Our Ultimate Guide To Freezing Your Stir Fry Veg & Mix

Stir fry's are an easy and healthy meal to whip up when you don't know what else to cook, but to make them even quicker, you might be wondering if you can freeze your stir fry veg beforehand or even the whole meal for reheating. 

There is no reason why you can't freeze stir fry veg, but it is best if it's cut up and frozen before cooking, this will help it retains its nutrients and stop it from going bad as quickly, if you do cook your veg beforehand you should ensure you undercook it.

To help you out with freezing your stir fry veggies we've made a short guide below which will take you through why you should freeze a stirfry, how to freeze your veggies and stirfry contents as well as some tips and recipes to give you the best results. 

Why Freeze a Stir Fry? 

You might be wondering why you would bother to freeze a stirfry meal and veg, well, freezing meals in advance are great for when your having a busy period and don't have time to cook, they offer an easy and healthy meal option in comparison to takeaways which don't require any effort. 

We've listed a few reasons below as to why you should consider freezing your stirfry. 

• Helps when you are busy. 
• Stocks up the house for people who don't like cooking. 
• It's healthy. 
• It's quick to make. 

Can I Just Freeze Stir Fry Veggies?

You can just freeze stir fry veggies rather than all of your components, simply cut up and portion your veggies then blanch them in boiling water for a few seconds before sealing them in freezer bags. 

It's best if you do not cook your veggies beforehand by sautéing as they will go bad quickly and will not be as fresh in your stir fry, if you do have to cook them try to undercook them. They will also god bad quicker once cooked and should only be had for around 2 weeks max in your freezer.

How Do I Freeze a Complete Stir Fry Meal?

To freeze an entire stir fry meal you will need to make sure the stir fry mixture is in different plastic freezer bags, for example, the stir fry sauce will need to be in one plastic bag while the stir fry noodles should be in the other. 

You will need to make sure that leftover stir-fry is labelled so as you cannot get confused about which portion of the stir fry is which then lay the veggie portion of stir-fry out on a baking sheet in the freezer beforehand to make sure they don't mush together. 

Ensure that all the air is out of your freezer-safe bags before storing freezer stir-fry meals otherwise it can cause frozen vegetables to get freezer burn and go bad quickly.  

Tips For Freezing Your Stir Fry

Making stir-fry freezer meals can require quite a bit of preparation as you have to keep the frozen vegetables fresh and stop them from becoming soggy vegetables. 

We've listed out a few of our most helpful tips for freezing a stir fry mixture down below. 

• Try not to overcook the stir fry beforehand - Keep your stir fry fresh vegetables a little undercooked so that when you reheat them they can cook further, avoid overcooking them, to begin with. 
• Let the stir fry mixture cool down before freezing - Before freezing your stir fry mixture you should wait for it to cool down, too hot it can cause the food to spoil and release air.
• Eat the stir fry mixture within two weeks of freezing - A stir fry mix even if frozen should be eaten within two weeks, any longer then it could potentially get freezer burn or go bad. 
• Use a frying pan for reheating - You can defrost your stir fry mixture in a frying pan rather than a microwave, this will stop the stir fry from becoming soggy and will keep tougher vegetables. 

Our Best Freezable Stir fry Recipe 

To have the best stir fry mix in the freezer, you need to make sure that you've made the best stir fry mix, to begin with. 

We've made our best freezable stir fry recipe down below which explain cooking stir fry to be frozen step by step. 

Ingredients 

• Half a cup of rice. 
• One pound of chicken breast. 
• One bell pepper a cup of sugar snap peas. 
• Two garlic cloves. 
• Two tablespoons of soy sauce. 
• A tablespoon of brown sugar. 
• One tablespoon of rice wine vinegar. 
• Two spoons of water. 
• A teaspoon of cornflour and sesame oil.

Method 

1. First of all, poach your chicken in a frying pan with some garlic and a few inches of water, this should take around 15 minutes at a simmer, you can also just fry it off until half cooked. 
2. Cook the half cup of rice and lay it out on a baking sheet to cool once done. 
3. Slice your chicken once cooked into pieces and lay it out on another lined baking sheet. 
4. Cut your veggies up into bitesize pieces, at this stage you can either try to partially cook them by poaching them or frying them, or you can just simply put them on a baking pan with the chicken for freezing. 
5. Freeze all your ingredients until solid then make the sauce. 
6. To make the sauce simply whisk all the ingredients together and place into a freezer bag sealing tightly, do the same for the chicken and veggies also.

How Do I Defrost a Stir Fry?

You might be wondering the best method to defrost your rice stir fry so as it tastes fresh, we've listed some steps for you to follow when it comes to reheating your Chinese food below. 

1. First of all, start by defrosting your stir fry sauce in some hot water. 
2. Warm your frozen chicken through by placing it on a frying pan with a few spoons of oil, this will take around 10 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces. 
3. Once the chicken is heated through you can add your frozen veggies and rice then mix with the sauce and serve!

Frequently Asked Questions About Freezing Stir Fry Veg 

How long will stir fry to keep in the freezer for? 

Stir fry is best kept in the freezer and eaten within a month but it can last up to three months if properly sealed and stored. 

What's the best frying pan to cook a stir fry in?

You need technically need a wok or another deep non-stick frying pan to cook a stir fry in. 

How do I stop my stir fry veggies from getting freezer burn? 

To stop your frozen veggies from getting freezer burn you need to ensure you are using airtight freezer bags and allow the veggies to cool down first before popping them into your containers or bags. The longer your veggies are left in the freezer the more chance they will also get freezer burn.

Is a rice stir fry okay to store in the fridge? 

A stir fry will last about 3-4 days in a fridge before it starts to go bad.

Last Words 

Overall, you can freeze stir fry veg in advance as long as you have some freezer-safe bags or containers on hand for the job. Try to freeze your veggies raw to keep them fresh or undercook them to get the best results and make sure to store sauces and meat separate in their bags.