How to Freeze Cucumbers

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: August 8, 2019 References Tested

Do you have too many cucumbers to eat all at once? If you just stick a whole cucumber in the freezer, when you defrost it the cucumber will be a soggy mess. Instead, slice, puree, or pickle your cucumbers before you freeze them. Your frozen cucumber will be great as a cold snack or a tasty addition to cold soups, smoothies, and juices.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Slicing and Freezing Cucumbers

1
Cut your cucumbers into thin rounds and freeze them on a cookie sheet. Put parchment paper on the cookie sheet so that you can remove the frozen rounds easily. Once they are frozen, you can eat them as a frozen snack, or place them over your eyes like a celebrity at a spa.^{[1]
X
Research source}
2
Slice cucumbers in spears and freeze them in a single layer. Frozen cucumber spears also take up less space in the freezer than rounds freezing on a cookie sheet, so if you have a packed freezer, this is a good method. Put the spears in a single layer in a plastic bag or sealing container and pop them in the freezer.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- You can use the spears by blending them into cold soups or smoothies.
Advertisement
3
Cut the cucumber into cubes and freeze it in ice cubes. Cube the cucumber and put the cubes into ice trays. Then cover them with water and freeze them. Once the ice cubes have frozen, you can take them out of the tray and put them in a sealed plastic bag in the freezer.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- You can also puree your cucumber in a blender and freeze it in ice cubes.^{[4]
  X
  Research source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Pickling and Freezing Your Cucumbers

1
Wash and thinly slice your cucumbers. If the cucumbers have a wax coating, wash them with detergent and a vegetable brush to remove the wax. If you pulled these cucumbers from your garden or if they’re organic, they probably won’t have wax on them, and you can just rinse them. You can simply slice them with a knife and cutting board or use a food processor. Some people like to peel their cucumbers as well, but it’s optional.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- It’s best to use cucumbers that are about 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) long for pickling.^{[6]
  X
  Research source}
2
Cover the sliced cucumbers in salt and stick them in the fridge for 2 hours. Layer the cucumbers with salt in a mixing bowl and stick in the fridge. Drain and rinse the cucumbers when they come out of the fridge so they aren’t too salty.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- If you want, add 1 small sliced onion before you put them in the fridge for added flavor.
3
Make the brine solution in a plastic mixing bowl. Mix 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp mustard seed, and 1 Tbsp of celery seed. Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- If the sugar is struggling to dissolve, microwave the mixing bowl for 30 seconds.
4
Put the cucumbers in airtight containers and pour the brine on top. You can use sealing plastic containers or glass jars. Leave about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space at the top of the container because the water in the cucumbers will expand when it freezes. The brine should cover the cucumbers completely. Seal the containers and put them in the freezer.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- Wait at least a week before defrosting.^{[10]
  X
  Research source}
5
Defrost a container of pickles in the refrigerator. Put the container in the refrigerator the night before you plan to eat the pickles, so they can thaw to a better temperature. Don’t just leave them on the counter to defrost, because then they’ll get mushy.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- You can leave the pickled cucumbers in your freezer for up to 6 months.
- Once you thaw them, eat your pickles within 2 weeks.