How to Freeze Kale

By Beth Moncel
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Prep 10 minutes
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Raise your hand if you’ve ever let a bag of greens go bad in the back of your fridge. 👋😬 I know I’ve been guilty of that. But guess what? You can freeze kale (and bagged spinach), so you can keep it on hand without it getting all gross and stinky in the back of your refrigerator. It’s incredibly simple to do, but if you’re new to freezing vegetables make sure to keep reading to understand how to make the best use of your frozen kale (or spinach).

A freezer bag of kale spilling out onto a marble surface
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As I mentioned above, freezing kale is a great way to reduce your food waste because it can be hard to eat an entire bunch or bag of kale before it starts to get slimy. A lot of times I’ll freeze half my kale as soon as I get home from the store, just to make sure I don’t forget later and to make sure I freeze it while it’s the most fresh!

And since you’ll need to prep your kale before freezing it, it’s a great way to consolidate your kitchen work and make cooking faster and easier later. Once the kale is prepped and frozen, it’s ready to toss into any number of recipes later without any further work.

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How to Freeze Kale

5 from 1 vote
Learn how to freeze kale (or spinach) to reduce food waste and always have prepped kale on hand to add to your favorite recipes.
Author: Beth Moncel
kale in a freezer bag that is labeled and dated
Prep 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb bag kale (2.94)
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Instructions 

  • Fully wash and chop your kale, so it’s ready to go straight into your recipe from the freezer. I buy bags of pre-chopped kale, but I always give it another wash and pick out any larger pieces of stem. If you’re buying a bunch of kale, remove the stems, chop it to your desired size, then give it a good rinse.
  • After rinsing, let the kale drain well.
  • Place it in any air-tight freezer safe container. I prefer freezer bags because they lay flat and don’t take up a lot of space in the freezer. Avoid packing or squishing the kale too tightly in the container so you can easily grab a handful or two at a time later.
  • Label and date your container.
  • When you’re ready to use, it can go straight from the freezer into your recipe. Because the kale is so thin, it thaws almost instantly when added to a hot pan or soup.

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How to Freeze Kale step-by-step photos

Okay, this is kind of a no-brainer, but I’m going to offer a few helpful tidbits with each step.

Chopped kale in a colander

Prep the kale: Make sure you fully wash and chop your kale before freezing, so it’s ready to go straight into your recipe from the freezer. I buy bags of pre-chopped kale, but I always give it another wash and pick out any larger pieces of stem. If you’re buying a bunch of kale, remove the stems, chop it to your desired size, then give it a good rinse.

kale in a freezer bag that is labeled and dated

Pack kale: After rinsing, make sure to let the kale drain well, then just place it in any air-tight freezer safe container. I prefer freezer bags because they lay flat and don’t take up a lot of space in the freezer. Avoid packing or squishing the kale too tightly in the container so you can easily grab a handful or two at a time later, instead of having a large solid block of greens that you can’t break apart.

And, as always, make sure to label and date your container! This will help you use frozen goods in a timely manner and will help prevent those mystery containers in the bottom of the freezer.

Sautéed Kale in a skillet

Cook kale: When you’re ready to use your frozen kale, it can go straight from the freezer into your recipe. Because the kale is so thin, it thaws almost instantly when added to a hot pan or soup. So easy!

And that’s it! So easy, but so easy to overlook. So I hope this simple tutorial inspires you to freeze some of your next batch of kale, and saves you some dollars!

storage

Frozen kale will slowly dry out in the freezer over time, causing the flavor and texture quality to decline. For best flavor and texture, I suggest trying to use your frozen kale within a few months.

using frozen kale

The most important part about freezing kale is understanding what recipes you can use it in later. Frozen vegetables generally get a little softer after freezing and thawing, so I don’t suggest using the frozen kale in a salad or any recipe where you want it to have the same texture as fresh kale. Frozen kale also tends to be quite delicate when frozen, so it can break into small pieces easily, which also makes it less ideal for salads.

Frozen kale is great to use in any recipe where the kale will be sautéed or added to a hot liquid, like a soup or stew. And because it thaws so quickly in the hot pan, you don’t need to thaw before adding it to your recipe. Here are some great examples of recipes where you could use frozen kale:

Frozen kale is also great for adding to smoothies! Just go ahead and toss a handful into your blender with the rest of your fruits and vegetables!

More Freezer Tips

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20 Comments
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John
06.18.25 8:48 am

Would this work for collards?

Paige Rhodes
06.18.25 11:33 am
Reply to  John

Yep, that should work fine!

Maggie
08.01.24 3:58 pm

How long can kale be kept in freezer

Paige Rhodes
08.02.24 8:13 am
Reply to  Maggie

Ideally within 3 months but up to 6!

Margaret
12.05.23 12:52 pm

Thank you for this helpful information. I’d appreciate your thoughts on the idea of freezing bagged kale or spinach that comes triple washed without rinsing first before freezing. Then rinsing the frozen portion in a colander before using. Thanks again.

Martha
12.10.24 2:59 am
Reply to  Beth Moncel

I have found, if I store it in my household refrigerator/freezer 3 months is about the limit but in the deep freeze it last longer. Hope that helps.

Rosemary Schwartz
11.24.22 7:19 pm

It is correct

Carriann
06.24.22 1:45 am

Can you use frozen kale to juice later?   I like to make green juices using Kale and trying to find a way to make it last for juicing. 

Betsy
03.29.21 12:42 pm

Thanks for all your freezer tips. I use them for tomato paste, bananas, and green onions. Didn’t have much luck with the lemons, but that may have been a lemon issue. I’m also a big fan of vacuum sealing. Vacuum sealing for this one, though, probably isn’t a good idea?

Cindy
07.26.23 7:53 pm
Reply to  Beth Moncel

I can’t seem to find really good
Freezer bags even the brand
Name seems to leave a freezer
Burn film. Any suggestions??

Monti Carlo
07.27.23 5:49 am
Reply to  Cindy

Maybe it’s your technique. You need to remove as much air as possible from the bag. The best way to do that is to put the food in the bag, fill a sink with or large bowl with water, then dip the bag under water 3/4 of the way. All the air will be pushed out. Then zip. You should also put wax paper on the top layer of food to prevent freezer burn.

Jyllea
03.29.21 12:23 pm

This could not be more timely! We had some family in town a little bit ago and they left all this fresh produce – super generous, but items I’m not used to having stocked. I made kale chips the other day but was wondering what else I could do with it, and here you are with the solution: smoothies and Zuppa Toscana (two things we very much love in our house)! Thanks so much for this!!

Kayla
03.29.21 11:31 am

Thank you for this! I always buy the big bags of organic chopped kale at Aldi, and usually I have about a quarter of the bag left over. I try to use it before it goes bad, but don’t always succeed.

Ara
03.29.21 10:48 am

Great tip! Nice to know it applies to spinach as well! How dry should your washed kale need to be before freezing?

Carrie
03.27.21 3:14 pm

Thanks for this! I have a lot more kale on hand than I knew what to do with, and didn’t realize I could freeze it!

juana mora
03.26.21 9:39 pm

THANKS FOR THE TIP