Mandarin oranges are delicious in all forms, whether straight from the peel or canned.
They add a delightful pop of flavor and color to almost any fresh dish, and they go well in both summer and winter salads.
Mandarin oranges are tasty alone or with other fresh foods, and they make an incredible snack.
So often, Mandarin oranges come in large bags from the supermarket or farmers’ market.
Depending on the size of your household, it might be challenging to consume all of them.
Cutting down on waste means asking the following question: can you freeze mandarin oranges?
Can You Freeze Mandarin Oranges?
Mandarin oranges actually freeze quite well. The trick to freezing them is ensuring that you remove them from the peels or the jar they’re in before placing them in the freezer. Fresh, peeled Mandarin oranges freeze best when you slice or break them into wedges and put them in a freezer-safe container. Canned or jarred Mandarin oranges freeze well when removed from the juice and the can and placed in a freezer-safe container.
Correctly Freezing Mandarin Oranges
If you want to freeze Mandarin oranges and have them taste good when they thaw, you’ll want to follow a few steps.
Oranges aren’t a fruit that you can toss in the freezer and forget about, like blueberries.
Instead, they require a little bit of prep, but they’re more than worth it in the end!
You’ll want to make sure that you completely remove the peel from any fresh orange that you’d like to freeze.
Once the peel is gone, you can break them in half or split them into slices, place them in a freezer lock bag and store them for four to six months.
If you’re working with canned oranges, drain them thoroughly and lay them out on a paper towel in a single layer to allow the rest of the juice to soak up.
Once they’re dry, you can then put them in a freezer-safe package and freeze them.
Fresh oranges freeze a bit better than canned ones, and they last longer in the freezer as well.
You’ll likely notice that your canned oranges will show freezer burn faster than fresh ones.
While it’s an extra effort to peel and freeze fresh Mandarin oranges, I recommend it over the canned version.
How to Use Frozen Mandarin Oranges
There are plenty of ways to utilize frozen Mandarin oranges, other than just for the reason of wanting them to last longer.
Frozen Mandarin oranges are so good in fresh smoothies, and the internet is full of recipe suggestions.
Frozen fruit smoothies are particularly refreshing during the summer months, and tossing a Mandarin orange or two in the mix gives it a rush of flavor and a shot of vitamin C.
The goodness doesn’t stop at smoothies.
Frozen Mandarin oranges make great ice cubes and infuse a ton of flavor into tap or purified water.
You can put them directly into your glass or use a water bottle made explicitly for fruit infusion.
Either way, your water will taste amazing!
If you’re freezing oranges just because you’ve purchased too many, you can rest easy knowing that when they thaw, they’ll still make a tasty snack.
However, you should know that fresh oranges freeze better than canned ones.
Also, you can purchase already frozen Mandarin oranges that have been flash frozen from their original fresh state.
These are also delicious, and they are good if you eat a ton of frozen Mandarin oranges and you want to skip the work!
Tips for Freezing Mandarin Oranges
Since oranges are different from most fruits that we’re accustomed to seeing frozen, such as berries, bananas, and peaches, I’d like to offer up a few tips for freezing Mandarin oranges that will keep them tasting fresh even after they’ve thawed.
Choose Fresh
Canned oranges can be frozen in a pinch, but always choose fresh if you want to freeze your Mandarin oranges.
They’ll taste so much better once they’ve thawed.
Single Layer
When you freeze your Mandarin oranges, place them in a freezer lock bag in a single layer and lay them flat if you’ve got the room.
They’ll be easier to take out little bits at a time this way, and you won’t have a considerable chunk of oranges that are stuck together.
Freeze Them Once
If you take out and thaw more oranges than you need, try to use them up or discard them.
They don’t freeze well a second time, and you’ll find yourself with soggy, wet oranges when they thaw for the second time.
Frequenty Asked Questions About Can You Freeze Mandarin Oranges
Freezing Mandarin oranges is not tricky, but it does help to have a few instructions to make sure it’s done correctly.
Can I freeze Mandarin oranges?
You can freeze fresh or canned Mandarin oranges easily, and they don’t take long to peel or drain. They’ll freeze nicely in a single layer inside a Ziploc bag.
How long can Mandarin oranges stay frozen?
Depending on your freezer, you can freeze Mandarin oranges for four to six months. Some units have colder settings than others, so take care not to eat anything with a freezer burn. They won’t taste too good!
Successfully Freezing Mandarin Oranges
You can successfully freeze Mandarin oranges by following the loose guidelines of choosing fresh over canned and freezing them in a single layer.
They add flavor to everything from water to fresh smoothies, and you’ll find the more often you freeze them, the more uses you’ll find for them!