Do Frozen Vegetables Lose Nutrients?

Turning to frozen vegetables may sometimes feel like you’re taking a shortcut in the kitchen. They are affordable and last much longer than that head of fresh broccoli decomposing in your crisper drawer, so that must mean the frozen stuff is somehow poor quality, right?

There’s a misconception that fresh fruits and vegetables are healthier than their frozen counterparts. I myself have been guilty of perceiving produce from the freezer aisle as inferior. Misleading content online, which sometimes claims that fruits lose their nutrients once frozen, doesn’t help set the record straight, either.

The reality is that frozen fruits and vegetables aren’t just more accessible to many households, but they often contain more nutrients than fresh ones — so it may be time to start stocking bags of broccoli, berries, and your other crops of choice in the freezer.

What does it mean when you say a fruit or vegetable has more nutrients than another?

The term “nutrients” is broad, but MedlinePlus — a digital resource provided by the National Library of Medicine — defines it as “chemical compounds in food that are used by the body to function properly and maintain health. Examples include proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.”

These examples are just that: examples. They’re not a comprehensive list of the kinds of nutrients that exist or that you should be seeking to incorporate into your diet. Other essential nutrients that we get through fruits and vegetables, in particular, include dietary fiber and antioxidants.

Different types of produce will supply you with a variety of nutrients — blueberries are rich in vitamins K, C, A, E, and B6, as well as the minerals manganese and copper, whereas kale is notable for its high amounts of vitamins A, B6, C, K, folate, fiber, carotenoids, and manganese.

When comparing fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, we examine whether the same type of food retains more of its typical nutrients in one state than the other. For instance, do frozen blueberries contain more or fewer of their common nutrients than fresh ones? While the answer can vary based on factors such as the freshness of the fruit at the time it was frozen, the amount of time since fresh fruit was harvested, and the method of ripening, the conclusion is often affirmative.

Why do frozen fruits and vegetables sometimes have more nutrients than fresh ones?

As soon as a piece of produce is harvested, it starts to lose some of its nutrients. By the time fresh fruits and vegetables reach a typical supermarket, it’s often been several days or even weeks since they were picked. In contrast, frozen produce is usually frozen immediately after it has been harvested — and luckily, freezing slows down the deterioration of nutrients.

“Research has shown that frozen vegetables have at least [as much] and sometimes more key nutrients than their fresh counterparts (Bouzari, 2015),” Lacy Puttuck, MS, RDN, CISSN, and CSCS with Top Nutrition Coaching told Food & Wine via email. “Much of the difference comes from the transportation and exposure of fresh vegetables that can degrade many nutrients. Sometimes fresh vegetables are also allowed to ripen in transit, not on the vine as in the case of frozen vegetables. 

“Allowing produce to ripen on the plant allows for greater intake of nutrients from the ground and plant itself as it ripens to peak quality. This gives the vegetables higher nutrient levels at the time they are picked and then subsequently frozen.”

In addition to the gradual breakdown of nutrients once fruits and vegetables are harvested, fresh produce is often left to ripen after it has been picked. Some research shows that fruit ripened “off the vine” may have lower amounts of certain nutrients when compared with fruit that isn’t harvested until it has reached peak ripeness.

Neither Puttuck nor the study she cites say that frozen vegetables will always have a significantly higher amount of nutrients than fresh ones, but they both note that science confirms frozen produce will have just as much nutritional value as fresh, and it might sometimes have more.

What should you look for when buying frozen fruits and vegetables?

The science behind the nutrient density of fresh versus frozen produce will also tell you what to look for when buying fruits and vegetables in the freezer aisle. To ensure that you’re purchasing the best frozen ingredients, Puttuck recommends that you “Look for packaging that says ‘flash frozen.’ This means that the vegetables were picked at the peak of ripeness and frozen very quickly after picking, locking in most of the nutrients of a freshly picked vegetable.”

In addition to “flash frozen” labels, you can look for terms like “frozen fresh,” “freshly frozen,” “fresh frozen,” and “just-picked” as indicators that store-bought produce was quickly frozen after harvest.

Of course, this information doesn’t imply that you should only consume frozen fruits and vegetables. The cell structure of produce breaks down when it freezes — due to water inside the cell walls expanding — which means the texture of frozen and thawed crops won’t match that of fresh ones. The fruits and veggies we choose aren’t solely selected for their nutritional value; they’re also delicious! And for many cooking applications, fresh options will be better than frozen. However, if you’re preparing a dish like soup or a smoothie, where texture matters less, keep in mind that frozen is an excellent option.

For maximum nutrients in your fresh ingredients, seek out local, seasonal crops. These will have traveled a much shorter distance to get to you, and won’t have been stored for an extended period of time. And regardless, Puttuck notes that “Whether you choose fresh or frozen vegetables, you are getting a variety of vitamins, minerals, prebiotics, phytochemicals and fiber that adds to the health of your diet.”