Frozen Asparagus: How to Freeze Asparagus

Freezing asparagus is a great way to preserve the sweet, grassy flavor and bright green color of fresh asparagus. While raw asparagus lasts three to four days, frozen asparagus lasts 10–12 months.

Freezing asparagus is also a simple way to save time and effort in the kitchen. When you grab a bundle of asparagus out of the freezer, you can immediately steam, roast, sauté, or grill the vegetable. Asparagus is a nutritious and versatile side dish, so storing it in your freezer makes pairing it with lunch or dinner a quick and easy task.

Blanching is a key step before freezing your asparagus. A food preparation technique, blanching is the process of boiling fruits or vegetables in hot water and then immediately chilling the produce in ice water.

Blanching helps intensify the coloring of your produce and preserves its flavor. Asparagus, for example, contains enzymes that cause a loss of flavor and nutrients over time. Blanching stops enzyme action, maintaining the flavor, texture, and color of your asparagus spears. Follow the below steps to blanch your asparagus:

• Rinse asparagus: Wash the asparagus with cool water to remove any dirt. Using a colander or strainer, drain the excess water, and pat the pieces dry with a paper towel.
• Snap ends: The woody bottom ends of the asparagus are tough and hard to chew. However, you can easily remove them by bending each asparagus piece until the woody ends snap off.
• Boil water: Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. For every pound of asparagus, you’ll need one gallon of water.
• Add salt: Add 3–4 tablespoons of salt to taste. Salt not only seasons the asparagus, but it also helps the asparagus retain nutrients.
• Prepare an ice bath: As you wait for the water to boil, fill a large bowl with ice water.
• Blanch asparagus: Place the asparagus in the boiling water. Blanching time varies depending on the size of your asparagus spears. Blanch large spears of asparagus for four minutes, medium spears for three minutes, and small spears for two minutes.
• Cool asparagus: Using tongs, remove the asparagus spears from the boiling water, and place them in the ice bath. Chilling the asparagus in cold water helps prevent freezer burn.
  

After blanching, freeze your asparagus as quickly as possible. The longer you wait to freeze your asparagus, the mushier it’ll be when you cook it.

1. 1. Check freezer temperature: The FDA recommends keeping your freezer at 0°F for optimal food storage. If your freezer is too cold, then your food can develop freezer burn.
2. 2. Dry asparagus: Remove the asparagus spears from the ice bath and pat them dry with a paper towel.
3. 3. Place asparagus in freezer bags: You can use freezer bags or reusable containers to store your asparagus in the freezer. Line the asparagus in a single layer when placing the spears in the bag or container. Arranging the asparagus spears in a single layer helps the asparagus freeze quicker and last longer.
4. 4. Remove air from bags: If you’re using freezer bags, remove excess air to help preserve the asparagus and its nutrients.
5. 5. Store asparagus: Seal the freezer bags and place your packaged asparagus in the freezer. The next time you need a veggie side dish, your asparagus will be ready to cook.

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