How To Freeze Blueberries (Easy Step-By-Step Guide)

Name: How To Freeze Blueberries
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: blueberries

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Do you have a big batch of fresh blueberries and want to save some for later? Learning how to freeze blueberries is one of the easiest ways to preserve them, and you don’t even have to wash them first if you don’t want to.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

Recipe Name: How To Freeze Blueberries
Cook Time: None, no cooking required
Servings: Makes as much as you want to freeze
Main Ingredients: Fresh blueberries
Dietary Info: Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian
Difficulty Level: Easy

Clear freezer bag filled with blueberries laid flat on a gray surface beside a striped kitchen towel. This step in how to freeze blueberries shows the berries portioned in a bag and ready to go into the freezer.

I love having a stash of frozen blueberries in the freezer for smoothies, baking, and pancakes all year long. Freezing them myself is so simple, and skipping the wash step makes it even faster.

Why You’ll Love This

No Wash Required: Skip washing altogether thanks to blueberries’ natural protective coating.
Freezer Burn Protection: That same natural coating helps keep berries from getting freezer burn.
No Clumping: Flash freezing (or skipping the wash) keeps the berries loose, so you can scoop out just what you need.
Ready When You Need Them: Perfect for smoothies, baking, and pancakes any time of year.

Should You Wash Your Blueberries First?

Washing your blueberries before freezing is optional, and for me it really comes down to where they came from. If I’m using freshly picked blueberries or berries from a local farmers’ market, I’m comfortable skipping the wash step altogether.

Blueberries have a natural coating on them, called bloom, that helps protect them from freezer burn and keeps them from sticking together in the bag.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) backs this up too. They recommend against washing blueberries before freezing since it can make the skins tougher, and instead suggest washing them after freezing, right before you use them.

If your blueberries are from the grocery store, or they’re looking a little dirty, it’s best to wash them first. Just make sure they’re completely dry before freezing, or they’ll clump together in one big block instead of freezing loose.

How To Freeze Blueberries

Step 1. Sort The Blueberries

Go through your blueberries and remove any stems, flower ends, or bad berries, so you’re left with just the good ones to freeze.

Step 2. Flash Freeze (If You Washed Them)

Fresh blueberries spread in a single layer on parchment paper so the berries are separated before freezing. This step in how to freeze blueberries helps prevent them from freezing together in one large clump.

If you washed your blueberries, spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid.

This is called flash freezing, and it keeps the berries from sticking together in one big clump. If you skipped washing, you can skip this step too and go straight to packaging.

Step 3. Package And Label

Clear freezer bag filled with blueberries resting on a gray surface with a red and white kitchen towel in the background.

Package the blueberries into containers in whatever measurements work best for you, then label and freeze.

If you didn’t wash your blueberries before freezing, just give them a quick rinse when you take them out to use them.

Notes & Tips

Bloom is normal: That dusty, pale coating on fresh blueberries is called bloom. It’s natural, and it’s actually helpful for freezing, not something to wash off out of habit.
Skip washing to save time: If you’re freezing a big batch, skipping the wash step saves a lot of time. Just remember to rinse the berries when you’re ready to use them.
Dry them completely: If you do wash your blueberries first, make sure they’re fully dry before freezing, or they’ll clump together.
How long they’ll keep: Packaged well, frozen blueberries will keep for up to 12 months, according to the NCHFP.

More Recipes:

FAQ’s

No, washing is optional. Blueberries have a natural protective coating that helps prevent freezer burn and sticking, so you can package them straight into the freezer without washing.

This usually happens when berries are washed and packaged while still wet, or frozen without flash freezing first. Make sure washed berries are completely dry, then flash-freeze them on a tray before bagging them up.

Just give them a quick rinse under cool water when you take them out of the freezer, right before you use them.

When packaged well, frozen blueberries will keep for up to 12 months, according to the NCHFP.

How To Freeze Blueberries

This freezing blueberries method is the easiest way to stock your freezer with fresh berries all year long. You don’t even have to wash them first, and it only takes a few minutes to get a batch ready to freeze!

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Ingredients

blueberries

Instructions

Sort the blueberries and remove any stems, flower ends, or bad berries. Wash first if needed (see note), or skip washing if using freshly picked or clean berries.
If washed, dry well and flash-freeze the berries in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid.
Package into containers, label, and freeze. If you skipped washing, rinse the berries when you take them out to use.

Notes

Notes: Washing is optional. Skip it for freshly picked or farmers’ market berries if you’re comfortable with that, but wash and fully dry grocery store or dirty berries first to prevent clumping.

These values are from a nutritional database and automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation.

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Kim

Kim Mills is a homeschooling mom of 6 and lives on an urban homestead in Ontario, Canada. Blogging at Homestead Acres she enjoys sharing tips to help you save money, grow and preserve your own food.