Can you Freeze Lemons? – How to Freeze Lemons? – How Long Does Lemons Last In Freezer?

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Can you Freeze Lemons?: Lemons are a tangy and sour addition to your food. They can form lemon juice, which is a popular drink all over the world. They can also be grated to give you lemon zest that you can sprinkle onto your dishes. Likewise, there are many dishes that use the iconic flavor of lemons.

But is there a way to preserve these lemons to make them stay fresh for longer? Well, we are going to be explaining just that down below. You will learn how to freeze lemons, in all their forms including juice, zest, slices, etc. In addition, we will also tell you how long can you freeze lemons, as well as the defrosting process, and more. So, stick around till the end to learn a lot about lemons.

Can you Freeze Lemons

Can you Freeze Lemons?

Yes, you can definitely freeze your lemons to make them last longer. In fact, you can freeze them for up to 3 whole months, before they will deteriorate in quality. Since there are many ways of preparing or using lemons when you cook, you can freeze them all differently.

Do Lemons Stay Fresh For A Long Time In The Freezer?

Lemons can be frozen for about 3 months, so we think that this is quite a long time compared to other foods or ingredients. Even if it is still safe to eat after 3 months of freezing, we do not recommend it because it would have lost its lemony tang and taste that it once had.

In the fridge, whole lemons will stay fresh for about 3 weeks. But once you have sliced them, they will only last for up to 3 to 4 days, before they go bad.

Simplest Steps to Freeze Lemons

Here are the four methods that can you use to freeze full/half lemons, lemon zest, lemon slices, and lemon juice. Check out the steps below to freeze your lemons with ease.

Full/Half Lemons

  • You can either cut your lemons in half or freeze them as a whole. Either way, wash them and make sure that they are clean on the outside.
  • Collect your lemons and place them into a Ziploc bag. Then, press out as much air as you can from inside the bag and seal it tightly without a gap.
  • Set your bag into the freezer and allow them to freeze!

Lemon Zest

  • Use a grater and zest your lemon.
  • Put all the lemon zest into a Ziploc bag and ensure that it is sealed tightly.
  • Now, simply place the bag into your freezer to freeze.

Lemon Slices

  • The first step is to cut your lemons up into slices.
  • Arrange your lemon slices on a baking tray. Be careful here and make sure that none of the lemon slices are touching each other. Set the tray in your freezer for a few hours until the lemon slices are frozen solid.
  • Take out the frozen lemon slices from the freezer and put them into a freezer-safe bag.
  • For the last time, you can pop the bag back into the freezer.

Lemon Juice

  • Simply squeeze your lemons and collect the juice.
  • Pour the lemon juice into an ice cube tray and make sure to leave some space at the top to let the liquid expand while freezing.
  • Pop the tray into the freezer and let it freeze for a few hours until the lemon juice is fully solid.
  • Remove the tray from the freezer and take out the lemon juice cubes. Finally, place all the frozen cubes into a bag and set it in your freezer.

Considerations Before Freezing Lemons

Flash-freeze your lemon slices

To avoid the lemon slices from sticking together in the freezer, flash freezes them separately for a few hours and then bag the frozen slices up and put them back in the freezer. This way, they won’t touch each other and form a weird clump of slices.

Pour the lemon juice into cubes

You can use an ice cube tray to portion your lemon juice. This helps you avoid refreezing and wasting the lemon juice as a whole.

Skip the defrosting if you want lemon zest

If you want lemon zest, then simply grate the frozen lemons that you have. You do not have to defrost your lemons beforehand.

Ways To Thaw Out Your Lemons

If you are planning to defrost your whole lemons, then you can simply run warm water over the frozen lemon until it has defrosted completely. Frozen lemon zest and slices do not have to be thawed out. You can just sprinkle the zest onto your meal or you can just place your lemon slices as they are to serve as ice or to decorate drinks.

On the other hand, you can just move your frozen lemon juice from the freezer and into the fridge and leave it there overnight to thaw. Or, you can also just set it on your countertop to defrost in the daytime. You will then be able to obtain lemon juice.

Also, Check

Is It Possible to Freeze Lemons More Than Once?

While it is safe to refreeze your lemons, we advise against this because the whole freezing and thawing process causes the lemons to deteriorate in their quality.

In addition, if you freeze and thaw them repeatedly, they will deteriorate faster. They will begin losing their iconic taste and texture. So, if you want flavorful lemons, we do not recommend freezing your lemons more than once.

Fun Facts About Lemons

  • Rich in Vitamin C, which keeps the heart healthy and promotes the well-being of the circulatory system.
  • May aid in weight loss and weight management, due to the plant compounds in the lemon extract.
  • Enhances the absorption of iron into our bodies. This in turn reduces the risk of anemia and iron deficiency.
  • Contains citric acid, which increases both the volume of urine production and the urine’s pH. This decreases the chances of kidney stones.
  • Possesses certain plant chemicals that are thought to protect the body against cancer, and prevent it.

FAQs on Can you Freeze Lemons

1. Is it better to freeze lemons whole or sliced?

Yes, you can freeze both whole and sliced lemons. Both ways are perfectly safe and easy.

2. What’s the best way to freeze lemons?

To freeze your lemons, all you need to do is throw them into a Ziploc bag that is safe for the freezer. Make sure to seal the bag tightly and place it into your freezer.

3. How long can you freeze fresh lemons?

Fresh lemons can be frozen for about 3 to 4 months. Beyond this, they will lose all their flavor and texture.

4. Why you should always freeze your lemons?

You must freeze your lemons because it is very easy to zest frozen lemons, and they oftentimes taste much better than lemons that were not frozen.

Key Takeaways

Lemons can be frozen whole, sliced, as zest, or as juice. Lucky for you, we have detailed the methods for all these types of preparations. To thaw your lemons, you can just run them under warm water.

Lemons are not the only foods that can be frozen. There are millions more, and if you are excited to learn about similar topics, then check out canfoodgobad.com. We have a plethora of fun and informative articles about freezing and preserving more types of food.

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