Can You Freeze Cantaloupe? Two Easy Methods

There are few things more satisfying than enjoying a delicious melon, particularly cantaloupe, at a relaxing backyard barbecue. What if you could recreate that any time of year (at least the melon, not the cooperative weather)? Can you freeze cantaloupe and save it for later?

So, can you freeze cantaloupe? In short, yes, you can. In fact, you can freeze it in a couple different ways, whole or as a puree, so you can use it in a wide variety of different ways, like a healthy snack, smoothies, etc.

Can you freeze cantaloupe?

Freezing cantaloupe is pretty simple when you get right down to it. Like many of our fruit and berry preservation techniques (blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries) you don’t have to bother with blanching first.

Frozen cantaloupe can last up to a year in your freezer without losing too much of it’s taste, texture, and quality. You can toss some of the frozen melon balls in your water to make a delicious, healthy drink, just eat them on their own, or use the puree as a base to a smoothie or sorbet.

Supplies

You are going to need the following supplies:

• cantaloupe
• knife or melon peeler
• cookie sheet (for freezing whole)
• blender or food processor (for puree)
• ice cube trays (for puree)
• freezer bags
• sharpie or marker

Freezing slices or cubes

The simplest way to freeze cantaloupe is to just cut it, bag it, and freeze it.

Step One

Using a knife or your melon peeler you will want to cut your cantaloupe in half. Once you do that you can pull all of the seeds from the core and scrape it clean. Don’t throw away your seeds either. They make a fantastic roasted snack.

Step Two

Decide if you want slices or balls. If you want slices you can use your melon peeler and simply cut out the slices. If you want bite sized balls just use your melon baller and scoop them out of the center.

Step Three

Now lay your slices or melon balls on your cookie sheet in a single layer. Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for a few hours or overnight. This will give them time to freeze completely and not stick together which can be a real hassle when you want to use them later.

Step Four

Once the cantaloupe has completely frozen, take the pieces from the cookie sheet and place them in freezer safe ziplock bags. Make sure you write the contents, quantity, and date on the outside of the bag before putting it back into the freezer.

Cantaloupe puree

This is our favorite method because it is so versatile. As we mentioned earlier, you can use these in smoothies, sorbets, or just eat it as a cold snack.

Step One

As with freezing whole, you will want to use a knife and cut the cantaloupe in half. Scoop out all of the seeds from the center and put them to the side for roasting later. Next, take you knife, melon peeler, or melon baller to cut your cantaloupe into manageable pieces.

Step Two

Take each of your pieces and place them in a blender or food processor. Turn the blender or processor on and blend until the cantaloupe is completely pureed.

Step Three

Pull out your ice cube trays and pour the blended cantaloupe into each of the reservoirs. Put the ice tray in your freezer overnight or until the are frozen solid.

Step Four

After the ice cube trays have completely frozen, take them out of the freezer and just pop all of the cantaloupe cubes out. Put them in a freezer bag and label it with contents, quantity, and date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a few common questions about freezing raspberries.

How long can you keep cantaloupe in the freezer?

Cantaloupe will stay good in the freezer for about 10 to 12 months. It may still be edible after this but eventually it will begin to suffer from freezer burn and the taste, texture, and quality will decline. If you are unsure about it, you can always follow FDA.org guidelines to be safe.

How do you defrost frozen cantaloupe?

Cantaloupe is soft enough that even when frozen, it is still pretty easy to chew. So you don’t really need to defrost it. However, if you would like to anyway just run it under cold water or leave it in your refrigerator overnight.

The puree doesn’t really need to be thawed as it is intended to be a base for a smoothie or sorbet.

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