How Long Can You Store Onions In The Freezer?

Onions are one of the most versatile ingredients in your kitchen, and many varieties can be used to spice up breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Because they're such a staple, it can be frustrating to find that you've either run out of onions or the onions have gone bad before you could use them. While the alliums can last up to three months in a cool, dry place with low humidity, some kitchens might not meet these requirements, so it's easier for onions to begin rotting or sprouting. Plus, it's a mistake to store onions in a fridge, so that's not an option either. Fortunately, freezing onions can extend their shelf life and ensure you always have some on hand. However, you have to make sure they're stored properly. 

If you're freezing raw onions, either whole, sliced, or chopped, you can expect them to last for roughly six months before they begin to degrade. After that, the onions will still be okay to eat, but they'll start losing more of their flavor. Likewise, when frozen, the water inside the onion freezes and expands, causing damage to the cell walls, which can create a softer texture upon thawing. For this reason, you should consider against re-freezing any onions you've thawed out and avoid using frozen onions in recipes that call for raw ones. Despite losing some of their crunch and potency, frozen onions still cook fabulously in soups, stews, stir-fries, and the like, though they are not ideal for caramelizing. 

To make onions last as long as possible in the freezer, it's important that they're frozen properly. Although you can freeze onions whole, don't just chuck them in there and call it a day. In fact, freezing whole onions is a lot more work than freezing them diced, because you need to blanch them in boiling water first to prevent the interior from browning, and then put them in an ice bath before freezing. Now, you absolutely can do this, but keep in mind they'll need to be thawed before you can use them, because trying to cut a solid frozen onion is a recipe for disaster. 

By far, the most efficient way to freeze onions is to either cut them into slices or dice them up (you can even use some foolproof tricks to cut them without crying). Cut and diced onions don't require blanching and are much easier to portion, which is important because you want to avoid re-freezing anything. For both sliced and chopped onions, you'll want to dry them as much as possible before storing them in a thick, airtight freezer bag. Because onions have such a strong odor, a thick bag will help prevent their scent from leeching into other foods. 

We recommend freezing onions in small batches so you can quickly grab the portions you need without any waste. Although the onions will stick together after freezing, knocking them against your counter is an easy way to separate them. Of course, if you have the portion you need, you can add them right into a hot skillet or boiling pot of soup, and they'll break apart as they cook.