4 Ways You Can Freeze Eggplant - The Spruce Eats

Blanching Eggplant

If you like to use eggplant to make eggplant Parmesan, or you enjoy eating it baked or fried, blanching and freezing it in rounds is a good option. Here's how it's done:

• Fill a large stockpot with a gallon of water. Add 1/2 cup of lemon juice (bottled is fine). Then set it on high heat.
• While you're waiting for the water to boil, peel the eggplant, and cut a bit off of both ends. Then slice it into 1/4-inch rounds. Eggplant tends to oxidize (turn brown) quickly, so it's best to prep a small batch at a time (no more than what you're able to process in 15 to 30 minutes).
• Once the water has reached a rolling boil, drop the eggplant rounds into the pot, and blanch them for four minutes. This will kill any bacteria that may be present, and stop the enzyme action, so they hold up well in the freezer.
• Prep a large bowl of ice water while the eggplant is blanching. Then, drop the rounds into it, as soon as the four minutes are up. This will stop the cooking process, so the eggplant doesn't get too mushy.
• When the eggplant has cooled, remove it from the ice water, and pat dry.
• Lay the rounds on a cookie sheet, and flash freeze them, or if you prefer, bread the rounds first. You can dip them in egg then bread them with homemade Italian breadcrumbs.
• Once the eggplant is frozen, transfer it to freezer bags. If you decide to bread yours, stick a piece of wax paper between each round to keep them from freezing together.

To use: Just pop the frozen rounds right into your eggplant Parmesan, or drop them right onto a cookie sheet or into your frying pan. There's no need to thaw them first.

Instructions are based on the current recommendations of the National Center for Food Preservation.