Who doesn’t love a juicy, fresh pineapple? It tastes great on its own as a healthy snack, is excellent as a dessert, and makes a great addition to a healthy smoothie or to throw in to add a touch of sweetness to a savoury meal. But, how do you store it?
Can You Freeze Pineapple?
Yes, you can freeze pineapple for up to 6 months. Pineapple can be frozen in chunks or rings. It’s a good idea to flash freeze it to make it easier to grab a portion at a time from the freezer.
Does Pinepple Freeze Well? Yes
Can You Refreeze Pineapple? No
How To Freeze Pineapple
Pineapple doesn’t tend to last very long once it is ripe. You might be lucky and get three to four days before it starts to go bad. No wonder you are looking for ways to preserve it so it lasts a little longer.
Here’s the best approach to take when freezing pineapple:
- Prepare and Cut: Cut the pineapple by cutting the top and bottom off, then peeling and cutting out the core. You should now just be left with the meat of the fruit. Cut the pineapple into either slices or chunks.
- Spread Onto a Baking Tray: Grab a baking sheet and place the cut fruit onto it. Make sure none of it is touching. It might be helpful to pop some parchment paper onto the sheet before adding the pineapple to ensure it doesn’t stick to the baking sheet.
- Flash Freeze: Lay the baking sheet into the freezer, keeping it flat. Then freeze for a few hours until the pineapple is frozen.
- Bag Up: Once frozen, transfer the pineapple from the baking sheet into a freezer bag.
- Seal and Freeze: Seal the bag, label it with the contents and date, and return it to the freezer.
How to Freeze Pineapple Juice
If you find you have pineapple juice leftover, then you can freeze this too.
- Transfer to a Container: Transfer the juice into an airtight container that is suitable for the freezer.
- Leave Room for Expansion: Leave about an inch gap at the top of the container. This is because the juice will expand when it freezes, and the container will likely become damaged if there isn’t enough space left.
- Protect: Add an extra freezer bag around the container to ensure you don’t get any messes or spills in the freezer.
- Freeze: Label the container and pop it into the freezer. It should last for a few months in the freezer like this.
How to Freeze Canned Pineapple
If you don’t have fresh pineapple but leftover canned pineapple, then the great thing is – you can freeze this too!
- Remove from the Tin: Take the pineapple out of the tin. Never freeze any tinned can. It isn’t good for the food, and the can might burst and damage the freezer.
- Bag Up: Pop the pineapple into an airtight container or freezer bag. You can choose to freeze it in the juice or out of it, but remember, if you freeze it with the juice, you will have to defrost the whole thing when it comes to using it.
- Label and Freeze: Label the container and pop it into the freezer for up to two months.
3 Tips for Freezing Pineapple
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing pineapple to have the best results:
Flash Freezing is Vital
Flash freezing is an essential part of freezing pineapple. It makes it easier to grab a portion at a time. If you were to avoid flash freezing, you’d find it near-impossible to grab a handful of pineapple when you fancy it.
Try Freezing in Juice
Keep pineapple extra juicy by adding a splash of juice to the bag you freeze pineapple in. This works particularly well with canned pineapple.
Use Directly in Smoothies
Don’t bother defrosting pineapple if you want to use it in smoothies. Toss it into your blend with your other ingredients and blitz as you normally would.
How Long Can You Freeze Pineapple?
If you have frozen fresh pineapple correctly, you should be able to keep it in the freezer for up to six months. This is a really handy way of always having fresh pineapple ready for your smoothies.
Grab a few chunks and pop them into your smoothie, and blend for a delicious-tasting treat.
A whole pineapple will keep for around a week in the fridge. Once prepared and cut up, it will only keep for around 3 days in a covered dish or airtight container.
How Do You Defrost Pineapple?
You can defrost pineapple by taking out however much you need and putting it into a bowl. Put the bowl in the fridge and let it defrost overnight.
If you are using the pineapple in smoothies, you don’t need to defrost it. Just pop the frozen chunks into your smoothie and blend it. This adds coolness and a lovely creamy texture to the smoothie. You may also be able to use frozen pineapple in some recipes too.
Another idea for a tasty and healthy snack is to eat it frozen! This is wonderful in summer for a cooling treat.
Can You Refreeze Pineapple?
Once you have defrosted pineapple, then it is not recommended to refreeze it as a raw food or ingredient.
Freezing and thawing does affect fruit and you could end up with mushy fruit that isn’t good for you and doesn’t taste great either.
However, if you have cooked your frozen pineapple in a meal or a cake you should be able to freeze it again.
Does Pineapple Freeze Well?
It’s rare to find a food that tastes the same frozen as it did when it was fresh and pineapple is the same.
If you are eating it as a raw fruit, you might notice a difference in texture. The taste should remain fine for up to six months.
For cooking or smoothies, pineapple freezes very well. You won’t even notice a difference.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing pineapple or pineapple in general, then these may help:
Yes, crushed pineapple can be frozen for around 2 to 3 months. It should be bagged up, sealed and frozen. However, expect the pineapple’s texture to degrade, so it may only be suitable for smoothies, for example.
Sources
We have verified the information on this page using the following resources:
