How to Freeze Blackberries

Preserve the summer blackberries and learn how to freeze blackberries! They’re quick to freeze, stay fresh for up to 6 months, and are the perfect cold treat to eat straight from the freezer.

Do blackberries freeze well?

Like most fruits, fresh blackberries freeze incredibly well! All you’ll need is a couple of minutes for hands on prep, fresh, whole berries, and about an hour or two to defrost. Couldn’t be simpler!

If you’ve used my method for How to Freeze Raspberries, you’ll be well prepared!

Equipment You’ll Need

• Blackberries – In this recipe, we’re showing you how to freeze whole blackberries. If you have quartered or halved berries, they can also be frozen.
• Baking tray – Flash freezing fruit is an essential step when freezing fruit because it prevents it from sticking together in the freezer. Depending on the size of your freezer, you may need to use a small baking sheet and freeze in batches.
• Parchment paper – Parchment paper is optional, but helps prevent the fruit from sticking to the baking tray and makes for easy clean up! Most parchment paper is compostable and easily biodegradable. If preferred or needed, wax paper or a silicone baking mat would also work.
• Fine Mesh Sieve or Colander. A fine mesh sieve or colander can be useful when rinsing berries under cool water. However, if you don’t have one, no problem! Rinse the berries directly in the plastic carton they came in. The excess water will drain out the existing holes in the packaging and will work just fine.
• Freezer safe bag or container – A freezer safe Ziplock bag, a reusable silicone bag, or a freezer safe container that can be tightly sealed like Tupperware will all work for storing frozen blackberries. If using a freezer safe container, I recommend laying a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the container to prevent the fruit from sticking to the container.

How to Freeze Blackberries

1. Rinse your berries! Using a fine mesh sieve, colander, or the container the berries came in, rinse the berries under cool, clean water for 30 seconds. This is an important step that should not be skipped! A good rinse will remove pesticides, dirt and debris and make your blackberries safe to eat right out of the freezer.
2. Dry the berries. Carefully turn the berries out onto a clean tea towel or paper towel. Gently blot any excess water off until dry again. This will prevent freezer burn.
3. Spread the blackberries on a parchment lined baking tray. You want them spread evenly in a single layer. It is okay if the berries are lightly touching, but they should not be overlapping or crowded. Putting too many berries on the same sheet can cause them to stick together, which defeats the purpose of flash freezing!
4. Flash freeze for 3 hours. Stick the baking sheet in the freezer for a minimum of 3 hours, or until the blackberries are fully frozen.
5. Transfer to a freezer safe container. We typically like to use plastic freezer bag or reusable silicone type bags, like Stasher. Freeze for up to 6 months for optimal freshness and texture retention.

How to Use Frozen Blackberries

Use frozen blackberries in any recipe you’d use regular blackberries in.

Try them in recipes like:

• Blackberry Strawberry Banana Smoothie
• Blackberry Cobbler
• Blackberry Compote
• Oatmeal or Overnight Oats
• Smoothie bowls like this Peanut Butter Acai Bowl
• Parfaits

Recipe FAQs

How long are frozen blackberries good for?

When frozen and stored properly, frozen blackberries can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months for the best flavor and texture retention. Some say that frozen fruit can be stored for up to 1 year before they begin to lose any nutritional value. Technically any frozen fruit is indefinitely safe to eat, it just may not be as delicious and nutritious as it once was.

We typically eat through our frozen blackberries stash within a couple of months, but we recommend labeling your freezing vessel with the date the berries were frozen. This will help you know how long they have been frozen and help you determine when and if you’d like to still use them.

Should blackberries be washed before freezing?

YES PLEASE. Washing fruit of any kind is recommended before freezing unless you enjoy eating excess pesticides, dirt, even bugs. Blackberries grow on large bushes that are often very dirty. As a general rule of thumb, always wash your fruit!

Do blackberries get mushy after freezing?

Properly dried and flash frozen berries should not be mushy after freezing, so long as they were. If they were frozen with a lot of excess moisture, they can become mushy upon thawing because all of that excess water will melt.

What is the best way to thaw frozen fruit?

My favorite ways to thaw frozen fruit is by either running under cool water (works very well with berries) or transferring the fruit to the refrigerator until thawed completely. These methods will allow the fruit to retain their shape and texture and has consistently good results.

Top Tips

• Freeze blackberries at their optimal ripeness. This will freeze them when they are most nutrient dense and sweetest.
• Remove excess air from the freezer bag. This will prevent any oxidation and preserve freshness.
• Label the bags! This is a good rule for freezing anything. Don’t assume you’ll remember when you froze your raspberries or even what they are. Label with a “frozen on” and a “best by” date.