Vegetables
Can You Freeze Butter Beans?

Can You Freeze Butter Beans?

Butter beans are a delicious and easy way to bulk up meals such as stews and chilli con Carne. They are also easy to grow so is a popular choice for people who like growing their own vegetables. Can you freeze butter beans? Read on to find out.

Can You Freeze Butter Beans?

The good news is that yes, you can freeze butter beans. Like most vegetables, they freeze really well and the taste and texture are mostly unaffected.

The only thing you may notice is that the butter beans are a little bit softer after having been frozen and reheated.

You can freeze butter beans that have been cooked or blanched and you can freeze dishes where butter beans are part of the ingredient such as in soup or casserole.

Canned butter beans are already cooked so these can be frozen as they are.

Can You Freeze Fresh Butter Beans Without Blanching?

As butter beans have such a high water content, they don’t freeze well unless they are cooked or blanched first. Blanching is the quickest and easiest way to prepare fresh butter beans for the freezer.

How To Blanch Butter Beans For Freezing

  1. First, you’ll need to bring a large pan of water to a boil.
  2. Add the Butter Beans to the water and blanch for two minutes.
  3. Drain the Butter Beans in a colander and then pour them into a large bowl or pan filled with cold water and ice cubes and leave for a further two minutes. Alternatively, you can pour the Butter Beans back into the pan and run under cold water for a few minutes.
  4. Drain the Butter Beans again and pour into containers ready for freezing.

How To Freeze Butter Beans

You can freeze butter beans using the simple steps below. If you have a large number of butter beans to freeze you may want to consider splitting them into smaller portions before freezing.

  1. Ensure the butter beans are cold from the cooking process before putting them in the freezer.
  2. Use freezer-safe containers such as zip-lock bags, glass jars or plastic tubs. Squeeze out any air from bags to help prevent freezer burn.
  3. Label and date the butter beans so you know what they are and when to use them by before placing the container into the freezer.

How Long Do Butter Beans Keep In The Freezer?

Butter beans keep really well in the freezer and will last for up to a year. While they will still be safe to eat after this time, the quality may be reduced, the texture could be affected and they may become more susceptible to freezer burn.

This time is reduced if you’re freezing butter beans as part of casserole or stew, depending on what the other ingredients are. Check the recipe you using for freezing instructions or if you need further information.

How To Defrost Butter Beans

If you need to defrost butter beans, the best way to do this is overnight in the fridge. The larger the portion sizes the longer they will take so allow extra thawing time if this is the case.

You can also use butter beans straight from frozen, so there may not be any need to defrost them. For example, frozen butter beans could be added straight into a pan of boiling water or into to a bubbling soup or stew.

How To Reheat Butter Beans

There are several different ways you can reheat butter beans. If you’re adding them to a casserole they can be thrown straight in, just ensure the whole dish is piping hot before serving.

You can also reheat butter beans in the microwave or in a pan of hot water. Each of these methods should only take a few minutes as the butter beans are already cooked.

Freezing Other Types of Vegetables

Can You Freeze Cooked Turnips?

Can You Freeze Cooked Swede?

Can You Freeze Carrot Tops?

Can You Freeze Purple Sprouting Broccoli?

Can You Freeze Chillies?

Can You Freeze Raw Parsnips?

Can You Freeze Cooked Swede?

Can You Freeze Cooked Pumpkin?

Can You Freeze Lettuce?