Can tomatillos be frozen?

You may find yourself inundated with ripe, ready-to-use tomatillos. This may be because you have planted more tomatillos than you can use, or because you found them on sale at your local store or market.

Although you can use tomatillos in a wide variety of recipes, you can only use so much before the whole batch goes bad. Instead of letting tomatillos go to waste and trying to use them up quickly, you might wonder if they freeze like other fruits.

Can tomatillos be frozen? Yes, you can freeze whole, sliced, or pureed tomatillos for up to 6 months. Choose ripe tomatillos and when freezing them whole or cut, pre-freeze them. Puréed tomatillos can simply be placed in a freezer-safe container after preparation, and will be great to use in soups or sauces.

Freezing tomatillos is pretty easy, and by freezing them you’ll be able to keep them fresh for longer, extending their shelf life, and having some on hand (or in the freezer) for when you need to cook with them.

Knowing how to properly freeze tomatillos for later use will help you get the most out of your harvest or bulk purchase, allowing you to enjoy this tangy green fruit later.

That is why this article comes into play. We’ll walk you through freezing tomatillos, how to choose the best ones to freeze and use after freezing, and go over other questions you may have about this underrated food.

How to freeze tomatillos

When you’ve consumed all the fresh tomatillos you can and need to freeze the rest to prolong their life, you need to know how to freeze them properly to ensure they maintain their fresh flavor and high quality once thawed.

Here’s the best way to freeze tomatillos so they keep in the best possible condition:

1. Remove the skin - Before freezing, you will need to remove the papery skin from the tomatillos. Discard these husks, and then discard any tomatillos that are yellow, brown, discolored, split, or stale. Be sure to thoroughly wash any dirt off the tomatillos and remove any sticky residue from the husks.
2. Let dry - Once you have washed the tomatillos well, you have to let them dry. You can’t put them in the freezer if they’re wet, so let them dry, or pat them with a towel to make them dry faster.
3. Place parchment paper - Place parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange the dried tomatillos on the cookie sheet and spread them out so they are not stacked on top of each other. If you have a fairly large batch of tomatillos to freeze, you may need to do this multiple times or use multiple baking sheets.
4. Place in the freezer - Once the tomatillos are evenly distributed on the cookie sheet, you can place the sheet in the freezer. Make sure it is even and not sloping, as this will cause the tomatillos to slide to one side.
5. Leave the tray with the tomatillos in the freezer for a few hours until they are frozen. take them out of the freezer
6. Place in freezer bags - Once the tomatillos are frozen, remove them from the cookie sheet and place them in a resealable freezer bag. You can put them all in one large bag, or smaller bags for individual servings.
7. Label and date - Label and date each freezer bag to indicate when you put the tomatillos in the freezer, and to know when to use them.

Freezing the tomatillos on a baking sheet first allows them to freeze separately so that when they are placed in a freezer bag and frozen, they do not freeze together as one big lump.

This makes thawing the tomatillos easier, and allows you to take a handful of tomatillos from the plastic bag to use without having to thaw the entire batch.

Freezing the tomatillos this way will keep them quality longer in the freezer, and make them easy to remove, thaw, and use when it’s time to use them.

Do you have to freeze whole tomatillos?

You don’t just have to freeze whole tomatillos. You can also choose to puree or slice them before freezing.

To freeze pureed tomatillos, you’ll obviously need to wash and prepare them first, then put them in a food processor to grind and puree.

Once this is done, you can pour the puree into a plastic freezer bag or an airtight freezer container. Don’t fill it to the top, as the puree could expand when frozen. Freezing the tomatillo puree is a good idea if you plan to use the tomatillos in a sauce later.

You can also freeze sliced tomatillos. Doing this is much like how you would freeze them whole:

1. You would have to peel and clean the tomatillos well and let them dry.
2. Next, slice the tomatillos as thick as you like and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
3. Leave them in the freezer for a few hours until frozen and then place them in a large freezer bag or smaller freezer bags to serve.
4. Date and label the freezer bags.

How long can tomatillos be frozen?

If properly stored, handled, and frozen, tomatillos can maintain their high quality for up to 6 months in the freezer. After this time, they can still be used, but the quality will start to decline and they won’t be as nice when thawed and used.

How to use frozen tomatillos

You can use frozen tomatillos in the same way as fresh ones.

If you are going to add the frozen tomatillos to a salsa or some kind of salad, you will need to thaw them first. To do this, leave the tomatillos in the refrigerator overnight or for a few hours until they have thawed.

This allows the tomatillos to thaw without being exposed to higher temperatures that could encourage bacterial growth.

There is the option of leaving the tomatillos out at room temperature to thaw, and this should be fine as long as you don’t leave the tomatillos out too long.

If you’re adding the frozen tomatillos to soups or hot dishes, you won’t need to thaw them first. You can simply put them in the dish as is, and cook them until they are no longer frozen and have warmed through.

In the case of the tomatillo puree, you can leave it in the fridge overnight to thaw. This will keep it at a cool temperature and prevent it from going bad by not reaching higher temperatures.

Freeze the right tomatillos

Tomatillos ripen differently than tomatoes, and are actually part of the currant family. You cannot use the color change to determine if the tomatillo is ripe or not. Most tomatillos stay green when ripe, so this is not a reliable method.

Look for other signs of ripeness, such as the tomatillo completely filling the papery husk, or the husk splitting open on its own. Both are good signs that the tomatillo is ripe. If the skin is brown and the fruit has filled it, it is ripe.

These mature or ripened tomatillos are best for freezing, and you should avoid freezing tomatillos that have not yet reached maturity. If the tomatillos you want to freeze have not reached maturity, wait until they have reached maturity before freezing them.

Related questions

We hope you have enjoyed this guide on how to freeze tomatillos. We’ve also included some common questions related to freezing tomatillos, so you don’t get left hanging.

What can I do with frozen tomatillos?

There are several options for what you can do with frozen tomatillos.

You can puree them to make a sauce, or even freeze them as a puree. You can add the tomatillos to salsa or salad, or you can add sliced or whole tomatillos to a stew, sauce, or soup.

Using frozen tomatillos in a salsa, stew, or soup is a good choice, as it doesn’t matter if they are soft after freezing, as they will cook and soften on the plate anyway.

Can roasted tomatillos be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze the roasted tomatillos. Cook the tomatillos until they appear to have burst, and place them in a plastic freezer bag when they have cooled. Label and date the freezer bag and place it in the freezer.

Can tomatillos be eaten raw?

You can eat tomatillos raw, but they will have a sharp, acidic flavor that isn’t always as pleasant.

To remove the harsh flavor, cooking the tomatillos softens them and brings out the sweeter side of them. However, raw tomatillos can be used to add acidity to salads and sauces.

Tomatillo Freeze Review

Freezing tomatillos is a great way to make sure your fresh batch doesn’t go to waste. You have to wait for the tomatillos to be ripe, and then wash and prepare them for freezing.

You can choose to puree the tomatillos before freezing, slice them, or leave them whole. If you have a lot of tomatillos to freeze, you can slice them, puree them, and leave them whole for a variety that you can use in different dishes and meals.