Can You Freeze Lemon Juice and Lemons? How to Freeze Lemons?

Can you freeze lemon juice and lemons? Now, you can easily extend the life of fresh lemons and their juices by freezing them.

Freezing is a great way to preserve lemons so that you can enjoy them for longer periods of time.

With the ever-increasing prices of lemons during certain seasons, freezing is a simple and cost-effective way to guarantee that this citrus fruit will always be available for your next culinary adventure.

Today, we will discuss how you can freeze lemon juice and whole lemons, as well as provide some tips for when it’s time to defrost them in order to maximize the flavor.

For serious lemon lovers out there, make sure to read until the end – we also provide some ideas on how you can use your frozen fruits/juices.

Table of Contents

How to freeze lemons whole?

Freezing lemons whole is easy. You just need to follow a few steps-

Select fresh and tangy lemons.

Scrub and wash them properly.

Take a zip-lock bag and put your all lemons in it, make sure to remove excess air before zipping (Removing extra air keeps your lemon fresh and long-lasting). Now, seal the zip locker tightly.
Once zipped well, transfer the bag of lemons to a freezer. it may take 2-4 hours to be frozen fully.

To use the frozen lemons, you have to thaw or defrost them first. To thaw the lemons, you can either use a microwave oven or use cold water. Some microwave oven in the market has a defrosting button to thaw the frozen ingredients. Make sure to heat the frozen lemons at a very low temperature to thaw them for up to 1-3 minutes. Once thawed cut and use them in desired recipes. Otherwise, you can thaw lemons keeping them for 10-15 minutes in cold water.

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How to freeze lemon slices or wedges?

You can also freeze lemon slices or wedges by following the steps below:

-Choose fresh lemons and wash them well.

– Cut the lemons in a circle on a cutting board if you want to preserve them as slices. Or to store them as wedges cut the top and tail of each lemon. Cut them lengthwise into 4 pieces, remove the seeds and white core of each lemon piece, and lay skin side down each piece, cut them lengthwise into two pieces again. Thus, a lemon can be cut into 8 pieces as wedges.

– Take a cookie sheet, arrange the slices or wedges in lines, and make sure no slices touch one another otherwise; each slice gets frozen in one chunk. Once arranged well, preserve the sheet in a freezer for up to 2-4 hours until getting solid fully. -Once frozen each slice well, transfer them to freezer-safe bags, seal them tightly, and send back the bag to the freezer again.

How to freeze lemon zest?

Lemon zest is a process of grating lemon peel and nectar together using a grater or zester. You can freeze lemon zest easily.

– Wash the lemons properly.

– Grate each lemon with a peel. You can also use frozen whole lemon for making lemon zest.

– Put all lemon zests on a cookie sheet and send them to a freezer until frozen properly.

– Once frozen, transfer them to a zip lock bag, label them with the date, seal the bag tightly, and refreeze it for longer periods.

how to thaw frozen lemons

Thawing frozen lemons is an important and often overlooked part of cooking that can make a big difference in your recipes.

Luckily, thawing them is easy. The most convenient and safest way to thaw lemons is simply by leaving them at room temperature until they thaw.

Make sure you leave them on a plate or cutting board so that the juices don’t end up dripping on your counters or floors.

When they are thoroughly thawed, not only will you be able to easily juice the lemons, but adding the juice can add a burst of refreshing flavor to your favorite recipes!

How to use frozen lemons:

Did you know that frozen lemons can add a pop of flavor and nutrition to your meals?

Storing citrus fruits in the freezer offers tremendous benefits, such as making it easier to squeeze out the juice and adding a beautiful acidity.

To get the most out of frozen lemons, use them within 3-4 months. They work great in dressings, sauces, and even desserts.

Consider adding freshly grated frozen lemon peels or zest to salad dressings and glazes for more flavor, vibrancy, and texture.

The next time you come across fresh citrus at the store, try freezing some – it’s an easy way to make every dish more delightful.

how to grate frozen lemons:

Grating frozen lemons is a great way to get the most out of every piece of citrus, with minimal effort.

Use an appropriate grater for the task: for larger pieces of lemon (zest or larger pieces to garnish food), a box grater is best; for more delicate pieces and grated zest, you need a microplane grater.

Slice the ends of the lemon and then hold each end against one side of the grater while dragging it down. As you grate, be sure to rotate both the lemon and the grater when necessary.

When finished, you will have fresh zesty bits without any slices or seeds – perfect to dish up on your favorite meal.

How long can you freeze lemons?

According to the University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension, whole lemons last in the fridge for up to 3-6 weeks.

But, once you slice the lemons and preserve them in the fridge, they will last for up to 3-5 days.

If you store lemons whole in a freezer, it will last for up to 4-6 months, and cut lemons for up to 3-4 months.

If you preserve the lemon zest in a freezer, you can store them for up to 6 months.

Can you freeze lemon juice?

Lemon juice is a popular refreshing drink and keeps us hydrated all day round.

A glass of Lemon juice contains 5%-6% citric acid and is also a great source of vitamin C.

Citric acid has an alkaline effect on the human body which helps fast digestion. On the other hand, vitamin C improves the immune system.

Drinking freshly squeezed lemon juice is always recommended to get full health benefits. Normally, lemon juice lasts for 3-4 hours at room temperature.

Within these periods harmful bacteria attack the juice and spoil sooner. But, the question is- can you freeze lemon juice to increase juice shelf life?

The answer is straight- YES. You can freeze lemon juice for more extended periods or for later use.

How to freeze fresh lemon juice?

Freezing lemon juice in a freezer is easy, time-saving, and effortless if you use the best citrus juicer to extract juice fast. To properly complete the freezing process, you can follow the procedures that mention below:

Wash the lemons if you collect garden-fresh lemons.
Roll the lemon on the countertop with pressure to get the best juice extraction.
Cut them into two pieces.
Juice them using the best electric lemon juicer or hand squeezer. Remember, extracting lemons. juice using a hand squeezer is a tiresome and time-consuming job. Therefore, you can use this juicer for a smooth juicing operation.
After extraction, pour the lemon juice into the ice-cube trays and freeze them until frozen.
Once the juice turns into a stiff frozen bar, remove them from ice-cube trays and transfer them to freezer bags or zip-lock bags and store them freezer again for use later.

Like freezing grapefruit juice, this is as simple as that freezing fresh lemon juice.

does freezing lemons make them bitter?

Whether you freeze lemons whole or sliced, the good news is that your frozen lemons won’t become overly bitter.

In fact, freezing them can help to maintain their flavor profile and make them easier to use in recipes.

However, one thing to keep in mind is that they won’t be as juicy when they’re thawed.

To get some of the juice back after freezing your lemons, try using a citrus reamer or scoring each slice before freezing.

You’ll be rewarded with a cup half-full of freshly squeezed lemon juice you can use for recipes.

Can you freeze lemon juice in plastic bottles?

You can freeze lemon juice in plastic bottles but we don’t recommend it.

Because many plastic bottles are made from toxic components like polystyrene, polypropylene, and nylon.

These harmful elements could contaminate the juices if you preserve them for longer periods.

However, you can use plastic containers to store lemon juice that is made from BPA-free plastics, which are specially used for preserving food and beverage.

Freezing lemon juice in mason jars or glass jars

Freezing lemon juice in mason jars is safe and highly compatible with the freezer.

Being tempered, you have to follow specific instructions when you use glass or mason jars to store lemon juice.

You rarely find the right instructions on how to use glass jars or mason jars in the freezer when you buy them.

Before pouring lemon juice, look at the mason jar and Identify a line below the rim of the jar.
Pour the squeezed lemon juice up to the line. Please, don’t pour the jar crossing that line. Otherwise, the jar could break at any time as the jar expands over time in the freezer.
Seal the lid tightly and preserve the jar in the freezer.

Note- if you don’t see any line near the rim at all, make sure to pour the glass jars leaving 1-2 inches of space from the rim.

Is frozen lemon juice as good as fresh?

To be honest, lemon juice will last for longer periods in the freezer. But, you can’t get the natural flavor or nutrients that you can expect from freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Freezing degrades the natural standard over time. A common question is- does freezing lemon juice kill enzymes and vitamins? Freezing does not fully kill natural nutrients like digestive enzymes, vitamins, and other elements.

However, scientific research shows that freezing reduces the effectiveness of the nutritional value that it holds.

How long can you freeze lemon juice?

Freshly squeezed lemon juice lasts for 2-4 days in the refrigerator but 3-4 months in the freezer.

For getting longer juice shelf life, maintain the right preservation method.

In the case of freezing store-bought lemon juice, you can preserve unopened lemon juice for up to 3-6 months and open lemon juice for at least 1 week.

However, you can preserve Meyer lemon juice for up to 2-3 weeks in the fridge.

Can I freeze Meyer lemon juice?

Meyer lemons are smaller in size, expensive, and moderately acidic but sweeter than regular lemons.

These thin and deep yellow to orange-colored citrus fruits are especially available from December to May.

You can squeeze refreshing Meyer lemons juice and freeze them like regular lemons juice in an ice cube tray, mason jars, or any glass jars for later use.

Freezing lemon juice for cocktails

You can still freeze lemon juice for cocktails. Make sure you use an airtight container to store lemon juice for cocktails to hold the natural aroma of lemon juice and freeze them well.