Can you freeze fruits?
Yes, you can freeze fruits
Best quality within 10 to 18 months.
such as berries, melons
Up to 10 to 18 months
What the freezer time means
Freezer times from USDA FoodKeeper are about quality, not safety. Food kept frozen at 0 F (-18 C) stays safe indefinitely; what changes over the months is texture, moisture and flavour. Wrap fruits tightly, press out air, and label the pack with the date so the window above is easy to track.
Thaw in the fridge, not on the counter. Anything that thawed in the fridge can be refrozen, with some further loss of quality; anything left at room temperature for more than 2 hours should not go back in.
How fruits compare with other food purchased frozen
USDA FoodKeeper gives fruits one time: 10 to 18 months in the freezer, and no figure for the other places. A blank usually means the food is not stored that way, not that the data is missing. The foods USDA lists next to fruits in food purchased frozen show the range for the group:
| Food | Pantry | Fridge | Freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egg substitutes(first of 2 kinds) | no guideline | 7 days | Not recommended |
| Fish(first of 6 kinds) | no guideline | 14 to 45 days | 9 to 12 months |
| Frozen entrees | no guideline | Not recommended | 12 months |
| Frozen potato products | no guideline | Not recommended | 12 months |
| Frozen pretzels | no guideline | 3 to 4 days | 9 months |
| Ice cream | no guideline | no guideline | 6 months |
| Ice pops | no guideline | no guideline | 9 months |
| Juice concentrates | no guideline | no guideline | 2 years |
| Kugel(first of 2 kinds) | no guideline | no guideline | 1 year |
| Lobster tails | no guideline | 3 to 4 days | 8 months |
About food purchased frozen. Food that was frozen at the store stays safe indefinitely at 0 F (-18 C), but quality drops the longer it sits, especially with freezer burn. Once thawed, these foods behave like fresh or refrigerated food and should not be refrozen without cooking first. All food purchased frozen.
How to tell fruits have gone bad
General signs for food purchased frozen, the group USDA lists fruits under.
- Greyish-brown, dry patches on the surface (freezer burn)
- Heavy frost or ice crystals built up inside the package
- Package that feels soft or has clearly thawed and refrozen
- Off smell as soon as the food starts to thaw
- Freezer odour that has soaked into the food itself
More on food purchased frozen. The times above are quality guidelines, not safety limits; food that shows these signs goes out regardless of the date.
Storage habits that make the difference
Keep the freezer at 0 F (-18 C) or colder, and push older items to the front so they get used first. Wrap or repackage anything with damaged packaging to limit air exposure. Thaw in the fridge, not on the counter, and cook or use thawed food within a day or two.
Can you freeze other food purchased frozen?
Source: USDA FSIS FoodKeeper dataset (public domain). How we decode the data.