The Proper Way To Freeze Bok Choy

If you bought too much bok choy you may want to freeze it. Let’s examine how.

Bok Choy can be frozen and stored in the freezer up to 12 months. It can be frozen by blanching, without blanching, raw or cooked. The frozen bok choy should be stored in plastic freezer bags with the excess air removed.

This article will explain how to freeze bok choy in whichever method you choose. I’ll detail the proper way using easy step-by-step directions.

How To Freeze Fresh Bok Choy

Bok choy in a wood tray.
Bok choy in a wood tray

As a Certified Health Coach many clients ask me about food storage including bok choy. Also, I purchase and consume it every week. Therefore, I have researched this topic in the past and present. Let’s examine the storage methods closely.

This first method is the proper way to freeze fresh Bok Choy using the blanching method.

The best way to freeze fresh Bok Choy:

  1. Trim the Bok Choy by cutting the ends of the stems.
  2. Chop the leaves to the desired size.
  3. Rinse the leaves under cold running water.
  4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  5. While waiting for the water to boil, fill a large bowl with water and ice cubes.
  6. Add the Bok Choy to the boiling water.
  7. Boil them for 2 minutes.
  8. Immediately remove them from the boiling water and place them into the ice water for 2 minutes.
  9. Drain and place them onto a paper towel and pat them dry.
  10. Place the dried pieces onto a parchment covered baking sheet. Ensure they’re not touching each other.
  11. Place the baking sheet into the freezer until they are fully frozen.
  12. Remove the baking sheet and transfer the frozen leaves into plastic freezer bags.
  13. Remove as much excess air as possible and seal the freezer bag.
  14. Date the bag and store in the freezer up to twelve months.

By spacing them apart on the baking sheet prevents them from sticking together when frozen. This allows you to remove the leaves individually from the freezer bag instead of having them frozen in one large chunk ((New Entry Sustainable Farming Project: Bok Choy)).

Blanching bok choy.
Blanching bok choy

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Sealing

Removing as much air as possible from the freezer bag is important and helps prevent freezer burn.

The best way to remove excess air from the plastic freezer bag is to use a vacuum sealer. They are one of those items making you wonder how you did without one before purchasing it. Amazon has many affordable ones. Check out their current prices here, Vacuum Sealers.

Without a sealer, close the top of the bag leaving a small opening to fit a straw through. Suck the excess air out of the plastic bag and quickly close the top after removing the straw.

Blanching

Blanching is the process of quickly submerging vegetables in hot water, then chilling them in ice water before freezing. The rapid cooking followed by immediate cooling slows or ceases a specific enzyme activity in the vegetables, making them better suited for the freezer.

Bok Choy should be blanched before freezing because it reduces enzyme activity and increases the freshness and longevity of the vegetable in the freezer. 

There is contention around whether bok choy ought to be blanched before freezing. However, many established chefs agree it is beneficial at least in extending the longevity of the vegetable ((University of Purdue: Bok Choy)).

Other home chefs believe freezing bok choy without blanching reduces the risk of the leaves turning soft or decaying during the freeze. Both methods have their pros and cons ((University of Massachusetts Amherst: Bok Choy)).

Therefore, it’s up to each chef to make the right choice based on their own circumstances and when they plan to use the bok choy next1.

How about regular cooked cabbage, does it require the same methods as Bok Choy? Find out in my article, How To Freeze Cooked Cabbage.

Freezer Storage Time

If unprepared, bok choy has an incredibly short shelf life. Raw it only lasts 3-4 days in a standard refrigerator2.

Both Choy can last up to 12 months in the freezer when following the proper freezing procedure. It should be blanched and stored in freezer bags without any excess air.

If you’re interested learning about the best way to Store Bok Choy in the refrigerator, check out my article, How To Store Bok Choy.

Freezing Bok Choy Without Blanching

As mentioned earlier, some people would rather freeze Bok Choy without blanching.

The best way to freeze Bok Choy without blanching:

  1. Trim the Bok Choy by cutting the ends of the stems.
  2. Chop the leaves to the desired size.
  3. Clean the leaves by wiping them with a moist towel.
  4. Place them onto a paper towel and allow them to dry.
  5. Place the dried leaves onto a parchment covered baking sheet. Ensure they’re not touching each other.
  6. Place the baking sheet into the freezer until they are fully frozen.
  7. Remove the baking sheet and transfer the frozen leaves into plastic freezer bags.
  8. Remove as much excess air as possible and seal the freezer bag.
  9. Date the bag and store in the freezer up to twelve months.

Freezing Individual Servings

Some people like to store individual servings into separate bags. Place a serving amount of Bok Choy in a bag and remove as much air as possible to preserve them better and prevent freezer burn.

If possible, use a smaller package for freezing improving the quality and longevity of storage. Keep the plastic bags as level as possible while they’re freezing. After they’re frozen, they can be moved around and reoriented to fit conveniently in the freezer.

This method allows you to take however many leaves you need without worrying about letting air into the bag. The package-freeze method allows you to portion out your serving sizes ahead of time, so you aren’t defrosting too many leaves that end up going to waste.

Freezing Bok Choy After Cooking

There are times too much Bok Choy was cooked and you don’t want to throw them away or eat them in the next few days. In addition, some people want to cook them first before freezing them.

Cooked Bok Choy can be frozen. They don’t require blanching due to the previous cooking process already slowed the enzyme action. Cooked Bok Choy can be stored in plastic freezer bags and frozen up to twelve months.

The best way to freeze cooked Bok Choy:

  1. Allow the Bok Choy to completely cool.
  2. Place the cooled leaves into plastic freezer bags or an airtight container.
  3. Remove as much excess air as possible.
  4. Date the bag and place it into the freezer up to 12 months.

Ensure they are completely cool. Placing them into the bag while warm or hot can cause steam to escape into the bag. This will expose them to a freezer burn or spoilage quicker ((Michigan State University: Michigan Fresh: Using, Storing, and Preserving Cabbage)).

If there are sauces or other items involved, you may want to store them separately. If the ingredients can’t be separated, research the storage recommendations for the other items3.

Defrosting Frozen Bok Choy

The best way to defrost frozen Bok Choy is to transfer them from the freezer to the refrigerator until they are defrosted. The amount of time will vary depending if the leaves were frozen separated or bunched together. 

Although they shouldn’t take too long, if you don’t have enough time, they can be placed onto the counter to defrost. 

Bok Choy can be cooked frozen if the leaves were separated. The leaves can be added directly to the dish being cooked.

This method works particularly good when adding the frozen Bok Choy to soups, stews or a stir-fry ((Michigan State University: Cabbage and Chinese cabbage storage and preserving tips)).

If you have any questions to ask me about this article don’t hesitate to comment below or email us. You can find an email on our contact page.

Read Next – More Food Storage Articles!

Your Guide To Freezing Brussels Sprouts

A Guide To Preserve Fresh Cherries – The 5 Best Ways

A Guide To Storing Toasted Bread

The Shelf Life Of Clementines And How To Store Them

  1. National Center for Home food Preservation: Freezing Cabbage or Chinese Cabbage []
  2. Glad: Bok Choy []
  3. Purdue University Extension: Bok Choy []

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