Our Favorite Ways to Cook with Frozen Fruit and Vegetables—No Smoothies Here!
To some, frozen fruits and vegetables have a reputation for being bland, flavorless, and uninspiring. If that's you, we're here to change your mind. While we love using frozen produce for smoothies, there are so many other ways to make the most of their vibrant color and flavor. Plus, frozen fruits and vegetables allow you to cook with your favorite produce item when it's out of season. That said, there is one frozen vegetable our food editors aren't a fan of: broccoli. It becomes mushy easily and lacks the flavor of fresh broccoli.
Chris Simpson
From a crowd-friendly breakfast casserole to a low-carb weeknight meal, you'll find inspired ways to utilize frozen berries, tropical fruit, peas, edamame, and spinach in these recipes—no boiling or blending required.
Related: 15 Frozen Pea Recipes to Make Until Spring Arrives
Chris Simpson
How to Cook with Frozen Berries
Craving the flavor of summer in the middle of winter? Make this sweet and hearty breakfast casserole, which calls for an entire cup of frozen mixed berries, anytime of year. Juicy blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries burst as they bake in this heart-healthy recipe; we also like that they add a pop of color to the finished dish.
Get the Baked Oatmeal for a Crowd with Berries and Seeds Recipe
Paola + Murray
Here's a delightful twist on classic apple pie. Incorporating two cups of plump wild Maine blueberries into a traditional filling will be a welcome surprise. This recipe uses tart Granny Smith apples, which contrasts the sweet berries and adds substantial texture to the filling.
Get the Wild-Blueberry-and-Apple Pie Recipe
Marcus Nilsson
How to Cook with Frozen Tropical Fruit
Whether you want to make just one flavor or all three options, this refreshing summer recipe utilizes frozen fruit. Purée batches of mangoes, kiwis, and bananas with agave and lime juice, then freeze each until the mixtures are firm. This recipe is an instant, easy approach to making sorbet at home.
Get the Tropical-Fruit Cones Recipe
Con Poulos
How to Cook with Frozen Vegetables
Soups, stews, and pot pies are just a few of our favorite go-to uses for frozen vegetables. This hearty recipe for classic beef stew calls for frozen pearl onions and frozen peas, both of which are easy to find in the grocery store. The onions absorb so many rich and savory flavors while cooking with the beef and broth, and the peas are added right at the end to avoid getting soggy.
Get the Classic Beef Stew Recipe
Kate Mathis
Here's a new way to use frozen shelled edamame. We love these soybeans for their protein, fiber, and antioxidant qualities—their bright green color doesn't hurt either. Here, they are mixed with toasted cauliflower rice for a colorful, flavorful base for wild salmon fillets.
Get the Wild Salmon with Edamame-Cauliflower Rice Recipe
Julia Gartland
Start your morning off with the right bite. Frozen chopped spinach and grated cheddar cheese are scattered over the puff pastry crust for this easy quiche; add an egg and cream mixture and bake until set.
