Freezing and Defrosting Eggplants – This is How It Works Best

If you freeze the aubergine, the healthy vegetable has a long shelf life. You have to invest a little bit of work in freezing the eggplant, but the effort is manageable. Not only do you have delicious vegetables to hand at all times, you also save money.

How to freeze eggplants

Before you freeze the eggplant, first sort out the overripe vegetables. Only the ripe but still firm fruits are suitable for freezing.

1. After sorting, first rinse the eggplant under running water. Then the vegetables are peeled. When peeling the aubergine, the same applies as for almost all other types of fruit and vegetables: Make sure to peel as thinly as possible, as there are numerous nutrients directly under the peel.
2. Cut the peeled eggplant into slices about one to two centimeters thick. After that you could already freeze the vegetables. However, it is worth taking a small intermediate step and quickly blanching the aubergine before freezing. As a result, the vegetables have a longer shelf life, do not lose their nutrients as quickly and do not discolor.
3. To blanch the vegetables, first put a pot of water on. Once the water is boiling, add a few squeezes of lemon juice and then the eggplant slices. While the eggplant is simmering in the hot water, prepare a bowl of ice cubes. After about two to three minutes, take the eggplant out of the boiling water and immediately add it to the ice water.
4. Finally, drain the cold eggplant and then fill it into the freezer cans or freezer bags. The aubergines will keep in the freezer for around eight months.
5. Tip: If you want to prepare the aubergine right away and then freeze it, that’s no problem either. You just have to make sure that the dish has cooled down before freezing.

How to thaw eggplants

Once you have frozen the aubergines, the good news is that you can now easily make up for the time you lost freezing and blanching the vegetables in advance.

• You don’t have to thaw the vegetables.
• The frozen eggplant can be boiled, baked or grilled immediately.

Drain aubergines: Remove bitter substances with this trick

Aubergines are usually dehydrated before preparation. The drainage removes the bitter substances from the vegetables. If desired, you can incorporate this step before freezing.

• To drain the eggplant, cut the vegetables into slices and place them side by side on baking paper.
• Sprinkle the aubergine slices generously with salt and let this sit for about 20 minutes. Then remove the salt and the leaked water with kitchen paper.
• Then prepare the vegetables directly or freeze them.

Eggplant freezing FAQs

Can you freeze eggplant and zucchini?

Basically, you should only freeze firm, flawless aubergines that are not overripe. If you then want to freeze them unprepared , you must first wash them, peel them and cut them into slices about 8 mm thick. Of course, this is not necessary for immediate processing.

Can you freeze sliced ​​eggplant?

Freezing blanched aubergine slices or cubes Allow the aubergines to cool completely before freezing . Here, too, you should process the aubergine slices or cubes frozen, i.e. do not thaw them, but directly into the pan.

Can you freeze Japanese eggplant?

Eggplants can be frozen if you plan to cook them later. To freeze eggplants , you have to wash them, cut them into slices and put them in the freezer. Alternatively, you can also freeze baked eggplant or eggplant parmigiana. That’s how it works.

Can you freeze stuffed eggplant?

Not only fresh aubergines can be frozen. You can also easily freeze food that has already been fried, grilled or baked . Just make sure they cool completely before freezing. Tip: You don’t necessarily have to peel the aubergines.