3. Blanching vs. Quick Freezing: Which is Best?
When I first learned how to freeze green peppers, I discovered that there are two ways to do it: blanch or flash freeze. Each method has its own benefits, and I’ve tried them both, but I’ll share what worked best for me – and hopefully it will help you decide what’s right for your needs.
Blanch involves boiling the green peppers quickly for a few minutes and then plunging them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. The goal here is to preserve the color, texture and flavor of the peppers. Blanching can be a good choice if you are freezing peppers for long-term storage (6 months or longer) and want to retain as much of their bright green color and crispness as possible. But I’ll be honest: I usually skip this step. It adds extra steps, which isn’t ideal when I’m knee deep in garden harvest season!
Flash freezeon the other hand, is my go-to method. It’s quick, easy and requires no boiling water or ice baths. After washing and chopping the peppers, I place them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place them in the freezer for a few hours, until they are firm and individually frozen. This prevents them from sticking together later. Once they are frozen, I place them in airtight freezer bags, making sure to squeeze out as much air as possible.
For me, flash freezing is the way to go. It saves time and the peppers hold up well in soups, stir-fries and casseroles – just the way I like to use them. Plus, I don’t mind if they lose a little crispiness since I usually cook them anyway. If you’re looking for the fastest method to learn how to freeze green peppers, flash freezing is your best friend.
So now that you know the options, let’s get to the step-by-step guide on how to actually freeze these green beauties!