How to Freeze Celery So It Lasts Up to a Year

Even the most resourceful cooks occasionally find themselves staring down a crisper drawer full of surplus vegetables and wondering how to proceed. Take celery, for example: Can you freeze celery stalks? If so, how? And what will you do with all that frozen celery down the road?

Fortunately, it’s easy to freeze celery to use later. Frozen celery loses some crispness but is still super flavorful, so it’s better suited to vegetable juices, soups, stocks, or sauces than raw crudité platters. 

To extend the life of your vegetables, and give your future self the gift of beautifully preserved produce, follow this step-by-step guide to freezing celery. 

The best way to freeze celery is to first blanch it in boiling water. This fussy-sounding step preserves the vegetable’s color and flavor and prolongs its lifespan: Blanched celery can last up to a year in the freezer. 

First, clean and trim the celery you want to freeze. Then cut the stalks into whatever size pieces you think you’ll want to use later (the exception would be a tiny brunoise, which would too easily slip through a slotted spoon).  

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil and prepare an ice bath, or a large bowl of water three-quarters full of ice cubes and cold water.

While a quick blanch before freezing will do your celery a world of good, you can absolutely freeze raw celery. 

First, separate your stalks, wash and dry them completely, and then trim or cut them into the shape or length you think you might prefer when you go to use them later. Spread those celery pieces onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and slide it into the freezer. After an hour or two, you can pop the celery off the sheet and into a freezer bag, taking care to squeeze out as much air as possible before you seal it. Those frozen celery segments will keep one to two months. 

The best part about frozen celery is it doesn’t need to thaw. You can take frozen celery directly out of its bag, throw it into your juicer or stockpot, and proceed as if it were fresh. 

Since freezing changes its texture, frozen celery is best used in dishes where it’s cooked or blended. Put your frozen cooked celery or frozen raw celery to work in recipes like the following:

• Vegetable stock, a great use for an array of frozen vegetables.
• This hearty slow-cooker celery soup with bacon.
• Cream of tomato soup, a perennial crowd-pleaser.
• She-crab soup, a low-country favorite.
• A zesty vegetarian lemon-potato soup.
• This spicy, savory sangrita from Mayahuel, a now-shuttered NYC cocktail bar.