Can I Freeze My Spiralized Veggie Noodles?
A common question that comes up from our veggie noodle-lovers is “can I freeze my spiralized veggies?” We get it – having access to veggie spirals at all times is a top priority in our book, too!
The short answer is: in general, we don’t recommend it. Cece’s® Veggie Co. noodles are spiralized from 100% organic raw vegetables, and contain absolutely ZERO preservatives, added sugars or salts.
This means they definitely have the best taste and texture when they are enjoyed fresh by their “enjoy before” date.
However, we don’t want to completely unwind your spiralized scheme. We’ve done some informal tests (and by that we mean completely unscientific, breakroom freezer-type tests), and it is possible to freeze some of our products without sacrificing the veggie’s ability to noodle. It will take about 24 hours to thaw them completely when you move them from the freezer to the refrigerator.
If you’re going to give freezing our noodles a go, please make sure to use an airtight container- leaving them in our un-opened packaging is best.
Here’s our experience:
What happens when you freeze spiralized sweet potato noodles?
Sweet potato noodles are the heartiest of the spirals we tested! The starch and fiber in the sweet potato helps the noodle hold its texture through the freezing process. If you try this, make sure to thaw the spoodles out completely before cooking, and use a paper towel to squeeze the excess moisture. From there, your noodles should taste pretty good – some of that sweet, earthy noodle flavor will be lost, but you still have a noodle that behaves like a noodle!
What happens when you freeze spiralized beet noodles?
Like sweet potatoes, beets have a high fiber content which helps the texture hold up through the freezing process. Since beets are the crunchiest of the noodles, we recommend serving them in a raw recipe after thawing to preserve maximum texture and flavor. They’d be great added to a smoothie! If you’d like to try cooking them, make sure to squeeze the excess moisture out as advised above. Also be forewarned: beet juice is quite vibrant and may stain your counters and/or hands!
What happens when you freeze spiralized butternut squash noodles?
Freezing spiralized bunoodles proved slightly less successful than sweet potato noodles, but it can still work. After thawing, the butternut squash noodles retained more water than they would fresh, which meant they didn’t have as much of a pleasant crunch. We’d suggest using them in a recipe that includes other veggies (a stir fry or a raw salad, for example) so you can still savor that sweet butternut flavor and the texture isn’t as important.
What happens when you freeze pre-packaged zoodles (zucchini noodles)?
Of all the noodles, the zoodle is the least likely to respond well to freezing. Zucchini has a high moisture content (95%!), and freezing adds ice crystals, which equals more moisture! Thawed-out zucchini spirals become quite gooey. Not noodle-riffic at all! However, if you still want to freeze zoodles, try adding them to recipes while still frozen. Break up the frozen block of zoodles and add them to soups or stir frys, or throw them in a smoothie!
Have you tried freezing our noodles? We’d love to hear about your experience! Email us at marketing@cecesveggieco.com or show us how you noodle on social media using the #SimpleButTwisted hashtag. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for oodles of noodle recipes!
