Freezing celery is a simple way to reduce food waste in the kitchen. With a little effort, you can have frozen celery ready to add to your favorite recipes. Follow these easy steps to freeze celery.

Can you freeze celery?

Celery isn’t something I use regularly in the kitchen. We enjoy a few ribs here and there in salads, soups, stir-fry, and in bread stuffing on Thanksgiving, but it isn’t often I use up a whole bunch at once.

Instead, I cut it up and freeze the extra. That way I can easily grab a handful of frozen celery when needed and add it to soups, stews, and stir-fries.

Do you have to blanch celery before freezing?

When you blanch food, you partially cook it in boiling water for a brief time, and then plunge it into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Blanching helps slow the enzymes that cause lost flavor, color, and texture. It also washes off any bacteria that might be on the surface of the celery.

If you plan on using your celery in less than 3 months, you don’t need to blanch it at all. Just be sure to rinse it very well before freezing and cook before eating.

If you want celery to last longer in the freezer, go ahead and blanch it before freezing. Properly blanched, packaged, and frozen celery will maintain a higher quality for approximately 12 months.

Steps to Freezing Celery

Nothing goes to waste in the kitchen when you make the effort to freeze celery for later. Celery does lose most of its crispness when frozen, but it can be used in simmering soups, stews, stir-fries, and other cooked recipes just as you would fresh celery.

Choose fresh, crisp stalks of celery to freeze for the best results. If your celery is a little limp, cut the bottom off the celery, and place the stalks in water to re-hydrate for a couple of hours before processing.

You’ll find a printable recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are the illustrated steps to freeze celery:

Step 1: Gather your equipment

Simple kitchen equipment is all you’ll need to freeze celery:

Large pot of water
Colander or mesh strainer
Large bowl of ice water
Knife
Cutting Board
Baking sheets
Parchment paper
Zipper type freezer bags
Kitchen towels

Step 2: Clean the celery well

Rinse each bunch of celery well under clean running water. Pull off the celery stalks and rub your thumbs along the ribs to remove any soil and residue.

Step 3: Prepare the celery

Trim off the white sections off of the bottom of each stalk. If your celery is stringy, you can use a knife or a vegetable peeler to remove the threads.

Trim the tops of the celery and chop the ribs into the shapes you will use in your recipes. You can freeze celery in any shape, including, chunks, cubes, or half-moon slices. Larger pieces can always be chopped further while frozen if necessary.

Save the celery leaves, small ribs, and trimmings to use in making vegetable or chicken stock.

Step 4: Blanch the celery

Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Lower the chopped celery into the boiling water and boil for 3-minutes.

Remove the celery and plunge into the bowl of ice water to cool for about 5 minutes. Once the celery has cooled, scoop it out, drain, and dry on a clean kitchen towel. Use a towel to pat dry and remove excess moisture before freezing.

Step 5: Flash freeze the celery

Flash freezing the celery before storing in freezer bags will help prevent the pieces from sticking together and allow you to grab a handful when needed.

To pre-freeze your blanched celery, layer your baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the celery pieces out on the sheets so they are not touching. Place the baking sheets in the freezer until the celery is frozen solid, about 1 to 2-hours.

Step 6: Package the frozen celery into freezer bags

Place the frozen celery into freezer bags, remove the air, and seal the bag. Label, date, and store the frozen celery in the freezer until you are ready to use in your favorite recipes. Use within 10-12 months.

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Use frozen celery in cooked dishes such as casseroles, soups, stews, stuffing, and stir-fries. Don’t thaw before using. Simply add it to the pot right from the freezer and cook according to your recipe.

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