If you’re wondering if you can preserve beets for later use, this tutorial on how to freeze beets is for you! It includes information about freezing cooked beets as well as raw and blanched beets, plus ideas for frozen beetroot recipes and how to use them in borscht, smoothies, and more.
Got beets? If you have too many from your garden, the store, or the farmers market and want to save some for later, read on to learn how to freeze beets! Beets are a wonderful vegetable to freeze, especially after cooking them. They thaw well and taste great in recipes.
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Ingredients and Equipment
- Beets: You can use any variety, including red, golden, and chioggia.
- Freezer bags: I love to use reusable silicone bags, such as Stasher bags, for freezing vegetables. Zip-top, freezer-friendly bags are also an option.
- Cutting board and knife: To trim beets or cut them into cubes if you are not cooking them whole.
- Pot and bowl: For blanching…if you are not cooking them before freezing.
Freezing Cooked Beets
You may be wondering if it is better to freeze beets raw or cooked. I recommend cooking them all the way through before freezing them. They may keep better than raw beets, and you’ll save yourself time in the future. However, it depends on your needs and how you plan to use beets in future recipes. For instance, if you are planning to use frozen cubed beets in borscht, other soups, or curry, freezing them raw is best.
Cooked whole beets, as opposed to cooked diced beets, are especially suitable for freezing. They thaw well and can be cut up into your desired shape and size after thawing.
Here’s how to freeze cooked whole beets:
- Trim the roots, stems, and leaves and clean them. Scrub the beets under running water to remove any dirt.
- Cook the beets using your preferred method. I like to make Roasted Beets in Foil or Instant Pot Beets, but you can also boil or steam beets on the stovetop.
- Let the beets cool, then remove the skin with your fingers.
- Transfer the beets to freezer-safe bags. Seal, label, and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Freezing Raw Beets
Raw beets can also be frozen, but they may not last as long or retain the same quality as cooked beets. If you want to freeze them raw, I recommend at least blanching them for a few minutes to help preserve quality, nutrition, and texture. You can freeze beets without blanching, but they will probably only last a couple of months.
Here’s how to blanch beets for freezing:
- Trim the roots, stems, and leaves and clean them. Scrub the beets under running water to remove any dirt.
- Remove the skin and cut the beets into cubes. See How to Cut Beets for more information.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop the cubed beets in the boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Immediately transfer the beets to a bowl of ice water. This will stop the cooking process.
- After letting them sit for a few minutes, drain the beets and pat dry.
- Spread them out on lined baking sheets.
- Place the baking sheets in the freezer. Keep them there for an hour or so until the beets are frozen solid.
- Transfer the frozen beets to bags. Seal, label, and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Use within 3 months for best results
Frozen Beet Recipes
Raw beets that you blanched before freezing can be used in hot dishes and roasted beet recipes. Add them directly from the freezer to soups, borschts, and curries, like my Coconut Beetroot Curry or Slow Cooker Borscht, or bake them from frozen on a baking sheet.
Frozen cooked beets should be thawed in the refrigerator overnight. Then, you can use them in salads, cooked dishes, smoothies, and more! However, frozen then thawed cooked beets tend to be more watery than freshly cooked ones. You may want to squeeze out some of the water before adding them to recipes. In addition, frozen then thawed cooked beets may not work as well freshly cooked ones in baked good recipes due to their higher water content.
Substitute thawed beets for freshly cooked ones in these dishes:
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📖 Recipe
How to Freeze Beets
Equipment
- Freezer-safe bags or containers
Ingredients
- 3 beets - red, golden, or any variety
Instructions
- First, prep the beets. Trim off the stems, roots, and leaves. Scrub the beets under running water to remove any dirt.
Freezing cooked beets
- After preparing the beets, cook them using your desired method. To roast the beets, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Rub each beet with olive oil. Then, place each one on a square of aluminum foil. Fold the square over each beet and roll up the sides to create a sealed packet. Place the packets on a baking sheet and roast for 45 to 60 minutes until fork-tender. Once they are cool enough to touch, rub off the skin with your hands.
- You can also boil or steam beets. See my Instant Pot Beets for how to cook them in a pressure cooker.
- Once the beets have cooled and you have removed the skin, transfer them to freezer-safe bags or containers. Seal tightly, label, and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Thaw frozen cooked beets in the refrigerator overnight. Then, cut them into your desired shape and add to recipes like smoothies, cooked dishes, or salads. Keep in mind that frozen then thawed cooked beets tend to be more watery than freshly cooked beets. You may want to squeeze out some of the water before adding to recipes. Also, they may not work as well as freshly cooked beets in baked goods due to their higher water content.
Freezing raw beets
- After preparing the beets, remove the skin. Then, cut them into cubes.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water and set aside.
- When the water is boiling, add the beet cubes to the pot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Immediately transfer the blanched beets to the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Let them sit for about 5 minutes.
- Drain the beets and pat dry.
- Spread them out on a baking sheet and transfer to the freezer. Keep them there for about an hour or so until they are frozen solid.
- Transfer the frozen beet pieces to a freezer bag or container. Seal tightly, label, and keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. Use within 3 months for best results.
- Add frozen raw/blanched beets directly to soups (like borscht), curries, or other hot dishes.
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