How to Freeze Blueberries

Learn how to freeze blueberries to enjoy the sweet and tart flavor all year long! Use your frozen blueberries in yummy recipes from berry pie to smoothies and more.

Baking sheet full of frozen blueberries. Text overlay reads, "How to Freeze Blueberries".

My dad has a video of my son eating blueberries hand over fist when he was just 9 months old. He loved them so much, he literally couldn’t stop eating them!

I feel the same way about blueberries and can’t help but fill my cart when they’re on sale at the peak of the blueberry season. The kids can eat as much as they want, and I make Kale Salad with Blueberries, Walnuts, and Feta several times, but I also make sure to put some up so we can enjoy blueberries long after the season has ended.

My go-to method for preserving blueberries is freezing them, so I want to show you my step-by-step tutorial on how to freeze blueberries!

BEST WAY TO STORE BLUEBERRIES FOR FREEZING

Does it matter when you freeze blueberries? In my experience, no. You can freeze them fresh off the bush when you’ve come home from blueberry picking at a u-pick farm or after they’ve been in your fridge for a few days.

You do, however, want to make sure that you freeze blueberries BEFORE they start to go bad in the fridge. At the soonest sign that the blueberries are going bad (getting smaller, mushy, or wrinkly), pop them in the freezer!

We’ll use a similar process that we use for freezing strawberries to freeze blueberries. The only difference is that we don’t have to cut the blueberries ahead of time!

Step 1: Before freezing blueberries, wash them!

Every year the Environmental Working Group (EWG) publishes a list of the fruits and vegetables that contain the most pesticide residue, called the Dirty Dozen. Blueberries pop off and on this list, so it’s a good idea to wash your blueberries.

Place blueberries in a strainer in the sink and use one of these homemade fruit and veggie wash recipes to save money versus expensive pre-made produce cleaners at the store.

Once you’ve washed the blueberries, make sure to dry berries using a couple of paper towels or a kitchen towel.

Step 2: Prepare the blueberries for the freezer.

We don’t want the blueberries to freeze in one large clump, so we’re using a technique called flash freezing.

To flash freeze blueberries, spread them on a cookie sheet (I have these sheet pans) in a single layer. It’s okay if they touch, but you don’t want any blueberries piled on top of each other.

You normally don’t need to line the baking sheet with waxing paper, parchment paper, or silicone mats (I have this set) when you’re freezing blueberries, but if you find that it’s really hard to get them off the sheet pan, you can line the pan next time.

Step 3: Freezing fresh blueberries.

Place the entire cookie sheet in your freezer for at least an hour.

Blueberries aren’t big to begin with, so it shouldn’t take much longer than an hour for the berries to freeze through UNLESS your freezer is already pretty full. If that’s the case, let the blueberries sit in the freezer for 2-4 hours.

Note: Use this set of cooling racks to stack multiple sheet pans on top of each other and maximize your freezer space! This lets you store vertically and freeze a lot of blueberries at once.

Step 4: Storing frozen blueberries.

After the blueberries are frozen through, transfer the frozen berries from the baking sheet into a freezer-safe container or resealable bag.

Personally, I like to use gallon plastic bags, and I’ll reuse them multiple times until they don’t seal anymore, or until they have a hole.

If you’re concerned about freezer burn, you’ll want to double-wrap your blueberries. That could mean two plastic freezer bags (maybe a couple of quart bags put inside a gallon bag) or it could be one bag placed inside a container. Whatever works best for you!

Once wrapped well, your frozen berries will last 6 months or more in the freezer and you can use them for your favorite frozen blueberries recipes!

HOW TO FREEZE BLUEBERRIES WITHOUT GETTING MUSHY

Can you freeze blueberries so they don’t turn out mushy? This is the only downside to freezing blueberries – they will have a softer texture when they thaw. Unfortunately, that’s just the way it is.

Remember though, that you can use frozen blueberries instead of fresh in most baked blueberry dessert recipes. In baked goods, frozen blueberries and fresh blueberries look and taste the same!

HOW TO FREEZE FRESH BLUEBERRIES FOR SMOOTHIES

The flash freezing method above works perfectly for freezing blueberries for smoothies. When you make your smoothie, just grab a scoop or two from the bag and toss them in the blender.

(I have a Blendtec blender and it blends up frozen blueberries and strawberries perfectly smooth, every time!)

Just remember to not let your bag of frozen blueberries sit at room temperature, or they’ll start to thaw. Then when you re-freeze the blueberries, they’ll stick together in one big clump from all the juice.

FAVORITE RECIPES THAT USE FROZEN BLUEBERRIES

My favorite part about freezing blueberries is that you can use frozen blueberries instead of fresh ones in almost every favorite blueberry recipe! Try these recipes that use frozen blueberries:

Berry Pie
Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
No-Bake Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie (Whole30 compliant)
Cheesecake Blueberry Smoothie
Lemon Blueberry Scones
Slow Cooker Blueberry Cobbler
Easy Fruit and Yogurt Parfait with Granola
Add them to pancakes, oatmeal, or French Toast Casserole
And don’t forget blueberry muffins!

HOW TO ENJOY FROZEN BLUEBERRIES WHEN TRACKING MACROS

Berries are a great low-carb option to add more produce to your plate. They are also an easy way to add sweetness without adding unnecessary sugar.

This post is full of ways to add fresh or frozen blueberries to your meals, so I won’t rehash those here. But keep berries in mind when you’re building your plate.

When deciding what to eat, aim for these general guidelines:

Dedicate about ¼ of your plate to lean protein (think chicken, fish, or tofu)
Another ¼ of your plate can contain carbohydrates, preferably whole and unprocessed carbs (brown rice, sweet potatoes, or starchy vegetables like carrots, corn, and peas fit here, as do some fruits)
And ½ of your plate should be non-starchy vegetables and fruits (think broccoli or asparagus). This is where the blueberries fit too!
Incorporate healthy fats in moderation (like olive oil or avocado) and you have a balanced plate!

Want to learn more about macros, nutrition goals, and accurately tracking what you eat? Grab my free guide here to start achieving your real body goals by eating the foods you love.

FROZEN BLUEBERRIES RECIPE FAQS

Can I freeze blueberries in a Ziploc bag?

Sure! Resealable bags are a great option to store frozen blueberries without taking up much space. Just make sure to flash freeze blueberries first so they don’t all stick together.

Does freezing blueberries destroy the antioxidants?

Nope. Actually, freezing blueberries can help keep more nutrients in the fruit that might otherwise decline as the fruit sits around.

Can you freeze other berries?

Absolutely! Follow these easy tutorials to learn How to Freeze Strawberries and How to Freeze Raspberries. Blackberries, hulled cherries, and sliced peaches work with this method too!