How to Thaw Frozen Berries (The 3 Best Methods to Use)

Want to know how to thaw frozen berries quickly?

Today, I am going to highlight the three best methods that can be used to defrost frozen berries along with step-by-step instructions.

So now that you know what to expect, let’s get right into it.

4 Things to Know Before Thawing Frozen Berries

Before we get into the different methods that can be used for thawing frozen berries, there are 4 important things that you should know.

• Texture will change: Once berries are thawed, expect them to be very soft and mushy. When the berries are frozen, the water contained in the fruit turn into ice crystals, which will puncture the fruit’s cell walls. With the berries cell wall integrity destroyed, once thawed, you will find that that the fruit loses some of its structure and as a result, will be soft and mushy.
  
• Use Quickly. Thawed berries will generally last only a few days in the refrigerator (2-3 days), before the quality starts to degrade and it begins to spoil.
  
• Store Carefully: Thawed berries will be soft and prevent them been crushed and bruised, it is best to store them in the refrigerator in a shallow container or a baking tray, where they are not bunched together.
  
• Don’t Thaw for Hot Foods: If you are going to be using your frozen berries in hot dishes or recipes, there is no need to thaw them, as the heat from the dish will quickly defrost them.

Related: How to thaw frozen strawberries

3 Best Methods to Thaw Frozen Berries Quickly & Properly

There are 3 methods that are effective at defrosting frozen berries.

The method you use, is dependent on how quickly you need them defrosted.

They are:

• Cold Water
• Microwave
• Overnight in the Refrigerator

We will spend a couple of minutes taking an in-depth look at each thawing method below.

1. Cold Water

The cold water defrosting method should take anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour, but this is dependent on the amount of frozen berries that you will thawing.

Directions:

1. Place the frozen berries in a leak-proof plastic bag or keep them in their original plastic packaging. This will help to stop the water from damaging the fruit.
2. Fill a large bowl or kitchen sink with cold water.
3. Submerge the bag with the frozen berries.
4. Change the water every 10-15 minutes (dependent on how many berries you are thawing).
5. It should take 30 minutes to an hour for the berries to thaw.

2. Microwave

The microwave is a quick and effective way to defrost frozen berries. If you are in a rush and want your fruit thawed and ready to be used in under five minutes, then this is the option to use.

Directions:

1. Remove the frozen berries from the freezer and place in a sealable plastic bag (if it’s not in plastic packaging.)
2. Place on a microwave-safe plate or container that is lined with paper towels.
3. Use the defrost or low is power setting and microwave fruit for 30 seconds.
4. Check to see if the berries have thawed, if not microwave them in ten second intervals until they have defrosted.

If you want a visual as to how it’s done, check out the video below.

3. Overnight in the Refrigerator.

If you are someone who meal plans ahead of time, then defrosting berries overnight in the refrigerator is a slow and steady method to consider, especially if you do not plan on using the berries immediately.

It will take a couple of hours (overnight) for the fruit to thaw, but they will be ready for use the next morning.

Directions:

1. Remove the frozen berries from the freezer and place in a bowl 6-8 hours before you plan on using them.
2. Put the bowl in the refrigerator and let them sit and thaw overnight.
3. The next morning, the berries should be fully defrosted and ready for use

Related: How to thaw frozen blueberries

Wrapping it up

Now I want to turn it over to you:

Which of the thawing methods from today’s post are you going to use when defrosting frozen berries?

I am also curious how you plan on using the frozen fruit.

Let me know by leaving a comment below.