Spinach is one of those ingredients that tend to get leftover. Being able to preserve those leftovers will save you quite a bit of money, not to mention the stress of having to go get new ones when you actually need them.
Freezing spinach is practically the best way to preserve these veggies. But there is a right and a wrong way to go about it, especially when you want to use your spinach for smoothies. In this article, we will be sharing with you how to freeze spinach for smoothies the right way. Keep reading to learn more.
Why is it Important How You Freeze Your Spinach for Smoothies?
Freezing spinach is a simple affair; simply place it in a freezer, and it will freeze. However, just doing that wouldn’t be a good idea when freezing spinach for smoothies. This is because you don’t just want to freeze the spinach, but you want to do it in such a way that it will retain its nutrients for as long as possible.
This is why how you freeze your spinach is important for smoothies. When done the right way, your spinach will still be nutrient-rich long after freezing and would last longer without spoiling.
- You might also find this article useful; Does Blending Destroy Nutrients?
Is it Better to Freeze Spinach Raw or Cooked?
While you can freeze your spinach raw, cooking or at least blanching it first is a better option as this helps reduce the enzyme activities that can make it quickly go bad. Furthermore, cooking your spinach helps preserve the taste and color for longer, so you should really consider that.
What You’ll Need to Freeze Spinach for Smoothies
There are several methods of freezing spinach for smoothies, and quite a few of them are great. What we’d be sharing with you is our preferred method, and for that, you’d need the following:
- Spinach
- Knife
- Blender
- Ice cube tray
- Freezer bags
- Paper towel or Salad spinner
We have two preferred methods of freezing spinach for smoothies; you can either choose to freeze it whole or freeze it blended. Below are simple steps on how to go about each one.
How to Freeze Spinach Whole for Smoothies
This is a crucial step because you must remove all the dirt first. If you don’t wash your spinach first, then when you eventually use the frozen spinach, you might find yourself with a smoothie filled with quite a bit of dirt. Ensure you thoroughly wash off all the dirt and grime from the leaves before proceeding.
You wouldn’t need this step if you are freezing your spinach cooked or blanched though.
Here’s where most people get it wrong. After washing the spinach, you don’t want to just freeze it right away. We find that spinach frozen when wet often tends not to last so long. So instead, you’ll want to dry off the spinach first.
You do not want to leave the spinach to air dry though, as the longer it takes to dry, the less fresh it gets. Instead, use a paper towel or preferably a salad spinner. These two hasting the process, thereby reducing the nutrient lost.
If you’re drying with paper towels, simply place the leaves between two towels and apply some pressure. You can put heavy books on them and leave them for some time to get all the moisture out of the leaves.
If you’re using a salad spinner, simply place the wet leaves inside the spinner and push down on the lever multiple times in quick succession to spin fast. The faster you spin, the quicker your leaves will dry.
This is an optional step, and you can choose to freeze your spinach whole. We recommend chopping the leaves, however, because doing so now is much easier than doing so when it is frozen. And since not every blender can create smoothies with great consistency from large chunks of frozen ingredients, chopping your spinach is something you might have to do, so better get it done now.
You could use a blender for this or simply cut it with a knife. Anything will do.
Step 4: Place in Freezer Bag
Now it’s time to place the leaves in your freezer bags. Make sure you squeeze out all the air in the bag before sealing the bag tightly. Failure to do this will lead to some loss of nutrients and faster spoilage.
Once you’re done with this, then your spinach is ready to freeze. Store the frozen spinach in the freezer until needed.
How to Freeze Blended Spinach for Smoothies
As with the previous method, it’s essential that you wash your leaves and get all the dirt off the leaves. Again, you wouldn’t need this step if you are freezing your spinach cooked or blanched.
As stated before, you can dry the leaves with a paper towel or a salad spinner.
Here is where things get different. Here, you blend the leaves until they’re smooth. With the previous method, you simply chopped the leaves into smaller pieces. Here, you want to blend your spinach thoroughly.
Now this is the trick in this method. Once your spinach has been successfully pureed, grab your ice cube tray and pour it in. You don’t want to skip this process and pour it into a bowl instead, as that would mean a bit more work for you AND your blender when it’s time to use the frozen spinach. Pouring the spinach into an ice tray, however, makes it easier to work with
Once the spinach is in the ice tray, place the tray in your freezer and leave it until it freezes solid. Next, transfer the frozen cubes into a freezer bag and seal it tight after squeezing out all the excess air from the bag. Store the bag in the freezer until needed.
Conclusion
Freezing spinach for your smoothies is a great way to ensure you always have fresh greens for your smoothie recipes. But you’d want to do it the right way if you want the frozen spinach to last for longer. Following the steps listed above will help you do this. While you can freeze your spinach raw or cooked, cooking them first is a better choice for longer-lasting freshness.