How to Freeze Fresh Ginger

Fresh ginger, there is nothing else like it to give your cooking the distinct flavour that only ginger has. While I love using fresh ingredients in my kitchen, I am always looking for ways to save time. Here is the best way to freeze fresh ginger.

What is the best way to freeze fresh ginger?

My way! Ha-ha! Seriously though, fresh ginger in your freezer is a serious time saver. You put in a few minutes upfront and you will save your future self time in the kitchen. Don’t waste your money on the pre-chopped ginger at the grocery store. It isn’t as fresh as you think and it often has other ingredients added.

My favourite place to get fresh ginger is Costco. I often find organic ginger there, in a 2-lb bag, for around $7-8. You are going to want to purchase at least 2 lbs of ginger to make this project worth your time. Depending on how much fresh ginger you use, you could have ginger in your freezer ready to use for the next 6 months.

The first thing to do is to wash the ginger and dry it. We will be peeling the ginger but I always like to give my produce a good scrub before I start to process it.

The next thing is to peel all the ginger you are planning on freezing. I like to peel ginger with a spoon. To do this, take a regular table spoon and scrape the side of it on the ginger. It will just remove the peel’s fine layer and leave more ginger for you to use.

Once all the ginger is peeled, coarsely chop the fresh ginger and add it to your food processor. You could also chop the ginger by hand, but the food processor will make quick work of this project. I wouldn’t recommend using a blender as you will end up with a ginger puree.

Pulse the fresh ginger in the food processor until it is finely chopped. You may need to add a few tablespoons of water to help the food processor along.

Once the ginger is chopped to your desired consistency, line a baking tray with parchment paper. This will make sure the ginger doesn’t freeze directly to the tray. Use a tablespoon measure and scoop up the chopped ginger. Press it into the scoop to ensure it holds its shape when you place it on the parchment paper.

Repeat this process until you have portioned out all the chopped ginger. Take the baking tray and place it in the freezer for 2 hours or until the ginger is frozen solid. Once the ginger has frozen solid, remove the tray from the freezer. Take the frozen ginger pieces, add them to a ziptop freezer bag, seal the bag and add it back into the freezer.

There your fresh ginger portions will wait for you until you need them. They will last in the freezer for 3-6 months.

Other ways to freeze fresh ginger

Maybe you don’t want to have your fresh ginger chopped and pre-portioned. That’s ok. There are a few other ways to have fresh ginger waiting for you in the freezer.

If you prefer fresh ginger for tea instead of cooking, check out this post for ginger lemon tea cubes.

Another way is to freeze fresh ginger whole. You can peel the ginger, then place the whole peeled root in a zip-top freezer bag and stash it in your freezer. Whenever a recipe calls for fresh ginger, simply take the frozen ginger out of the freezer and grate it directly into your dish.

You could also freeze your fresh ginger sliced if you prefer. Wash and peel the fresh ginger. Then slice the ginger, add the slices to a ziptop bag and freeze.

I hope this post has inspired you to take a few moments today and get some ginger ready for your next recipe. Do you use fresh ginger in your cooking? What is your favourite way to prepare it? Share in the comments below.