Q. I absolutely love adding bean sprouts to soups, salads, and stir fries. I live in a small town with only one grocery store, and they don’t carry them all the time, and when they do the bean sprouts come in huge bags. Unfortunately, bean sprouts don’t last very long in the fridge before going soggy and I often end up throwing away at least a quarter of the bag. I would like to be able to make a bag of bean sprouts last longer by freezing in and using what I need. I’m not sure if bean sprouts can stand up to being frozen. Can you freeze bean sprouts?
Can you freeze bean sprouts?
A. Yes, you can freeze bean sprouts. Due to their high water content, previously frozen bean sprouts won’t be as firm and crunchy as fresh, but they can still be used as a great addition to your favourite dishes. To preserve as much of their original crunchy texture, blanch bean sprouts before freezing them.
How to Freeze Bean Sprouts?
First, wash bean sprouts in running water, then pat dry. Place a pot of water on the stove to boil. While the water is heating, fill a large bowl with ice water. Keep extra ice on hand if you are going to be freezing a large batch of bean sprouts.
When the water in the pot is boiling, place about a handful of beansprouts into the water and let boil for approximately three minutes. Remove the bean sprouts from the water using a slotted spoon and then plunge them immediately into the bowl of ice water. This stops the cooking process. Remove the bean sprouts and lay them on clean dish towels to dry. Repeat the process with the remaining bean sprouts, changing the ice water as necessary.
Lay the bean sprouts in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for a few minutes, until the bean sprouts begin to harden. Then, place them into freezer bags in single serving portions. Suck out the excess air, then seal the bags. Label and date the bean sprouts, and then place in the freezer. Use within 12 months for best results.
To use, remove the bean sprouts from the freezer and allow to thaw in the refrigerator. Additionally, if using in hot recipes such as soups, the bean sprouts can be added to the recipe directly from frozen.
You said that removing the bean sprouts from the boiling water and plunging them into the ice water stops the FREEZING process? I didn’t know you could freeze things by putting them into boiling water. 🙂 But I have had cold feel like it is burning, so maybe the opposite is true.
ha ha Andrew,,,, its a typo, the writer means it stops the cooking (not freezing) process.
For heavens sake. Whats the matter with you folks you have to make yourself so authoritative by complicating things? Just bag the beansprouts and sick them in the freezer. Jeeze.
Anyone that knows anything about putting food away knows that enzymatic action must be halted for most veggies to be frozen for storage. However, onions and peppers do well without blanching. 50+ years of experience here. So I would not recommend just sticking MUNG bean sprouts in the freezer if you plan to “store” them for any time. I’ve read that garbanzo beans can be frozen without freezing but you only sprout those to a tiny root start. No idea why they can be, but suspect it is due to fact your actually freezing a soaked intact bean vs a grown fat root with tons of water in it. Store bought sprouts have roots and most heads removed so you have just the root portion. I prefer home grown mung sprouts for storage.
What about tinned bean sprouts..can I freeze them?