How to Freeze Raspberries & More for Fresh Berries All Year

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Whether you are growing your own or found a great deal at the market, it’s incredibly easy to learn how to freeze raspberries! Follow these simple steps for fresh berries all winter long.

My first year harvesting raspberries on local farms was 2015, which also happens to be precisely when I fell in love with raspberries. Growing up, they were way too sour for me and paled in comparison to the blackberries I’d pick from the wild brambles all around our town.

Maybe my palate needed to mature a bit, but there was something about the burst of flavor from those perfectly-tart-yet-sweet berries still warm from the sun that won me over. Now, raspberries are one of my favorite berries and I always try to freeze as many as I can to add to smoothies, muffins, and scones all year long!

If you love berries, don’t miss these matcha scones with raspberry glaze! This creamy raspberry walnut vinaigrette is also a perfect treat for your summer salads!

Can you freeze fresh raspberries?

You absolutely can! Freezing is an easy way to give your fresh fruit a shelf life, giving you that vibrant taste of summer all year round. These red raspberries can make even the coldest winter day can feel like late August!

Unlike other preservation methods, such as canning and dehydrating, freezing is probably the easiest way because it doesn’t require a water bath canner, dehydrator machine, jars, lids, etc. All you need are a few freezer containers or plastic freezer bags (and a freezer, of course) and just a little time! It’s a good option for those who don’t have time to stand over a canner or lots of fancy equipment.

flats of fresh raspberries from a local farm.

Why you’ll love freezing raspberries

ZERO WASTE – When raspberry season rolls around, you can stock up on ripe berries from the farmers market, your own garden, or a u-pick farm without having to worry about waste!
SO CONVENIENT – Having cups of berries ready to go in the freezer is the best way to incorporate them into your favorite recipes! Once the first step of prep is complete, it saves a lot of time.
SAVE BY BUYING IN BULK – Next time your grocery store has a wild sale on ripe raspberries, or you come home with heaps of berries from the farmers market, you’ll be able to freeze them to enjoy all winter long.

Equipment

To freeze the raspberries, you’ll need:

Fine mesh strainer
Kitchen towels
Baking tray or rimmed baking sheet
Parchment paper or cookie sheet
Freezer-safe bags

Ingredients

Fresh raspberries – The great thing about freezing raspberries is that you can use the whole fruit, and they don’t have to be in perfect condition. I regularly freeze seconds, which may have little nibbles or damage from the sun. You’ll generally get the best results when you use the freshest fruit, but it’ll thaw and soften as soon as it leaves the freezer anyway!

You can use these tips to freeze any types of raspberries, like golden raspberries, black raspberries, etc.

How to Freeze Raspberries – Step-By-Step Instructions

Rinse your fresh berries under cold water in a strainer. Gently shake to remove excess water.
Place whole raspberries out on the clean kitchen towel on your kitchen counter until they are fully dry. Turn partway through to remove excess moisture.
Put a piece of parchment paper on a half-sheet tray and pour the berries into a single layer on the pan.
Place the entire tray in the freezer and freeze until completely frozen (a few hours or just leave overnight).
Pour into your favorite freezer-safe containers and return to freezer for freezer storage.

fresh raspberries on a freezer safe pan.

What is the best way to store frozen raspberries?

Here’s a breakdown of how long the frozen raspberries will keep with different ways of storing.

Gallon freezer bag ~ 1 year

In a gallon freezer bag, I tend to find that the berries store well for about a year. Around that point, I start to notice ice crystals and freezer burn forming inside the plastic bags. Make sure to get as much air out of the bag as possible for best results.

Mason jars & plastic tubs ~ 1 year

Berries frozen in glass or plastic tend to stay fresh around the same amount of time as berries in plastic bags. Make sure the containers are airtight and choose ones with the thickest walls.

Reusable silicone bags ~ 1 year

These thick bags are great at keeping foods fresh in the freezer and do a good job of keeping your frozen berries fresh for a while.

Vacuum seal bags ~ 2-3 years

For longer storage, use vacuum seal bags. If you use a vacuum sealer, freeze the berries first, or they will be crushed. Recently, I used a bag of vacuum-sealed raspberries from over 5 years ago! They were still delicious and made some tasty raspberry glaze for these matcha scones.

How to Use Frozen Raspberries

There are so many ways to use these delicate berries! Here are some of my favorite uses:

Raspberry sauce to pour over pancakes or ice cream
Whip up a batch of raspberry muffins
Add directly to the blender for a delicious smoothie any time of the year
Turn these into a delicious raspberry ganache
Bake into this tayberry cake for a delicious raspberry cake
Make a tray of raspberry oatmeal bars
Blend into my creamy raspberry walnut vinaigrette
Bake white chocolate raspberry cookies
Mix up some raspberry white chocolate blondies
Blend into a raspberry puree, which you can then use to make this homemade raspberry ice cream

Tips & Variations

Sheet trays are a must! If you don’t already have half sheet trays in your house, I highly recommend that you get some! I use them for everything and they are the perfect size for standard ovens and last forever. Use parchment paper or silicone tray liners for zero waste baking.
Fold the parchment paper to make a funnel. This will make it easy to add the frozen berries to your bag.
Make sure to use the right-sized pan. One half-sheet pan can generally fit one half-flat of berry boxes, or 6 half-pint cups, with space for the berries to freeze well.
Try this for zero-waste berry freezing. Use a silpat mat or silicone baking sheet to avoid parchment paper. Store your berries in mason jars or silicone bags.
Use imperfect or seconds berries. It’s a great way to preserve imperfect berries because the freezer will kill off any bugs. Only freeze slightly overripe berries for making sauces or crumbles.
Thaw overnight. Place the berries you want to use in a small bowl in the fridge overnight. This will soften them up and make them easy to use.
Increase baking time. Baking with frozen berries will likely require you to add 10-15 minutes to your bake time.
Make sure your berries are completely dry! It’s important to give your fresh produce a good wash before freezing, but the next step is to let them dry fully. Any leftover water content will turn your individual raspberries into solid blocks during the freezing process.

FAQs

Do you need to wash raspberries before freezing?

Technically, you should wash your fruit before freezing. Without even considering germs, there’s dust, pollen, and other things on berries just from growing outside. However, if you wash berries before freezing, they will generally just stick to the parchment paper instead of rolling off smoothly unless you allow them to dry all the way. So it’s a great idea to lay them out on kitchen towels (paper towels work just fine too) to dry before putting them on the freezer tray. This simple process will reduce how much they stick to each other and the parchment paper.

Can you freeze golden raspberries?

If you are lucky enough to have excess golden raspberries, they store well in the freezer or make a batch of Golden Raspberry Jam!

Can you freeze black raspberries?

Absolutely! All berries can be frozen using the strategies above. You can also freeze huckleberry, thimbleberry, salmon berry, dew berry, and more.

Do I need to thaw raspberries before baking?

That really depends on the recipe! If you’re just adding a few frozen berries to a batch of scones or something, you can get by using frozen berries. They will add extra moisture as they thaw, which can affect the bake. For recipes that use a larger quantity of raspberries, you’ll want to thaw them in the fridge first and/or extend the baking time. It’s best to follow the specific recommendations from each recipe for the best results.

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