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How to Freeze Celery

May 13, 2015 by Missy Rakes 103 Comments

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See how easy it is to freeze celery for soups and stews on gracefullittlehoneybee.com

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How to Freeze Celery for Soups and Stews

   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.

   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 and not have to worry about buying more just for a single recipe. This is a great method for making soups in your slow cooker.

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

Keeping chopped produce 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 chicken noodle soup a lot then you could freeze bags of chopped onions, carrots and celery. Also, don’t forget to freeze your vegetable scraps so that you can make homemade chicken broth for free!

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

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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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Freeze and enjoy! The celery should last a few months in a regular freezer and even longer in a deep freeze. NOTE: Frozen celery cannot be used as fresh. You do not thaw it, but use it frozen in soups and stews. It will be mushy if you try to thaw it.

 

Learn how to freeze diced celery to save time and money. Works great in soups and in the slow cooker.

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

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Filed Under: Cooking Tips & Tricks, Easy Recipes, Freezer Cooking, Preserving Food

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  1. Diane says

    March 11, 2019 at 12:00 am

    I have frozen celery, bell peppers, and onions for years! I figured if you could buy them frozen in the grocery stores you could freeze them yourself.
    Reply
  2. Judy says

    April 19, 2019 at 8:31 am

    can you use frozen celery like fresh, or just for cooking?
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      April 19, 2019 at 8:38 am

      It will be mushy if you try to thaw it. It's best to use for cooking.
      Reply
  3. Melody Bold says

    April 19, 2019 at 9:30 am

    I've never frozen celery because we love to eat it fresh with peanut butter. However, there are times I forget I have it in the fridge and when I pull it out it's all limp and wilted. I do freeze chopped or sliced onions and sweet peppers which I can use for either fajitas or stir fry. I've also frozen diced broccoli for use in soups because those things all seem to ripen at the same time! I also visit the local u-pick blueberry patch in May each year with a bunch of homeschool friends. If we pick a certain amount in total, we get a considerable discount, so I pick about 10-12 pounds and freeze most of them for smoothies or just eating thawed with a little cream.
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      April 19, 2019 at 9:50 am

      Freezing extra produce is a great way to preserve your food and not let it go to waste!
      Reply
      • Maureen Thompson says

        March 18, 2020 at 6:33 pm

        Can keep celery stock fresh for 2 to 3 months in refrigerator by wrapping in 6 to 8 large pieces white paper towel around whole stock tight then couple large pieces of foil rolled all around paper towel use rub bands to hold tight every time open to use just as fresh as when bought.Im 76 an love to cook whisk had know an this many years ago wit 3 children an large family get togethers.Works GREAT
        Reply
        • Carmen says

          March 29, 2020 at 3:01 pm

          I'll try this. I love fresh celery in my salads. But sellers always put a bunch of stalks in the package and much of it is lost in the fridge. Thank you for sharing.
          Reply
  4. Angela says

    April 19, 2019 at 12:29 pm

    I chop and freeze celery, carrots, onions, and bell peppers for soups and Crock-Pot recipes. I love how it saves money and time! With prechopped frozen produce, I can throw a soup together in no time. And it doesn't take much time to chop some extra onions or celery to go in the freezee if you're already chopping one or two for a different recipe. Also, I confess I cheat and skip the flash-freeze step and usually don't have issues with the produce freezing together. And if it does all end up in a clump, I just tap the bag against the counter a few times, and everything is separated, easy peasy. I also freeze brown bananas (directly in their peel, no chopping required), then thaw them on a counter for an hour or so and use in banana bread. In fact, thawed frozen bananas are my trick for moist banana bread!
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      April 19, 2019 at 1:44 pm

      It's such a great time-saver and I normally skip the flash freezing step as well. :)
      Reply
  5. Patti says

    April 22, 2019 at 6:38 pm

    I’ve done this for years! So simple, such a great idea.
    Reply
  6. Debbie says

    May 10, 2019 at 10:55 am

    I froze celery last year some of my bags turned a light brown in color so I tossed it out any idea why
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      May 13, 2019 at 9:28 am

      I do not know, unless maybe they were exposed to oxygen? I've never had that happen.
      Reply
    • Dee says

      May 18, 2019 at 2:35 pm

      I always blanch my celery, carrots and green beans so they will keep their nice color with no brown edges. Not a problem with onions and bell peppers.
      Reply
    • Littlebit says

      October 29, 2019 at 10:22 pm

      This happened to me once, too. But I have frozen celery for years and it only happened that one time.
      Reply
  7. Trace says

    May 12, 2019 at 6:38 am

    $1.29 ea? Are you talking like each stalk? Wow. I can often get it for $0.89 for the whole head (?). I never thought about freezing it. It's so cheap. If I ever have any left I just throw it into some kind of a salad. I really like your tip of making the mirepoix ahead. I have back problems and I can't stand for long so dinner ends up really late (lots of short breaks for chopping). I CAN, however, queue up a movie and post up on the couch with a chopping board set up then chop away and freeze. Thank you very much. Great idea.
    Reply
    • Terryn says

      February 20, 2020 at 8:16 am

      I have knee problems and I can’t stand very long. I get the family to take all of my prep ingredients to the table where I can sit and prep everything. Then when I’m done they carry everything to the stove or wherever I need it.
      Reply
      • Cathy says

        April 5, 2020 at 10:09 am

        I sit in a desk chair. Pop it to the highest level and cook away..
        Reply
  8. Christine Manning says

    July 7, 2019 at 8:36 pm

    Great idea. I did learn after I clean and dry celery and wrap in foil. It will keep a long while in the fridge.
    Reply
  9. Eugenia says

    July 22, 2019 at 9:36 am

    I freeze as many things as I can I freeze blackberries, peaches, onions zucchini and peaches.
    Reply
  10. Guileave Guild says

    August 20, 2019 at 11:30 pm

    Thanks for sharing it usually get rotten on me and I have to through it out
    Reply
  11. Linda thompson says

    September 6, 2019 at 4:54 pm

    I love fried green tomatoes. So l clean,dry and slice the tomatoes the thickness l want,and place them on a cookie sheet than put them in the freezer. After a couple hours l place them into the size plastic bag l need. And put them back in the freezer until I'm teady to fix them. This works great and they don't stick together. Thank you Linda
    Reply
  12. Deb In Ohio says

    September 13, 2019 at 9:40 am

    Or, how about whizzing the stalks in a blender with water and drying in a dehydrator and using as a powder
    Reply
  13. beverly stevens says

    September 19, 2019 at 11:11 am

    can you eat frozen celery
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      September 23, 2019 at 5:12 pm

      I would use it for cooking, not to eat raw.
      Reply
  14. Kathy says

    September 26, 2019 at 9:22 pm

    Glad to see I'm not the only one who does this! I also make bags of mixed peppers (bell, sweet, jalapeno, and banana peppers) and combos (onions, peppers, and celery) to have on hand for soups, quiches, chili, etc. as it really speeds up prep times.
    Reply
  15. Sandy says

    October 3, 2019 at 12:20 am

    Why do the flash freeze? Why not just chop and place in freezer bag?
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      October 8, 2019 at 9:50 am

      You can, but the juice from the celery makes them freeze in one big clump instead of separate. It still works though.
      Reply
  16. Faye says

    October 16, 2019 at 12:43 pm

    Why is it necessary to flash freeze?
    Reply
  17. Nancy says

    October 17, 2019 at 12:34 pm

    I have a food saver . Been freezing with it for years. It sucks all the air out. It is worth the investment especially if you have a garden. I buy a lot at farmers market. I also buy my meat in bulk and freeze it.
    Reply
  18. Mary Muennich says

    October 31, 2019 at 4:37 pm

    can the frozen celery be used in baked dishes like stuffing?
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      October 31, 2019 at 9:26 pm

      Yes, that would work fine.
      Reply
  19. Stan says

    November 8, 2019 at 7:02 am

    Beans, corn, carrots, peppers, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, stir fry packets, soup packets. Tomatoes for soups, sauces, chilis( freeze whole and skins come right off when thawed), potatoes, peas( shelled and whole). Make soups, casseroles, chilis, stir fries. Live where there are many farmers markets plus a fall produce end of season fair. Winters are long and produce gets expensive.
    Reply
  20. Anni says

    January 8, 2020 at 9:00 am

    They get mushy so I don’t freeze it anymore
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      January 8, 2020 at 2:50 pm

      They aren't for fresh eating, only for soups, casseroles, etc.
      Reply
  21. Rita says

    March 7, 2020 at 11:19 pm

    I dice up celery along with onions and carrots place in a storeage bag and freeze. To make veggie soup, I already have my veggies diced up. Another trick of the trade that I do is put all the veggies in a bowl with about a 1/4 cup waters and cook them for 5 to 7 minutes. Par cookings like this keeps from having to cook the soup for hours and hours. Add two chicken tights. Yummy
    Reply
  22. Dena Ennis says

    March 15, 2020 at 4:06 pm

    I have to tell you that I did this per your instructions. It does work great in soups and stews! But then....I made some potato salad and I was out of fresh celery so I thought what the heck and threw some frozen in the mix. Worked great and was still crunchy two days later! I'll never throw celery away again :)
    Reply
  23. cc says

    March 25, 2020 at 5:42 pm

    did you know that you can keep celery in the ref crisper for a month if you wrap it right. wash dry and wrap in foil. be sure to cover all of it. its just as nice as if it came from the grocery store. but i will keep somein freezer too. thanks for the tip
    Reply
  24. Denise Streitman says

    March 26, 2020 at 3:39 pm

    A stalk of celery is the whole bunch, a single piece off the bunch is called a rib
    Reply
  25. Kathleen Elliott says

    March 28, 2020 at 4:43 pm

    I love freezing meals, I freeze onions, great to know what else I can freeze, thanks.
    Reply
  26. Pj says

    March 31, 2020 at 3:44 pm

    thx so much. I didn't know you could do this. I hate for food to go to waste. I have a seal a meal so this is perfect. I would highly recommend to find this one or similar. If I were to buy another I woulod probably get the one WalMart carries so I don't have to order bags on Amazon even tho I have prime.
    Reply
  27. Denise Boucher says

    April 6, 2020 at 4:11 pm

    thanks. I didn't know you could freeze celery. This is great!
    Reply
  28. Susan says

    April 11, 2020 at 5:13 pm

    Once you freeze it, do you only use it for cooking? Or can you still use it to eat raw? Like to dip in ranch or chopped up in Tuna salad?
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      April 11, 2020 at 9:04 pm

      Once it is frozen, you can only use it for cooking. It will be too mushy for fresh eating.
      Reply
  29. Bernie says

    May 4, 2020 at 6:54 pm

    Terrific cannot wait to try it!😃
    Reply
  30. Lynn Butler says

    May 5, 2020 at 5:49 pm

    Is this celery mushy after thawing??
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      May 6, 2020 at 9:10 am

      Yes, you do not thaw it, but use it in soups and stews. You can't use it the same as fresh celery.
      Reply
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