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    Home » Kitchen Tips » Freezer Cooking

    Can You Freeze Onions?

    Published: Jul 16, 2021 · Modified: Jul 16, 2021 by Jessica Fisher

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    Onions add flavor, fiber, and nutrients to your dishes and serve as a grocery staple in cooking worldwide. Cheap and readily available, they’re a mainstay in the kitchen, but can you freeze onions?

    You bet! Freezing onions is a great way to extend their shelf life. Keeping a stash on hand means you can easily add them to a Fajita Omelet or Hot Italian Beef Sandwich.

    three yellow onions on black table top. this …
    Jump to:
    • Why Do This
    • Step-by-Step Instructions
    • FAQs
    • More Things You Can Freeze
    • Tell us what you think!
    • How to Freeze Onions

    When you cook at home, you can expect to cut onions. It’s just par for the course. But, no use crying over slicing onions. Freeze them!

    It’s true. You can chop or slice many onions at once, get the job done in one go, and stash them in the freezer for later.

    Freezing vegetables and fruits is a great way to stock your kitchen and save time and money.

    Why Do This

    It helps you avoid food waste. If you’ll use it eventually but can’t just right now, why not freeze it to use later and buy yourself some time?

    It could save you money. Wasting food is akin to wasting money. Often times, it’s cheaper to buy a bigger bag of onions than singletons. Freeze the extras and pay less all the way around. One of the many ways that freezer cooking saves money.

    It can be more convenient. Frozen chopped or sliced onions are often more convenient than fresh ones as they are recipe-ready. You can easily add flavor, fiber, and nutrients to your recipes when the onions are already to go.

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    1. Slice or chop the onions.

    • onion on cutting board cut into slices with skins on table nearby.
    • chopped onions on cutting board next to knife.

    Chopped onions are pretty universal for a lot of recipes while sliced onions are great in Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions and Fajita Veggies.

    Think about what you use most often and chop or slice accordingly.

    2. Freeze the onions.

    • sliced onions spread on silpat mat on quarter sheet pan.
    • frozen sliced onions on quarter sheet pan with labeled ziptop freezer bag.

    You can package the onions right away after slicing, but if you do so, you’ll need to package them in measured portions that you’ll use all at once later. They’ll freeze in one mass.

    To freeze them individually (also called open freeze) so that you can use just a few at a time, place them on a lined tray in the freezer. Once they’re frozen solid, you can package them up.

    3. Package the onions.

    • sliced onions in a plastic freezer-safe container with labeled green lid.
    • sliced onions in labeled ziptop freezer bag.

    Package the onions in an airtight container with a lid or in ziptop, freezer bags. Whatever container you choose, be sure to label the date and the contents so you can use them up within the next couple months.

    To use frozen onions

    When you’re ready to cook, there’s no need to thaw the onions. Just pull out the amount that you want, quickly returning the package to the freezer, and add them to your recipe.

    FAQs

    Are frozen onions as good as fresh?

    If you’re going to cook the onions, they are just as good from frozen as they are fresh. If you want raw onions for a sandwich or salad, you’re better off using fresh onions. Frozen onions lose some of their crispness.

    Can you freeze onions in ice cube trays?

    After chopping the onions you can portion them into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, pop them out of the trays and store in a ziptop freezer bag. Keep in mind that the “cubes” won’t stay perfectly in tact since onions aren’t liquid, but they should form nice clumps.

    Can you freeze onions and celery?

    There are a variety of vegetables that you can freeze without cooking, including onions, celery, peppers, jalapeños, and mushrooms. It’s recommended that you store them separately as they cook at different rates and would share odors and flavors if stored together.

    More Things You Can Freeze

    • Freezer Meal Pizza Kits
    • Can You Freeze Whipped Cream?
    • Can You Freeze Cheese?
    • Easy Lunches Freezer Meal Prep: Free Plan

    Tell us what you think!

    We love to hear your experiences with Good Cheap Eats. Click the STARS on the recipe card or leave a STARRED comment to let us know what you think of the recipe.

    frozen sliced onions in a ziptop freezer bag.
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    5 from 3 votes

    How to Freeze Onions

    Learn how to freeze jalapeños so that you can stock up on a great sale or save what you have for another time. It's a great way to save time and money and give your recipes a kick
    Prep Time15 mins
    Total Time15 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 45kcal
    Author: Jessica Fisher
    Cost: $0.50

    Equipment

    • cutting board
    • parchment paper
    • heavy duty sheet pan
    • single-serve airtight containers
    • ziptop freezer bags

    Ingredients

    • 16 oz onions
    US Customary – Metric

    Instructions

    • Peel the onions and chop or slice according to your preferences.
    • Package in recipe-size portions in ziptop freezer bags or freezer-friendly containers.
    • Alternatively, to freeze them loose, place them on a lined sheet pan and freeze until firm. Once solid, transfer the frozen onions to packaging and return to the freezer.
    • To use: add to recipe from frozen.

    Notes

    Frozen onions will be safe indefinitely if kept at below zero degrees, but after ten months, their quality will start to diminish. Since home freezers are not as consistent and reliable as commercial freezers, try to use your frozen onions within a couple months.
    Use onions in sautés, stir-fries, soups, chilis, and stews. They are also good in sauces and gravies, and go well with roast meat dishes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 166mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
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    Comments

    1. Susan Clark

      July 19, 2021 at 2:49 pm

      Oh, I also freeze mirepoix which is 1/3 cup each small dice onion, celery and carrots in individual containers. Perfect started for soups and stews.

      Reply
    2. Susan Clark

      July 19, 2021 at 2:36 pm

      I freeze onions, all kinds of pepper, stone fruit and berries all the time with great results. I did discover that my onions have a strong onion flavor when in the freezer ugh! Thought they would flavor all frozen foods. But they did not. So I doubt bag onions when I freeze them which eliminates the onion aroma in the freezer. Works great.

      Reply

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