Freezing Blanched Veggies

Often vegetables need to be blanched before freezing. Here is a quick and simple guide for blanching common vegetables. Blanching vegetables helps preserve color and texture.

After blanching vegetables in boiling water immerse immediately into cold water then drain. I often reuse the same water again and again. A large pasta type pot works great for blanching. You can submerse the vegetables into the pot already in the strainer.

Allow approximately a gallon of water for a pound of vegetables. Vegetables will need to cool for the same time as they are blanched.

Preparing Your Vegetables

Peel, trim and cut vegetables into uniform sizes. Look at the chart below to find the time needed. Extra large pieces may need to blanch a minute longer than the table calls for.


Blanching Timetable Chart for Vegetables

Asparagus: Blanch 2 minutes – 3 -4 4 minutes for large asparagus

Beans: green- Blanch for 3 minutes.

Beans: lima, butter or pinto - Blanch small beans 2 minutes, medium beans 3 minutes, and large beans 4 minutes.

Beets: small beets – 35- 30 minute, medium ones 45 – 50 minutes. If you leave the stem on top they won’t bleed into the water as bad.

Broccoli: Blanch 3 minutes.

Brussels Sprouts: Blanch small, 3 minutes; medium, 4 minutes; large, 5 minutes

Carrots: Blanch tiny, whole, 5 minutes; diced or strips, 2 minutes

Cauliflower: Blanch 3 minutes.

Corn: Whole small ears for freezing – 7 minutes, medium ears 9 minutes and large size ears 11 minutes. If you are going to take the corn of the cob for freezing blanch for 4 minutes and remove from cob.

Okra: Blanch small pods 3 minutes and large pods 4 minutes.

Peas: Shelled. Blanch for 1-2 minutes, chill, freeze.

Snap Peas: Blanch 1 1/2minutes

Spinach and other greens: Blanch 2 minutes

Summer squash: Blanch for 3 minutes.