How to Freeze Fresh Ginger
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It only takes 5 minutes to freeze minced ginger or ginger slices, and you’ll be ready to enjoy it in your favorite recipes year round. Learn how to freeze ginger using this easy method!
Freezing Ginger
Ginger is a popular ingredient in cooking, known as much for its unique and zesty flavor as it is for its health benefits. Since it’s so bold and powerful, most recipes call for only a small amount of it at a time. This means you may find yourself with tons of leftover ginger, so what do you do with it?
The easiest solution is freezing ginger! Freezing is the best way to preserve both the flavor and texture of fresh ginger, so it’s my preferred method to preserve it. It’s also my preferred method of preserving bell peppers, pineapple, strawberries, and more!
It’s very straightforward to freeze minced or sliced ginger, even easier than you might think! It only takes about 5 minutes of hands on time in total. Not to mention, it tastes way better than ginger paste and is more fresh and flavorful than ground ginger.
Freezing fresh ginger root also cuts down on food waste, which is always important! And best of all, this method allows you to use exactly the right amount whenever you need it. There’s so many reasons to love learning how to freeze ginger!
Why You’ll Love this Helpful Guide
It’s always a good idea to learn how to properly preserve leftover food. This how-to guide will teach you everything you need to know:
- You can use ginger in both sweet and savory dishes! This powerful ingredient adds bold flavor to dozens of different recipes, so keeping it on hand is sure to help your grocery list in the long run.
- Get whole ginger ready to freeze in just 20 minutes. Prep this on a weekend and you’ll have loads of ginger ready for weeks on end!
- You don’t need any fancy tools or equipment to freeze fresh ginger. In fact, this method is meant to be super simple and accessible to everyone.
Ingredients and Tools
- fresh ginger root – You can find this in the produce aisle at most grocery stores. I prefer organic ginger and I like to grab a few bundles at a time so that I can freeze a lot of ginger all at once.
- spoon, for peeling – I have found that the side of the bowl of a spoon is the BEST and most simple tool for peeling ginger skin.
- sharp knife – Grab a sharp knife so that you can easily chop up a knob of ginger!
How to Choose Fresh Ginger
Choose knobs of ginger root that are firm, plump and fragrant. Avoid ginger that looks shriveled or wrinkly or any pieces that have lots of grayish soft spots.
How to Prep and Freeze Ginger
Whether you want to freeze slices of ginger or minced, I’ve got the guide for you! Follow these step by step instructions and learn how to prep ginger to freeze:
Using the side of a spoon, scrape away the thin ginger skin. I don’t recommend using a vegetable peeler or knife to peel the skin.
Slice or mince the ginger, depending on your preference and how you plan to use the ginger. Use a sharp knife to slice the ginger into thin slices. For extra thin, uniform slices, use a mandoline. You can use the sharp knife to mince into small pieces too.
Alternatively, you can mince the ginger in a food processor. Ginger is very stringy, though, so chop the ginger roughly before adding it to the food processor, then pulse just until it’s broken down. You can also use a box grater to make grated ginger.
Transfer the ginger to freezer safe bag and then flatten the bag into a thin layer of ginger, squeezing all the air out. Use a chop stick or pen to press lines into the bag, creating small sections of minced ginger. This will make it much easier to remove the right amount of ginger later on. Set it flat in the freezer.
Freeze for up to 6 months and break off pieces to use as needed!
Break off pieces as needed and cook straight from frozen. You do not need to defrost the ginger first.
Alternately, you can press the minced ginger into small ice cube trays, freeze for 3-4 hours, then remove the cubes and store in a freezer safe bag or freezer-safe container. There’s an extra step involved, but some people prefer it this way! A silicone ice cube tray would be a great way to ensure the frozen portions are easy to pop out!
How To Use Frozen Ginger
So now that you have loads of frozen ginger, how to you use it? Well the good news is that I’m a ginger lover, so I’ve got tons of different ideas for you!
Sliced ginger is great for infused waters and teas, or anything that will eventually be blended or pureed, like smoothies or sauces. I love to make lemon ginger tea when I’m sick — it soothes my sore throat so well.
You can also use frozen ginger in my recipes like homemade ginger brew, lemon ginger turmeric shots, and fresh pineapple ginger juice. Did you know you can even make homemade ginger ale?! So many fun drinks to be made.
Minced ginger is best for cooking, like stir fry recipes or non-blended soups and dressings. I love using it in Instant Pot butter chicken or Clear Chicken Soup!
More Recipes with Frozen Ginger
Use frozen ginger in place of fresh ginger in any recipe that calls for it:
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Orange Protein Smoothie
- Asian Foil Wrapped Salmon
- Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings
- Orange Ginger Pound Cake
- Orange Chicken Meatballs & Broccoli
Tips for Success
This guide is pretty straightforward, but I have a few extra tips to share that might help you out:
- Many recipes call for ginger in units of inches. For every 1 inch of ginger a recipe calls for, use 1 Tablespoon of minced ginger.
- Don’t worry if tiny bits of skin remain. Ginger skin is edible, so you can actually leave it all and can skip this step entirely if you’d prefer. If you do peel the skin, save the scraps to make vegetable stock!
- Make sure you squeeze all air out of the resealable freezer bag before freezing! This will help prevent freezer burn
- Be sure to use my freezer inventory chart to keep track of your frozen ginger and all the other freezer contents!
FAQ
Ginger can be used directly from frozen. You may defrost it if you’d like by setting it on a plate in the refrigerator overnight, however, it is not necessary.
Yes, it’s possible to freeze whole ginger! If you’re pressed for time or simply prefer whole pieces of ginger, then wash and dry the ginger root. Place it in an airtight bag or container and freeze. You can cut pieces off from the frozen piece later or even grate it while it’s still frozen.
Yes! Ginger is often used to help with nausea, and it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. So not only is ginger delicious for cooking, but it has been used for its health benefits for centuries!
Don’t want to freeze all of your ginger? Store fresh ginger in the refrigerator. Cut off pieces as you need them for cooking, but for best quality and freshest taste, use or freeze it within 2-3 weeks.
More Helpful How To’s
Using this method? I’d love to hear about your experience.
Please leave a comment below!
How to Freeze Fresh Ginger
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 oz. fresh ginger root
Video
Instructions
- Use a sharp knife to finely mince the ginger, or slice it into thin slices.
- Transfer the ginger to a freezer safe bag. Flatten the bag into a thin layer of ginger, squeezing all the air out. Use a chop stick or pen to press lines into the bag, creating small sections of minced ginger. Set the bag flat in the freezer. As needed, break off pieces and remove from the bag to use in your favorite recipes!
