How To Freeze Blueberries | How Long Can Blueberries Be Frozen? | Best Way to Freeze and Preserve Fresh Blueberries | Perfect for Smoothies, Cobblers and Pies

How to Freeze Blueberries | By Sherry Trautman | Travel-Mi.com

If you are wondering how do you freeze blueberries, you've come to the right place!

I just finished picking 10 pounds of luscious, fresh blueberries (July is the optimal time in Michigan) so they are ready to be frozen for use throughout the year.  It took some trial and error to learn how to preserve blueberries...

But I finally figured out how to freeze blueberries in a method that works the best for us. 

So keep reading for the best way for freezing fresh blueberries in the freezer!

How Long do Blueberries Last in the Freezer? 

How long do blueberries last in the freezer?  It is recommended to use your frozen blueberries within 12 months if properly stored and continuously frozen. 

What To Do With Frozen Blueberries

I mainly use my frozen blueberries for my daily green smoothies, blueberry pies, blueberry sauce for pancakes, blueberry popsicles, blueberry cobblers and frozen blueberry drinks. 

For my frozen drinks, I like to blend frozen blueberries, 1/2 a frozen banana, some yogurt and a small amount of fresh cold water.

So keep reading for more info on blueberries for smoothies and treats!

How to Freeze Blueberries

Wondering how do you freeze blueberries? Well....

I always pick several pounds of blueberries at one time from one of our local Michigan blueberry farms.  I usually freeze my blueberries in two ways, depending on when I plan to use them.

I begin by pulling any small stems off the berries then I wash them in a colander with fresh running water. 

I pour them into a large cookie sheet and use paper towels to dry the berries a bit. I do this to prevent extra water from freezing on the blueberries. 

I then lay the berries in a single layer on cookie sheets and place them into the freezer for a flash freeze.  In my opinion, this is the best way to freeze blueberries.

I leave the blueberries in the freezer for about 4 hours until they are solid. 

I then use a spatula to pry them off the bottom of the cookie sheet if any are stuck. 

This is the best way to freeze fresh blueberries to prevent them from sticking together in a big frozen ball in a freezer bag. You can easily take out as many as you like instead of thawing the whole bag. So you can see, freezing blueberries is easy!

How to Freeze Blueberries For Short Term Use:

If I plan to use my flash frozen fresh blueberries in the next month or two for my smoothies and fruit drinks I will simply place them into quart sized freezer bags and push out as much air as possible.  For me, I usually freeze 4-5 quart bags worth of fresh Michigan blueberries...yeah, I go through a lot!

How to Freeze Blueberries For Long Term Use:

Since I pick enough blueberries to last all year, I need to prevent freezer burn on my flash frozen blueberries.

How to Freeze Blueberries with FoodSaver

We invested in this Food Saver and we absolutely love it. Not only can you freeze and preserve fruits, but we buy large packages of steaks from Costco and freeze half of them. 

Using a Food Saver vacuum sealer really prevents your food from getting ice and freezer burn inside the packages. Vacuum sealers preserve food by depriving the food of oxygen. Mold and bacteria cannot grow without oxygen. 

I freeze small enough packages so once I open them I take out what I need and then use it within 3 days. I close the package with a chip clip and refreeze. 

It works awesome to preserve blueberries!

You can stack several of these lovely freezer bags in your freezer to use throughout the year. I hope you found some helpful tips on how to freeze blueberries!

How long can you keep frozen blueberries in the freezer?

If you are wondering how how long can you freeze blueberries, if they are flash frozen and properly stored in a freezer bag they last about 6 months but if you freeze them with a vacuum sealer, they last a few months longer, about 12 months. 

My goal is to use up all my frozen blueberries by July so I can pick fresh blueberries at these Michigan Blueberry Farms.

Where to Pick Fresh Michigan Blueberries

I create an interactive map of the best farms in Michigan to pick fresh blueberries! Check it out!

Love Strawberries? How to Make Strawberry Pie with Your Fresh Strawberries!

So guys, you gotta try this yummy Michigan Strawberry Pie!  It's so yummy and doesn't use Jell-O! 

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