
Fresh celery for celery juice
Celery is the vegetable that keeps on giving. For starters, the sturdy stalks stay fresh in the fridge for weeks and can be used in a myriad of ways. You can blend them into celery or green juice, dice and add to chicken or tuna salad or sauté with carrots and onions (aka mirepoix) as a base for soups and stews or a hearty bolognese sauce.
Celery is also incredibly healthy, given that it's basically 95% water and full of fiber, which is a bonus for the digestive and cardiovascular systems. Plus, when you pair it with peanut butter, hummus or a cool yogurt dip, you have yourself a winning, low-cal snack.
But what happens if you bought one too many bunches when they were on sale or you had great intentions for soups and stews that never came to fruition? You may be faced with more celery than you can juice in a given week, which is when you might be asking: Can you freeze celery?
We asked Nichole Towell, a recipe developer for Dandy Farm Fresh Foods, a company that grows and sells produce and happens to be know for their celery, that very question and more to create the ultimate guide to freezing, storing and using up celery.
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Can You Freeze Celery?
According to Towell, the answer is yes, but she recommends blanching the celery first. "Blanching helps to preserve color, flavor and texture of celery before freezing it," she advises. "Freezing celery is a great way to save and stretch your budget so you can have leftovers down the road." Her one caveat? Once thawed, frozen celery isn't as crispy as fresh celery. That means that frozen celery is great to cook with, but it's not the best choice for salads or celery sticks.
Related: Why Celery Seeds Are the New 'It' Superfood Food
How long you've been keeping your celery in the crisper should also be taken into account before freezing it. Towell's #1 tip for freezing celery is to choose a fresh batch, rather than a one to two week-old bunch. When you can, try to freeze celery in batches close to the time of purchase, rather than letting it sit for weeks at a time before getting around to freezing it.
The Best Way to Freeze Celery
Towell recommends starting the process by cleaning and trimming your celery stalks. Next, prepare a boiling pot of water along with an ice bath. Add the celery to the boiling water, cook for 2-3 minutes then transfer it to the ice bath. Let it cool for a minute or two, then dry it off and place the celery on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once it's frozen solid, transfer the celery to a freezer-safe container or zip-top freezer bag.
Freezing Celery For Juice, Soups & Stews
"You can chop your celery into whichever shape you prefer before blanching and freezing, but if you plan on using it for these types of drinks and dishes, smaller pieces would be best," explains Towell. We suggest stocking your icebox with a few labeled and dated bags of celery in various sizes: smaller chopped stalks for juicing and minced or diced celery for soups and stews.
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Can You Freeze Raw Celery?
You bet! Towell says you can freeze uncooked celery, but be sure to clean it beforehand. And if you plan on freezing the whole bunch, store it in a zip-top bag to prevent freezer burn.
Related: 3 Creative Ways to Cook With Celery This Weekend
Does Frozen Celery Get Soggy Once Defrosted?
"Frozen celery will work best for dishes like soups, casseroles, sauces and stocks," shares Towell. "When using frozen celery, there's no need to thaw it; just add the frozen celery directly to whatever you're cooking."
How Long Can You Freeze Chopped Celery?
Towell notes that you can keep frozen blanched celery in the freezer for up to a year, but if you don’t blanch the celery, you should try and use the frozen vegetable within three months. "Once thawed, we recommend using the celery within the same day," she adds. "Any application you would want a crispy crunchy celery for, use fresh, don’t use frozen or thawed celery. Only use frozen celery in smoothies, juices or for cooking in soups, stews or sauces."
Related: Celery Juice Benefits
Recipes to Use Up Your Frozen Celery
Dandy Fresh Produce
For a super-simple, kid-friendly snack, try adding frozen chopped celery to veggie pinwheels. When paired with grapes, a cheese stick or nuts, these little bites for little hands are an instant lunchbox-approved meal.
For more of our favorite ways to use frozen celery, try: