Blanched Frozen Green Beans
The standard blanch-and-freeze method that locks in the color and snap of a green bean harvest — three minutes in boiling water, an ice bath, and into the freezer.
Ingredients
one batchFrom the garden
- 3 lb green or snap beans, washed, stem ends trimmed — pick young, tender pods; cut into 2-inch lengths or leave whole
Steps
tap a step to dim it as you go- Bring your largest pot of water to a rolling boil — at least a gallon per pound of beans you'll blanch at a time — and set a big bowl of ice water beside the sink. Line a sheet pan with a clean towel.
- Blanch the beans in batches of about a pound: drop them in, cover until the water returns to a boil, and time exactly 3 minutes. Blanching stops the enzymes that would turn frozen beans tough and off-flavored — skipping it is the classic freezer mistake.
- Lift the beans straight into the ice water and chill for 3 minutes — the same time they boiled — then drain and pat thoroughly dry on the towel-lined pan. Let the pot return to a full boil before the next batch.
- Spread the dried beans in a single layer on sheet pans and freeze 1–2 hours until hard. This tray-freeze keeps them loose in the bag so you can pour out a handful at a time.
- Pack into freezer bags or containers, press out as much air as possible, seal, and label with the date.