Can you freeze kiwi? We've asked ourselves that same question many, many times. We are not fortunate enough to live in a tropical paradise where kiwis grow in abundance so we have to rely on our local produce department to keep us stocked up. And we ALWAYS keep an eye out for a good sale.
But kiwi gets soft and mushy after a week. Right? So what do you do with it if you can't eat it all that quickly?
Simple.
You freeze it.
Can you freeze kiwi?
You absolutely can freeze kiwi! It's super easy and you have a few options to do it. You can freeze kiwi whole, sliced (or diced), or as a puree.
Kiwi is one of the easiest foods to freeze. It doesn't need to be blanched. It doesn't even need to be peeled (you can eat the skin)!
Frozen kiwi is a wonderfully delicious, and healthy, snack. If you have any experience freezing cantaloupe, freezing blackberries, freezing blueberries, freezing strawberries, or freezing raspberries, then this will be a familiar process for you. If you haven't, don't sweat it, you'll catch up just fine!
Frozen kiwis are perfect for making smoothies or treating yourself with a healthy, chip-like snack. The methods we use are freezing whole (with or without the skin), sliced (or diced), and pureed. Let's take a look at how it's done.
Supplies
You are going to need the following supplies:
- kiwis
- cookie sheet (for freezing whole)
- blender or food processor (for puree)
- ice cube trays (for puree)
- measuring cup
- freezer bags
- sharpie or marker
Freezing whole kiwis
Freezing whole kiwis is the easiest of all three methods.
Step One
Put your whole kiwis in a freezer bag and stick them in the freezer.
The end.
For real. It's that easy.
You can peel them first, if you like. If you do not peel them, you will want to wash it first and make sure all of the hairs are removed. But freezing whole kiwi is really easy.
Although it is easy, this is our least favorite way to preserve kiwi. Whole kiwi takes a while to thaw and, once thawed, is extremely soggy and mushy due to all of the moisture in the fruit. The flavor is still okay but the texture experience is not nearly as good as sliced, diced, or pureed.
Need to get all your food preserved easily? Check out the Ultimate Guide To Freezing Food so that you can fill your freezer without in minimal time.
Freezing kiwi slices
Kiwi slices are our personal favorites. They are quick and easy to thaw. Plus, frozen kiwi chips are really, really good. Additionally, if you want to have a kiwi smoothie, you can toss them in the blender with your other ingredients and they blend pretty easily even when still frozen.
Step One
If you want to leave the skin on, make sure to wash all the little hair fibers off. If not, start by peeling your kiwis.
Step Two
Decide if you want kiwi dice, full round kiwi circles, or half moon shaped slices. Take a sharp knife and, if you want half moon slices or dice, cut the kiwi in half first. If you want full circles, just start on one end and carefully cut thin slices.
Half moon shapes are cut the same as full circle slices, you just cut it in half first. Kiwi dice can be cut by following the half moon shape method and then, while holding the slices together, turn the kiwi and make another line of slices perpendicular to the first slices.
Step Three
Whichever method you choose, the next step is the same. Line all of your kiwi pieces in a single layer on a cookie sheet (just as you would when freezing bananas slices or freezing mozzarella slices). Place the cookie sheet in your freezer and wait a few hours. We like to do it overnight but if it's earlier in the day they should be good and solid in about 5 or 6 hours.
We freeze them on a cookie sheet first so that they do not stick together in the bag.
Step Four
After the kiwi has had time to freeze, take the cookie sheet out of the freezer. Next, you will want to put all of the frozen kiwi pieces in a freezer safe bag. We always make sure to write the contents, quantity, and freeze date on the outside of the bag.
Puree your kiwi
If you don't want to use your kiwi for chips then puree is the way to go. Pureed kiwi is also a great base for baby food.
Step One
Again, wash the hairs from the skin or peel the kiwis first. The hairs come of pretty easily under a steady stream of cold water and a little bit of wiping. You can use your hands to wipe it clean.
Step Two
You can toss whole kiwis in your blender or food processor, if you like. We find we have better results if we cut our kiwis in half or in quarters first. Whichever you do, place them all in your blender and use the puree, or similar, function.
If you are having trouble getting a good, smooth mix, you can start to add a little water in to help the blades mash it up a little better.
Step Three
After your kiwis are pureed, pour them into the reservoirs of an ice cube tray. Just like with the slices, we will do a pre-freeze before the final freeze.
Stick the ice cube trays in the fridge overnight or for a few hours. They may take a little longer since they are now in a thicker liquid form and not a thin slice.
Step Four
Once frozen, remove the ice cube trays from the freezer and pop all of the kiwi cubes out. Put them all in a freezer safe bag, write the contents, quantity, and date on it and place it back in the freezer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few common questions about freezing raspberries.
How long can you keep kiwis in the freezer?
Kiwis can stay fresh in the freezer for up to a year. We always follow FDA guidelines and recommendations for food and freezing safety.
How do you defrost frozen kiwi?
There are 2½ methods of defrosting that we recommend. We say 2½ because one method isn't exactly thawing them.
The first method for thawing frozen kiwi is to just stick the frozen kiwis in the fridge overnight. It's slow but after a few hours your kiwis will no longer be frozen. They will, however, be pretty soggy.
The second way to unfreeze them is to place them in a bowl of cold water and set it on the counter. Check on them in about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how thick the slices are. If they are still frozen when you check, replace the water with fresh cold water and check again in another 5 to 10 minutes. Repeat this process until your kiwis is thawed. This method will also result in soggy and mushy kiwi.
The last, or second and a half, method is to not thaw them at all. Eat them as frozen chips or put the pieces in a smoothie. They will thaw in the liquid of the smoothie and will not have an unappetizing mushy texture.
Why are my thawed kiwis so mushy?
Remember, kiwis have a high moisture content so when thawed they change in texture quite a bit. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to remove enough moisture to avoid mushy kiwis once frozen. That is why we highly recommend the sliced or pureed methods.
If you need more help getting your foods frozen, check out the Ultimate Freezing Food Guide for a complete quick start reference so that you can have a well-stocked freezer.
