Preserving Onions in the Freezer: 3 Ways for Quick Meal Prep

Onions, glorious onions! My favorite vegetable, both to use and grow. They add so much fabulous flavor to countless meals. Adding so much savory goodness to meats, soups, sautés, and on and on and on. Pre-cut onions are my go-to grab for adding instant flavor to just about every home cooked meal!

A few of our homegrown white onions

Whether you're fortunate enough to harvest onions from your own garden, gather a basket of them at your local farmers market, or just land a big ol' bag at Costco, onions are worth preserving!

Minced Cubes

The way I use onions the most is minced. I mince tons of them at once in my beloved food processor. (Oh, what would I do without you, Dear?!) I press the finely minced onion into a designated freezer tray, used only for onions and garlic, cover it in foil, and place in the freezer until solid. Then, I pop out the cubes and store them in a freezer bag, and have them in the door of the freezer so it's a quick pluck from the bag when I need them. Hallelujah!

Onion cubes in olive oil, in prep for Ready Beef

Onion cubes are an absolute staple in our house. I've been making them this way for over a decade, and I love them so much. Gobs of time is saved, since one doesn't have to chop them at every single mealtime prep. Just grab and toss in the skillet, or soup pot to thaw, and add instant flavor. So handy! Minced onion is the best way to flavor food when there's folks in your circle who don't like the texture of onion. The veg in this teeny form makes it virtually undetectable, so it's a win-win with these super convenient onion cubes. You'll love yourself for preserving onions in this form! These handy cubes are wonderful in Ready Beef, tacos, chili, and enchiladas, just to name few.

Organic onions chopped into chunks to freeze for future meals

Chunked

This form is also great to have a freezer bag full, which again, cuts prep time significantly when you're throwing together a breakfast skillet, a quick stir fry skillet, or sautéing green beans. Oh, and so handy during summertime grilling paired with chunks of fresh garden zucchini. So delicious! The smell always reminds me of the county fair. During chili months, these flavorful chunks are also great to throw into a crockpot of roast beef, or beef stew

Cut the onions whatever size you prefer. I usually aim for about 1 inch square, or smaller. I chop them by hand because I'm used to doing it this way, but there's probably a blade that fits the food processor that would be a time saver. Fill a freezer bag, or two, however many you need, and again, keep them close by in the freezer for quick grabbing!

Garden onions being sliced for preserving in the freezer

Sliced

Slicing onions is pretty self explanatory. We prefer ours about a 1/4 inch think, but slice them to your preference. Just as long as their pretty uniform so they cook the same length of time. Fill a freezer bag and lay them flat in the freezer, until frozen through.

It's always awesome to have preserved sliced onions on hand when cooking up homemade hamburger patties, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, and fajitas. These also pair well with any skillet meal, as well as the for-mentioned, green beans, and so much more!

So these are my 3 go-to forms of preserving onions in the freezer. I hope you find them as helpful and convenient as we have over the years. Bless you in your cooking and preserving ventures as you aim to feed your family well!

Very Warmly, Heidi :-)

"...they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter."

~Proverbs 6:8