How To Freeze Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice
If you want to freeze fresh-squeezed orange juice, simply remove the pulp from the oranges. Cut the oranges into halves and put them in a freezer bag. Freeze them overnight. After freezing the oranges, take them out of the freezer and put them back in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
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Store bought orange juice will keep in your fridge for between 8 and 12 months without losing quality, whereas fresh-squeezed orange juice keeps in the same quality for between 3 and 4 months. While store bought orange juice may last longer (check anyt labels to find out how long you can use after opening a bottle, usually these will last well for about a week), I recommend keeping homemade fresh-squeezed orange juice for about 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. If you are planning on keeping your orange juice longer than a couple days, transferring your juice into ice cube trays and keeping them frozen is a good idea to keep them from going bad and keep them fresh longer. Freezing the orange juice is a great option to consider, especially if you have extra cartons you bought at the supermarket on sale, or if you make a batch of fresh orange juice and wish to store it for later.
| Storage | Shelf life |
| In fridge | 8-12 months |
| At room temperature | 2 hours |
Freezing your orange juice is a good way to prevent your orange juice from going bad, preserve it, and preserve it for later, regardless if your juice is freshly pressed, purchased at the store, or an orange juice concentrate. The need to prevent any excess juice from going bad, and allow us to preserve juice for future use, led us to freezing. You can store the cartons or containers of your juice right in your freezer, making sure that the containers are freezer-safe and there is plenty of room for your orange juice to expand.
When you have multiple oranges, or you do not want to squeeze juice by hand, using a blender to squeeze oranges is a better option. You can make homemade orange juice with ease using blender, juicer, or you can squeeze it by hand or using hand-held citrus juicers or citrus reapers. You can peel and cut an orange, discarding the seeds, then use your hands to squeeze the orange. While the orange was once a treat enjoyed only at Christmas, we can now get a large bag of them at the grocery store and squeeze all of them in one large bowl.
Because I am a frugal girl, and hate wasting things, I have found a way to freeze the freshly squeezed oranges so I can keep enjoying them for months. There are a lot of benefits of drinking fresh-squeezed oranges, and also, you do not get all of the refined sugars or artificial sweeteners you might get from commercially processed juices. If you have an orange tree in your yard, or you are gifted with lots of fresh oranges, it is a good idea to juice at least a few of these fresh oranges, so that you have them on hand for when you need them. Whether you have just scored a deal on a box of sweet oranges, or bought only enough to make your own fresh, sweet orange juice, you can keep oranges from going bad, and store them for later by freezing.
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In this article, I am going to talk at length about freezing orange juice following best practices, so that you get the best results and make your frozen orange juice taste fresh and packed with flavour. In this post, we are going to walk you through exactly how to keep orange juice frozen, how long you can expect your frozen orange juice to last, and the other methods for preservation, so you can be sure that you are choosing the right method. Depending on how convenient you are with freezing the juice — whether in smaller portions or a large batch — you may choose a freezing method that works better for you.
You can strain the juice once you have thawed it, but it is better to remove the pulp before freezing your juice. Thawed juice will have a grittier texture because of how much juice has crystallized, particularly if there is any pulp or sugar in it. What is going to happen is that when the juice chills in the fridge, big pieces of pulp fall towards the bottom of your plastic container or Mason Jar.
It is best to portion out the juice, by pouring into several smaller containers measuring about one cup. All you have to do is give your OJ a thorough shake or stir, and your juice will taste as good as when you put it in the fridge in the first place.
Once you crack open the carton of Tropicana or Minute Maid juice, it should last you a week in the refrigerator before going bad. If you are making your own juice, it will last for just two to three days in the refrigerator before the bacteria starts growing. Orange juice made with concentrate will last five to seven days once made to drink, in the refrigerator, and up to a year in the freezer, still maintaining good quality. Orange juice can be frozen in the original carton, plastic containers, Mason jars or other freezer-safe glass containers, or even ice cube trays.
If you really choose the refrigerator option for fresh juice, be sure to keep it airtight, sealed containers, and out of your fridge door. If working with store-bought juice, consider buying a few that are not packed in the pulp, so that you can save this extra step. Straining it out will remove as much of the pulp from your juices as possible, and you will reap the rewards when you get a craving months down the line. If I only have 1 day left on a use-by date when freezing the product, I make sure to use the juice that is been frozen in 1 day.
Navel Oranges, on the other hand, are perfect for eating right out of the bag, but they do not yield a lot of juice once squeezed. If using smaller-sized oranges such as mandarins, there may still be less juice, but mandarins are generally quite juicy, so that depends. Keep in mind these are just estimates, the amount of juice that you get out of your oranges could slightly change depending on what type of oranges you are using as well as the size of the orange. I will often buy a box of navel oranges just before Christmas, they just end up sitting around the house, never eating as much of them as I would hoped.
How long does fresh squeezed orange juice last in the freezer?
If stored properly, it will continue to be safe after around 3 to 4 months while still maintaining its optimum quality. Freshly squeezed orange juice that has been consistently frozen at 0° F can keep safe indefinitely; the freezer period indicated is only for optimal quality.
Does fresh orange juice freeze well?
Yes, freshly squeezed and store-bought orange juice keeps well in the freezer and lasts for many months (between 8 and a year) as opposed to only a few days or a week. And the process isn’t overly complicated, which is even better. All you have to do is pour the juice into a freezer-safe container.
Does freezing fresh juice lose nutrients?
Fresh juice can only be frozen without losing any of its flavor, vitamins, or minerals. After being frozen, raw cold-pressed juices must be kept in the freezer and can be maintained there for up to six months without losing flavor or nutrition.