Kale can easily be frozen to be used in smoothies, soups, and stews! Learn how to preserve kale by freezing it with just a few simple steps!
How to Freeze Kale: Preserving Kale
Kale is a wonderful leafy green vegetable with seemingly magical properties to it. In fact, it is one of the most nutrient rich foods we can eat, it is full of vitamins and minerals and packed with antioxidants!
While a kale salad can be a delicious lunch option, adding frozen kale to soups, stews, and smoothies is a great way to bulk up your kale intake without eating bowls and bowls of it!
learn more about the benefits of kale
Kale is also a very easy vegetable to grow on your own (learn how to grow your own kale). It does very well in cooler climates and thrives well into the fall. I love growing kale in my garden, and seem to have an abundance of it at the end of the summer.
One of the great things about kale is that it produces so much! I always find myself with tons of kale left over at the end of the season, and luckily kale is very easy to preserve!
Can kale be frozen?
To preserve the excess kale that grows in my garden, I freeze it to be used throughout the winter in soups and smoothies. I love kale smoothies, they are a great way to eat veggies for breakfast! Kale can easily be frozen by blanching the greens in boiling water for three minutes.
How long does kale last in the freezer?
When frozen and stored properly, kale will last for about a year in the freezer. However, I doubt it will last that long!
How To Freeze and Preserve Kale
Step 1: Rinse, pat dry, and de-stem.
When freezing kale, I’ve found that it’s easiest to use later on if you de-stem the vegetable. You can discard the stems. To make this process even easier, just team them! It’s super easy!
Step 2: Roughly chop the greens into bite size pieces (or tear).
I have found that it’s easier to use up frozen kale in smoothies and soups if it’s already cut down into edible portions.
Step 3: Blanche the greens for 3 minutes in softly boiling water. Promptly remove after 3 minutes, and place in a bowl of ice water.
Step 4: Remove the greens from the ice water, pat dry, and divide into freezer bags. Squeeze out the air from the freezer bags, and store in the freezer for up to a year.
Time needed: 10 minutes
How to Freeze Kale: Preserving Kale
- Rinse, pat dry, and de-stem (with a knife or by tearing). Tearing is way easier than slicing with a knife!
- Roughly chop the greens into bite size pieces (or tear).
- Blanche the greens for 3 minutes in softly boiling water. Promptly remove after 3 minutes, and place in a bowl of ice water.
- Remove the greens from the ice water, pat dry, and divide into freezer bags. Squeeze out the air from the freezer bags, and store in the freezer for up to a year.
