Reader Question: Can you freeze whole strawberries? Will they turn out mushy when defrosted?
Answer: Absolutely! Freezing strawberries whole is my preferred method to freeze strawberries for smoothies. Summer strawberries are always sweeter than what you can get in winter.
In the past, I’ve cut my strawberries in half or even smaller pieces before freezing. Save yourself a step. Cutting them up is unnecessary, just remove the hull (the green top). Keep reading for my trick to fast strawberry hulling.
If you blend them in a smoothie – it doesn’t matter if they are whole or cut up – they will blend up the same way.
If you later decide you really want them to be in smaller pieces – do it then. I have never found a reason to cut up strawberries after I took them out of the freezer.
Will My Strawberries Get Mushy after freezing?
When you defrost strawberries they get mushy, unlike their fresh counterparts. For this reason, I recommend them in smoothies, pies, and most baked goods. Here is why they get mushy and unfortunately there is nothing to be done to change it.
Freezing stops microbes from spoiling food, but it also kills plant tissue. When frozen plants thaw, the cells leak fluids and some foods can lose their crisp texture. Author Meg Galvin from Spark People
If you are looking to make strawberry shortcake – buy them fresh.
Hulling Strawberries – Fast and Easy
Here is my favorite way to hull a strawberry (remove the green strawberry top). It’s the fastest way with the least amount of waste.
Or you can check out this handy tool strawberry tool.
Start Freezing those Berries
Time to get freezing those strawberries so you can enjoy them all year long! Share with your friends so they can learn the tricks to freezing strawberries.
Here is one batch of berries that went into our freezer. I’d love to see your pictures as well 🙂
Hi There! I'm Shannon - I help women regain their health from the inside out so they can lead healthy, happy lives - full of energy and effortlessly maintain an ideal weight. 
