How to Freeze Fresh Green Beans

In this simple blog post I will take you though the very few steps on how to freeze fresh green beans.

Your future self with thank you for putting them up in the freezer when all you need to do is grab them out and quickly cook them up as a part of your dinner.

Why not can my fresh green beans?

So it seems that there are two camps when it comes to the best way to preserve green beans. Some people swear by canning while others freeze them. Really it comes down to how your family best likes to eat them. My mom grew up on what she says were mushy green beans from a can and refused to serve canned green beans to us as kids. Having only fresh and frozen, that is what I preferred and serve my family. So that is why I choose to freeze my fresh green beans.

Funny thing is I have an aunt (my mom’s sister) that swears the only way to eat green beans is canned!

So, there isn’t a better way between freezing and canning. Just do what your family will eat.

Two ways to freeze green beans

I have frozen green beans two different ways and one way wins out for simplicity and time. Read on to see why.

Blanching

First of all, you can go the traditional way and blanch your green beans. This is where you boil up a big pot of water and place your fresh green beans in the water to boil for a few minutes. You work in small batches so that the water stays boiling. After they are boiled, you quickly remove and throw them into an ice bath.

People use blanching because it is said that it stops the enzyme action which can result in loss of flavor and color.

So that is what I did too.

Yet, if I left the green beans in the freezer for much time it seems that they came out mushy from being wet from blanching.

So this is not actually my preferred way.

Freezing without blanching

I prefer to skip the blanching step and there are a few reasons why.

If I am picking my own green beans and know they they really don’t need to be washed off because they came in clean and I did not spray them with any pesticides, I actually don’t wash my beans before freezing.

They come out crisper from the freezer and that’s what we prefer.

But the most obvious reason for not blanching is that it saves me a lot of time and does not heat up my kitchen. Those are two big priorities of homesteaders in the summer time.

So this is my winner, but either way works. You can try out both to test what works best for you.

Of course it will be easier to skip the step of blanching, but if you like the end result better, then that is the way you should do it. Below I have given the step by step for both ways.

How to Freeze fresh green beans without blanching

• If you need to wash your beans off, wash them and let them dry out on a towel on the counter.
  
• Make sure you snap off the top of the beans at the stem side.
  
• When they are dry, you can either slice them a few times or leave them whole. Think about how you will use them when needed.
  
• Slip them into a quart or gallon sized freezer bag. Write the date on the bag and pop into the freezer.
  
• It’s that easy!
  
• P.S. I used to think I had to flash freeze them on a tray and then when they were frozen, remove them and place in a baggie. But I found out that I don’t have to do this step either! Another time saver.

Blanching Method

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If you want to try out the blanching method to see the difference, here are the steps to take.

• Prepare the beans as above. Wash them off and take off the stem ends. Cut them in 2 or 3 chunks if desired.
  
• Fill half the sink or a large bowl with cold water and add some ice cubes to get it really cold.
  
• Bring a big pot of water to a rolling boil. Work in small batches of beans and place the beans into the boiling water. Once the water is back up to a boil, leave the beans in for about 3 minutes.
  
• Using a large spoon strainer or spoon colander removed the beans and immediately place into the cold water. Give them a swirl. Leave the beans in the cold water for 3 minutes.
  
• Place a new batch in the boiling water and then remove the beans from the ice cold water and place on a towel to dry out. Make sure they have dried out well or you will end up with mushy beans.
  
• Once dry, spread out on a baking sheet (I like to line mine with my Silpat baking mat to make sure things don’t stick, but you can also use parchment paper).
  
• Pop them in the freezer for 30-60 minutes or until they are frozen through.
  
• Remove from the tray and place in freezer bags labeled with the date.
  

That’s it. Super simple and easy to do. Do you freeze green beans? Any tips you have that I may have missed?

Other Posts About Preserving Food

How to Freeze Fresh Corn

How to Freeze Bell Peppers

Freezing Fresh Blueberries

Home Canned Zucchini Salsa

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