Quick Answer: Can You Freeze Cabbage?
Yes, you can certainly freeze cabbage! The leafy vegetable is not just tasty and nutritious, it is also highly versatile, and suscepts well to being kept in freezer storage. Cabbage can be frozen in wedges, strips, or even as individual leaves; as long as you follow the freezing method and procedure correctly, you can freeze cabbage for up to 2 to 3 months!
This comprehensive guide tells you everything you need to know about freezing cabbage.
Cabbage is an essential ingredient in roast dinners; it is perfect for all kinds of snacks, salads and sandwiches and is even an excellent meal as roasted cabbage in itself.
From cabbage stew and soup to coleslaw or turning it into a delicious side dish, it is a must-have!
But what do you do when you have too much cabbage you would like to store for future use?
Thankfully, cabbage is a vegetable that freezes quite well! So, you can go ahead and freeze it for when it gets too hard to use up the whole cabbage at one go before it goes bad.
Frozen cabbage is also pretty easy to work with later.
What to Note and Do Before Freezing Cabbage
Cabbage has a refrigeration shelf-life of around 3 to 4 days, so if you are planning to use it up within that time, just refrigerating it is fine; freezing won’t be necessary.
However, if you think it is best to be on the safe side and just freeze anyway without risking the cabbage going bad, go ahead and freeze it!
Follow the steps discussed below carefully, and your cabbage will be almost as fresh after freezing as it was originally!
Note that you should never freeze a cabbage whole, as thawing it would become a ridiculously hard process.
Instead, freezing cabbage prepared helps save both your space as well as time, and a lot of effort.
Also keep in mind, that for two of the methods described here, excluding for wedges, it is necessary to blanch the cabbage before you freeze.
Blanching has multiple benefits – including maintaining the original taste and flavor of the cabbage after freezing and thawing, locking in all its nutrients and ultimately ensuring that it remains delicious.
Read ahead to know how to freeze cabbage!
Can You Freeze Cabbage in Strips?
Materials
- Knife/hatchet
- Cutting board
- Bowl of ice
- Paper towels
- Baking tray
- Airtight freezer bags
Instructions
Freezing cabbage in strips is one of the easiest, most fool-proof ways to go about it.
Not only does it let you freeze the cabbage in portions which you can simply grab and use later whenever you need without having to refreeze the entire batch, the process is also quite easy.
- Prepare the cabbage for freezing – Start by removing the outermost leaves. Next roll up the fresh leaves into a long roll, and then slice finely along the length of the roll to get thin strips of cabbage.
- Blanch the cabbage – Cook the cabbage in a small pot of water for not more than 30 seconds. Drain immediately in a colander.
- Transfer to ice bath to blanch – Once drained, transfer the cooked cabbage immediately to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. This is essentially what ‘blanching’ consists of.
- Flash-freeze – Once cooled, drain the cabbage again. Pat it dry using paper towels. Then spread out the cabbage strips evenly on a baking tray, and place the tray inside the freezer to flash-freeze, for at least five to six hours.
They should be kept to freeze depending on the size; to be safe, you could just keep them overnight. - Put into freezer bags and freeze - Once frozen hard enough, transfer the cabbage strips into airtight resealable freezer bags and label them. Make sure they are sealed tightly and securely. They are ready to freeze!
Freezing Cabbage Wedges
Time Taken: 20-30 minutes
What You Need:
- Knife/hatchet
- Cutting board
- Cling film
This is also a fairly quick method to freeze cabbages, you just need to cut them down into wedge shapes.
Prepare the Cabbage for Freezing
It is the same process as what is described for the last method. Start by removing the outermost leaves. Also make sure it is cleaned and washed really well and thoroughly.
Cut Cabbage into Wedges
Cut your cabbage into wedge pieces the way you want, using a sturdy knife or hatchet.
Wrap the Cabbage in Cling Film
Wrap the cabbage wedges tightly and very securely in cling film, make sure it is completely airtight and watertight.
Keep in the freezer, your cabbage wedges are ready to freeze!
Freezing Cabbage Leaves
Time Taken: 7-8 hours
What You Need:
- Bowl of ice
- Paper towels
- Baking tray
- Airtight freezer bags
Blanch your Cabbage Leaves
Once the prepping is done and you have thoroughly cleaned and washed the cabbage and separated the leaves, go ahead and blanch them.
Transfer to Ice Bath to Blanch
Once drained, transfer the cooked cabbage leaves immediately to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
Flash-Freeze
Once cooled, drain the cabbage leaves again. Pat them dry using paper towels.
Then spread out the cabbage strips evenly on a baking tray, and place the tray inside the freezer to flash-freeze, for at least five to six hours.
They should be kept to freeze depending on the size; to be safe, you could just keep them overnight.
Put into Freezer Bags and Freeze
Once frozen hard enough, transfer the cabbage strips into airtight resealable freezer bags and label them. Make sure they are sealed tightly and securely.
They are ready to freeze!
If you require further help, go ahead and refer to this video for a step-by-step guide and helpful visuals:
How to Freeze Cabbage Soup
Time Taken: 15-20 minutes
What You Need:
- Airtight freezer-friendly container / smaller containers
Cabbage soup is one of the most popular recipe options with this wonder vegetable. In case you require a quick refresher, here is a guide video to consult with:
Allow to Cool, and Then Pack
Assuming you are packing to freeze the cabbage soup directly after cooking, let it sit and allow it to cool down completely before packing it to freeze.
Once cooled down, carefully transfer the soup into an airtight freezer-friendly container.
In case there is a lot of soup and you want to have them in batches and not all at once.
You can also divide the cabbage soup into serving portions and pack into smaller airtight containers to freeze accordingly.
Seal Carefully, Label and Freeze
Make sure your container(s) is sealed tightly and carefully. Label, and your cabbage soup is ready to freeze!
Cabbage soup can be frozen for up to 3 months.
However, it is advised to consume it as early as possible as the longer you keep it in freezer storage, the greater are the chances of it going bad.
Cabbage may freeze well, but the other ingredients in the soup may not.
So, consume the soup accordingly, within one to two and a maximum of three months since freezing.
How Long Can You Freeze Cabbage?
Like most other vegetables, cabbages can actually be kept in freezer storage for quite a long time.
However, when it comes to optimum flavor, it is obviously not recommended that you freeze it indefinitely.
Cabbage should be consumed within 3 to 4 months of freezing for best quality and flavor.
How to Store Frozen Cabbage?
For all the processes and methods prescribed here, using heavy-duty, airtight, resealable, freezer friendly bags and pouches to freeze cabbages is a must.
And they need to be sealed really well. A vacuum sealer is actually a great investment for this purpose, especially if you freeze food often. It would help get all the air out.
How to Defrost Frozen Cabbage?
In case of frozen cabbage wedges and cabbage leaves, you can simply transfer them from the freezer to the refrigerator and allow them to thaw overnight.
Note that the leaves will thaw much quicker than the wedges.
As for cabbage strips, they don’t strictly need to be defrosted; you can add them to your recipe directly, or simply cook them a little to restore original flavor.
Can You Re-freeze Frozen Cabbage?
It is not a great idea to refreeze cabbage. While it is technically safe, the changes in texture would be too great to not notice. So, avoid re-freezing cabbage.
Does Cabbage Freeze Well?
Cabbage does indeed freeze well! In fact, freezing it actually helps maintain its nutritional values and even flavor.
However, make sure it is not left in the freezer indefinitely, in which case chances are that it will get bad and inedible.
Also ensure the freezer temperature stays steady and consistent and that the bags or containers you are freezing the cabbage in are sealed really tightly and securely.
FAQs
Yes! As mentioned before, blanching has multiple benefits – including maintaining the original taste and flavor of the cabbage after freezing and thawing, locking in all its nutrients and ultimately ensuring that it remains delicious.
Definitely blanch your cabbage strips and leaves before freezing.
Yes, absolutely. Flash-freezing makes sure that the cabbage pieces do not stick or clump together while freezing. Not only does that help make the freezing and thawing process easier, it also lets you thaw only some portions at a time.
Yes, you can. While it will not freeze as long as raw cabbage, you can still freeze cooked cabbage for a good 2 to 3 months.
Just let it cool and then transfer into an airtight freezer bag or container, make sure that it is sealed securely, label and freeze.
If you keep it in the refrigerator, cabbage will stay good for 3 to 5 days.
There are a number of ways for you to use frozen cabbage. You can use it for everything from wraps, to soups, coleslaw, roasts, briskets, rolls, stir fry, salads, even tacos and sandwiches.
Bottom Line
We have gone through the methods to freeze cabbages, along with cabbage soup, as well as a number of other guidelines and things you need to keep in mind while freezing them.
We hope that this guide has helped you understand how to freeze cabbages at home.
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