If you’re like me…
As the weather warms up, you think to yourself, “Yes! Finally! All the fresh fruit!”
Then you spend a small fortune at a farmer’s market…
Come home with lots of big plans…
And after about two days are thoroughly burned out.
The only problem?
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Your fruit is all going bad!
So you scramble.
And end up freezing a bunch of it so you haven’t just thrown a hundred bucks down the drain.
Does this sound familiar?
If so, I have good news.
Because you can break the cycle.
And still get amazing-tasting recipes: By going frozen.
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Now, here’s the thing – not every fruit is better frozen.
(Apples, oranges, lemons, limes, strawberries? All better fresh. That’s not a complete list.)
But the fact of the matter is that frozen fruits usually save you hassle (peeling, dicing), often have a consistency in texture that fresh fruits lack, and perhaps most surprisingly…
Often even taste better!
I’ll walk you through seven of my favorite fruits to get frozen (in addition to the raspberries I showed you earlier) – feel free to add yours to the list!
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If you’ve ever had the joy of slicing and pitting a fresh mango yourself, you know what a huge pain it can be.
Fortunately, frozen mango is already pitted, prepped, and diced – and honestly it tastes just as good as fresh.
(Honestly, I even like it better from frozen because it’s chilled – room-temperature mango is just so-so in my view.)
Whether it’s the low-key best dessert in the world, smoothies, salsas, or in a colorful fruit salad – frozen mango is best.
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Blueberries are some of my favorite fruit, and as I’ve made all kinds of dishes with them over the years, I’ve discovered that frozen genuinely is better than fresh.
(I didn’t come to this easily. My crunchy side insists on getting everything fresh if at all possible!)
Let’s face it – in your fridge, blueberries generally spoil pretty quickly, while frozen blueberries are usually flash-frozen at peak ripeness, so they taste great and are great for you – while lasting quite a bit longer.
Since I’ve cooked so extensively with blueberries, I’ll share with you my favorite recipe – it’s a beautiful homemade blueberry crumble. (I’ve substituted plenty of other flours for the almond, see the recipe notes.)
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For taste, I think fresh vs frozen cherries are pretty close to a wash.
Fresh cherries are definitely a little better for a fresh fruit salad or seasonal salad in general, while frozen cherries are far superior for baking. (And also, you don’t have to pit them.)
But for me it really comes down to price and availability – fresh cherries are only available seasonally and usually cost…quite a lot, while frozen cherries are way more affordable.
(And let’s be honest – after the pie has been in the oven for 30 minutes, you genuinely can’t tell the difference between frozen and fresh. It’s allb aked together!)
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Longtime readers will know that I used to bartend, and I always got a kick out of making Mai Tais and putting slices of fresh pineapple as the garnish.
But I’ll tell you a bartender’s secret – when I was prepping pineapple in the morning, I usually had to throw a lot of it away.
Fresh pineapple is pretty inconsistent in quality, and honestly the frozen stuff is usually sweeter too.
So you get a better flavor, more sweetness, and more consistency when going frozen. Why not save the hassle?
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My kids love fresh peaches, so obviously there are circumstances when they’re going to be your best bet.
(I mean, how often do kiddos like fresh fruit, right? Take the win whenever you can get it.)
But fact is that fresh peaches have a short season and bruise very easily – honestly, in some ways they feel a lot like avocados that way.
Meanwhile, frozen peaches last forever, have consistent flavor and texture, and already come pre-chopped.
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Similar to blueberries, blackberries just don’t last long at all when picked fresh.
Although they can be a lot of fun to pick – we take the kids to a local farm every year and come back, sticky with blackberry juice and ready to make jam.
But that’s for the experience, right?
If you’re looking for consistency, quality, and overall cost – frozen blackberries win on all three vectors, hands-down, no question at all.
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Chances are good you’ve had dragonfruit in a smoothie or acai bowl, admired its beautiful color, and then moved on with your life.
Well let me tell you – dragonfruit is expensive and difficult to source fresh.
But frozen? Easy – all day, every day – and always pre-chopped.
If you’re looking for that pop of color in a smoothie bowl, frozen dragonfruit is 100% the way to go.
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• For fun lists, healthy living tips, and bar conversation topics, make sure to follow The Coconut Mama. Click here to access The Coconut Mama’s profile page and be sure to hit the Follow button here or at the top of this article!
• Have feedback? Add a comment below!
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So there you have it – seven fruits you should only buy frozen, not fresh.
It comes down to:
– Cost
– Availability
– Taste
And sometimes, just plain hassle factor and what’s easiest.
Of course, that leaves me with one big question…
The Coconut Mama
#1: What do you think? Are these fruits better frozen than fresh? Where did I get it wrong?
#2: What would you add to the list?
Let us know in the comments!
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