Frozen berries??

Therese1975
Therese1975 Posts: 5 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Do any of you have tips for using frozen berries as a replacement for fresh, as in over cereal or yogurt? I know they work well in smoothies...but am wondering if they will taste okay thawed. If so, how long do they need to thaw before you can eat? Do some types taste better thawed than others?

Replies

  • annawantstotryvegan
    annawantstotryvegan Posts: 8
    http://www.brit.co/frozen-berries-recipes/

    I do think they are mostly used for desserts, or at least I've seen them being used for desserts. Otherwise, just in yoghurt, porridge or cereals :) I would include other fruits in there as well to top up the sugary taste without putting white/ brown sugar. Experiment, you never know what you will come up with...

    PS: Homemade smoothies are the best thing.
  • Tea_Mistress
    Tea_Mistress Posts: 105 Member
    They taste fine frozen :) in fact I like them better frozen because they melt in your mouth :p
  • soozy_q
    soozy_q Posts: 56 Member
    Frozen fruit goes amazing with yoghurt if you head mixed berries in a hot pan they reduce and release their natural sugars, let it cool down and you have a homemade compote for your yoghurt
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    If you're trying to eat them while frozen, it may be difficult. If you allow them to thaw before you eat them, they will be mushier than they would have been prior to being frozen.

    Frozen works great in smoothies (no additional ice necessary). Frozen grapes are like mini sorbets in a skin! It's awesome. I've never had any other berry while they are frozen though. Blueberries are REALLY mushy after you've defrosted them (even grapes, but they are more self contained).

    I've added frozen berries into cupcake batter and had them, they baked up like normal (mushy if you find one whole inside the cupcake, but that is normal for a fresh berry that is baked also).

    So ultimately, it depends on what you want to do with the frozen berries.
  • AlysonG2
    AlysonG2 Posts: 713 Member
    I actually think blueberries are great frozen, not thawed. My son loves them that way too. We just eat them by themselves.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I actually love them, I thaw them in the microwave for 20 seconds... yes there is juice but it's delicious on cereal and yogurt (or my favorite, ricotta).
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    I put about 10 frozen raspberries, a cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt and some sweetener in a container and take it with me to work. By the time I get to my desk (45 minutes or so later) they are thawed and mix great with the yogurt. Otherwise, I mostly just mix frozen fruit into smoothies. I do also use frozen banana chunks to make banana bread once they've thawed.
  • nilbogger
    nilbogger Posts: 870 Member
    I used to put some Greek yogurt in a bowl, top it with frozen berries and leave it in the fridge overnight. In the morning the berries are thawed and you can top the bowl with some granola or crunchy cereal for a nice breafast.
  • dawnmcneil10
    dawnmcneil10 Posts: 638 Member
    I use frozen fruit all the time in my yogurt. What I do is put about 3/4 of a cup of frozen fruit in a mason jar, top with plain greek yogurt and put in the refrigerator at night, the next morning I toss in my granola and eat it something throughout the day. The berries/fruit are always thawed and the extra juice from them melting helps to mix them into the yogurt and the granola sill stay pretty crunchy even late into the afternoon.

    Someone else mentioned heating them up to use as compote and I do that as well. I also will bake chicken breast in frozen berries and walnuts or pecans with a little apple or orange juice. It creates a nice glaze for the chicken and great if you chop up the chicken to toss over a salad.

    Hope this helps and you're finding all kinds of new ways to use frozen fruit.
  • lolly715
    lolly715 Posts: 106
    I eat them straight from frozen. Raspberries in particular, I prefer the frozen texture way more than fresh. Mixed into greek yoghurt (with a bit of honey if I want it extra sweet) turns the whole thing almost into a soft raspberry ripple ice cream. Delicious!
  • ASH2038602
    ASH2038602 Posts: 215 Member
    I buy berries in bulk from my farmers market and then freeze them because they don't keep long in the fridge. My teeth are too sensitive to eat them frozen, but my son likes them in yogurt, and I add them into oatmeal. I have frozen strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries. They are a bit mushier once thawed, but still taste great.
  • ponycyndi
    ponycyndi Posts: 858 Member
    The parfaits at mcd are made with frozen blueberries and strawberries, and a handful of granola. I make my own version at home because of all the sugar they add. I microwave the fruit for about 30 seconds, which makes it like a slushy. Delicious!
  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
    You should try eating them frozen. Frozen blueberries are a delicious treat!
  • 13bbird13
    13bbird13 Posts: 425 Member
    I'm the wrong person to ask... I don't know how many times I've bought a bag of frozen berries, put it in the freezer, forgot they were in there, found them five years later and threw them out because they smelled weird. :sick:

    I will try to do better, though. Part of the problem was that I had no clear idea what I was going to do with them when I bought them, but I've started with the steel-cut oats and I'm sure some thawed berries would be good on top, and the slightly mushy consistency wouldn't matter in oatmeal.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I like them in oatmeal....I would think they would be pretty disappointing on their own or with a cold cereal. Pretty much smoothies and oatmeal for me and that's about it.
  • shifterbrainz
    shifterbrainz Posts: 245 Member
    You should try eating them frozen. Frozen blueberries are a delicious treat!

    Grapes, too. Tasty summer cool down snack.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    I use them with my yogurt (plain yogurt + vanilla protein powder= ah-mah-zing)... I will use them slightly frozen on top- or warm them up and use them actually warm- which tastes like pie a-la-mode- so nommy.

    What I have found. Personally.
    Black berries
    Raspberries
    peaches

    all usable frozen-

    I don't like blue berries or strawberries- and not so much with the mango's- they tend to not do as well frozen for me- but some people like them. Frozen blueberries are perfect for pancakes though. personal preference- but they are perfectly fine.
  • maroonmango211
    maroonmango211 Posts: 908 Member
    I love using frozen berries in yogurt or oatmeal. For yogurt I let them thaw first for a while so the juices mix with the yogurt, for oatmeal I add them straight in as soon as its done cooking that way everything in 5 minutes while setting is the perfect temperature.
  • alska
    alska Posts: 300 Member
    i love frozen berries in my coco wheats <3 YUM
  • alska
    alska Posts: 300 Member
    also i use them for my yonanas (http://yonanas.com/)
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    IMO, a distant second to fresh. Still trying to find some I like. But, I don't mix them into anything. I just want berries.
  • Muffie22
    Muffie22 Posts: 77 Member
    i just use them in porridge, yoghurt and cereal straight from the freezer. They work well in porridge cos they defrost as you cook it. They're also great just by themself, frozen :D
  • jparfitt51
    jparfitt51 Posts: 1 Member
    I agree, frozen blueberries are good. I use them in my cereal every morning and my grandkids eat them right out of the freezer.
  • Dr_Gains
    Dr_Gains Posts: 81 Member
    yea i place mine in greek yogurt and let it sit like 15 minutes. stir then enjoy. heaven in a bowl
  • Therese1975
    Therese1975 Posts: 5 Member
    Thank you all for these great tips!!

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