Can you Freeze Limes?
I’m not one to pass up on a good sale so I purchased two dozen limes at $1/dozen. I probably should’ve had a plan for these but it was such a good sale!
Without a plan for my limes I needed to figure out a way to store them or a way to use them up before they went bad.
I love using limes in my cooking especially since I make a lot of Mexican influenced foods. I won’t be serving nothing but limes over the next few weeks so I had to come up with a way to store them.
Can you freeze limes?
The short answer is YES!
In this post I’ll give you a few hints on some creative ways to freeze limes or any citrus fruit!
You can use these storage methods with lemons, grapefruits, oranges and any other citrus fruit. 🙂
Freeze the Zest
Adding citrus zest to recipes is a great way to add a nice punch of flavour.
I zested about half the limes I purchased and placed the zest into a medium sized zip top freezer bag and popped it into the freezer. This way can have fresh zest any time I need to add some to my recipes.
Freeze the juice in cubes
I poured the juice from the zested limes into a couple ice cube trays and popped them in the freezer. The ice cube trays hold about 1 tablespoon of liquid in each section so this makes it convenient for when I use the juice in a recipe.
Frozen citrus juice cubes can also be dropped into a cold drink for a different and tasty flavour. Lime cubes would taste especially great when added to club soda!
Freeze slices or wedges
Thin slices of limes or wedges can be frozen in the freezer to use when that you need them.
If you’re going to freeze slices and wedges it would be best to flash freeze them before placing them into a freezer bag for storage. This way you won’t have to worry about the slices or wedges sticking together in clumps when you only want to use a few.
If you’re not familiar with flash freezing, it’s when you place the items on a tray without touching each other and place them into the freezer 15 to 20 minutes. This will start the freezing process and then you can place them all into a freezer bag and put them back in the finish freezing.
NOTE: There will be a slight change in the texture of the wedges/slices once thawed – this is only minimal and won't change your ability to use them as you typically would.
Next times there’s a sale, don’t be afraid to take full advantage of it!
I hope you find these ideas helpful!
I'd love to hear from you so please feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below! 🙂
Interesting. I never thought of freezing limes!
thank you for sharing this tips or us! from now on i will not worrying about getting to freeze the fruits,.
Im always so scared to freeze things. Especially fruit.
I’ll need to keep this in mind next time I find a deal on limes!
I didn’t know you could freeze limes. If I come across a good deal like you did then I will know what to do. Thank you.
i had no idea you could freeze limes! I know what I’llbe doing now!
I freeze both limes and lemons to “grate” into my drink of the day…1 Tbsp. grated either lime or lemon, three dashed cayenne, one good strong dash of turmeric, 2 Tbsp Apple Cider vinegar, 4 green Tea bags steeped in 1 C. hot water for 15 minutes, 1-2 Tbsp. New Zealand Manuka honey, stevia to taste, heaping tsp. chia seeds in a two Quart Pitcher…Don’t worry about the grated “peel”…that’s just a bonus! Grated frozen lemon and lime is great on your fish, to put on salad, etc, etc, etc.
Great information. I never even thought about this but it makes sense. Thank you for sharing.
Omg I had no clue you could freeze limes! I always see giant bags on sale everywhere but never buy them since I would never use that many limes that fast!
Freezing the juice is a great idea! I would use them to add to breakfast smoothies.
My brother in law has a lime tree in his yard. He gets so many he gives them away free so they won’t spoil. I bet he doesn’t know you can freeze them.
Oh wow! I certainly had no idea that you could freeze limes. Thank you for sharing your expertise. 🙂
I have frozen the zest too but would definitely freeze the wedges or juice in cube.
I had no idea that you could freeze limes! I’ve frozen berries in ice cubes before but never thought for limes – perfect for mojitos!
I love to drink citrus infused water so this is a cool idea. Now I know that lime can last longer for my drinks!
I did not know you could freeze limes. That was a really good sale. I will have to try a few of these tips.
This is really helpful. Limes are common in a lot of summery drinks so I like to keep them around. It’s good to know there are ways to keep them for longer!
I had no idea that you could freeze limes! I have some that I was scared were going to go bad before I could use them so I’m going to try out your options for making them most of them.
I much prefer limes to lemons and always order water with lime. I did not know you could freeze them. Next time I catch a sale, I’m freezing some limes. Thanks!
I have never thought of freezing limes but these are great ideas. I would love to be able to have some frozen cubes with my water!
Very cool!! I didn’t know you could do this. Do they come out wilted or similar to when you put them in?
There’s a very slight change in the texture of the slices or wedges when they thaw but it’s minimal. 🙂
Can you use the wedges or slices as you would a fresh lime after thawing?
You certainly can! There will be a very slight change in the texture of the slice or wedge once thawed but it won’t change the flavour – you can use it just like you would a fresh one. 🙂
Michelle
This is great! Thanks! I have a lot of limes I got when they weren’t ridiculously expensive and I need to get good use out of them.
I like the idea of flash freezing them. I definitely don’t want to pull a ball of stuck together lime wedges out of the freezer, lol.
I’ve never tried this, but it makes sense. I mean, Limes are mostly water.