Can You Freeze Limes?

Limes are available all year round but it pays to stock up on these citrus fruits for cooking and baking. And if say, you have a lot of limes in your hands, can you freeze limes for future uses? The short answer is yes, you can freeze limes! But improper handling and poor packaging could alter the flavors of the fruit once it’s been defrosted.

Limes keep so well in the freezer as long as it is prepped well. Freezing the limes stops bacterial growth, keeping the fruits as fresh as the day you bought them once defrosted.

Slices of lime
Image used under Creative Commons from ponafotkas

When kept in the fridge, whole limes will last for 1 to 2 months. On the counter, it will keep fresh for a month. Freezing the fruit will extend its shelf life to 6 months or more. If you’d like to know how can you freeze limes, check out our step by step guide below:

How to Freeze Limes?

Freezing the limes will depend on the current state of the fruits prior to storage. Are you freezing whole limes, lime wedges, zest, or juice?

If you are freezing whole limes, wash the fruits thoroughly and allow them to dry completely first. Once the fruits are nice and dry, get a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag and place the fruits inside. Squeeze as much air as you can prior to sealing the plastic bag. Get a marker and write down the storage date then stick in the freezer. Because freezing whole limes could turn the fruits mushy once thawed, they are best used for juicing or cooking.

You can also flash-freeze the limes using dry ice. Flash freezing reduces the risk of flavor change once the fruit has been thawed. This works best if you’re freezing sliced or cut fruits.

To flash freeze, place the washed and dried limes on a pie plate. Then, place the pie plate on an ice chest filled with dry ice. Leave the fruits to flash freeze for 30 minutes. Then, place the fruits in a releasable plastic bag, seal, then stick in the freezer. Please note that you can flash freeze the limes using regular ice too.

Limes
Image used under Creative Commons from Squash Valley Produce

If you are freezing lime zest, use a small freezer bag. Scoop the lime zest into the bag; squeeze as much air as you can then seal the plastic bag. You can also vacuum-seal the plastic bag to preserve the flavors of the lime zest. If you don’t have a vacuum-sealer, that’s fine. Just stick the bag in the freezer until you’re ready to use the zest.

When it comes to freezing the lime juice, it’s best to transfer the juice in a couple of ice cube trays. Each ice cube section should hold at least a tablespoon of the juice. This way, measuring how much lime juice you in need cooking is much easier. Just pour the juice into the tray and then stick in the freezer. Once the lime juice is frozen, pop each section and transfer the frozen lime juice cubes in a resealable plastic bag.

As for freezing lime wedges or slices, you have to flash-freeze them first prior to freezing. To flash freeze using regular ice, place the lime wedges or slices in a bowl. Then, place the bowl in a container filled with ice.

Pour water into the ice container and leave the cut fruits to chill for at least 30 minutes. Once the fruits are chilled, transfer them into a heavy-duty resealable plastic container. Label the plastic bag with the storage date then stick in the freezer.

How to Defrost Frozen Limes?

Just like freezing, defrosting limes will depend on the state of the fruit prior to freezing. For whole limes, place the frozen fruits in a bowl of cold water for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, run through the juicer and you’re done.

For thawing frozen lime zest, just transfer the container from the freezer to the fridge. Leave to defrost for a few hours. You can also use the frozen zest directly in cooking, no thawing needed. The same thing goes for the frozen lime juice. Just pop a couple of frozen lime juice from the ice cube tray and add to your favorite drinks or dishes.

Lime halves
Image used under Creative Commons from Dave Shafer

For frozen lime slices or lime wedges, take the plastic bag out of the freezer and place the entire bag in a bowl of cold water. Leave to thaw for 10 to 20 minutes. Once the slices or wedges of limes are thawed, they are ready to use.

Summary

Lime is one of the best citrus fruits to store in the freezer. And when you impulsively bought more limes than you can handle, it’s nice to know that you can freeze them for later use. Now that you know how can you freeze limes, you can stock up on these tasty citrus fruits for future uses.