How to Freeze Spinach for Smoothies
Frozen spinach makes for a great addition to smoothies, soups, dips, and more! Quick and easy to do and perfect for meal prep.
Freezing spinach is such an easy thing to do so that you can have extra veggies ready to go at any moment. Not only are they delicious in green smoothies, you can add them to soups, sauces, and dips.
Not to mention, this is a great way to save the leftover spinach that you might have after your spinach salad.
Free from: wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, corn, sesame, mustard, lupin, sulfites, and more
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Super nutrition! Spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense veggies out there. It’s full of calcium, folate, fiber, and vitamins A, C, and K. But it’s super low in calories, making it a healthy addition to things.
- Hidden veggies! Need to boost up your veggie intake? This is a super sneaky way of doing so. Add a frozen spinach cube to things like pizza sauce, pasta sauce, or a smoothie (of course). It also makes for great easy baby food!
- Quick and easy. This only takes a few extra minutes to do but will save you time in the future. Plus, it is the perfect way to use spinach that may have been left over from the spinach salad from earlier in the week.
Ingredients
- Fresh spinach.
Seriously, that’s all you need for this! Freezing spinach is so easy. You want to make sure that you use raw spinach and nothing that is already processed.
However, you will need a blender in order to really blend the spinach into ice cubes. Does that count as an ingredient? A high powered blender is the best way to make the smoothie cubes, but a normal blender or even a food processor will make these spinach smoothies.
Instructions
For the full instructions complete with measurements, please see the recipe box below.
First, wash your fresh spinach. You want to make sure that it doesn’t have any dirt or bugs on it. Even if my spinach comes in a box that says it is triple washed, I will still give it a wash. That way I know it is super clean.
Start by submerging your fresh spinach leaves in clean, cold water. Use your hands to mix the leaves around as they soak. You can use a spoonful of apple cider vinegar, or another vegetable wash if you wish.
Drain the soaking water after a few minutes and rinse the spinach leaves under cool water for a good 30 seconds. Remove any leaves that are brown, soggy, or otherwise damaged.
Pop the spinach in a salad spinner and spin to dry. Or, you can place the spinach on paper towels or tea towels and gently press it dry. It doesn’t have to be perfectly dry. You just want to get any excess water off of the leaves.
Now add the freshly washed spinach to your blender or food processor. Add as little water as possible but make sure you add enough so that it blends. If things get stuck, turn the blender off and mix it around with a spoon.
The ratio I usually aim for is about 1 cup of water for ever 3 or 4 cups of fresh spinach.
After this has blended nice and smooth, carefully pour the pureed spinach into ice cube trays or other freezer safe containers. I like the ice cube trays as they are a good size. A box of spinach makes enough for 2 whole ice cube trays.
Freeze the spinach for 4-12 hours until they hold their shape. Then transfer them to another container (honestly, I use freezer bags) to keep them fresh. Enjoy!
Tips
Don’t want to freeze the cubes? You can freeze the entire leaf! After washing your spinach, dry them off completely and pop them into a ziploc bag in a single layer. Make sure that you squeeze out as much excess air as possible so the spinach doesn’t turn. Let them freeze and you can use them in recipes like gluten free quiche or lasagna.
You can also pre-make smoothie cups for a busy week. Place a frozen spinach cube into a bag or other container with more fruits, veggies, and any nuts or seeds you wish to add. Then you just need to add your liquids and blend. Easy peasy!
Bonus! Want to make more veggies like this? You can! This is such an easy way to get more veggies in your diet. Try this with things like kale, swiss chard, dandelion leaves, or other fresh leafy greens.
FAQ
It depends. Some people like to blanch it in boiling water for long term storage of spinach. If you want to make spinach cubes that will be frozen for longer than 3 months, I would recommend that you cook them first.
If you are going to eat the frozen spinach cubes in the next 12 weeks, you don’t need to worry about cooking them before blending.
The easiest way to cook spinach is to blanch it in water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and place as much spinach as you can in the pot. Let it cook for 60 seconds. Carefully drain the spinach and place it in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. From there, continue with this recipe as directed.
Yes! That is a great thing about freezing veggies. They retain all the nutrients at the time of their freezing. After 3 months, they will begin to lose some of their nutritional value, but are still a super healthy addition to your diet.
Store your frozen spinach cubes in the freezer. After they have frozen, you can place them in a freezer safe container, or even a plastic bag.
They will stay fresh for up to 3 months. Any longer than that and they may get freezer burn.
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Equipment
- blender or food processor
- ice cube trays
Ingredients
- 1 bunch spinach
- 1 cup water
- (other additions including: different greens, fruit, vegetables, spirulina, chlorella powder, chia seeds, etc.)
Instructions
- Wash all the greens and gather your ingredients.
- Place greens, water, and other optional mix-ins into the blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the greens into the ice cube moulds and carefully place in the freezer. Let set for 4 hours before transferring out of the moulds and into long term storage containers.
- Use 2-3 cubes per smoothie!
Notes
- Juice
- Coconut water / milk (only use if not allergic to tree nuts!)
- Blended protein beverages
- Milk of your choice
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
