Add us as a Google source

Freezing Apples Recipe: How To Freeze Apples For Later Use

BySheri Ann Richerson
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·Trust With Google·Leave a Review

Apple season has a way of sneaking up on you. One minute you're bringing home a few apples, and the next you're staring at a basket - or several baskets - wondering how you're possibly going to use them all before they start going bad.

That's when freezing apples comes in handy.

If you've been looking for an easy freezing apples recipe, this is one of the simplest ways to preserve fresh apples for later without getting out the canner.

Frozen apples are especially useful for baking and cooking. You can pull out exactly what you need for apple pie, cobbler, crisp, muffins, quick breads, oatmeal and plenty of other fall and winter recipes.

Freezing also lets you deal with an abundance of apples now and decide exactly what you're going to make with them later.

 

 

Can You Freeze Fresh Apples?

Yes, you can freeze fresh apples.

For most uses, I recommend peeling, coring and cutting the apples before freezing them. That way, most of the work is already done when you're ready to use them.

You can freeze apples as slices, wedges or pieces depending on how you expect to use them later.

Apple slices or wedges are useful for pies, crisps and cobblers, while smaller pieces work well for muffins, quick breads, oatmeal and other cooked dishes.

Think about what your family actually eats before you start cutting. There's no sense freezing everything as beautiful pie slices if what you really make all winter is apple bread.

Benefits Of Freezing Apples

Apples are abundant during late summer and fall, and freezing gives you a simple way to preserve some of that harvest for the months ahead.

One of the biggest advantages is that you don't need canning equipment or a shelf-stable canning recipe.

Freezing is also helpful when you don't have enough apples - or enough time - for a big food-preservation project.

You can prepare a few apples, freeze them and move on with your day.

Frozen apples can also be portioned according to how you normally use them. If your favorite apple pie takes a certain amount of sliced apples, freeze that amount together. If you typically need smaller quantities for oatmeal or muffins, make smaller packages.

That little bit of planning makes the frozen apples much more convenient later.

If you are already set up for home canning and want shelf-stable apples instead, take a look at my apple wedges canning recipe.

What Are The Best Apples For Freezing?

You can freeze many different varieties of apples, but firm apples generally hold up better than very soft varieties.

The most important thing is to start with good-quality apples.

Freezing doesn't improve fruit that's already past its prime. Use fresh, firm apples and cut away bruised or damaged areas before freezing.

If you're working through a mixed basket from an orchard or your own trees, that's fine too. You don't necessarily need every apple in the freezer to be the same variety.

And if you have more apples than you want to freeze, you have options.

Some can go into the freezer, some can be dehydrated, some can be canned using an appropriate tested recipe, and some can become something delicious right now.

Do You Need To Peel Apples Before Freezing Them?

No, apples don't absolutely have to be peeled before freezing.

Whether you peel them depends largely on how you plan to use them.

I prefer doing as much preparation as possible before the apples go into the freezer. If I know I'll eventually use them in a recipe where I don't want the peels, I'd much rather peel them once during preservation season than deal with them later.

If your recipe normally uses unpeeled apples, however, leaving the peel on can save time.

Either way, wash the apples thoroughly before cutting them.

How Do You Keep Apples From Turning Brown When Freezing?

Cut apples begin to brown when their flesh is exposed to air. That's a natural reaction called oxidation.

A pretreatment can help reduce browning before the apples are frozen.

Depending on the freezing method you're following, this may involve an ascorbic-acid treatment or another recommended fruit pretreatment.

Follow the directions in the freezing recipe below rather than guessing at concentrations or treatment times.

Remember that browning doesn't necessarily mean an apple has spoiled, but preventing excessive browning certainly makes those frozen apples look more appealing when you pull them out several months from now.

How To Freeze Apples

The basic process is straightforward:

Prepare your apples, treat them as directed to help prevent browning, package them appropriately and get them into the freezer.

One of the most important parts is packaging.

Use containers or freezer bags intended for freezing food. Remove excess air when appropriate, seal everything well and label the package.

At minimum, I recommend writing:

  • What it is
  • The date you froze it
  • The amount in the package

That last one is surprisingly helpful.

"Apples - September 2026" tells you what's in the bag.

"6 cups sliced apples - September 2026" tells you whether you have enough to make the recipe you're standing in the kitchen trying to make.

Print
clockclock iconcutlerycutlery iconflagflag iconfolderfolder iconinstagraminstagram iconpinterestpinterest iconfacebookfacebook iconprintprint iconsquaressquares iconheartheart iconheart solidheart solid icon
Freshly cut apple being sliced for freezing, ready for homemade apple preserves.

How To Freeze Apples

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Save Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Wash, core and quarter apples.
  2. Soak them in citric acid as you work.
  3. Place the apples in boiling water for 2 minutes.
  4. Remove the apples and place them in ice water. Gently stir the apples to help cool them.
  5. Once the apples are cool, remove them and lay them out on paper towels placed over cloth towels to drain.
  6. Once the apples are dry, put them into freezer bags, seal, label and place in the freezer.

Did you make this recipe?

Show Me Your Homemade Version!

Did you make this recipe? I'd love to see it! Tag @sheriannricherson on Instagram and use #ExperimentalHomesteader so I can admire your creation and cheer you on. Seeing these recipes come to life in your own kitchen is one of my favorite parts of sharing them.

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

 

Should You Freeze Apples In Recipe-Sized Portions?

This is one of my favorite tricks for making frozen food genuinely useful instead of simply filling the freezer.

If you already know how you'll use the apples, freeze them in the quantity required by your favorite recipe.

For example, if your favorite apple pie requires six cups of sliced apples, package six cups together.

Then when you want apple pie in January, you don't have to thaw an enormous bag or try to break frozen apple slices apart to get the amount you need.

The same idea works for smaller portions.

Freeze amounts appropriate for muffins, apple bread, oatmeal, smoothies or whatever your household actually eats.

Food preservation is much more useful when you preserve food around the way you live rather than simply trying to put as much food away as possible.

What Can You Do With Frozen Apples?

There are plenty of ways to use frozen apples, particularly in recipes where the apples are going to be cooked.

Use them for:

  • Apple pie
  • Apple crisp
  • Apple cobbler
  • Muffins
  • Quick breads
  • Cooked oatmeal
  • Pancake or waffle toppings
  • Applesauce
  • Smoothies
  • Cooked apple desserts

If you're in the mood for pie, try my Apple Pie For Diabetics.

You can also browse my dessert recipes for apples when you need some inspiration for using the apples you've preserved.

Do Frozen Apples Need To Be Thawed Before Using?

Not always.

Whether you should thaw frozen apples depends on what you're making.

Some cooked recipes can use apples while they're still frozen or partially frozen. Other recipes work better when the apples are thawed first.

The best approach is to follow the recipe you're making.

When you do need thawed apples, put the amount you need in the refrigerator and allow them to thaw there.

Keep in mind that frozen and thawed apples won't have exactly the same crisp texture as fresh apples. Freezing changes the structure of the fruit, which is why I particularly like frozen apples for cooking and baking.

That softer texture isn't a problem when they're headed into a pie, crisp, bread or another cooked recipe.

Can You Eat Frozen Apples As A Snack?

You can eat frozen or thawed apples, although the texture won't be exactly like biting into a crisp fresh apple.

If you're specifically preserving apples for snacking, you may find that dehydrating gives you a texture that's better suited to eating straight from storage.

Frozen apples really shine when they're destined for recipes.

Can Frozen Apples Be Used For Apple Butter?

Frozen apples can be useful for cooked apple recipes because their softened texture isn't a disadvantage once they're going into a pot anyway.

And this is where I definitely want the contextual link we're working on.

If apple butter sounds better than another apple pie, try my Caramel Pecan Apple Butter Recipe. It's a rich fall spread made with apples, warm spices, caramel and pecans that's wonderful on toast, biscuits, pancakes, waffles and oatmeal.

That's also a nice option when you're in the middle of apple season and want to enjoy some of the harvest now instead of putting every last apple away for winter.

Freezing Apples Vs. Canning Apples

Freezing and canning both have a place in a home food-preservation plan, but they solve different problems.

Freezing is usually quicker and requires less specialized equipment. The tradeoff is that frozen food requires freezer space and electricity to remain preserved.

Properly canned food is shelf-stable, which makes it valuable when freezer space is limited or when you want food that doesn't depend on continuous electricity.

You don't have to choose one preservation method for your entire apple harvest.

I often think a mixed approach makes far more sense.

Freeze some apples for baking. Dehydrate some for snacks. Use tested canning recipes for shelf-stable foods. Make some into recipes your family can enjoy immediately.

That way you're not only preserving apples-you're preserving them in forms you're actually likely to use.

More Ways To Preserve And Use Fresh Apples

If you're dealing with an abundance of apples this fall, freezing is just the beginning.

Head over to my Ultimate Apple Roundup for even more apple recipes and ideas.

If your freezer is already getting crowded, my Beginner's Guide To Dehydrating Apples is another way to preserve part of the harvest.

For shelf-stable options, browse my Apple Canning Recipes and be sure to follow current tested home-canning recipes and processing instructions.

And when you're ready for something a little more indulgent, don't forget the Caramel Pecan Apple Butter Recipe. That's one I'm especially looking forward to during apple season.

The goal isn't to preserve apples just for the sake of preserving them.

It's to take advantage of what's plentiful now and turn it into food you'll be glad to have later.

And when you're pulling a package of prepared apples out of the freezer in the middle of winter, you'll be pretty happy you took the time to put them away.

How To Freeze Food

 

More Monthly Homesteading and Prepping Themes

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Are you human? Please solve:Captcha


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.