One of the easiest ways to freeze spinach, kale, collard greens, chard, or any kind of leafy green is to steam it, blend it, and freeze it in cubes. You can use the leafy green cubes in smoothies, soups, or stew. This easy tutorial shows you how to freeze spinach for smoothies.

two spinach ice cubes in a white bowl

If you’re like me, you often find that you have extra greens in your refrigerator that need to be used up right away. Freezing greens like spinach, kale, and Swiss chard is a great way to preserve them before they go bad.

Once you freeze your spinach or kale into cubes, it’s very easy to use them later in smoothies, soups, stews, or pasta dishes.

So, if you find yourself with extra leafy greens on hand, then I hope this guide helpful.

Recipe Steps

Most vegetables need to be cooked before being frozen, and that applies to spinach and kale as well.

There are a few reasons to cook your veggies before freezing them. The first reason is to remove any bacteria that might be on the surface of your veggies. The second reason is to slow down the enzymes that are working to break down your vegetables.

Most people either steam or blanch their vegetables before freezing them. My opinion is that steaming is the ideal way since you are less likely to leach out the nutrients from the spinach or kale.

Step One

The first step to freezing your greens is to steam them.

As mentioned above, I find it easier and more beneficial to steam my kale or spinach as opposed to blanching them. You can either use a steamer basket or a microwave.

Step Two

Once your greens are lightly steamed, then you can either transfer them to a glass container to cool, or you can move to step three to puree them.

steamed greens in a glass container

Step Three

If you want to puree your greens before you freeze them, then the next step is to add them to the base of a high-speed blender.

Pureeing your spinach and kale leaves before freezing them is a great way to prepare them to use in smoothie or soups.

pureed greens in the base of a high speed blender

Step Four

The next step to freezing your spinach or kale is to either pour the puree into ice cube trays (I like these silicone ice cube trays).

They’ll need to freeze about 4-12 hours in the freezer.

pureed spinach in ice cube tray

Step Five

Finally, the very last step is to remove your frozen spinach or kale cubes and transfer them to a zip-top bag for storage in your freezer.

How to Use Frozen Spinach

Using frozen spinach or kale cubes is as easy as dropping one of your smoothie cubes into a pot of soup or into a smoothie.

Since you’ve already steamed the spinach before freezing it, you don’t have to worry about cooking it again if you don’t want to (like in a smoothie).

Try adding a frozen smoothie cube to my recipes for Anti-Cancer Breakfast Smoothie, Chocolate Cherry Smoothie, Chocolate Mango Smoothie Bowl, Creamy Detox Smoothie, or my Weight Loss Kale Smoothie (pictured below).

Or, skip the freezing altogether and make Spinach Juice instead!

two jars of Kale Berry Smoothie on table
Weight Loss Kale Smoothie.

Frozen spinach or kale can last up to 3-4 months in the freezer.

Recipe FAQs

How many smoothie cubes should I use in a smoothie?

I would recommend one of these smoothie cubes per serving. So, if you are making a two-person smoothie, then use two smoothie cubes.

Do I have to cook spinach or kale before blending it?

It is better from a food safety perspective to lightly steam or blanch almost any vegetable, including leafy greens, before freezing. This process helps kill off any potentially harmful bacteria that could grow even in the freezer.

More Helpful Guides to Freezing Food

Don’t Miss These Green Smoothie Recipes!

Weight Loss Smoothie with Kale

Iron Rich Smoothie Recipe for Anemia (Plant-Based)

Anti-Cancer Green Smoothie Recipe

Apple Banana Spinach Smoothie (Dairy-Free)

I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

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ice cube tray with pureed spinach

How to Freeze Spinach for Smoothies

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Print Recipe

One of the easiest ways to freeze spinach, kale, or any kind of leafy green is to steam it and freeze it in cubes. You can use the cubes in smoothies, soups, or stew. This easy tutorial shows you how.

  • Total Time: 4 hours, 10 minutes
  • Yield: 12 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 pound of fresh spinach or kale (or any leafy green)

Instructions

  1. Place the greens in a steamer basket or in a microwavable-safe bowl. Add water. Steam the greens until they are wilted, but still bright green in color. 
  2. Once your greens are lightly steamed, then you can either transfer them to a glass container to cool, or you can move to step three to puree them.
  3. If you want to puree your greens before you freeze them, then the next step is to add them to the base of a high-speed blender. Pureeing your greens before freezing them is a great way to prepare them to use in smoothie or soups.
  4. The next step to freezing your spinach is to either pour the puree into ice cube trays. They’ll need about 4-12 hours in the freezer.
  5. Finally, the very last step is to remove your frozen spinach cubes and transfer them to a zip-top bag for storage in your freezer.

Notes

  1. These frozen cubes will last up to 2 months in the freezer.
  2. You can use whatever type of leafy green you like for this type of freezing, including spinach, kale, chard, collard greens, or beet greens.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cube
  • Calories: 9
  • Sugar: 0.2 g
  • Sodium: 29.9 mg
  • Fat: 0.1 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 1.4 g
  • Fiber: 0.8 g
  • Protein: 1.1 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

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About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition and is studying to be a holistic nutritionist. She is a top wellness and food blogger with over 5 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send her a message through her contact form.