Last time we talked about frozen vs fresh, veggies was the topic of choice. Today, we are going to talk about the other side of produce and discuss fruits.
Let’s start with some honesty today; there are a handful fruits that I’ve tried to freeze. Mostly, those fruits mainly go into whatever smoothie I’m making at the time. Most often, the fruit frequently frozen in my house is a banana. A giant gallon bag is currently hiding in my freezer waiting to be used. Plus, it’s how I save the bunch when I inevitably buy and only eat 2 of them before they go brown. Frozen bananas are really an essential part of a vegan diet. Smoothies, nice cream and so on, I use this fruit in the frozen version most of the time.
But in grand scheme of fresh vs. frozen, let’s talk about a few instances where you would want to have one fruit over the other:
Smoothies – Fresh or frozen would work here. If you want to cut down on your ice in a smoothie, I would recommend using frozen. Keep in mind though, if you use mostly frozen fruit, the amount of liquid you put in would need to be increased since it’s no longer coming from fresh items. Either way, it doesn’t hurt to use fresh if that’s what you have available. This one is a person preference/whatever you have on hand at the moment.
Desserts – This one is a case-by-case thing. If I was making chocolate covered strawberries, I would want fresh. Defrosted strawberries would be too liquid-y as a result my chocolate wouldn’t stick well. However, if I’m mixing it into something else or refreezing it, I may be able to use the frozen version. If cake is involved and you don’t want it saturated in extra liquid, it might be best to stick with fresh. But again, you might be able to use the frozen strawberries for a cheesecake. Go by what the recipe calls for or test it out and see if it doesn’t specify. Ultimately, this can be a bit of a personal preference as well.
Jams- Both could be an option here depending on how and what jam you are making. Test the recipe or follow the instructions based on what is recommended. The extra liquid release as the fruits thaw may mess with the consistency of your recipe.
Fruit plates Fresh. If you use frozen fruit here, everything will look sad. Plus the longer it sits out, the worse the plate will look. Save yourself the headache and stick with the fresh goods.
Which do you use the most, fresh or frozen?
Leave me a comment below and let me know your favorite way to use fruit!
Xoxo, Savannah
