Can You Freeze Endive?

Endive is a tasty green leafy vegetable you usually get during the summers. However, as the summer ends, this vegetable becomes scarce in the market. So, it is natural to purchase it in bulk quantities if you need to consume it later. Therefore, the predicament arises as to how to preserve the vegetable. Furthermore, since the endive can be a tricky vegetable to freeze, it can be challenging to freeze.

Can You Freeze Endive?

Preserving the endive in the freezer can prevent much of it from being wasted. Thus, it infers that you can freeze the endive. However, we advise you to follow specific conditions like blanching it before freezing to ensure that the vegetable maintains its color.

Endive is available in various varieties, namely curly endive, and Belgian endive.

How Do You Preserve Endive In The Short Term?

Endive is similar to lettuce in many ways. So, if you place it directly in the refrigerator without much preparation, the vegetable can go bad soon. Therefore, we recommend preparing the endive well before storing it in the fridge or the cold cellar to extend its lifespan.

We advise keeping the entire plant head with the roots in a container containing a small quantity of water. Please ensure that the leaves do not get wet to prevent them from becoming soggy during the refrigeration or freezing. Alternatively, you can store the leaves separately in a humidity-controlled area inside the fridge.

However, if you wish to preserve the endive for the long term, freezing it is a viable alternative.

How Do You Freeze Endive?

The first step for freezing leafy green vegetables like endive is to blanch them. Blanching endive does not guarantee retaining its texture and flavor, but the color will not fade.

Boil water in a large pot. Simultaneously, please keep a bowl of ice-cold water handy. Drop the endive in the boiling water and let it blanch for two to three minutes. Remove the partially cooked endives and drop them into the ice-cold water immediately to arrest the cooking process. Remove them from the ice-cold water and dry the leaves using a salad spinner.

You can freeze the blanched endive in a couple of ways.

Freezing The Natural Way

Placing the leaves in a vacuum-sealed freezer bag is ideal if you plan to use the leafy green vegetables in their natural state.

When defrosted from this state, you can use them as you use spinach. However, the leaves might lose their crispiness and become a bit mushier. You can still use the leaves n soups, stir-fry, and stews.

Freezing Endive Puree

Pureeing the endive and freezing it is an excellent alternative. This method allows you to add them to smoothies. In addition, this freezing method does not require the endive to maintain the texture. Therefore, it is a straightforward method.

Prepare the purees and transfer them to a resealable ziplock freezer bag or a plastic airtight container. Seal the bags well after removing excess air. We advise you to label the bag before freezing the contents in the freezer.

How Do You Freeze Endive Without Blanching?

While it is easy to freeze endive without blanching, we do not suggest you do it. The endive can lose its fresh green color. Besides, the texture and taste can also change when frozen for extended periods.

Place the washed and preferably sliced endive in the freezer bags or airtight containers. Stick the date label on the bags and freeze them. We do not recommend freezing them for more than three months.

How Do You Freeze Sliced Endive?

You can freeze sliced endive. The sliced endive is one that you get on the supermarket shelf. We recommend blanching the sliced endive and freezing it the way described away.

How Do You Freeze Cooked Endive?

If you have any cooked endive leftovers, you can freeze them in a sealed container in the refrigerator for two days. It is possible to freeze the cooked endive if you need them for an extended period. You can transfer the cooked-endive leftovers into a freezer bag and seal it properly after removing the excess air. We suggest labeling the bag and pushing it into the freezer.

How Long Can You Keep The Frozen Endive Fresh In The Freezer?

Frozen endive can remain fresh in the freezer for three months. However, we do not advise waiting that long to consume it. The quicker you finish it, the tastier it is.

How Long Can The Endive Remain In The Fridge?

Endive can last for a week in the fridge. But, we advise you to freeze them as quickly as possible.

How Do You Defrost The Frozen Endive?

Generally, there is no need to defrost the endive before cooking it. You can directly add them to a pot of boiling water or microwave it. The leaves do not lose their freshness.

However, you can thaw the endive if you desire. The process is straightforward but takes time. You can remove the frozen endive from the freezer and place them in the fridge overnight. The defrosted endive would be ready for consumption the following morning.

Can You Refreeze Endive?

We do not advise refreezing endive. Green and leafy vegetables taste good only if you freeze them once. In addition, refreezing endive can compromise its texture and flavors, causing it to spoil.

Can You Freeze Curly Endive?

Curly endive is the nearest variant to the regular endive. You can freeze curly endive the way you freeze the regular endive. Please ensure to blanch the vegetable first before freezing it.

Can You Freeze Belgian Endive?

Belgian endive is slightly different from the regular endive. It is a small cigar-shaped head of cream-colored leaves tightly packed together. This plant is grown in complete darkness to prevent it from becoming green. You can freeze Belgian endive in a tightly sealed bag after drying them.

Can You Freeze Escarole?

Escarole is another endive variant that freezes well. You can freeze escarole.

Final Thoughts

Endive is unique because it can prove a challenging vegetable to freeze. Therefore, we recommend consuming endive in its raw and fresh form rather than freezing it. However, if you do not have any other storage options available, you can freeze them.

So, can you freeze endive? Yes, you can, provided you take the necessary precautions like blanching them first.