Why You Shouldn't Freeze Cucumbers Whole (And What To Do Instead)

Cucumbers tend to be one of those veggies where your stockpile is more plentiful than your meal plans. They really only last up to about a week in the fridge, but that's not always enough time to eat a whole cucumber, even with TikTok's viral cucumber salad recipe at your disposal. So what's a guy, gal, or nonbinary pal to do with that truckload of fresh produce just waiting to get slimy and weird before you can use it all up?

Well, one thing you definitely don't want to do is freeze them whole. It's a bad idea, scientifically speaking. Cucumbers contain a lot of moisture, and that water expands as it freezes. Your whole cucumber basically becomes a giant ice shard and the forming ice tears it apart at a cellular level. While this sounds very metal and cool, it just means that you'll be left with a sad, mushy cucumber once the ice thaws and the damaged cells collapse.

This doesn't mean that you can't freeze cucumbers at all, though. Instead of chucking them into the freezer whole to die a flaccid death, just use the cookie sheet method to freeze your cucumbers instead. First, wash your cucumbers, and slice them as thinly as possible. Spread them out on a cookie sheet in a single layer, making sure there isn't any overlap. Stick the tray in the freezer until they firm up, and then bag them — they'll keep for up to a year. They will still lose quite a bit of crunch, so use them in a dish that has other snappy textures to make up for it, like this seven layer Mediterranean dip.

You can also make a puree and freeze it, but this limits what you can use it in. Simply wash the cucumbers, cut them, slap them into a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Use this mix for smoothies, cocktails, or Spanish gazpacho. You can also pickle your cucumbers, which is the best way to preserve that crunch. Wash and thinly slice them, sprinkle them with salt, and let them sit for a few hours. Rinse well and place them in an airtight container with vinegar, sugar, and water. You can store the whole container in the freezer and enjoy crunchy cukes all year round.