How to Freeze Onions in a Few Easy Steps

Save time and money by freezing onions for later.

By
Erin Huffstetler
Erin Huffstetler
Erin Huffstetler is a writer with experience writing about easy ways to save money at home.
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Updated on 06/19/24
sliced red onions on cutting board

The Spruce Eats / Ahlam Raffii

Frozen chopped onions are great to have on hand when you need to whip up dinner in a hurry. That's why grocery stores sell them and charge you for the convenience. Save money and make your own, so you have less prep work when putting together a dish.

You might also want to freeze leftover onion when you chop more than you need or only use half of an onion in a recipe. Learn how to prepare frozen onions and avoid having to throw them away.

Frozen Onion Basics

Frozen onions work best in cooked dishes as they won't have the spring of fresh onions. You can use them in soup, stew, casseroles, and chili, or saute them with ground beef. They retain most of their flavor for three to six months when frozen.

The process is easy and takes only a few minutes. You need:

  • Onions
  • A knife
  • Freezer bags
  • A freezer

Don't use zip-lock sandwich bags. Thicker freezer bags keep the frozen onions in good shape and minimize the smell leaking into your freezer. Because the onion smell can still escape and permeate your freezer, you may want to use ​an accessory freezer in your garage or basement.

Steps for Freezing Chopped Onions

Follow these simple steps to freeze your chopped onions:

  1. Peel the onions.
  2. Chop or slice the onions to the size pieces you need for upcoming recipes. Place the chopped onions in a freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, and seal it.
  3. Freeze the chopped onions in bags with just the portion you typically use in a recipe. It's better to use several smaller bags than one large bag. Onions don't refreeze well, so taking out what you need is better.
  4. Label the bag with the contents and the date that you froze them to use up the oldest ones first.
  5. For the easiest storage, freeze the onion bags flat on a cookie sheet in your freezer, pressing to make it as flat as possible. Bags stack better in the freezer if they are flat.
  6. When the bags have frozen solidly after a couple of hours, remove the cookie sheet and stack the bags in the freezer.

Tips for Freezing Onions

  • Chopped onions tend to freeze in clumps - To remedy the problem, bang the bag against the counter a few times before each use. (This is another reason for using freezer bags, which are stronger than most zip-lock sandwich bags.)
  • For best flavor - Use your frozen chopped onions within three to six months for the best flavor. In addition to freezing, there are other ways to store and cure onions for future use. You can also make onion powder and salt, saving you from expensive store-bought products.
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