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Freezing onions will save you so much time in the kitchen. This is one of our favorite ways to meal prep and so easy to do once you learn how to freeze onions.
Can you Freeze onions?
I have gotten lots of questions about freezer cooking, so I am slowly going to be posting my tips from week to week. Basically my favorite way of freezer cooking is to help out my time in the kitchen.
The easier it is to make my dinners, the less likely we are to head out to eat. The more we eat at home, the more money we save.
One of the easiest ways to start freezer cooking is to start with chopping onions.
Can you freeze chopped onions?
Chopping is our preferred method to freeze onions and it works great.
Chopping onions seems like such a simple task, but when you have to do it every day… It gets old! We eat a lot of onions, usually with every meal.
How to use Frozen Chopped Onions:
Frozen chopped onions are great for soups, stews and sautéing with vegetables. Even your crockpot meals, spaghetti, cooked dishes, and other easy meals just got easier. They are also great for caramelized onions.
You do not need to thaw. I personally prefer to freeze them in freezer bags. Just remove from freezer the amount you need and add to your recipes.
I know it seems so silly, but this is a HUGE time saver in the kitchen.
How to Freeze onions:
- Peel and Chop Onion – Simply peel and chop your raw onions like you would for dinner. Check out How to Cut an Onion.
- Chop Multiple Onions – Instead of chopping up one fresh onion, chop up 3 or 4 (it only takes a few minutes more). Plus, I only have to deal with the onion odor once.
- Store Onion in freezer safe container – Then place in a freezer friendly container, or a baggy. I used to separate them into individual servings (like in the picture above), but now I just dump them all in one container or quart size zip lock freezer bag.
- Place on a baking sheet – This is optional, but I like to take the freezer bags and lay them on a baking sheet. Then place in the freezer. This helps to freeze them flat and better for storage. Once frozen solid, then you can remove the baking sheet.
- Freeze Onion – Onions freeze individually so it works out just as well to put them all in the same bag.
- Take out what you need – When you need some you can just pull out the ones you need. This also works great with sliced onions, if you want to have sliced on hand for chicken fajitas.
- Break apart Onions – Then just bang the frozen onions bag against the counter. The onions will break apart and just toss whatever you need in your pan or crockpot.
Freezing onions will save you money:
Onions are not the most expensive, but if you buy 10 onions or a bag of onions when they are at rock bottom price at Aldi or at our local store, Crest Market, you can then freeze them.
You can almost always find these cheap at any number of grocery stores.
Instead of paying FULL price for onions, you can now stock up at the lowest price possible. Plus you will also save more time in the kitchen when making soup stew and other delicious recipes.
If you love this tip, make sure to check out all my favorite ways to save money on groceries.
How long do onions last in the freezer?
Onions last for awhile in the freezer, usually several several months. You can easily chop and freeze a large quantity and use them over time.
Now that you know how long can you freeze onions, it is so easy. It is a great way to save time and money.
How to freeze onions and peppers:
You can freeze bell peppers just like you freeze onions. I save even more time and use a small food chopper or food processor to quickly and easily chop the veggies.
If you do not have one of these, I highly recommend them. They are such a time saver and you can get the veggies really fine.
I usually just chop the entire vegetable and freeze what I don’t need. It’s so nice to be able to just take the diced onion out of the freezer for recipes.
This is how I meal prep. It’s so quick and easy and helps get dinner on the table fast.
Get more information on how to freeze peppers to save so much time in the kitchen!
Can you freeze green onions?
Yes! You absolutely can freeze green onions.
Simply chop and freeze the green onion the same as you would a regular onion. Easy!
We love green onions and it saves a lot of time having them in the freezer.
Can you freeze chopped celery?
You can freeze celery and it is another great time saver. It is best to use frozen celery for cooking because it will lose its crispness after freezing.
Print the instructions here:
How to Freeze Onions
Ingredients
- 1 whole Onions
Instructions
- Peel and chop the onions based on your preference.
- You can chop multiple onions.
- Then store the chopped onions in a freezer safe container or freezer bag.
- Store the bag or container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- When you need some onions, break apart the frozen chopped onions and take what you need for your recipe.
When I think about all the food I have wasted because it never entered my mind to freeze the item. I was one of those people who only buy veggies on an as need basis, use what I need, and then throw away what is left. I am now going to start freezing.
My onions don’t last long enough to freeze. But I have a food saver and freeze everything. I buy in bulk flash freeze my produce and fruits. Put in bags seal and in the freezer they go. I have frozen summer squash, cranberries, jalapeños and everything else I can think of. I do not care for the blanching method. My food does not get freezer burned no straw needed. Been using a Food saver since my kids were small.
78 and widower and i need all the help i can get.
Using plastic takeout containers works well for frozen onions. Add a folded paper towel on top of the onions. It will help absorb the smell.
I usually only use the onions that have been frozen to cook with as the onions do get pretty soft when they defrost out from being frozen.
Very helpful. can frozen onions be used in cold salads ?
I do not think that these freeze well as they become very mushy once they have defrosted.
Thank you for all the ideas l’m getting busy and follow as many as I can. Question: how about zucchini and yellow squash?
Thanks for sharing Diane. I always have trouble with potatoes turning brown when I freeze them but I will definitely try it out this wqy!
You can freeze potatoes. I like to peel some and cut into chunks for soup or just cut some up leaving the skins on. You must balance them, then I lay them on a cookie sheet, put a piece of wax paper or something over them, put in freezer then put in freezer bags. Sounds like a lot of steps but it preserves my potatoes and they are ready when I am.
Great tips – Thank you for sharing!
My mom taught me how to freeze onions and green peppers when I was little. It saves time and tears haha. I also feeeze green and red peppers. This year, I grew celery and froze that also -it was my first time for both. I slice peppers and onions into strips for burritos and fajitas too. Thank you for sharing!
I haven’t had an issue with that before when I place them in freezer bags. Thanks!
Freezing onions does save time, but the problem I have is my whole freezer smells like onions no matter how well I package them. maybe someone has an idea to help prevent that.
Potatoes CAN be frozen generally if they are cooked first. I do not recommend adding any dairy products prior to freezing because the milk particles will separate from the water and the appearance and texture will not be as good. However, adding this things while re-heating, or even better, after re-heating is preferable. For most vegetables like onions, celery, peppers of ALL kinds, carrots, etc, just dice or chop them as you normally would and then place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove them from the freezer and use a nylon spatula to free the frozen veggies from the baking sheet, placing them in a Ziploc bag. When the bag is full, press the air out and seal it. Place it in the freezer immediately. They will remain totally separated (no banging necessary) and you can scoop out the required amount and return the remaining frozen onions, celery, etc. to the freezer right away to keep them from partially thawing. You can also freeze prepped whole bell peppers (for stuffing) after removing the top, seeds and veins (be sure to chop the tops after removing the stems and freeze them separately). Wrap them in a single layer of plastic wrap and store them in the freezer for later use. Frozen prepped whole bell peppers also make great freezer containers for almost any kind of leftovers. Just remove one or more (as necessary) from the freezer, unwrap the plastic wrap and fill the pepper with your leftovers (spaghetti, mashed potatoes, any kind of casserole, etc.) and then re-wrap with the same plastic wrap. When you want a quick single-serving meal, remove it from the freezer, unwrap it and place it in the microwave for 6 to 7 minutes depending on the power of your microwave oven. It will come out (and I was surprised by this too) tasting just like you had just made it (the contents) fresh and just now removed it from the stove, crock pot, pressure cooker, etc..
Do you peel the squash? Also can you use frozen squash?
I freeze onions and peppers. Chop them and put then in snack bags and then put in freezer bags. They keep a couple of years.
I love saving money on my veggies.but some i pass good deal up because most time just cooking for myself.but i know how to freeze onions etc.thanks
Can Minced garlic be frozen?
I have been freezing onions, a variety of bell peppers individually by color. Different colors have slightly different flavors. I freeze hot peppers too, normally a variety. For better longevity, I have a hand held vacuum sealer with reusable zipper bags (available at WM). You can wash and reuse the bags. Be sure to label each bag so you won’t mix your flavors, especially onions. I actually have a multi cooker which is programmable for whatever type of cooking. I hope this helps. Have a great day.
I totally didn’t know that I could chop and freeze the celery. That’s a great tip. I lose so much celery because I buy it for a specific recipe then don’t use the rest. Thanks you!!
This July I bought a couple 10 pound bags of onions for a very reasonable price. I peeled and sliced them, then partially cooked them and put them in zip-lock freezer bags and put them in the freezer. What a huge time saver! For some dishes I like the onions chopped and these are easily chopped when they are starting to thaw, lot less mess being partially frozen. There was no problem with odor because they were partially cooked. (I had the odor problem in the past when I froze them raw.)
I did this same method with Baby Bella mushrooms. Oh My! Pure heaven! They taste like I just went out and picked them. That wonderful flavor! (We are big mushroom fans.) I’m going to donate all my cans of mushrooms to our local food bank.
I haven’t had an issue with that before. Make sure that the bag is sealed tightly before store and maybe have a different shelf for these items. Thank you!
How do you keep them from affecting your other foods? I’ve froze them, but the other foods were affected. Onion/pepper ice cream’s not a good flavor. I’ve used several types of bags and freezer containers.
I haven’t had that problem before Tasha. Maybe try different freezer bags. Thank you!
I have tried freezing onions before and it seems like my whole freezer then smells like onions. Any suggestions as to what might help that? Maybe I need to purchase better freezer bags or something. Definitely wanting to try it again.
Husband just bought 50 lbs onions for 15.00. Will freeze lots now, have already gifted family with dozens.
I do this with peppers and celery too. Works great.
I have frozen potatoes successfully, but you have to half cooked them first. You can cut wedges, half bake them and freeze. Other useful way is to cube the potatoes and put them on a baking tray , bake them just so they are still crunchy but not properly “soft and done”. Great time savers. I’ve done that with mushrooms, but you would have to slice and lightly steam. Still, cool time and money savers.
I just got a 10 kilo bag of onions for3 dollars, will be busy chopping.
I’m thinking eye protection gear for this job btw.
Parboil potatoes in salt water before freezing
I would say about 6 months.
Any idea how long they are good for in the freezer?
Can you freeze green peppers using the same method as the onions ? How about celery? I never know which vegetables have to be blanched first. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks.
Danielle, I have tried freezing potatoes and it did NOT work. I cut them up so they would be ready to go, just as suggested with the onions. However, when I took them out of the freezer, they very quickly turned brown and became a gooey mess. I ended up composting all the potatoes I froze. If there is a way to freeze potatoes, I’d sure like to hear it!
Thank you for posting this. I just bought some onions that were on sale a bag for $1. Wish I would of bought more now. So I got them chopped up and put them in the freezer. Have you ever freezed potatoes? I have 20lbs. that i bought for $3.50.