How to freeze broccoli
Broccoli is such a versatile vegetable to have on hand and works a treat in pasta, soups, curries and even our cheesy bake recipe, but don't let it go to waste next time its nearing its end of life.
We've compiled our top tips to safely freeze broccoli and get the best quality and texture from it so keep reading on to learn more.
- Most vegetables, including broccoli keep better for longer if they're blanched before freezing. Prepare it as normal (cutting into the shape and size you require) and put in a pan of boiling water. Bring back to boil and continue to boil for 1 minute for most vegetables. Or 2 to 3min for hard vegetables such as carrots and 10 seconds for soft vegetables such as mange tout or spinach.
- Drain vegetables and plunge straight into a bowl of iced water to refresh. This stops vegetables from cooking further and losing their vibrant colour.
- Drain and thoroughly dry on kitchen paper then pack into freezer safe bags. Twist bags to remove any air then seal. Freeze as soon as possible. Always remember to clearly label and date what you’re freezing so you can keep track of what you have and use it in good time.
Frozen broccoli can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
