7 ways to freeze eggplants for the winter

Freezing vegetables and fruits for the winter is a simple and quick way to preserve fruits and make preparations for the winter. Doesn’t take much time, extends the season for eating fresh fruits.

Freezing preserves most of the vitamins and minerals. Moreover, during the season, vegetables and fruits are much cheaper than in winter.

Now you can buy almost all vegetables and fruits all year round, but their prices are not affordable for everyone. For those who have a summer cottage and a vegetable garden, the surest way to preserve the harvest is freezing.

Many people freeze greens, zucchini, and peppers. But not everyone knows whether it is possible to freeze eggplants and how to do it correctly.

How to prepare and freeze eggplants for the winter

Eggplants contain nutrients that are beneficial to the human body. This vegetable is especially rich in potassium, which is essential for the heart. Potassium regulates the content of intercellular fluid and helps relieve swelling.

Useful for people with high cholesterol levels in the blood serum, for the prevention of atherosclerosis. Refers to dietary products.

Freezing this vegetable is not a labor-intensive process. There are several ways to prepare fruits for freezing: freeze raw, fry or boil before freezing.

The advantages of the last two methods:

Firstly, get a ready-made frozen product, which, after defrosting, can be served immediately;
Use for preparing other dishes.

When preparing, for example, vegetable stews, eggplants frozen using this method are added at the very end of cooking.

The downside is that more time is spent on preparation. And a working woman just lacks it.

The third way is to freeze the vegetable fresh. The difference in taste is hardly noticeable, and much less time is spent.

For freezing, select fruits that are strong and without signs of spoilage. Try to select fruits that are not very large and not overgrown.

Wash the eggplants and remove the stems.

Peel off the skin. You don't have to clean it. It tastes like it.

Cut depending on what you plan to cook:

Circles;
Petals;
Cubes;
Straws;
Cut lengthwise into several pieces.

Rules for freezing eggplant

Unfortunately, to properly freeze eggplants for the winter at home, it is not enough to simply put the washed and dried fruits in the freezer.

Without minimal preparation, freezing is impossible - unlike other vegetables, blue ones without special treatment change their taste and structure beyond recognition after freezing!

Vegetables should be stored in the freezer for no longer than six months, in a hermetically sealed container or special bag.

How to choose the right eggplants

First, of course, you need to choose a quality product:

vegetables must be ripe, with smooth and even skin, without damage;
a fresh fruit must be heavy - a specimen 15 cm long weighs about half a kilo ;
It is best to take medium-sized fruits; large ones contain more solanine, which imparts bitterness;
the stalk of a ripe eggplant should be fresh and green, not wrinkled;
the pulp of the fresh fruit is elastic, the vegetable itself quickly restores its shape when pressed;
the main sign of overripeness is dry and wrinkled skin; it is not recommended to buy such eggplants;
Ideally, the pulp should be white; when exposed to air, it retains its appearance for a long time; the seeds are not too dark and do not have an unpleasant odor. Otherwise, it is better to get rid of the eggplant; the result may be unpleasantly surprising.

Raw eggplants frozen for the winter

Sprinkle the sliced eggplants with salt and leave for 20-30 minutes.

Now there are varieties that do not have bitterness. Therefore, you can skip this step if you are sure that the fruits are not bitter.

Then rinse with cold water to remove the salt.

To remove excess water and dry, place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels or a clean cotton napkin or kitchen towel.

To avoid wasting time drying, pat dry with paper towels.

Place in bags or containers.

Close the containers with a lid. It is better not to tie the bags tightly at first.

Place in the freezer. After two or three hours, remove from the freezer and shake to separate the sliced eggplants, which will freeze during this time, but will not freeze completely and are easily separated from each other.

Why is this necessary? Subsequently, when they freeze, it will be easier to take the amount needed for cooking.

Then tie the bag tightly, removing excess air and put it in the freezer until completely frozen.

Why are eggplants called blue?

There are several versions of the origin of this name. The first is linguistic: eggplants were originally brought to the territory of modern Israel from China, pronounced “sin” in Hebrew, and only then, in the 17th century, when eggplants reached Russia, they were dubbed “blue ones.”

The second version is based on sad experience: since for a long time nothing was known about the caution with which one should approach the choice of fruits, and the vegetable was perceived as rare and expensive, solanine poisoning occurred, which caused the skin to turn blue. Hence the nickname – “little blue”.

How to freeze baked eggplants

Wash the fruits and dry them.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the eggplants.

Prick in several places with a toothpick. Place in an oven preheated to 180 degrees.

Bake for 40-50 minutes. Depends on the size of the fruit.

If you stuff eggplants in the future, select fruits of approximately the same size.

Cool the baked fruits slightly. Make a cut along the middle.

Place in a sieve and place over a container. Cover with a plate and place pressure on top, for example, a jar of water. This is necessary to remove excess water.

After 20-30 minutes, remove the pressure. Place the fruits in bags. Try to pack in portions, i.e. as much as needed for cooking.

Tie and put in the freezer.

If in the future you plan to cook caviar, stew and other similar dishes, then the baked fruits should be finely chopped, removing the skin.

Place into bags or portioned containers. Close the lid and put it in the freezer.

Recipes for freezing eggplant

Below are the best recipes for preparing blueberries for freezing for the winter. In total, there are 4 main methods of freezing - and in none of them are the fruits present in their original, raw form.

Is it possible to defrost eggplants several times? No, therefore it is better to freeze the preparations in small portions in separate containers, so that each individual part is used without any residue.

Eggplants for the winter “Fresh”

This is a great proven way to freeze eggplants for the winter, it involves soaking them in a saline solution or sprinkling them with salt. And this is the only method without heat treatment .

It is suitable for further use of eggplants in stews, sautés, soups, vegetable pilafs, scrambled eggs, etc.

We will need:

any number of blue ones
water - 1 liter per 400 g eggplant
salt - 1 tbsp. for 1 liter of water

How to freeze:

Wash the vegetables thoroughly under running water, carefully remove the stems. Using a sharp knife, cut the vegetables into cubes of the usual size.
In a saucepan or deep bowl, make a weak saline solution, with a tablespoon of salt per liter of water. Place the chopped eggplants in salted water for 2-3 hours.
Drain the water, dry thoroughly and package into containers. You can first freeze it on a board in one layer, and then pour it into bags or containers for storage.

You can reduce the preparation time for vegetables by up to an hour by sprinkling the cuts with salt. The released bitter juice will need to be squeezed out and the vegetables washed under running water.

We freeze blanched blue ones

Pre-blanching works well for freezing any vegetables, such as green beans.

This recipe suggests pre-soaking the eggplants in salted water so you can blanch them later.

This can be done in boiling water in a saucepan, in a double boiler or in the microwave - depending on what kitchen units are present in your home. This procedure will help vegetables not become “rubbery” after defrosting and will prevent them from crawling into porridge.

Products:

blue ones - 1-2 kg
salt - according to the amount of vegetables.

Preparation:

Cut the washed eggplants into slices of any thickness.
Soak the chopped vegetables for several hours in a saline solution or sprinkle with salt for half an hour (for half a kilo of vegetables, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 liter of water; to prevent them from floating during soaking, place some kind of pressure on top). Afterwards, let the liquid drain and squeeze out the blue ones a little.
Blanch the workpiece for 2-4 minutes. Then immediately transfer the eggplants to cold water.
Dry the cooled vegetables and package them.

Slicing into slices makes it possible to use thawed eggplants for baking in the oven or grilling, and you can also use them to make vegetable kebabs by adding several more types of vegetables, such as zucchini, bell peppers and tomatoes. Reviews from loved ones about such a dish will definitely be enthusiastic.

Method for preparing fried eggplants

Do you like eggplant rolls with various fillings?

Vegetables prepared using this method, after defrosting, allow you to quickly and tasty make a healthy and nutritious snack.

There is no need to be afraid of frying - we are fryers, which means we can fry in such a way that a minimum of oil is needed.

The calorie content of such a preparation will not be much higher than in previous versions.

We need:

eggplants - 2-3 pcs.
salt - 2 tbsp.
refined vegetable oil - 1 tbsp.

Preparation step by step:

Wash the eggplants well and remove the stems.
Using a sharp knife, cut into thin layers, add salt and mix thoroughly to distribute the salt evenly.
After half an hour, rinse under cold water and wring out.
Sprinkle the vegetables with oil, mix well, place on a slightly greased baking sheet, or even better, on a special silicone mat. Bake at 200 g for 15 minutes.
Take out the baking sheet, let the “tongues” cool and only then remove. Be sure to use paper towels to remove excess oil and liquid from the vegetables.
Place the cooled eggplants on plastic wrap or a plastic bag in several layers, each layer separately. To freeze.

If you freeze fried eggplants in the freezer, cutting them into cubes, you can later use them to make a sauté, reducing the amount of oil used in the dish. However, fried slices will also come in handy - you can prepare vegetable canapés.

Baked frozen eggplants

The fastest way is to prepare whole baked fruits.

Of course, you can bake fruits cut into as many pieces as you like, but we will consider this method.

What can be prepared from such preparations? This method is well suited for further use of blueberries in purees, soups and caviar.

You will need:

medium-sized blue ones - 6-7 pcs.
salt and water for solution in the proportion of 2 tbsp. for 1 l

How to bake:

Wash the fruits, cut off the stalks, and make punctures in several places with a fork.
Soak the whole meat in saline solution for 3-4 hours.
Dry the eggplants. Bake in a well-heated oven for half an hour at 200 degrees.
Squeeze the cooked and cooled vegetables lightly to remove any juice. You can remove the skin or leave them “dressed”; peeled frozen eggplants are also used in cooking.
Wrap each vegetable separately in film or foil and place in the freezer.

I really love baked boats with cheese. Therefore, just like whole ones, I prepare half-boats. I just keep them in the oven for 20 minutes and first freeze them, laying them out on a board, and then pack them into bags. When cooking, I put the filling directly into the unthawed eggplants and send them to bake.

Frozen blanched eggplant pieces

For freezing, it is better to take young, dense eggplants. When baked, these fruits look better and taste better.

Peel the eggplants from the stalk. Trim the ponytails. Cut into pieces or cut into 4-6 pieces. Depends on what you will cook in winter and the size of the fruit.

To remove bitterness, sprinkle with salt and leave for 20-30 minutes. You can blanch in salted water at the rate of 1 teaspoon of salt per 1 liter of water.

After boiling, blanch for 3-5 minutes. To ensure uniform heat treatment, stir, pressing lightly with a slotted spoon.

The readiness of eggplants can be determined by the transparent flesh.

Immediately cool the blanched pieces in cold water.

Dry from water by spreading in one layer or pat dry with paper towels.

Place in bags and place in freezer

How to choose the right fruits

Eggplants are selected according to the same rules that are used for canning:

Pedicel. The color of the fruit's tail should be green. Eggplants whose stems have dried out frozen . Since this indicates that the vegetable was stored for a long time after being picked from the bush;
Surface quality. The surface of the eggplant should be glossy, there should be no bumps, growths, damage or stains - this fruit is most suitable for freezing;
Color. It is necessary to choose fruits that are evenly colored;
Maturity and size. Young best suited for freezing , since large and ripe fruits contain a large number of seeds. Their skin and flesh are tougher.

Advice! To avoid the production of the toxic substance solanine in eggplants, a significant concentration of which is harmful to the health of the body, they should be protected from light during storage. Even a small amount of this component in the vegetable gives it a bitter taste.

When cutting eggplants, popularly known as blue ones, you should pay attention to the color of the cut. Its rapid darkening indicates that the fruit will be bitter, since it contains solanine in large quantities. Light-cut vegetables are more suitable for freezing

Frozen fried eggplant slices

Cut the washed fruits into small circles 5-7 mm thick.

Place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Leave for 20-30 minutes to remove the bitterness.

Then rinse the circles from salt and dry.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry on both sides. Place on a sieve or paper towels to drain off excess oil.

Place into bags only when completely cooled. Tie and put in the freezer.

Recommendations for the selection and preparation of raw materials

The selection of fruits intended for harvesting for long-term storage should be approached very carefully. The fact is that eggplants contain a plant poison - solanine, which tends to accumulate while the vegetable is growing, and after harvesting, the concentration of solanine in the fruit continues to increase as it “ages”. Therefore, their consumption in raw form is not recommended at all.

Today, breeders have developed a huge number of varieties and hybrids of the crop, the fruits of which vary greatly in color, shape and size, which is clearly visible in the photo

Suitable for freezing are small eggplants, elastic to the touch, with a strong green stalk, smooth shiny skin, without external damage, and without an unpleasant odor. If you cut such a vegetable, inside it has light, almost white pulp, which after a few minutes begins to darken at the cut site, and small seeds that do not contain coarse lignified fibers.

If you plan to preserve the harvest grown in your garden, then the consumption of “stale”, unripe or overgrown fruits is kept to a minimum.

Recommendations for housewives who buy vegetables at the market or in a store:

It is better to avoid buying and eating soft fruits, as well as specimens that are too large;
Having brought the vegetables home, wash and cut the eggplant; if the flesh has a greenish tint or immediately darkens, the concentration of solanine is quite high; such fruits are also not recommended for consumption.

The degree of maturity of a vegetable is clearly understood by the color of the seeds; usually the brighter they get, the rougher they get

Solanine is not destroyed even by heat treatment (below 250 ℃) and freezing, and in order for dishes prepared from frozen raw materials to be safe, two conditions must be met: carefully select and freeze eggplants correctly.

Fresh, ripe “little blue” – tasty and healthy, a real storehouse of vitamins and nutrients

The content of vitamins A, C, B, B2, PP and potassium in eggplants helps normalize metabolic processes in the body and improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system. People watching their figure value them as a low-calorie product - only 25 kcal per 100 grams.

How to Make Eggplant Safe to Eat

Most modern “blue” varieties are devoid of bitterness, but for those who are afraid of poisoning, we offer a proven algorithm of actions:

Remove the skin before cooking - the highest concentration of solanine accumulates in the skin of dark varieties, and the lowest in light varieties. Therefore, if you prefer to eat vegetables with peel, it is better to choose white fruits.
Soak for at least an hour in salted water before further processing or cooking - soaking will significantly reduce the concentration of solanine. It is advisable to change the water several times during the process.

According to numerous reviews, adding acid helps to better preserve the color of the pulp of the cut pieces

Now housewives, as a rule, do things simpler: if the fruits are young, then they are immediately cut into pieces, placed in a convenient container, generously salted, sprinkled with lemon juice or natural vinegar, mixed and left for 20-30 minutes. After the vegetables have released their juice, they are discarded in a colander, washed under running water and allowed to drain.

How to freeze eggplants for rolls

Preparing eggplants is similar to the previous one.
Cut the fruits lengthwise into strips 5-7 mm thick. Add salt and leave for 20-30 minutes. Then rinse off the salt. Dry.

Heat oil in a frying pan and fry on both sides.

Place on a sieve or paper towels to remove excess oil. Then put them into bags and put them in the freezer.

Reviews

We invite you to read the reviews of those housewives who have already tried frozen eggplants.

Valentina Orlova, Perm: “I have been preparing frozen eggplants for several years now. I really like their taste. Before freezing, I blanch vegetables, it seems to me that this is the fastest and most convenient way. I'm generally a big fan of frozen foods, so I bought a freezer with small compartments. I store eggplants not in a container, but in bags. I prepare vegetable salads. And on the New Year’s table, vegetable stew with chicken breast is wonderful.”

Larisa Yampolskaya, Ulyanovsk: “At the dacha we shared the harvest with our neighbors. I don’t grow eggplants myself, but here they brought me a whole basket. I didn’t know what to do with them, so I decided to freeze some of them. Unfortunately, I didn’t know whether it’s possible to freeze fresh raw fruits. They turned out bitter and watery. Now I know that heat treatment is required. I bought eggplant seeds and will grow them myself.”

Olga Menshikova, Irkutsk: “I have a large family, and I always need pickles at the table. I froze eggplants for the first time this summer; initially I dried them in the oven with pepper. Now once a week we prepare dishes with frozen eggplants. We have already tried stew, buckwheat porridge, vegetable salad, stewed vegetables with cheese. Delicious!"

How to deliciously freeze eggplants

Wash the fruits. Remove the stem. Cut into circles about 1 cm thick. Then cut each circle into cubes or strips.

Place in a bowl. Pour in vegetable oil, stir so that each piece is saturated with oil.

Transfer to a baking bag. Spread into a thin layer in the sleeve. Tie the sleeve.

Place on a baking sheet. Make several cuts to allow excess steam to escape.

Place in a cold oven. Set the temperature to 180 degrees. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Let cool completely.

Transfer to freezer portioned bags.

Selection of fruits for storage

In order for dishes from vegetables prepared for future use to be tasty, you need to select the right fruits before storing them. Ideally, they are grown on their own site without nitrates, pesticides and other harmful substances.

Eggplants suitable for freezing:

young, with elastic, soft, thin skin - old fruits have a thick skin and a bitter taste;
with tails without signs of drying out - this indicates the freshness of the product.
You should not buy vegetables from supermarkets - large farms often use increased doses of mineral fertilizers and spray crops with toxic pest control agents.

Fruits that are broken, damaged by insects, or have skin defects are not suitable.

How else can you freeze eggplants for the winter?

This freezing method involves pre-drying the prepared fruits. Preliminary preparation is the same as described above. Wash the eggplants. If desired, remove the skin. Remove bitterness by sprinkling with salt.

Then rinse off the salt and place it on the tray of an electric dryer. For those who don’t, you can dry them in the oven by placing them on a baking sheet, covering them with parchment or greasing them with butter.

Set the temperature to 55-65 degrees. Dry for about 1-1.5 hours. Dry in the oven at the same temperature, turning on the fan or opening the door slightly.

When the eggplants are dry, cool and put into bags. Tie the bags tightly.

Features of defrosting eggplant

The best option for cooking frozen eggplants is to cook without defrosting. The option of gradually thawing for several hours in the refrigerator is also perfect.

It is also possible to place frozen vegetables on a platter or cutting board and leave them to defrost at room temperature.

Defrosting in the microwave can have a bad effect on the structure of the fruit, making it loose, so it is better not to use this method.

Irina Polyanitsa My name is Irina, I am the owner and admin of the site, as well as the author of most of the recipes and articles. I love to cook simple and healthy delicacies. Certified gym instructor, personal trainer. She completed a course on nutrition and health at Stanford University, Stanford Introduction to Food and Health, as well as a course at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) Nutrition and Lifestyle in Pregnancy (about nutrition and lifestyle during pregnancy).