Here I go again, breaking the rules…
First it was canning peaches with honey, and then my no-sugar canned pears, and now I’m becoming a green bean rebel.
You see, I have an extreme aversion to two things when it comes to food preservation:
- Super intricate methods with seemingly unnecessary steps (Ain’t nobody got time for that when you have 15 bazillion bushels of food to put up…)
- Using boatloads of sugar to preserve fresh produce
Now you do have to be a little bit careful when you’re preserving food– sometimes you just *can’t* be a rebel with certain things if it impacts the safety of the recipe. (Check out my post all about canning safety HERE.) However, with the peaches and pears I listed above, the recipe is still completely safe, even with the edits.
So next up on my food-preservation-rebellion list?
Green beans.
First, let’s chat real quick about freezing vs. canning.
Canning Green Beans vs. Freezing Green Beans
This one is totally your personal preference. Some folks prefer the taste and texture of canned beans, while others prefer frozen ones.
Personally? I prefer frozen green beans as I think they have a fresher taste, and less nutrient loss. Plus I don’t have to heat up my kitchen to make it happen. But if you really like canning green beans instead, there’s nothing wrong with that. (Pickling your green beans is another option.)
But if you decide to freeze, then there’s the issue of blanching… And that’s where my rebellious streak comes out.
Should I Blanch Green Beans?
When you freeze green beans, it’s always been recommended that you blanch them first. For those who aren’t familiar with blanching, it’s a common practice in food preservation that involves boiling the food for several minutes, and then plunging into ice water.
The thought is that blanching stops the enzyme action which can result in loss of flavor and color.
The problem? It’s an extra step. And I don’t like extra steps. And if you have a big bunch of green beans to freeze, you have to blanch in fairly small quantities, which takes time.
So last year I did the unthinkable: I froze all my green beans without blanching. Scandalous, I know…
But guess what? They’ve been in my freezer for almost a year now, and they still taste good. And there’s no obvious flavor or color loss that I can see. So that was enough to make me skip blanching for good. Here’s how I do it:
How to Freeze Green Beans without blanching
You will need:
- Fresh green beans
- Freezer baggies
In my opinion, the most important part of this process is starting off with good beans. Older, tougher beans just don’t freeze well. You know the ones– they feel kinda woody and hollow when you try to snap them. Skip freezing those guys, and only select the freshest, most tender green beans for your freezer.
Snap off the ends, and break the beans into halves or thirds, if you like. (I usually just leave them long, though).
Wash and drain thoroughly.
Spread the green beans on a baking sheet in a single layer, and flash freeze for 30-60 minutes. Remove them from the tray, place in a freezer baggie, label, and place back into the freezer.
When you’re ready to eat them, boil until tender, season, and that’s it. Fresh-from-the-garden-flavor in the dead of winter (or anytime).
So that’s how to freeze green beans using the cheater-method. But for those of you who are still blanching enthusiasts, no worries– I have instructions for you, too.
How to Freeze Green Beans (blanching method)
You will need:
- Fresh green beans
- Freezer baggies
- Boiling water
- Ice-cold water
Just like before, select the freshest, most tender beans. Snap off the ends, and snap into halves/thirds, if desired.
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, and lower the beans into the pot. The key here is to not overload the pot. If you add too many beans to the pot at once, it’ll take too long for the water to come up to a boil. Blanch small quantities at a time so the water returns to a boil within a minute or so of you placing the beans in the pot.
Once the water returns to a boil, set the timer for three minutes.
After three minutes, remove the beans and plunge them into ice water for another 3 minutes.
Then remove from the ice water, drain very thoroughly, and place on baking sheet in a single layer. Freeze 30-60 minutes, then place into freezer bags.
If you’d rather freeze in freezer containers, or skip the flash-freezing process, that’s OK too. However, if you skip those steps, there’s a chance you’ll end up with a big chunk of rock-hard frozen green beans that can be hard to separate if you just need a small amount later.
Other Food Preservation Posts You’ll Love:
- No Cook Strawberry Freezer Jam
- 5 Ways to Preserve Carrots
- Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Peach Pie Filling for the Freezer
- How to Preserve Fresh Herbs with Salt
Check out my homestead mercantile for all of my favorite homesteading, cooking, and preserving products.
Prefer to listen in? Listen to the Old Fashioned On Purpose podcast episode #79 all about canning safety:
I skipped the flash freezing last year (gasp-yes I did)! Rinsed the green beans and straight into baggies…24 quart baggies. They lasted almost a year and were fresh tasting and easy to prepare! Did some last week the same way 😉
A gal after my own heart! 🙂
I tried this last year & it worked amazing! Thank you so much! I would always end up with mushy beans due to over blanching but no more!
I LOVE rebels! ?
Getting in line…..!
Thank you! I’m doing the no blanching this year!
Can you do this same method with squash? I tried blanching mine last year and they were mushy when using them this past winter.
Have any of you tried to freeze kale and swiss chard without blanching?
Yes, I’ve done this with greens. Freezing the chopped kale on the cookie sheet first, before placing in a bag. This way you can pull out what you need. Haven’t noticed any difference between blanched and not blanched.
I do the same thing. I have been doing it for years. I have never had a problem with the beans.
Isn’t the thought process to kill bugs and bacteria so you have to Blanche? I’m a rebel so I’m going to try this method of flash freezing! Time saver!
Yes kale. Wash with just water, and rinse well. Shake out excess water. Put in container and seal. Plastic ziplock bag works. It’s best when you cook it in something. Break off some from the bag, you can use scissors to cut it up, and put it in what ever your cooking. We used the last of ours from last year this past may.
I have given up that step with beans, peas, corn, pepper(green and hot), and onions. They all have worked real well and I always have ‘fresh’ on hand that way to throw into anything.
Jill,
I am in the process of developing a website which will become a national print magazine. The focus of the website is the awareness, appreciation and education about wild horses. While that is the focus of the magazine, one section is going to be devoted to homesteading. Which is why I am contacting you. I am a huge fan of your blog and website, as well as Natural Homestead which I find invaluable. I grew up in the suburbs of Syracuse, NY where we had a small backyard garden and flowers around the house. In the past few years my life has been turned around. We live in the country with our horses and mules, where we have now added our beef cattle (Scottish Highland), recently chickens (all 27 of them) and next year will be pigs. My husband and I both hunt and the main meat source of our diets is wild game. My garden has grown immensely to where I think I need to add on. I am a huge essential oil fan and believe in holistic healing. I am also a Reiki Master. All this is close to my heart and why I want to feature it in my website/magazine. I would love to have you be a feature in this part of my magazine. I would like to link to your blog, but I like to go one step further and have you write featured articles or provide excerpts to include in it. It would be more exposure for your essential oils business and your blog. I feel the information you provide is awesome and I love your sense of humor. It would be an honor to have you be a part of this endeavor. Please let me know your thoughts. If you would like more information..I can provide it to you as it develops. I look forward to hearing from you. Best regards, Mary Lainhart
Hi Mary,
Your new website sounds wonderful! Sounds like you have a beautiful homestead, too– I especially love the Scottish Highland cattle!
Thanks so much for thinking of me as a contributing writer, but unfortunately, my plate is already overflowing with projects/writing assignments. I hope you have huge success with it, though!
Can you cook them in the oven?
Of course you can. You can also saute them. You can also microwave them, and all after freezing them. I was shocked to read this article when after all the steps taken to not blanch, to be instructed to boil them. That is a sin.
Why don’t you folks invest into a vacuum sealer and do it right. Anything in a baggie in the freezer for a year will get freezer burned.
yesterday i tried it and my dog ate the green beans
“flash freeze?” – what’s that, and how do you DO it?
Flash freezing is just spreading them out on a sheet pan and freezing them before you bag them Up. That way they don’t clump together in the bag. 🙂
I always use a silpat, silicon baking sheet, under anything I individually freeze which makes getting the frozen food off of the baking sheet. Almost nothing sticks to a silpat and being flexible makes them easy to get off, good for baking also.
Good idea. I’ve just been using parchment paper, but don’t like it’s wastefulness. I’ll look for these.
I JUST did my green beans and I did blanch them. Being my first time I followed the rules, and it was SUPER hard not to eat them all right then and there. I chose to do this instead of canning for the heat it was 105 the day I picked and was over that heat. They tasted wonderful they were beautiful color. OH how I love that they are in my freezer now. I am not a canned bean flavor person, but if I had to eat them fresh I can get over myself and eat them. Store canned GAG!
I agree– store-bought canned beans are just nasty!
I love fresh frozen green beans. I love the crunchiness of fresh beans! But the rest of the family likes their beans mushy. 🙁 So they get store bought canned beans, and I stick with my fresh frozen!
Jill I tried freezing green beans…blanched and non blanched. Did not like either way. After cooking they seemed to get soggy. What am I doing wrong. I like the idea of saving time but not at the cost of soggy beans.
This is awesome! Thank you! I love learning short cuts like this that actually work.
I had a similar experience 2 years ago with a bumper crop of bell peppers. I sliced them fajita style and just froze them. Of course they’re only good for recipes that require cooked peppers (like fajitas, stews, etc.) but it was quick and easy, and gave us many delicious meals over the winter.
Can’t wait to try it with the beans!
Yum! Love the pepper idea!
Can you do this with broccoli ?
YES! We always get the 10-cent “irregular” bell peppers at the Farmers Market and either dice them or slice them and just throw them in a baggie. No flash-freezing necessary easy. Just tap the bag on the counter and they break apart easily and you can throw them in chili or fajitas all winter long!!
I don’t even wash my beans because I grow them organic. I quit blanching my corn too.
I noticed where you said that you quit blanching your corn, pray, tell me how you freeze corn with out blanching!! also do you cut the corn off the cob or freeze the corn on the cob? Just the Facts Please!!
Thank You!! Don Riedthaler
I don’t know how Heather does her corn, but I just throw the entire ear into the freezer. I don’t husk it at all. The good part is that when you take them out to use, the husk will pull every last bit of silk off.
Amen to that that’s the way I put mine in the freezer
I used this method too. The corn taste like it just came from the farmer’s market.
I have always used my Great Aunt Jenny ‘ s recipe. My family has been freezing corn this way ever since electricity and freezers were available on our South Dakota farm.
20 cups corn scraped from cob
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
5 cups ice water
Mix together
Bag and freeze
I have cut back some on the salt and next year I am going to experiment with using honey instead of sugar.
freeze corn in its husk.
What is the texture of the beans when you freeze them? I have canned in the past but the way I prefer to eat green beans is still with a crunch to them – I couldn’t stand the mushy texture of the canned beans. Lately we’ve been growing enough beans to eat fresh and not put any back which isn’t really ideal.
I definitely prefer the texture of frozen beans vs. canned beans after cooking. Freezing them definitely preserves more crunch.
I am new to preserving food.
I loved the idea of freezing green beans without
blanching – I need to keep it simple.
Is is poosible to use the same method for lima beans?
The beans I froze last summer were mushy when I went to use them during the winter. Any suggestions/tips?
Jill, how long. Will blanched corn off the cob. Keep in the freezer?I still have some from 2016 would it still be ok to eat?
I would just cook some and see how it tastes! If it’s freezer burnt, it probably won’t taste good or be worth eating.
What are you going to do when the electric grid fails you? That’s why I can and not freeze as much as possible.
That’s when you can them. I keep several 2 ltr bottles of water frozen in the bottom of my freezer in case of a power failure. The food will stay frozen for a couple of days and then you can dig out the things you want to put into jars and water bath them on an open fire. Not sure I would want to try the pressure canner over a fire, but maybe on a gas grill you could regulate the temp.
I am trying to find out how to freeze fresh beans and peas in order to go back later and can them. Can you tell me how to do this safely..
I had a problem with the beans were soggy when I took them out of the freezer even though I had dried them after blanching. I read somewhere to use a salad spinner to dry them. I did that then laid them out on a towel to soak up any extra water and let them air dry. It worked.
I LOVE your no-blanch plan! I’m fairly new to all this stuff but last year I blanched the green beans and popped them into the freezer bags and … maybe I skipped the separate-them-and-dry-them-out step and they clumped and when I took them out to use them, they were actually awful and I had to throw them away. I just did it your way and spread them out on the cookie sheet and when I took them out of the freezer after an hour, they were beautifully frozen! Instead of freezer bags (I’m kind of leery now) I vacuum sealed ’em and froze ’em and am hoping they will be perfect and delicious. Thanks for all your help.
I might just try the no-blanch method. A suggestion when cooking them…perhaps try steaming instead of boiling. Some of the nutrients of veggies are lost in the water when they are boiled; but not as much with steaming 🙂
I’m dropping blanching this year as well, particularly since so many of your readers seem to be doing the same. With so much to freeze, I find myself cheating on the step where I plunge the beans into cold water. The beans don’t get cold enough and then they end up mushy.
I have an even more rebellious method for you. I have been doing this for years with great success. Simply break the ends off and snap your green beans. Wipe off any dirt first. Then place them into freezer bags. When you are ready to cook them, rinse the green beans, boil the beans, drain the water, then cook as you normally would. They taste like you just picked them every time. We have never had a problem with this method. 🙂
this sounds like the method I would use. never blanching again.
I tried that with some beans recently and they were awful.Just mushy, and last year i did the blanching, ice water salad spinner etc and they were still horrible and mushy. Was it because they were wax beans. It was my first time doing that. Now I have hundreds of beans and don’t know what to do.
Any pickling recipes? Thanks for any help.
I’ve heard of flash freezing strawberries by putting dry ice in a cooler & pouring the cleaned berries in. It said that it freezes them instantly & kept it separated. Do you think that would work here?
We haven’t used dry ice, but we do just pick our strawberries, hull them, wash and let dry for a few minutes ( I usually pat them dry with paper towel) then I freeze on a cookie sheet covered in foil for a few hours. After they are frozen I bag them up to be used however we want to later.
I’m our farm “food preservationist”. We have a smallish organic farm, complete with the best Jersey cow (Mercy) in the world. (Looking forward to her second calf in October!) I’ve pretty much abandoned blanching, too. But this year I’m vacuum sealing to bag flash-frozen foods. I’m experimenting: Lime Leaf is a new one for me, and I’m trying out chives, too. The strawberries are beyond fantastic — NO freezer burn, no water dilution when thawed! Same for peas (is there anything in the world better than peas??)
I’ve lacto-fermented a lot of foods (mostly successful), but now planning to embark on the Fermentools system. Excluding oxygen has got to be a winner. I’ve used oak leaves for crispness in regular vinegar brined/canned pickles, and have made fabulous laco-fermented sauerkraut. But using proper salt and avoiding oxygen … must be the best sauerkraut ever!
Will keep you posted.
I don’t blanch anything. Put a lot of purple hull peas in the freezer. Shell them, don’t wash them, put them in a large storage container,(or bags if you prefer), pop in the freezer. When I get ready to cook, scoop out the amount you want and wash and cook as usual. Just cooked a pot yesterday of peas frozen dry for 2 years. Tasted like fresh picked! 🙂
YUM!
Has anyone tried this with sugar snap peas? I have a bumper crop this year & would like to preserve them with some of the crispness. 🙂
This is the BEST! So I can go to the garden. Pick the beans, bag and freeze. Is a zip lock good or should I use a food saver to remove the air? Thank you Jill for the best information ever.
Sandy
I just use a ziploc for mine!
This is what I do when I freeze my peas and beans…and even my corn too. They have always stayed fresh. This year was our first year to do our own garden (normally we share with a neighbor) but alas a hail storm wiped the whole thing out in less than 15 minutes. The lettuce is back and the onions and potatoes are OK…and if the weather stays warm we may have a few ears of corn but no beans, sigh! I’d be interested to know how you store your potatoes and onions. I’ve heard of a ton of ways and would love to know what you do!
I usually store my potatoes in our dark, damp basement. For the potatoes, it works to layer them between pieces of newspaper– you just want to be sure to keep them nice and dark. You can braid your onions after they dry out a bit and hang them in your kitchen. I saw your horrible hail pics– ugh!
OK I am skipping the blanching this year. Yay! that’s a hot job. I want to use plastic freezer containers instead of bags. I can reuse them every year. Any special suggestions? Thanks.
The only issue I see there is you might have a harder time packing them as full, but other than that, they should work great.
Thanks Jill… I’m going to try my jalapenos and bell peppers as well… is it possible to freeze them the same way?
Yes– I’ve had good luck freezing peppers like this too.
I’ve been freezing bell peppers ( for cooking) for many years. I just stick them in a freezer bag whole, not washed, seeds and all and when I’m ready to use, I take out, rinse with cold water, scoop out the seeds and use.
I top and seed my peppers and stuff them raw with my favorite stuffing than I vacuum pac(or wrap them in plastic wrap) put a meals worth in a large freezer bag and throw them into the Freezer.
When its time to cook them I put them into a baking dish t o p with a tomato sauce or just diced tomatoes and after an hour in the oven dinner is done!
This works my husband love them.
I love the idea of skipping the blanching step! I’m freezing a lot of green beans today. To prepare, I don’t boil them, I put them in a skillet with a small amount of water ( appx. 1/4 cup per lb of beans), cover and turn on the stove. Steam for about 5 minutes, uncover, add salt, pepper, butter, and by the time the liquid is gone, the beans are done. Less loss of nutrients and you don’t have to wait for a large pot of water to boil.
don’t bother washing the beans as this just adds water, which will form ice crystals. You are going to boil them anyway and that will kill any nasties (washing in plain water does not kill nasties.
Spread the beans on a metal tray with a sheet of plastic/paper underneath and leave for about 1 hour. Then bag them up but try to make the packets as flat as possible, not in a lump. This way they are easier to pack away in the freezer and they thaw quicker. You can then just throw the whole packet into boiling salted water without defrosting.
The only reason we used to blanch vegetables was to destroy the enzymes which are said to spoil the beans when they are frozen.
Why should we do this?: Spread the beans on a metal tray with a sheet of plastic/paper underneath and leave for about 1 hour. Thanks.
I have been freezing all of my veggies and fruit for years and I have never prepped anything. I just put them directly into a freezer bag. It works for me and I have not noticed any difference in taste. Thanks for all of your tips.
I do this also with peas, Have for the last 10 years and never had a problem
I’ve been freezing green beans for several years now. Someone told me how to do it, and so I tried it. I simply string the beans, break them, and then put them in good-grade freezer bags. I wash them before I cook them. The taste is fresh and delicious.
I tried blanching and freezing my beans instead of canning them with the pressure canner. I gotta tell you it was a lot easier and less time and didn’t heat up the kitchen. Thank you so much. Gonna be doing this more often.
In one of your replies to a comment you mentioned how YOU cook these green beans after you take them out of the freezer. I can’t find that information anywhere. What do you find to be the best way to prepare beans frozen without blanching? Thank you!
This is probably a dumb question, but can I use the same non-blanching method on my yellow wax beans?
Phew! Sounds good to me! I’m bushed (haha) after picking and a pressure canner is the last thing I want to haul out!!! Thanks for the tips!!
I just came across your suggestion about skipping the blanching before freezing, and flash freezing them before storing them in the freezer. This step is to keep moist beans from sticking together before bagging, correct? My method is to pick the beans and soak them in cold water for several hours to get them nice and crisp. Then I spin them in the salad spinner, wrap them in paper towels, and store in produce bags in the refrigerator for a day or so. When I take them out, they are perfectly dry, crunchy and perfect. I was about to blanch them today, but you say I can skip that step. I think I’ll try both methods and do a taste test later. I’m hoping they taste the same, or that the un-blanched ones taste better. In the past, it’s been too easy to over-blanch them since the small beans are mixed in with the medium and large ones.
I skipped the blanching step on zuchini too and even delecata squash! I just cut the zuchini and froze. The delecata, I seeded and froze. I washed both, just because I am not wild about dirt in them, but that’s all. I do wash and spread out berries, because we often taste them frozen.
I tried this last year and now when cooking them they have a wang taste. What would cause them to taste weird? They are flat Green beans and I cook them with bacon. Thank you.
THANK YOU!!! I hate blanching, and haven’t put up my extra beans for years because it was one step to many. I’m off to freeze my extra bean from yesterday’s picking. . .
Flash freezing is genius! I haven’t done it in the past but am absolutely doing it this year! With all veggies I hope to freeze, this will make the thawing process so much easier!
I also use a vacuum sealer. I leave the bag a tad long so that I can reuse it a few times.
Hello: After washing, cutting and flash freezing the beans, can you put them in a mason jar in the freezer instead of a freezer bag?
Take care,
Cousin Pete
Which century are we all in guys?
Forget blanching using a saucepan.. microwave is the easiest way !
Wash beans & shaking firmly place in m’wave cooking vessel.
Cook on High for 3mins, remove to a WAITING (big ) bowl of iced water& after fully cooled , spin dry ( be modern again ) & then freeze – no need to pre-freeze ( I can’t ..my stupid old GE freezer is too narrow anyway ) …foolproof in every way !
No ice clumping when needing small amount to enjoy later, no pot to wash ….& you’ve saved energy all the way !
I tried freezing Burpee Gold Mine yellow wax beans without blanching last year. Never again! I have to boil them 25 minutes or they have a strong chemical odor and taste.
I am definitely trying your method. I have lots and lots…and lots of green beans that need to be picked right now or they will cross the line into not tender. We just picked up a deep freeze and now I have room to freeze. I might can a few too but getting these perfect beans stored much quicker sounds like heaven right now.
OMG… This just Made My Day…. I’m going to just portion them, flash freeze, and vacuum seal…. I’m horrible about beans rotting in my fridge…. :0)
Oh wow! What a great idea! Flash freezing works wonderfully! That’s how I do berries too, so don’t know why it never occurred to me to do the same to green beans! I found your website (and tip) while searching up a better way to freeze gr beans so they don’t taste like precooked frozen green beans do taste (ugh). Now, I’m going to search your website for tips on how to conquer sourdough bread. Maybe I’ll find your advise to give up and stick with baking the regular kind, hahaha. At least that’s what I’m hoping!
being from the “old days” and not canning or freezing for years-what happenned to the Botulism issues.
Raw beans are poisonous because they contain prussic (hydrocyanic) acid, which is rendered not dangerous only by cooking. It was only in 1957 that prussic acid protein was discovered in green beans.
I can’t be bothered even doing that much. I just wash & drain, cut them up (if I want them cut up) and put them straight into bags in the freezer. In fact, we do this with all produce, we don’t bother doing anything with any food except to get it cleaned and into a usable state before freezing.
There is one caveat though – if you’re washing things like raspberries (ask me how I know this), don’t forget to leave them to dry out before putting them into bags. You won’t regret this. If you leave produce wet, they can freeze together into a totally solid lump. And that creates work on the other end (seriously, you might even need an axe to get some types of produce apart if they’re wet when they go in the freezer). We wash them, lay them out on towels for an hour or two to air dry, then bag them up and put them in the freezer.
I just went on Pinterest to find out how long I had to blanch green beans and found this amazing post! Beans are on a tray in the freezer right now! So fast and east! Thank You!