Do you steam strawberries for baby food

How To Make The Most Delicious Strawberry Baby Puree

Strawberries are one of our favorite spring fruits. But since they are often considered an allergen, this single-food Strawberry Baby Puree is perfect for introducing them to your baby's diet.

Strawberries are my favorite spring fruit. I tend to avoid frozen stuff as much as I can and focus on fresh, local and seasonal produce. So when springtime comes, and fresh sweet strawberries come back, I start mixing and matching different ingredients in my head to make the most delicious strawberry meals.

Since fresh, local ones are available only for a limited amount of time I try to use them as much as possible. They end up being one of the only fruits I eat in April and May! And with good reason (and we make a ton of these Strawberry Oatmeal Bars).

But since they are considered an allergen, if you have a baby prone to food allergies or have a family history of allergies, I recommend caution when introducing them.

And a single-food Strawberry Baby Puree might just be the way to go. Keep on reading to find out how you can make the perfect creamy Strawberry Baby Puree.

Strawberry Baby Puree Ingredients

Strawberries (obviously): make sure fresh strawberries haven't been lying on your kitchen counter or in the fridge for days because they are quite perishable.

You should buy them a day or two prior to using to ensure they have maintained the most nutrients.

Ripe and ready-to-use strawberries are firm, bright red, mold-free, and still have the green tops.

You don't want them to be extra-large either. Plain medium-sized ones are the best as these tend to contain the most flavor.

Strawberry Baby Puree Nutritional Benefits

Strawberries: they're one of the best vitamin C sources which also makes them a great source of antioxidants. Berries in general provide an excellent amount of antioxidants with blueberries often the highest on the list, but strawberries are always right below them.

Apart from containing antioxidant compounds, they are also a source of anti-inflammatories which can have a positive effect on heart health.

Due to the sugar profile and content of strawberries, they don't spike up the blood sugar rapidly so they've actually been found to act beneficially on insulin and blood glucose levels.

Strawberries are also a good source of dietary fiber and certain minerals such as manganese and copper.

How To Make Strawberry Baby Puree

What I love about preparing strawberries is that I don't have to peel them. Ok, you do have to remove the green tops but that's about as far as it goes in the food prep.

Wash. Whether you have organic strawberries or not, I would say washing is required either way.

Remove the green tops. When preparing your strawberries for your perfect Strawberry Baby Puree, you'd want to remove the green tops.

The easiest way to do so is to grab the top right by it's root (the part where it blends with the strawberry flesh) with your fingers and pull.

You should have the green bit along with the full root left in your hand. Another option is to also cut the green top of but that way you'll also be cutting some of the strawberry.

Cut. For a Strawberry Baby Puree, it really doesn't matter how you cut them. If they are small enough, you might not even need to at all. I usually cut them in halves or quarters. And that is only if I am using them raw. If I am cooking/steaming I don't cut them if they fit in the steamer/pot.

Cook. Strawberries can be served both cooked/steamed or raw. If serving for a baby younger than 8 months I recommend cooking/steaming because their digestive systems might not be able to process the fiber just yet.

And my choice is always steaming in a steamer/baby cooker because it maintains the most nutrients. I have this one but really any that steams and blends (2 in 1) is perfect.

You can also boil in water.

Cool. If steaming/cooking beforehand, I prefer to let them sit and cool for about 10 minutes before blending. But if you’re in a hurry you can blend immediately.

Process. Whether you've cooked/steamed your strawberries or decided to use them raw, the next step is to process them in a blender. You'd really want a blender to create the perfect smooth consistency of your Strawberry Baby Puree. Especially if you're using raw ones. If using cooked/steamed ones you can probably just mash them with a fork into a smooth baby puree but the texture might not be the same.

For cooked/steamed strawberries you will almost never need to add additional water.

If using raw ones you'll almost always need to add a bit. Go teaspoon by teaspoon to avoid your puree becoming too runny.

Possible Strawberry Puree Variations

Mashed. If you’re over the puree stage, transitioning from purees to finger food or simply want to serve your baby more textured food then this recipe is great if you modify the “how-to” part. You’d still want to follow all the how-to instructions until you reach the “blend”. Instead of blending simply mash. And you can do both cooked/steamed or raw – depending on your baby's age.

MASHED

Lumps. If you’re just a step away from finger food, you can also blend or mash one half of the cooked/steamed/raw strawberries and leave the rest in pieces before mixing together. That way your child will get used to new textures.

Finger food. You can also serve strawberries as finger foods. I'd recommend doing this with raw ones because cooked/steamed strawberries are mushy and not great for finger food. When cutting them choose longer and thinner sticks if your baby is still on the palmar grasp or cut into cubes if they’ve mastered the pincer grasp.

More Strawberry Recipes you'll love:

Looking for more strawberry recipes? Check out the ones below:

Strawberry Oatmeal
Chocolate Nutmeg Oatmeal
Yogurt Berry Healthy Kids Snack
The Healthiest Banana Bread

Wean With Confidence eBOOK

This is so much more than a recipe book. This is a full weaning plan written by a PhD nutritionist for your child's entire first year, based on the latest science. This will take away the mental load of wondering if you're feeding your child the right food. It's what we wish we had when we were weaning our own children.

How to Make Strawberry Baby Puree

Strawberries are one of our favorite spring fruits. But since they are often considered an allergen, this single-food Strawberry Baby Puree is perfect for introducing them to your baby's diet.

5 from 7 votes

Author: Dora

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Servings 1

Fridge Life? 3 days

Freezable? 3 months

▢ 1 cup strawberries

Wash the strawberries and remove the green tops.
If cooking or steaming place them in the pot.
Strawberries can be served both cooked/steamed or raw. If serving for a baby younger than 8 months I recommend cooking/steaming because their digestive systems might not be able to process the fiber just yet.
Steam or cook for about 10 minutes or until they are soft.
If you have time, allow to cool before blending.
Place in a blender and blend.

Calories: 46kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 220mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 17IUVitamin C: 85mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

How to Serve Strawberries to Baby

Home » Feeding Style » Baby Food Purees » Stage One » How to Serve Strawberries to Baby

Learn how to prepare strawberries for baby in 10 delicious and easy ways! As yummy superfoods, strawberries are a great first food for babies 4-6 months and up. Serve them as a baby food puree, as a solid for the finger food stage or for baby-led weaning.

Medically reviewed and co-written by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).

Strawberry Baby Food

Who doesn’t love a fresh ripe strawberry? 🍓

And by no means, do we want baby to miss out on tasting and (hopefully) enjoying such a scrumptious fruit!

Below you will find all the information you need to know about when you can introduce strawberries to your baby as well as how to serve them to your baby regardless if you are making purees, doing baby-led weaning, a combo of both, or are in the finger food stage! Because no matter where you are in your feeding journey, your baby definitely needs to experience the magic of fresh strawberries.

First time making homemade baby food? Then, I would suggest that you start by reading my very in-depth Guide on how to Make Homemade Baby Food – which goes over all the important information such as the best cooking tools to have on hand, safe storage, how to know when baby is ready for solids, how to introduce purees, the best first foods for baby, and more! If you are doing Baby-Led Weaning, then be sure to check out my Complete Guide to Baby-Led Weaning – which covers what exactly is baby-led weaning, to every parent’s concern of baby-led weaning and choking, this guide goes over it all. I will also share how to know when baby is ready for BLW, the top 10 best first foods, a helpful sample blw feeding schedule, helpful tools to have on hand, and much much more!

Want more information? Then make sure to check out my best-selling cookbook for even more information and recipes!

Strawberries for Baby Video

Watch this video to see all the ways you can serve strawberries to your baby!

Reasons to Love these Strawberry Recipes

delicious baby food purees – 4-6+ months
great for baby-led weaning – 6+ months
also great for the finger food stage – 9+ months
full of essential nutrients for baby
different ways for baby to eat – spoon-fed or self-feed
easy to make
purees are freezer-friendly
can use fresh or frozen strawberries

Benefits of Strawberries for Baby

Strawberries are super healthy for a number of reasons:

Nutritious: Strawberries are full of important vitamins and minerals that benefit our health. They are high in vitamin C; in fact, one cup contains about 180% of the recommended Daily Value for kids, making it an excellent source of this vitamin. They’re also a good source of fiber and contain potassium, folate, and numerous antioxidants. A majority of strawberries are made up of water, so they are a great food to keep your baby hydrated.
Health Benefits: Due to the many nutrients in strawberries, they have been linked to heart health, cancer prevention, digestive health, immune health, blood sugar stability, and reduced inflammation.

Frozen vs. Fresh Strawberries: if fresh strawberries are not in season or in your budget, frozen strawberries would be a great option for you. They are nutritionally similar and easy to find in most grocery stores.

Frequently Asked Questions

When can you introduce strawberries to baby?

Whether you’re starting your baby on purees or are doing baby-led weaning, strawberries are a wholesome and enjoyable first food for your baby! When a baby can start on solids is determined by their own rate of development, which generally comes between 4-6 months of age for purees and or after 6 months for baby-led weaning. Some of the developmental milestones your baby needs to reach in order to start on solids include: if your baby has solid control of their head and neck, if your baby has doubled in weight, and if your baby is reaching for or opening their mouth when you eat (see my guide here). Before you start your baby’s feeding journey, you should consult with your pediatrician to make sure your child is developmentally ready.

Are strawberries a choking hazard to baby?

Yes, strawberries can be a choking hazard, depending on how they are served and the developmental readiness of your baby. To minimize the risk of choking, serve soft and ripe strawberries in age-appropriate forms. For babies under 6 months, serve mashed or as a puree. For ages 6-9 months, you can serve them whole (stems removed), larger than a golf ball size. 9 months and older can have quartered or thinly sliced strawberries, and if the pincer grasp has developed, you can serve them diced. Never leave your baby unattended while eating.

Are strawberries a common allergen?

Strawberries are not one of the top eight food allergens, so it’s not a very common allergy; however, a small percentage of children do develop an allergy due to a protein in the anthocyanins (what gives them their red color) in strawberries, making white strawberries more tolerable, but many do outgrow it. Cooking strawberries will denature this protein, so people with allergies may still be able to enjoy strawberries in a jam, sauces, and baked goods.

How to Serve Strawberries to Baby

There are several different ways to prepare strawberries for your baby! You can make them into a smooth puree, a combination puree, a chunky puree for stage three, mashed and spread on toast or whole for baby-led weaning or a finger food. Here are 10 of my favorite ways to serve them:

Stage One Purees

Roasted Strawberry Puree
Simmered Strawberry Puree
Beaba Babycook Blueberry Puree
2-Minute Strawberry Puree

Stage Two Purees

6 Delicious Combination Purees

Stage Three Purees

Mashed Strawberries with Carrots & Beans
Chunky Strawberry Puree with Yogurt

Baby-Led Weaning or Finger Foods

Strawberries for Baby-Led Weaning or Finger Foods: whole, quartered, sliced or chopped
Mashed Strawberries with Carrots & Beans
Chunky Strawberry Puree with Yogurt

Tools Needed

These tools will make it a lot easier for you to serve strawberries to your baby. For more of my favorite kitchen tools make sure to check out my shop.

Baby Bowls
Suction Baby Plates
Baby Spoons
Beaba Babycook
Freezer Storage Tray
Gootensil
Saucepan
Baking Sheet

Roasted Strawberry Puree

This has to be one of my favorite ways to make a smooth strawberry puree for your baby as the high heat of the oven condenses the natural sugars in the strawberries, which brings out the deep rich sweetness from the strawberries. This simple cooking technique is a simple way to make a puree that is truly swoon-worthy! Of course, if you want to take a serving of your baby’s puree and use it on top of ice cream, I, for one, will not stop you;).

How to Serve: you can serve this puree as-is, mixed with an apple, pear, or sweet potato puree, swirled into oatmeal, yogurt, or ricotta.

Instructions (see below for the full recipe): chop strawberries and place them on a baking sheet. Roast in an oven for 20 minutes until the strawberries are bursting with juices. Place the roasted strawberries in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

Simmered Strawberry Puree

This simmered puree is a simple and easy way to make a yummy strawberry puree for your baby. While simmering, some of the strawberry’s natural water content evaporates, leaving a thicker and sweeter puree. This is helpful because if you blend strawberries into a puree, the puree will be thinner.

How to Serve: you can serve this puree as-is, mixed with an apple, pear, or carrot puree, swirled into oatmeal, yogurt, or ricotta.

Instructions (see below for the full recipe): chop strawberries and place them in a small saucepan. Heat for 10 minutes until the strawberries are super soft and falling apart. Place the simmered strawberries into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

Strawberry Tip: this is a great recipe for using frozen strawberries. You can add frozen strawberries straight to the saucepan and simmer for 12-14 minutes or until soft and thawed through.

Beaba Babycook Strawberry Puree

Who doesn’t love an easy, delicious, and homemade puree that you can make your baby with the push of a button? Using the BEABA Babycook, you can make a simple puree for your baby, highlighting the season’s flavors with minimal effort.

How to Serve: you can make this puree with just strawberries, or you can add in a handful of chopped apples, sweet potatoes, pear, or carrots into the stainless steel basket before steaming.

Instructions (see below for the full recipe): chop strawberries and place them into the steamer basket. Fill the water tank to level 1. Place the steamer basket inside the glass jar, close the lid and push the steam button. Once done, pour out any excess water, transfer the cooked strawberries into the glass jar, close the lid and push the blend button until smooth.

Full Review: read my full, in-depth and honest review of the BEABA Babycook Neo here! Make sure to grab 15% off your Babycook with code (BabyFoode15)!

2-Minute Strawberry Puree

Want to make a delicious strawberry puree for baby but are short on time? Then this puree recipe is for you! We are simply going to blend up some fresh strawberries and call it a day! Yes, it can be that easy.

Instructions (see below for the full recipe): cut off the strawberry greens, and place the strawberries into a blender (chopped or whole). Blend for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. If the seeds are too much for your baby, you can strain them in a fine mesh colander. This puree will start on the thinner side but will thicken in the fridge as it cools.

Strawberries for Self-Feeding

Strawberries are a great food for your baby to self-feed, whether for baby-led weaning, which happens around 6 months of age, or during the finger foods stage at 9 months.

Whole: great for babies 6+ months or just starting on solid foods. It’s best to start your baby with a bigger piece of strawberry so your baby can chew, gnaw and take bites without them being a choking hazard.

Quartered: you can serve baby quartered or thinly sliced strawberries at 9 months and older.

Chopped: if your baby’s pincer grasp has been developed, you can serve them diced strawberries around 9-10 months.

6 Strawberry Combination Purees

You can mix and match strawberries with many other great fruits and veggies to make a fun combination puree. Here are my 6 favorites.

Banana Strawberry Puree: place 2 ripe bananas and 1 cup of chopped strawberries in a blender and puree until smooth. Freeze immediately to preserve the color.
Avocado Strawberry Puree: on a cutting board, mash 1/2 a ripe avocado with 2 chopped strawberries until super smooth. Freeze immediately to preserve the color.
Sweet Potato Strawberry Puree: follow this sweet potato recipe but add chopped strawberries to the backing sheet when you have 20 minutes left on your cooking time. Puree as instructed in the recipe.
Apple Strawberry Puree: follow this apple puree recipe, but add 1-2 cups of chopped strawberries when you add in the apples. Puree as instructed in the recipe.
Carrot Strawberry Puree: follow this carrot puree recipe, but add 1-2 cups of chopped strawberries while blending.
Pear Strawberry Puree: follow this pear puree recipe, but add 1-2 cups of chopped strawberries when you add the pears to the saucepan. Cook and puree as instructed in the recipe.

Mashed Strawberries, Carrots & Beans

This mashed strawberries, carrots, and beans for your baby is a great way to serve your baby a full meal in one tasty bite. You can serve this chunky puree on a piece of toast, spoon-feed it to baby, toss it with some pasta and let baby self-feed it to themselves, swirl it into some yogurt or ricotta or load a self-feeding spoon with a bite and hand the spoon to your baby.

Instructions (see below for the full recipe): place a strawberry, steamed carrots, and a few beans on a cutting board and, using the back of a fork, mash until chunky and incorporated with each other.

More Flavors: you can also use steamed or roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, banana, soft tofu, cooked and shredded chicken, cooked and shredded salmon, and more!

Looking for more easy baby-led weaning and puree recipes? Then check out my favorite ways to serve apples, avocados and bananas to babies!

Chunky Strawberry Puree with Yogurt

Finely chopped strawberries paired with a thick plain yogurt – yes, please! This is a protein-packed food for your baby! Of course, you can also use cottage cheese or ricotta if you want to get all fancy.

How to Serve: you can serve this to your baby on a spoon, a self-feeding spoon, or on a piece of toast, pancake, or waffle.

Instructions (see below for the full recipe): finely chop strawberries and add yogurt, mix well. Serve to baby on a piece of toast or load onto a self-feeding spoon.

Strawberry Oatmeal

Oatmeal is one of my favorite things to serve baby because you can make it into a smooth puree for stage one, thicker chunky oatmeal for stage three, or you can spoon some dollops of oatmeal onto a plate and let it completely cool before serving it for baby-led weaning or the finger food stage. It really does grow with your baby. In this recipe, we will cook the strawberries with oats so that the two turn into beautiful pink porridge. And don’t worry if you want to save yourself a portion of this oatmeal for yourself! You can top your portion with a drizzle of honey, slices of banana and strawberries, and a sprinkle of chopped nuts.

Instructions (see below for the full recipe): bring water to a boil and add in oats, strawberries and a pinch of cinnamon. Let cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, let cool slightly. Serve as is, or transfer to a blender and puree until you have your desired consistency.

More Oatmeal Inspiration: love oatmeal and need more ideas on how to serve it to your baby? Then check out my complete Oatmeal for Babies guide.

Storage Instructions

You can freeze any of the purees listed above. For finger foods, you can store any leftovers in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

Refrigerator

You can store the strawberry puree in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.

Freezer

This strawberry puree can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Spoon pureed strawberry into a freezer storage container (this is my favorite freezer storage container) – do not overfill.
Place the lid on the storage container or cover with a piece of saran wrap and label with date and recipe name.
Place the tray into the freezer and let freeze completely – preferably overnight.
Pop-out the baby food cubes and place in a zip-lock baggie or stasher bag – don’t forget to re-label the baggie or stasher bag for future reference.

Recipe Tips

Picking Strawberries: you will want to get a package of strawberries that are bright red, medium in size, and with vivid greens. Make sure to avoid any moldy or overly soft strawberries.
Organic Strawberries: Since strawberries are on the EOG Dirty Dozen list, I recommend purchasing organic strawberries if possible. In some areas and with some budgets, this is not possible. Do your best! I don’t always buy organic strawberries since they can run upwards of $9 a pint in the winter months where I live, which is too much for my budget. Buying organic is easier during the summer months, and frozen organic strawberries are always a great option.
Fresh or Frozen: You can use either fresh or frozen strawberries for any of the puree, mashed or chunky recipes below, you will need to thaw and drain the strawberries first. It is best to use fresh strawberries if serving as a solid as they will easier for your baby to pick up and hold.
Blender: Because strawberries condense down to such a small amount of puree, I use a small blender when pureeing any of these recipes. You can also use a handheld emersion blender or food processor. You can also double the recipe if you still want to use your regular-sized blender.

Or watch a shortened version of this video here.

Roasted Strawberry Puree

2 cups strawberries, stems removed and chopped
1 pinch cinnamon (optional)

Simmered Strawberry Puree

2 cups strawberries, stems removed, chopped (fresh or frozen)
2 tbsp water
1 tsp fresh lemon juice (optional)

Beaba Babycook Strawberry Puree

2 cups strawberries, stems removed, chopped (fresh or frozen)
water

2-Minute Strawberry Puree

2 cups strawberries, stems removed, chopped (fresh or frozen)

Baby-Led Weaning/Finger Food Stage

1-2 strawberries, stems removed

Strawberry Oatmeal

1 cup water
1 cup strawberries, stems removed, chopped (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
pinch cinnamon

Mashed Strawberry, Carrots & Beans

1 strawberry, stems removed, chopped (fresh or frozen)
1 tbsp white beans, canned or pre-cooked
1 tbsp steamed carrots, roughly chopped

Strawberry & Yogurt

1 strawberry, stem removed and finely chopped
1 tbsp plain whole milk yogurt

Roasted Strawberry Puree

Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the strawberries on the baking sheet and sprinkle on cinnamon. Bake for 20 minutes or until soft and bursting with juices.
Let cool slightly and then transfer the strawberries to a blender or food processor and puree for 1-2 minutes until smooth.

Simmered Strawberry Puree

Place the strawberries, water, and lemon juice into a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes or until soft and broken down.
Let cool slightly and then transfer the strawberries to a blender or food processor and puree for 1-2 minutes until smooth.

Beaba Babycook Strawberry Puree

Fill the tank reservoir to level 1 with water. Add the strawberries to the stainless steel basket and place the basket into the glass jar. Place the lid on top and close. Push the steam button.
Once complete, remove the lid and let cool slightly. Take the stainless steel basket out of it and then pour any excess water into a measuring cup; reserve. Next, pour the strawberries into the glass jar, close the lid, and push and hold the blend button until the strawberries are smooth, adding in any reserved strawberry water if needed.

2-Minute Strawberry Puree

Place the chopped strawberries into a blender and puree for 1-2 minutes or until smooth.
If there are too many seeds, pour the puree through a fine mesh colander into another bowl. The puree will thicken as it cools in the fridge or freezer.

Baby-Led Weaning/Finger Food Stage

Serve to baby whole, sliced, quartered or chopped depending on your baby's age (see graph)

Strawberry Oatmeal

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add in oats, strawberries, and cinnamon. Cook for 10 minutes or until the oats are cooked, and most of the water is gone. Using a hand mixer or blender, puree the oats to your desired consistency – smooth, slightly chunky, or chunky. If serving for baby-led weaning, dollop a few 2-inch circles of oatmeal on a plate and place it in the fridge. Once cooled, the oatmeal will be easier for your baby to pick up and self-feed.

Mashed Strawberry, Carrots & Beans

Place the strawberry, carrots, and beans onto a cutting board. Using the back of a fork, mash the ingredients together into a chunky puree.
Spread the chunky puree onto a 1-3 inch piece of toast, load it onto a gootensil, place on a plate for your baby to eat with their hands, or spoon feed it to your baby.

Strawberry & Yogurt

Place the strawberry on a cutting board or in a small bowl. Add in the yogurt and stir until incorporated. Serve to your baby with a gootensil, place on a plate for baby to eat with their own hands, or spoon feed it to your baby.

Age: 4-6+ months for puree, 6+ months for baby-led weaning.

Storage: you can store the purees in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 4 months. You can store the finger foods in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Yield: the purees will yield you roughly 6-8 ounces of puree, while the finger foods will give you 1-2 servings.

Notes on Frozen Strawberries: if you are using frozen strawberries, make sure you thaw and drain any excess liquid before using them.

Blender

Tripp Trapp High Chair

Freezer Tray

Bumkins Grip Plate

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How to freeze strawberries for the winter

Alina Shevtsova

food blogger

- The healthiest and easiest way to preserve strawberries is to freeze fresh berries. Frozen, they almost completely retain their fresh taste, natural color and do not lose their beneficial properties and substances. Strawberries are especially rich in vitamin C. It is important that only 15-20% of this vitamin is lost when the berries are quickly frozen, so harvesting berries in this way is an opportunity to provide the family with a delicious vitamin for the whole year. nine0003

Roskachestvo experts tell what are the benefits of strawberries and how to choose a sweet and tasty berry.

General principles for freezing strawberries

The main task when freezing strawberries is to preserve the beneficial properties of the berry as much as possible so that it does not lose its fresh taste and bright color, and after the freezer it does not turn into a shapeless mess. To achieve this, you need to choose, prepare, store and defrost berries correctly. nine0003

How to preserve the maximum useful properties of berries and fruits when frozen, says an expert from Roskachestvo.

What varieties are suitable for freezing?

Varieties with a dense pulp texture are suitable for freezing:

Maxim

Elsanta

Darselect nine0003

Zenga Zengana

Preparing berries for freezing

Select only whole, strong, ripe fruits, without mold and signs of spoilage. It is desirable that the strawberries are fresh. This can be determined by the sepals on the stalk: if they are dried up, then such berries are not suitable for freezing.
nine0002 Rinse the strawberries, along with the stalks and sepals, gently in cool water for no more than one minute so that the berries do not have time to become sour.
To prevent the formation of ice glaze during the freezing process, the washed berries must be dried. To do this, on paper or cloth towels that absorb moisture well, carefully lay out the berries in one layer and separately from each other and let them dry completely. And only after that, remove the stalks with sepals, carefully pinching them off with your fingers or with tweezers. Some recipes call for green leaves on frozen strawberries. In this case, you do not need to delete them. nine0003
Before placing the berries in the freezer, the entire batch of strawberries must be divided into small portions, "for one cooking." Re-freezing will turn the workpiece into a slimy sour porridge. The optimal volume of one bookmark is 0.4–0.5 liters.

What container to store strawberries in

The material from which containers for long-term storage of strawberries at low temperatures are made directly affects the taste and shelf life of the product. Give preference to glass containers, airtight containers made of high-quality food-grade plastic or silicone molds and slider bags. nine0003

Storage temperature

The correct temperature is essential for proper storage. At -18 ˚C, whole berries can be safely stored for one year, ice cubes with strawberries - eight months, and cut into halves or mashed - up to six months. If sugar is added according to the recipe, then the period is doubled.

Reminder on the container

In order not to forget exactly when the berries are frozen, put a sticker on the storage container. nine0003

Freeze whole strawberries

Dry freezing of whole strawberries without stems or together with the stalks allows you to completely preserve the shape of the berry. This blank is perfect for decorating homemade cakes, pastries, portioned desserts and cooking compotes.
Place the most beautiful, dense, clean and dried berries on a tray, cutting board or baking sheet, previously covered with cling film, baking paper or a silicone mat, so that the berries do not touch each other, and place in the freezer compartment. nine0003

Further actions depend on the equipment that you have in the kitchen.

If you use a special chamber with the Super Frost function with a pre-set temperature from -32 to -38 ° C (depending on the model), freezing will take very little time. As soon as frost appears on the berries, the process is completed.
If you have a conventional freezer in the refrigerator, then before placing the trays with prepared strawberries in it, you need to set the temperature control to the lowest possible value. Berries should be frozen within 4-5 hours. nine0003
Strawberries ready for long-term storage should be transferred from trays to storage containers as soon as possible and immediately sent to the freezer so that the defrosting process does not begin.

Freeze strawberries in halves

Desserts, such as strawberry jelly cake, do not require whole berries, but halves. After defrosting, it is impossible to carefully cut the strawberries in half. Therefore, part of the crop can be harvested for future use with large, strong fruits cut in half. nine0003

The freezing method, as in the case of whole berries, is dry. Carefully cut clean and well-dried strawberries lengthwise into equal halves with a very sharp knife, trying not to crush the berries. Then freeze and put away for storage using the same technology as the whole ones, but the time for the process itself will take exactly half as much.

How to prepare berries in containers or bags

Dry-frozen strawberries have a slightly sour taste. Those who love sweet natural desserts can add granulated sugar to the berries and freeze in two ways: nine0003

Freeze whole berries with sugar. Put clean dry berries in a dry food container or slider bag. Top with a layer of granulated sugar at the rate of 200 g per 1 kg of strawberries. Seal tightly and place in the freezer. Taste and aroma are perfectly preserved under a layer of granulated sugar. Once defrosted, strawberries can be used immediately for making yoghurts, complex desserts, etc.
Pieces with sugar - a classic filling for pastries and dumplings. Cut prepared berries into quarters, and large ones into six or eight parts. Lay out in a container or bag in layers: the first is sugar, the second is berries, and so on. The top layer is sugar. It is necessary to take into account the initial sweetness of strawberries and the taste preferences of eaters, so the amount of sugar is determined individually. Place container with strawberries and sugar in the freezer. nine0060

Freezing strawberry puree

Pureeing strawberries with or without sugar is the most popular and proven method. Any berries are suitable: small, large, but always fully ripe and without signs of spoilage. We prepare mashed potatoes: put clean fruits without stalks and sepals into a tall bowl and smash with an immersion blender. If desired, add granulated sugar (300 g of sugar per 1 kg of strawberries) and beat again. Set aside the berry mass for about an hour until the sugar crystals are completely dissolved. nine0003

Put silicone molds on a tray, pour strawberry puree over them and carefully transfer to the chamber until completely frozen, avoiding contact with fish, meat and other odorous products. Then carefully remove the ice puree, quickly transfer to silicone bags or slider bags and store in the freezer. This method of freezing is convenient in that it is not necessary to defrost a whole container or package, it is enough to take only the required amount.

How to use strawberry puree? nine0003

Strawberry puree is suitable for making berry sauces and jelly, smoothies and milkshakes, marshmallows and ice cream toppings. Strawberry jelly can be spread on fresh pastries. Do not do without it for those who decide to cook a strawberry cheesecake.

Strawberries in ice cubes

Ice cubes with a whole strawberry inside (and even with a green tail) look spectacular in glasses with transparent drinks. For such a beautiful presentation, small clean berries with intact sepals are placed in ordinary or figured ice molds, very carefully poured with cold purified water and frozen for about eight hours. So that the cubes do not take up much space in the freezer, they must be very quickly, but carefully knocked out of the molds and transferred to bags. nine0003

How to properly defrost strawberries

Freezing strawberries correctly is half the battle. It is equally important to defrost it correctly so that at the last stage you do not lose the taste, color and shape of the fruit. To do this, a portion of the workpiece from the freezer must be moved to the refrigerator on the top shelf, putting it in a bowl or tray. Defrost time - 6-8 hours.
You can defrost strawberries at room temperature, this will reduce the time, but the berries will have time to become a little sour and lose their shape. The main thing is that you can not use the method of shock defrosting: in hot water, oven, microwave. nine0003
If you are going to bake a strawberry pie, then the berries do not need to be thawed in advance, the dough does not need extra moisture. Use them straight out of the freezer, just remember to increase the baking time.