Vegetables
Can You Freeze Raw Parsnips?

Can You Freeze Raw Parsnips?

Parsnips are a tasty root vegetable that is especially popular during the winter months. If you have too many, you might wonder whether it’s okay to freeze raw parsnips to prevent them from becoming food waste.

Can You Freeze Raw Parsnips?

While you can freeze raw parsnips, once thawed, you might end up with a bit of a soggy mess! The best course of action is to quickly blanch before freezing, instead of freezing raw parsnips.

This will ensure you have the best possible end product after freezing and means the parsnips can be frozen for longer too.

Can You Freeze Parsips Without Blanching?

Like a lot of vegetables, parsnips have a high water content which means that they don’t freeze very well in their raw state. Freezing raw parsnips without blanching first is not recommended.

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How To Freeze Raw Parsnips

Freeze raw parsnips easily following these simple steps.

How To Blanch Parsnips For Freezing

  1. Peel the parsnips and remove each end. Chop the parsnips into large chunks.
  2. Bring a pan of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the parsnips to the water and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Cool the parsnips chunks either in a bowl of icy water or by running the parsnips under cold water. This stops the parsnips from cooking any further.
  4. Drain the parsnips and gently pat dry using a tea towel. This prevents ice crystals forming when they freeze.

Can You Freeze Cooked Parsnips?

Yes, you can freeze cooked parsnips! While this article focuses on preparing raw parsnips for the freezer, cooked parsnips can be frozen, whether they’ve been blanched, roasted, mashed, pureed, boiled or even made into parsnip soup.

How To Freeze Blanched Parsnips

Once your parsnips have been blanched, it’s time to get them ready for the freezer. I like to flash freeze mine as means they don’t stick together and it means I can remove as few or as many as I need from the freezer at a time.

  1. Before freezing, ensure the parsnips are cold after being blanched and pat off any excess water using a tea towel or a few pieces of kitchen roll.
  2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the parsnips on the tray, leaving a small gap between each.
  3. Freeze the parsnip chunks/pieces until solid, this usually takes 1-2 hours.
  4. Remove from the freezer and place into a freezer-safe container. This could be a freezer bag, plastic tub, or glass jar.
  5. Label and date the parsnips.

How Long Do Blanched Parnips Last In The Freezer?

Blanched parsnips can last for up to a year in the freezer. They should be perfectly safe to eat after this time but may start to show signs of freezer burn and the taste and texture may have started to deteriorate.

How To Defrost Parsnips

While you can defrost parsnips before using them, you may not need to. Frozen parsnips can be roasted and boiled from frozen. You could also add the into a stew from frozen for example, as they will defrost and cook as the stew cooks.

However, if you do want to defrost the parsnips before cooking, you can do this overnight in the refrigerator.

How To Reheat Blanched Parsnips

Blanched parsnips aren’t actually fully cooked, so they will need cooking before you can eat them.

Typically parsnips take 10-12 minutes to cook in boiling water.

5 Ways To Preserve Parsips For Freezing

If you don’t want to blanch your parsnips before freezing, there are plenty of other ways to cook them before they go into the freezer.

Parsnip Soup

Parsnip Puree

Roasted Parsnips

Parsnip Mash

Sauteed Parsnips

Parsnips are so versatile, that it’s worth making the effort to freeze them if you have more than you need!