How to Freeze Celery

ByMissy Rakes
Chopped celery sitting on a cutting board with a large knife.

Did you know that celery can be chopped into small pieces and frozen for later use? Freezing celery is an incredibly easy process, you just chop, freeze and use it whenever you need it in soups, stews and casseroles.

Chopped celery sitting on a cutting board.

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How to Freeze Celery for Soups, Stews and Casseroles

I love freezer cooking and I’m always trying to think of new ways to freeze foods that will save me time and money. Convenience items are great, but they tend to be unhealthy and expensive, so if you can grow your own or find a good deal on produce that freezes well you will be better off in the long run.

Onions, bell peppers, celery, green onions and most fruits can be frozen raw without blanching and still be delicious when used in cooking.

When I’m making a recipe that calls for celery, I normally just use one or two ribs and then freeze the rest for whenever I need it. This is a great method for using celery in soups, stews or casseroles.

Instead of having to stop and chop five different kinds of veggies for the dish you can just scoop out what you need from your already chopped produce and be on your way.

Keeping chopped celery in your freezer is a great way to simplify your life and ensure that you are making the most with what you have grown or found at a rock bottom price. You could even put together veggie soup kits for your favorite recipes.

For example, if your family eats a lot of chicken noodle soup then you could freeze bags of chopped onions, carrots and celery. Don’t forget to freeze your vegetable scraps so that you can make homemade chicken broth for free!

Also, if saving money is something that you want to learn more about, you might want to check out my post 5 Ways Your Freezer Can Save You Money.

Want to learn how to freeze more produce? Here are a few more tutorials:

How to Freeze Strawberries
How to Freeze Blueberries
How to Freeze Bell Peppers

Chopped celery sitting on a cutting board with a large knife.

Tips for Freezing Celery

  • Flash freezing will produce the best product, if you skip this step you might end up with large chunks of frozen together produce.
  • Frozen celery is great for using in soups, stews and casseroles, but not for fresh eating.
  • Bags of frozen celery will keep for several months in the freezer and even longer in a deep freezer.

How to Freeze Celery

Step 1: Pull celery ribs apart and rinse off any dirt.

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Step 2: Pat dry with clean towel and chop into bite sized pieces.

Step 3: Spread out on baking sheet in single layer and flash freeze for two hours.

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Step 4: Place celery in properly labeled freezer bags removing as much air as possible.

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Do you freeze fresh produce to save money? If so, what do you freeze? I’d love to know!

 

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119 Comments

    1. If you do not blanch it first it will last about 3 months max in freezer. However, if you take the extra step of blanching first...it will last up to a year frozen.
      Reply
  2. Why does it have to be flash-frozen? I have in the past just chopped it and put it in a cup size bag. Does the flash freezing give the celery something?
    Reply
      1. Hi, I never thought about freezing celery, onions, or carrots. I do freeze peppers which I usually buy from a produce store when they have a sale on several days old stock. I usually use up my carrots, celery, and onions. cry a lot when I'm cutting onions. I try to grow some of my veggies but the deer seem to like them more than me. eve when I put up a fence they manage to get to my tomatoes besides the leaves.
        Reply
      2. Ok great I was wondering why you flash freeze also! It makes sense now that it is to keep it from freezing together! Thank you!
        Reply
  3. I went 1 better. I did chop the celery but what I did I bought baby carrots and sliced up an onion and combined them all in one zip bag. So easy and I don't have to buy veggies for soups or dtews
    Reply
  5. We live near the NM border and every year we go to Hatch NM chile festival, we roast the long green and jalapeño chiles, let them cool and package them, we use vacuum sealer bags and machine, they do better in the freezer than regular freezer bags, I also grow cilantro and basil, we place the clean and patted dry herbs in an ice cube tray filled with extra virgin olive oil and freeze them, once frozen, we transfer them to resealable vacuum bags and keep them in the freezer, using as needed.
    Reply
    1. Now there's an idea I've been looking for! We love cilantro but usually the bunches we buy (haven't tried growing our own yet) are too big for just the two of us to use quickly. Now I'm going to HAVE to try growing it myself and preserving it this way. Hopefully it will grow in a window-box in my kitchen this fall. Thanks for sharing this!!
      Reply
  6. Everything I freeze gets freezer burn right away! Can I freeze the cut up celery in a ziploc back with water? (the only way to keep air out)
    Reply
    1. You could try it. It might be okay. If you're concerned about freezer burn, you could always look into getting a vaccuum sealer which removes all of the air and keeps thing fresh.
      Reply
  8. When making stuffing, I usually saute the celery in butter before adding to the stuffing mix. If celery is frozen, do I thaw it and then saute or is it not necessary to saute since it will already be soft?
    Reply
    2. I freeze cilantro all the time. I bought some large ice cube trays, with lid. I cut up the cilantro and add a liquid to it, usually lime juice and water. I use this all the time for homemade salsa. When frozen, I remove from trays and store in a large bag in the freezer.
      Reply
    3. Since my celery is frozen in plastic bags. I take them out of the freezer, let them thaw. After thawing, I cut off a tiny bit of the plastic bag corner and squeeze all the extra fluid out. For stuffing I do not saute but just mix it in with onion and spices. I only saute if I'm adding to anything that I am frying, like ground meat or potatoes. Sometimes you don't want all the excess water in what you are making. With stews, chilis, gumbos, I just toss it in the pot, right out of the freezer. So easy whatever you need it for!
      Reply
  11. Among family I’m referred to as the “Freezer Queen” because I’ll freeze anything that can be frozen. I cook, bake and freeze everything for future meals. I’m not into canning or gardening but I do love making big batches of almost anything and stocking the freezer then pulling a dinner time meal out to thaw for our evening meal. Want dessert, I’ve got it covered.
    Reply
    2. I've also froze 1 cup mixtures of diced celery, green pepper and onions. My grandma called it the "Holy Trinity" as her family used this mixture in almost everything they cooked.. My grandma was born in 1881, so they had been using it for years, but they dried the vegetables and packed them in glass jars. My grandma taught me how to cook so I've carried this practice on,. I'm 68, now and I continue this tradition. Easy to have it all done and ready to throw in a pot or pan! Cuts the cost way down as I make these bags up in the summer when vegetables are fresh and more inexpensive!
      Reply
  13. I wrap celery stalks in a damp paper towel, then in tin foil tightly. Put it in the vegetable drawer of the fridge. I was so surprised today, when I went to get some of it out to use in soup and it was perfect, except for the ends. It has been in there for at least a month!!! First time I have seen it last this long. I do the same thing with lettuce. I wash it, take off outside leaves then wrap it in a paper towel completely and put it in a large baggie. It lasts a long time. Hope these are some tips you can use.
    Reply
  14. Our family just loves cabbage rolls but when made in winter or spring, they are so costly but family still "demand" them and cabbage heads, where we live are very small. In the late summer and fall we can get very large cabbages at a wonderful price. So that is when I buy them. I will fill a large kettle with water and heat to boil. Meanwhile I will pull off the first layer of outer leaves and discard. Next I make a deep circle cut around the core or even cut it out. Put into the boiling water and peel off each leaf as they loosen up and come off. I drain them, lay fat and cut the tough "V" shape out. I then lay them flat on a baking sheet that has been covered with a piece of plastic wrap, that extends well beyond the edges of the baking sheet. Then I will lay each flat cabbage leaf, in stacks of five, laying a piece of wax paper between each leaf. When done with each stack, I fold the plastic wrap up and over, making a packet. Then into the freezer, with packages on the baking sheet, 2 packets high. I move some of my previously frozen food on top. for the weight factor and freeze! Thaw at room temperature and peel each leaf off the frozen pile until done. Make the meat mixture, shape and put on cabbage leaf, roll up and cook with whatever sauce and seasonings that you want. So good and inexpensive too!
    Reply

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