If you want to learn how to freeze spinach (without blanching), you've come to the right place... Yep, you CAN freeze fresh spinach leaves! And it's SO easy -- which is awesome, because freezing spinach is an excellent way to minimize your produce waste.
★★★★★
Yay! Thank you, thank you so much for posting this information. It’s so convenient; I no longer have to constantly purchase spinach and worry about it going bad.
–Barbara
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Can You Freeze Spinach? Spoiler: Yes!
Spinach is one of those versatile staples that I like to always have on hand. So we typically pick up at least one extra large tub of organic spinach at Costco each week. At around $3.89 for a pound of fresh spinach, it's an excellent value. That is IF you can use that much spinach in a week.
And between salads and tossing handfuls into other dishes (I call this "sneaky" spinach), we do most weeks... But every so often we either get a batch that's going bad quickly or we just don't use it at our normal pace.
After throwing out more than a few tubs of wilted, slimey, past-its-prime spinach over the years, I decided there had to be a better way. So a while back, I decided to type "Can you freeze spinach leaves?" into the Pinterest search bar, and discovered that, YES, you CAN freeze spinach!
Who knew?!? I mean, at the time, I clearly didn't... And I figured that maybe there are a few of you that might like to know how about freezing spinach, as well. The EASY, hassle-free way, of course -- no blanching and no mess.
What To Know Before Freezing Spinach
Before I tell you about freezing fresh spinach, there's one important thing you should know...
Just making sure I set some expectations (and maybe this goes without saying), but don't expect to thaw your frozen spinach and eat it in a salad. Freezing spinach breaks down the cellular walls, so it WILL be wilted and watery when thawed.
NO BIG DEAL! Don't worry, there are plenty of ways to use your frozen spinach. Consistency and texture matter less in cooked or blended recipes, so it's best to stick with these kinds of dishes.
Just grab the amount you need straight from the freezer when adding it to smoothies. Or if your recipe calls for thawed spinach (like in this cheesy meatball casserole recipe), place it in a colander and rinse under cold water. Frozen spinach also works well in soup or stock, stir-fry, dips, quiche, and pasta dishes.
Spinach is one of my favorite nutrition boosters! I add it liberally to taco meat, meat sauces for pasta, pasta salads, and more. And I'm always up for a big handful in my smoothies.
How To Freeze Fresh Spinach
Now that we've got that out of the way, here's the quick and dirty on how to freeze spinach leaves. Basically, there are two methods that I like to use, with the first being my favorite because it's totally easy and mess-free!
Freezing Whole Spinach Leaves (My Fave Method)
Freezing whole spinach leaves is a total breeze! Just pick out any icky leaves, place the fresh spinach leaves in a Ziploc freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, and place it in the freezer. It doesn't get much easier!
Freezing Pureed Spinach (Slightly More Cleanup)
You can also puree and freeze your spinach. I almost always use the whole leaf method, but this is a great option if you're certain you'll be using it in smoothies and or for baby food.
Just add all of the spinach to a blender, along with just enough water to get the blender going. For ease of use, I recommend freezing the puree in small portions.
The 2-tablespoon Souper Cubes trays below are my favorite for storing pureed spinach! But you can also freeze the puree ice cube trays. If you're making baby food, these refillable food storage pouches are reusable and come with a funnel for easy filling!
Souper Cubes 2-T. Freezer Trays with Lids
These sturdy silicone trays with lids are ideal for freezing pureed spinach!! As well as 2-tablespoon portions of herbs, ginger, pesto, tomato paste, lemon juice, baby food, and more. Easy to use and clean like a dream, with no residual odors!
($30.99, Amazon)
In either case, you DO NOT need to blanch the spinach if you plan to use your freezer spinach within six months. In fact, I'm not even going to go into detail on blanching it, because 1) it's kind of a pain and 2) any veggies left in my freezer longer 6 months seem to get freezer burn no matter how well I prep them.
Also, if you're looking to preserve spinach that's been freshly picked from your garden or the farmer's market, wash and dry it well before freezing. Using a salad spinner is a quick and easy way to remove the excess water, but you can also just blot it gently with a paper towel.
If you're using the triple-washed bags or clamshells from the grocery store, you can feel free to skip this step!
How To Freeze Spinach (The EASY Way!)
Ingredients
- 1 (10-ounce) bag fresh spinach
Instructions
- Pick out and discard any rotten spinach leaves. For spinach that’s been freshly picked from the garden or purchased at a farmer’s market, rinse and dry it well using a salad spinner or by gently blotting it with paper towels. This step can be skipped if using triple-washed bags or clamshells from the grocery store.
- Freezing Whole Spinach Leaves:Place the fresh spinach leaves in a Ziploc freezer storage bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible and place the bag in the freezer.
- Freezing Pureed Spinach:Add the spinach to a blender, along with just enough water to get the blender going. For ease of use, freeze the puree in small portions using a silicone mold or ice cube tray.
Tips & Suggestions
Featured Products
Delicious Recipes That Use Spinach
Over the years I've discovered that "sneaky" spinach is one of the BEST ways to get my kids to eat more greens. If I've already stirred it into a dish, they're highly unlikely to waste much time and effort trying to pick it out. In fact, they often don't even notice it at this point.
If you love squeezing more nutrition into recipes by adding spinach, here are a few yummy dishes you have to try!
- Chicken Spinach Alfredo With Penne Pasta
- Cheesy Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups
- Crescent Roll Spinach Mini Breakfast Quiche
- Copycat Lightened Up Olive Garden Spinach Artichoke Dip
Did you try this cooking hack?
I'd love to see how your frozen spinach turns out... Tag me @Unsophisticook on Instagram or use the hashtag #Unsophisticook so I can check it out. Enjoy!
Barbara T says
This may be obvious but could l use this frozen spinach to make creamed spinach?. I have never made it but the recipe calls for cut leaf or whole leaf frozen spinach.
Tara Kuczykowski says
Yes, you could absolutely use it in a recipe like this!
Bell R says
How do I defrost the spinach? I found a recipe that blanches fresh spinach and shapes them into pucks to dip in sauce. Not sure how to do that with frozen spinach
Tara Kuczykowski says
The quickest and easiest way to defrost frozen spinach is to place it in a colander and run lukewarm water over it until it's thawed. The squeeze out the excess moisture before using it.
Debbie Allen says
could you vacuum seal them and then freeze?
Tara Kuczykowski says
Hi Debbie! Yes, you can certainly vacuum seal them and freeze, as well. The more air you can remove from the freezer bags, the longer they will last.
Barbara says
Yay! Thank you, thank you so much for posting this information. I use spinach everyday (smoothies, casseroles, etc.). I usually purchase the 1 lb container but many times it goes bad before I use it all. I always thought you had to blanch it first (will never do that), so excited to read your post. I now purchase several lbs. of spinach (enough to last around 3-4 months) and store portion amts in freezer bags. It’s so convenient; I no longer have to constantly purchase spinach and worry about it going bad. Also love your recipes! Thank you again. Many Blessings!
Tara Kuczykowski says
So happy you found it helpful, Barbara. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Nadia says
Hi: Just found this site - love your ideas, receipes etc. Lots of good stuff here.
Oh Boy!!
Sarah says
Hello, a neighbor just gave me a bunch of spinach and I'm not ready to use it anytime soon. So happy to find your write up on the easy way to freeze spinach. Saving some out for a salad and freezing the rest. Thanks!
Tara Kuczykowski says
So glad you stopped by, Sarah -- happy I could help!
Gina says
Do you think the frozen spinach would work for homemade pesto?
Tara Kuczykowski says
Great question, Gina - yes, you can use frozen spinach in pesto! If you google “frozen spinach pesto”, you’ll find loads of recipes that use it. Enjoy!
Sandra says
I love your post. I read a few others and still had some questions. Your post answered them all. Thanks for being so thorough.
Tara Kuczykowski says
So happy you found it useful, Sandra!
Erica says
Thank you for this! Quick follow up question, when you go to use the frozen spinach in like a stir fry, do you need to thaw it or how do you go about using it once it is frozen?
Melanie says
I came for the quick answer but ended up reading the entire post! Thank you! You're awesome!
Tara Kuczykowski says
You're so very welcome, Melanie. I'm so glad you found it helpful!!
Jody says
Brilliant! The last time I had spinach that I didn't want to waste, the only direction I found was the blanching route. I said "never again." Thanks to your taking the time to post your experience, I'm going to save time and money!
Loly Dighe says
I have grown bittergord for last few years and never used the leaves and just let them go away naturally. My older sister in phillipines told me to iuse the green leaves in cooking pasta or asian nuddle dishesas substitute for spinage and it is also a remedy for diabetes. I recently used your method for freezing these leves, it worked like a charm. I thank you for the recipe.
Tara Kuczykowski says
Thanks for sharing, Loly! So glad it worked well for you.
Jan Knight says
I puree my fresh spinach and freeze it in ice cube trays for smoothies. Can you tell me how much spinach I'm getting in a single cube. I'm trying to figure out how many cubes I should use for a smoothie. Thanks for your help.
Tara Kuczykowski says
Hi Jan! The amount per cube will probably vary slightly from batch to batch depending on how thick the mixture is. I typically use 1 or 2 per smoothie serving and then taste it to see if I feel like it needs more.
B says
That’s not the best advice. A tiny bit of research will show that spinach needs to be blanched before freezing z
Tara Kuczykowski says
Thanks for weighing in! But as I mention in the article, it's not necessary unless you're planning to freeze it for a long period of time. I've been using this method for many years, and it works perfectly fine for cutting down waste if you're planning to use it for smoothies and/or in cooking in the near future.
Dana says
Thank you so much for sharing! I to keep over indulging in my Costco spinach purchases and have thrown so many away that I was almost resigned to buying that much smaller bags! Super helpful and appreciated!
Tara Kuczykowski says
Happy to help out, Dana!
Kristin says
Thanks
Tara Kuczykowski says
You're very welcome, Kristin!
Allyson Zea says
Oh this is such a great tip! Thank you so much!
Rachael Yerkes says
I love freezing spinach to put in smoothies later! this is awesome
Suzy says
Seriously the best tips! I didn't know how easy it would be to freeze spinach and then use it later!
Cindy Burr says
Do you wash the spinach leaves before freezing?
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
If I haven't already washed them or if there are a lot of yucky, wilted leaves, then yes, I would recommend washing them. Just make sure to dry them as thoroughly as possible before freezing.
Frank Pugh says
@Tara @ Unsophisticook, Because the Spinach is still alive if I freeze directly from my garden. Why would I need to dry them first?
Tara Kuczykowski says
Hi Frank - sorry if I was unclear. You don’t need to dry out the spinach leaves. You just need to remove any excess moisture from the leaves after washing them.