While the market is loaded with so many varieties of lychees, the super fresh ones are quite tough to find. The reason why the fresh ones are few is that sometimes they travel from great distances.
In such a scenario, who wouldn’t want to purchase the delicious fruit in bulk when getting their hands on a fresh batch? Once you buy them in bulk, you may want to store and preserve the lychees for a long time. The question jumps up: can lychee be frozen?
Scroll down to find the answer!
Can you freeze lychee?
Yes, you can freeze lychees. We recommend putting them with their skin and sealing them safely in a bag.
Lychees are one of those super-easy-to-freeze fruits that take just a matter of a few minutes to get the task done successfully. They freeze very well in the freezer. You can put them as the whole fruit with its shell and seed intact, or simply go for the flesh. It depends on the purpose of their usage.
If you’re looking to eat the fruit fresh, the best thing is to freeze the whole lychee with the seed and the skin. The outer shell and the seed will only help the fruit retain moisture and keep it fresh for a longer period. The hard shell also retains the texture of the lychee when you defrost it.
On the other hand, if you plan to add them to a fruit salad or simply work up a refreshing smoothie, you can go for freezing just the flesh of these berries.
There’s no shell or seed to retain the texture. The fruit is likely to break into pieces after it thaws. This makes it perfect for lychees to be used in snacks that require the berries to be blended.
Read Also:Why Is Lychee So Expensive?
How to freeze lychee
Calling for little to zero preparation, freezing lychees is a super quick and easy deal. It calls for nothing but some storage containers to put the fruit.
However, depending on what you are planning to use the lychees for and how soon you intend to take them out, you can choose between two different methods. Here are the steps to freeze lychees.
Freezing the whole lychee
Begin by removing the stem attached to each lychee while making sure not to rip or tear the fruit’s skin. Put the lychees in a large bowl or a strainer basket.
Thoroughly wash all the lychees to get rid of any debris and contaminants. Lychee often is accompanied by some dirt and bugs trapped in the rough texture of its skin. No one wants to freeze dirt or bugs to the outside of the fruits.
Allow them to dry by letting them sit for about 30 minutes. A paper towel can also come in handy to pat them dry. Once the lychees are dry, put them into a freezer bag while leaving an inch of space at the freezer bag’s top. This will help you zip the bag with ease.
Label the bag, finally putting the fruit inside the freezer. When going for this method, it’s essential to freeze lychees with no cuts on the skin.
Freezing the fruit flesh alone
Once you wash the lychees under running water, peel the fruit’s skin and remove the seed inside. Transfer the pulpy flesh of lychees into a freezer bag or an airtight container. Make sure to leave about an inch of space at the top of the bag or the container.
Suppose you are going for a freezer bag. In that case, it’s recommended to squeeze out as much air as possible to minimize the risk of developing freezer burn. Next, seal the bag or the container tightly and put it inside the freezer.
How long can you freeze lychee?
Just like most other fruits or veggies, lychees too get slight degradation in their texture when put in the freezer for too long. That’s why it’s recommended to consume frozen lychees within 6 months to avoid any unwanted changes in the fruit.
To make sure you eat them while they are still fresh, it’s always a great idea to label the bag of lychees with the date they are best to be eaten.
Can you store lychee in the fridge?
You can store lychee in the fridge, fresh lychee can last up to seven days in the fridge if stored properly in an air-tight container or wrapped very well in a plastic wrap.
This is a better way of storing them if you plan to eat them in the next few days.
What happens when you freeze lychees?
It often happens that the exterior of the lychees discolors when put in the freezer, especially when there’s oxidation. The skin will turn somewhat dull or slightly brown, possibly making the fruit look like it has gone bad. It isn’t a matter of worry as the inside fruit is perfectly alright if the outer skin looks even a little brown.
Make sure you defrost the lychees, peeling them before discarding the fruit just by the outer appearance. You are going to be delighted to find that the lychees are perfect for consumption.
Read Also:Can You Freeze Pumpkin?
How to eat frozen lychees
Although the fruit’s skin works as a helpful layer of protection to keep it away from oxidation and other smells in the freezer, it makes eating them frozen difficult. What you need to do is to allow them to soften a bit.
The easiest method to defrost lychees is to transfer them to a bowl and sit in the refrigerator overnight. This will make the lychees quite soft when thawed, so it’s a good idea to remove the fruit’s outer skin without damaging the soft pulp inside.
Once you remove the skin, the semi-frozen fruit taste no less than heaven – quite similar to an instant sorbet. On the other hand, if you have frozen lychees without the skin for a short-term period, you can simply take them out and put them in a blender. The results are going to be a wonderful fruit smoothie, perfect for the summer afternoons.
So lychees can be frozen, and now you know the right way to get the job done for peeled and unpeeled fruits. Amazingly, it takes just a little bit of effort, and you can keep your lychees safe for nearly half a year. Enjoy their deliciousness whenever you want; they will be there!
Conclusion
You can freeze lychee if you plan to use to eat them in more than seven days, otherwise, you can simply keep them in the fridge. They will also last two to three days at room temperature if kept in a cool place without direct sunlight.
I hope this article helped you know what to do with lychee and how to properly freeze it if that’s the best storing method for you.
