Can you freeze celery? Yes, for cooking

Yes, you can freeze celery, but only for cooking. It loses its crunch when frozen, so frozen celery is for soups, stews, sauces and stir-fries, not for snacking or salads. Blanched, it keeps its best quality for about 8 to 12 months; unblanched, use it within about 2 months.

How do you freeze celery?

• Wash the stalks, trim the ends and cut into 1-inch pieces.
• Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes.
• Cool in iced water for 3 minutes, then drain and pat as dry as you can.
• Spread on a tray and freeze for an hour so the pieces stay separate, then bag them with the air pressed out. Label with the date.

The blanching time is from university extension freezing guides; see the source below.

Can you freeze celery without blanching?

Yes, it is safe and quicker: chop, dry and freeze. It keeps its flavour for a shorter time and can taste a little bitter after a couple of months, so use unblanched celery sooner.

How do you use frozen celery?

Straight from frozen, in anything cooked. Frozen celery, onion and carrot together make a ready soup base that UK readers may know as a soffritto or "mirepoix": keep a bag of all three chopped. Use it in white bean and kale soup or lentil bolognese.

How long does fresh celery last in the fridge?

A whole head keeps 1 to 2 weeks wrapped in foil in the fridge. Cut sticks keep about a week in a container of water, changed every couple of days, which also keeps them crisp for snack boxes such as hummus snack boxes.

Can you use frozen celery in juice or smoothies?

Yes. Texture does not matter once it is blended, so frozen celery works well in green smoothies and juices, and the cold makes them more refreshing. Freeze it unblanched for this, in small portions, and use it within a couple of months. It is also handy for homemade stock: keep a bag of celery ends, onion skins and carrot peel in the freezer and simmer them when it is full.

Can you freeze celery soup?

Yes. Celery soup and other vegetable soups freeze for 2 to 3 months. Cream-based soups can separate when thawed; stir them well while reheating. More in which meal prep foods freeze well.

Which other vegetables can you freeze?

See carrots, cabbage and mushrooms. To stop any of them drying out, see how to prevent freezer burn.

Sources

• New Mexico State University: freezing vegetables, with blanching times
• USDA: freezing and food safety