Can You Freeze Chives – GUIDE on How to Freeze Fresh Chives Quickly and Easily

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Can You Freeze Chives: A fresh bunch of Chives is known to add a bright flavour to any ordinary dish and turn it up into something amazing whether grown in your own garden or bought from the supermarket. They are grass-like herbs that add a subtle oniony flavour to your dishes and are generally added to a wide range of hearty dishes like soups, stews, baked potatoes, sauces, sandwiches, etc.

But if you have a fresh harvest of Chives and want to preserve them, then freezing is the best possible option that you can go for. In this article we have discussed more this, so make sure you stay tuned till the end.

Can You Freeze Chives

Can You Freeze Chives Whole?

When it comes to preserving your chives, you can opt for two options. The first is to freeze them whole which is not quite the best approach, but saves you time and takes the least amount of effort. The other option you get is to freeze them in ice cube trays which we shall read about in the next section of the article.

How To Freeze Chives?

For now, let’s see what are the main steps to follow in order to freeze your chives whole most efficiently

  • Clean and Trim – First, make sure all your chives are cleaned properly especially if you are directly picking them from the garden. Ensure to remove any dirt or bugs by giving it a quick rinse under running water. Next, dry it completely and make sure to trim the ends as they might be a bit shrivelled up.
  • Label and Bag Up – Next, put your chives in an air-tight zip-loc bag and make sure to squeeze all the excess air out as much as possible. Label your bag with the current date and name of contents to stay certain at the time of thawing.
  • Freeze – Finally, place this bag inside the freezer and use them whenever you need them.

How To Freeze Chives In Ice Cubes?

As mentioned earlier, the second way of preserving chives is to freeze them in ice cube trays. This approach is considered to be better and is more strongly recommended than freezing it whole. This is because it is going to allow you to grab the exact amount you need easily without degrading the flavour and contaminating the whole thing. Here are some quick steps you need to follow:

  • Clean and Portion Out: Make sure to clean your chives effectively first and then take up a pair of scissors to snip the chives into smaller rings easily.
  • Fill Ice Cube Tray: Next, take an ice cube tray of an appropriate size and fill in each slot with the chopped chives up to two-thirds of the way up. Now cover the remaining portion with water or olive oil and make sure the chives are fully submerged in it.
  • Freeze: Freeze them for a good 6 to 12 hours and once they are frozen solid you can transfer the cubes to an air-tight freezer bag and store them back in the freezer.

How To Dry Chives?

Since, chives are very delicate herbs, drying and preparing the chives before freezing is very important. Here are some of the options you can look for. There are 3 ways to dry chives.

  • Air dry chives by hanging- Here, you simply need to wash your chives first and then soak them with a kitchen towel to soak up extra moisture. Next, you need to tie them up in bundles and hang them in a cool and dry place that has good air circulation for up to 2-3 weeks to dry them up completely.
  • Dry chives in the oven- Here, you just need to initially wash and pat dry your chives first, chop them and evenly spread them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Next, insert this sheet inside the oven and bake for approximately 2 hours at the lowest temperature setting of 155-170°F
  • Dry chives in a food dehydrator- This is by far the best approach to dry chives. After washing them thoroughly and towel- drying chop them and spread them evenly on parchment paper leaving sufficient gaps. Next set the food dehydrator to a temperature setting of 90-95°F/ 35°C and bake the sheet for 1 hour.

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How Long Do Frozen Chives Last?

Chives have stayed to remain fresh in frozen for a good 6 months keeping their flavours intact. However, the longer you store your chives beyond that, the more the texture is going to degrade over time. Always make sure to label your freezer bags in order to never go out of date or be uncertain of consuming bad chives.

If you plan to store your chives in the refrigerator itself, then it is going to stay fresh for about a week or two. Always make sure to use resealable bags to freeze your chives because there is a high chance that your fridge will take up a slight onion scent if you do otherwise.

Best Tips To Freeze Chives

Now that you have learnt how to freeze chives effectively, let us share some amazing tips that we recommend you follow in order to get the best results while preserving and freezing your chives. The tips are

  • Freeze your chives in Ice Cubes only if possible, because is one of the most effective ways to freeze them and is super easy to consume too later on, and it’s also super easy. Push chopped chives into the slots of an ice cube tray.
  • Try mixing your chives with other herbs too like wild garlic, lemon zest, chilli, parsley, etc. to give that extra attack of authentic aroma and flavour.
  • You can use your chives directly from the frozen by popping the right amount of cubes into the dish itself. Chives are going to melt on their own in the cooking heat and add a subtle onion taste to your dish. No need to defrost them!

How To Defrost And Thaw Frozen Chives?

Well, fortunately, there is no need to worry about defrosting and thawing when it comes to freezing chives. This is because chives are both soft and small, hence they melt almost instantly when you pop them into your dish. Just pop as many cubes as you want directly into your hot dish and give it a quick stir to fix any minute changes in the consistency whatsoever.

Refreezing chives is something that we won’t recommend because it can dramatically degrade both the flavour and the texture of your chives. The only exception here is if you have added frozen chives to a cooked dish then you may proceed to freeze it with no possible issues.

Get to know more interesting articles on Herbs by referring to our guide on Can you Freeze Rosemary and resolve all of them.

FAQs on Can You Freeze Chives

1. Do freeze-dried chives taste the same?

Yes, freeze-drying chives is a very common method of preserving them and the taste is almost similar to that of fresh chives and can be easily substituted in equal amounts to be added to any recipe.

2. Should you chop chives before drying?

Yes, make sure to properly clean and chop your chives finely into rings before drying in order to have an even consistency throughout.

3. Is it better to freeze chives or dry them?

Freezing chives is considered to be better than drying them because freezing is not only great for extending their shelf life by several months but also maintaining their vibrant green colour as compared to dried ones that turn dark.

4. Can you put freeze-dried chives on a baked potato?

No, even though dried chives work as an amazing garnish for various dishes freezing them on top of any dry or snack dish and making them dry out even further. This will not be the case if you use fresh frozen chives for garnishing dishes.

Closing Thoughts

Wrapping up, chives freeze well but don’t work very well as garnishing ingredients because they tend to lose a lot of texture when thawed out, making them look unappealing while garnishing dishes. But however, freezing is an amazing option to preserve them for a long time as well as help them retain their delicate onion flavour, to go well with any soups, sauces or curries.

We hope you found this helpful enough to clear all your doubts and give you the knowledge you need. Till then make sure you stay tuned with us and read other amazing articles like Can You Freeze Wild Garlic and others.

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