How to Freeze Apples

Frozen apples work well for baking, making smoothies, and even healthy snacking. While I love to can my fruit, it can be nice to have a little variety in my kitchen. Besides freezing fruit tends to keep that fresh fruity flavor better. The first time I learned how to freeze apples I was worried about the apple slices browning. With our coating on the apples, browning has not been an issue even months later.

Frozen apples

How to Prepare Apples for Freezing

The first step in freezing apples is to prepare 6 large apples by coring, peeling, and slicing them into 1/4-1/2 inch slices. I like to use my corer, slicer, peeler for that.

Combine 1 teaspoon of ascorbic acid and 1/2 cup of sugar. Add the sliced apples and coat gently.

The acid keeps the apples from turning brown and the sugar draws the juice to the surface blocking any air from being trapped inside and reducing the chance of freezer burn.

Now that the apples are ready it is time to individually freeze them. This allows the apples to later be removed from the freezer individually instead of in one large ice block.

How to Freeze Apples

Freezing apples is done by placing the apples on a baking sheet with a silicone mat and placing it into the freezer to freeze for 2 to 4 hours.

After the apples have been individually frozen remove them from the baking sheet. Place the frozen apple slices in long-term storage freezer bags that have been labeled with the contents and freezing date.

I remove as much air as possible. Then I lay the bag flat in the freezer so it will stack better.

Frozen Apples

Note: It is easiest to label the storage bags before putting the apples in the bag.

Here are more videos that teach you how to freeze fruit.