Hurray, it’s the season for those delicious and juicy kiwi fruits! Cue, stocking up on them when they hit the supermarket shelves or maybe you’ve grown your very own kiwi fruit plant and have a fruit glut? Either way, you’ve likely ended up with more than you know what to do with and face the dilemma of them going bad. After pondering all of this you are probably wondering whether you can freeze kiwi fruit?
You can freeze kiwi fruit so that’s the good news. It perhaps doesn’t keep its texture quite as well once frozen – it can be a little mushy once it’s thawed.
If you don’t mind this though, carry on and freeze those kiwis to enjoy at a later date. They are also super handy in the freezer for smoothies – ready to whizz up at a time to suit you.
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Preparing Fresh Kiwi For The Freezer
Select firm kiwis to freeze as they will be softer once they’ve thawed.
Remove the stem, peel them, and then decide how you’d like to freeze them. You have a few options here – you can freeze them whole, slice, or blend them first.
If blending them first then it is better to select softer fruit. This can be a great way to reduce levels of food waste on over ripe fruit.
How to Slice Kiwi Fruit Before Freezing
You can cut your kiwis into equal-sized pieces by holding the kiwi fruit on its side and cutting along the length of the kiwi into decent slices.
Alternatively, you can opt for dicing your kiwi fruit if it’s going to be used in fruit salads. You can even blend your kiwi first and then freeze, super easy if it’s going to be used in a smoothie recipe.
How Should Kiwi Be Frozen?
Luckily, you have a few options for freezing kiwi fruit so you will be able to find a method that’s going to suit you.
Which you choose to follow will depend on what you intend to use your kiwis for once they’ve thawed.
Freezing your kiwi fruit into prepared slices means you can pull them out when required for that tasty recipe.
Can You Freeze Kiwi Fruit Whole?
You might be wondering if you can simply peel your kiwi fruit and freeze it whole? Surely less time consuming than slicing and then flash freezing?
This is true, it is a quicker method and if you don’t mind the fruit being more of a mushy texture then it’s fine to freeze them whole. They do have a lot of excess water in them so it’s worth bearing this in mind.
Freezing Sliced Or Diced Kiwi Fruit
- Peel the kiwi fruit and make sure you use nice firm ones.
- Prepare a tray with some baking paper and lay the slices out on it.
- You can opt to sprinkle some sugar over the slices as this helps retain the fruit’s quality.
- Pop in the freezer overnight and take out the next morning.
- You can then transfer the slices into freezer bags or containers.
- Label your kiwi with the date so you know when to use it up by.
- Pop in the freezer and use it within 12 months of freezing.
Freezing Blended Kiwi Fruit
Smoothies are nutritious and full of goodness and lovely to enjoy all year round. Having some blended kiwis already whizzed up and frozen means you can have one ready quickly.
- Pour the kiwi purée into ice cube trays.
- Flash freeze overnight.
- You can then transfer to freezer bags or containers with a label.
- Your kiwi purée will be ready to retrieve at your convenience.
Freezing Kiwis In Sugar Syrup
You can also prepare a sugar syrup for your kiwis to be frozen in. This sweetens it up and helps retain the freshness of the kiwi fruit.
- Prepare your sugar syrup by using 3 cups of sugar per 4 cups of water.
- Stir well and you can also add some cinnamon spice.
- Add the sliced kiwis into the syrup, making sure they are coated well.
- Leave headspace in the container as the liquid will expand.
- Freeze in an airtight container.
How To Defrost Kiwi Fruit Before Use
To defrost your kiwi fruit you can simply pop it in the fridge before going to bed and enjoy the next day.
Just remember the texture will be different to fresh kiwi so it’s best added to dishes rather than eating on its own.
Freezing Kiwi Fruit FAQ
Still got more questions? Our commonly asked questions on freezing fruit will help you understand!
Kiwi purée can be stored safely in the freezer for up to 3 months. After this time it will still remain edible but the quality will be reduced. Ice cube trays are great for flash freezing a variety of fruit purées. Once the cubes are frozen you can simply transfer to bags or a container.
To freeze kiwis for smoothies you will want to divide them up into portions to make the proceeds easier. Simply lay the sliced kiwi out on trays and pop in the freezer for 4 hours or overnight. Once they are frozen, you can transfer the slices to bags or containers and pull one out when required.
Freezing kiwi can be a convenient way to store baby food for those weaning moments. Simple flash freeze in ice cube trays and then bag up into portion sizes suitable for your baby. To defrost, pop them in the fridge overnight and use them right away.
Kiwi can be frozen once it’s been sliced by flash freezing it first. This involves laying the slices out in a single layer and freezing for 4 hours. You can then take the slices and put them into bags – the flash freezing will prevent them from all sticking together. The texture will change during the freezing process, however.
