An easy to use trick to store fresh ginger in freezer in single serving cubes using ice-trays or small bowls. Just peel, chop and freeze and remove one frozen ginger cube each when needed!
In Indian and other Asian cooking, fresh ginger is a key ingredient. While we do get ginger powder and ginger paste easily in the market, good fresh ginger is mostly subject to season and availability. When I do find it, I buy in bulk and even though fresh ginger usually lasts well for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator, I needed to find ways to store it for much longer.
Freezing ginger is a great way to store it for long. Earlier I used to peel, grind and freeze ginger paste in a bottle, but then I realized I had to defrost the entire bottle and also, in some recipes I wanted ginger pieces especially in dishes like dal makhani or soups like pho and minestrone. I then started freezing chopped ginger. I would chop part of it finely and part of it in juliennes as some recipes need julienned ginger. But when you store it all together it is difficult to remove just a part of it for single use as everything becomes a solid block. That is where this trick of an ice-tray comes in. Ice trays come in different sizes and you can choose a size where each cube is approximately the amount you need for regular cooking. Or you can also use tiny bowls like in this post’s image.
Peel and chop ginger the way you use for your recipes, pack them well in the cube tray; cover and freeze. Once frozen, remove them from the tray/bowls, put them in a bag and return to the freezer. This way the individually frozen ginger cubes won’t stick to each other and when needed you can just take one cube out at a time.
Simple isn’t it! Even if you do get fresh ginger easily in the market, like we do in India, it is nice to have some frozen ginger cubes always so you never run out of it. Also in summers, the quality of ginger is not so good in the market and it is helpful to have some in the freezer for quick use. I also use ice-trays to freeze homemade stock and take out individual stock cubes when needed.
If you like this simple kitchen trick, please take a moment to rate it and/or leave your comments at the end of the blog. It will really encourage me to keep exploring, learning and improving.
How to store fresh ginger in the freezer for long and easy use
Ingredients (1cup = 240ml; 1tbsp = 15ml; 1tsp = 5ml)
- 100 gm fresh ginger
Instructions
- Wash and peel all the ginger root.
- Chop part of the ginger finely, part in juliennes, and part in large pieces. The finely chopped ginger is great for dals, julienned is good for garnishing, and the big pieces can be used when you need ginger paste.
- Pack them separately in small bowls or ice-tray cubes. Freeze for 6-8 hours until set.
- Remove from ice-trays/ bowls and store the frozen ginger cubes in freezer bags.
- Use as and when needed.
Notes
- The peels of ginger can be used to make ginger infusions, in masala teas, and in stock. If you have too much of peel, you can also freeze them separately in a freezer bag for use later.
- Nutritional information is for 100g fresh ginger root.
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Brilliant suggestion and oh so easy. I just bought some of the biggest ginger roots I’ve ever seen. They were grown in Brazil and the flavor is more mellow that what I’m used to, but still really nice.
Thank you for providing the wonderful method for preserving it.
Awesome! 🙂
I am so happy this post about freezing fresh ginger was helpful to you JoAnne! You can actually use the same trick with tomato puree and stock as well! I find it easy to just drop as many cubes I need into the pot when I am cooking. Easy and convenient!
Happy freezing and then enjoying ginger all season through! 🙂
Wonderful idea and tips, thank you!
Thanks, Cara!
I am glad you found this tip to freeze ginger helpful! In fact, I have found ice-cube trays great for freezing stock and tomato puree also! It makes it easy to add just as much required while cooking!
For years now I’ve diced and julienned onions and put them in freezer bags (flat for storage) for fast and easy use. I’m excited that I can do the same with fresh ginger as I only recently began using ginger. Glad I found this post!!
Thanks, Mel!!!
Isn’t being able to store fresh ingredients, all prepped to be added to dishes, such a big time saver in cooking? 🙂
Can you do this with Garlic too?
Yes. But with garlic, freezing in open ice-cube trays will result in lot of smell in the freezer. It will be better if you freeze garlic in an air-tight tray.
Thanks this was very helpful
Thanks, Zelda!
I am glad you found this simple way of storing ginger helpful! you can use this method to store more stuff like garlic, stock cubes etc!
brilliant information! thank you!
Thankyou for your tips. Never realized you could freeze ginger. I cubed mine and spread the ginger on a baking tray and once frozen stored it in a freezer bag. Every piece still separate.
That’s a great idea Alva! Thank you for sharing 🙂 I am sure many others will find it useful!
I have being taking fresh ginger in hot water of two yrs now and im delighted to read that I can freeze it brilliant
I have being using Ginger now for two yrs also when im having a cup of tea the ginger goes in thank god I haven’t had a cold in two yrs thank you so much of showing the best way to store ginger
Thanks, Catherine!
I am happy this was useful for you.