Yes, you can freeze celery, but you should blanch it first

• Blanch celery before freezing to better preserve its texture and flavor.
• You can also freeze raw celery, but it will have a mushier texture and less flavor once thawed.
• Frozen blanched celery will last eight months or more in the freezer.

Despite having a reputation as an everyday snack food, celery is an incredibly versatile ingredient that lends itself well to various recipes, adding both texture and flavor. The carrot-family vegetable can be eaten raw or sauteed. It's also a source of several vital nutrients, including vitamin A, C, and K. "Mostly all of the classic comfort foods use celery," says Chris Mentzer, a chef and director of operations for Rastelli Market Fresh.

Buying a whole head of celery often leaves you with too much on your hands. While fresh celery keeps longer than other vegetables, it eventually turns mushy and inedible if you don't eat it quickly enough. Freezing celery is a great way to make sure you always have this commonly used ingredient on hand.

The best method is to blanch celery before freezing, says Mentzer. Doing so helps extend the frozen celery's lifespan for eight months or more. And, because the celery is pre-cooked, it's easy to toss into soups and stews.

You can freeze fresh celery, but it will soften significantly during the thawing process and lose much of its distinct celery-like flavor, says Mentzer. "Fresh frozen celery has a much shorter shelf life, too — only about two to three months," he adds.

Why you should blanch celery before freezing it

Blanching extends the life of frozen celery because it helps expel some of the moisture from the vegetable, which in turn prevents freezer burn. The texture of cooked frozen celery is superior to fresh frozen celery, which becomes soft and soggy as it thaws.

Quick tip: You can also freeze celery leaves along with the stalks. Like the stalks, it's best to cook the leaves before freezing, says Mentzer. Use them in stir fries, salads, or add them to bean dishes to add a fresh celery flavor.

The best way to freeze celery: Blanch it first

While Mentzer prefers fresh celery, he admits that it's handy to have frozen celery on hand for last-minute meals.

1. Wash your celery. Rinse the stalks and leaves to remove dirt and debris.
2. Cut the celery. Dice or slice the celery into similar-sized pieces to ensure even cooking.
3. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Grab a bowl that's big enough for your celery and fill it with ice cubes and cold water.
4. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil.
5. Blanch celery for 2 minutes. Cook the celery for about 2 minutes. It will turn bright green but will maintain its firmness. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon.
6. Place the celery in the bowl of ice water. Leave it in the ice bath for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove and place on a paper towel to dry before freezing. The shock of the cold immediately stops the cooking process.
7. Store in freezer-safe containers or bags. Mentzer recommends portioning out the blanched celery and storing it in small quantities. That way you can take it out as needed instead of having to defrost an entire container full.

How to freeze raw celery

1. Wash and dry your celery. Clean off the stalks by rinsing away dirt and debris and drying them thoroughly.
2. Cut the stalks. When freezing fresh celery, it's easiest to freeze the individual stalks.
3. Place the stalks on a baking tray. Put the tray into the freezer and remove it once the stalks are frozen solid — about 1 to 2 hours depending on your freezer's temperature setting.
4. Place the individual stalks in freezer-safe bags. This is to make sure the stalks don't get stuck together and you can take each one out as needed, says Mentzer. You can thaw then chop the celery or chop it right out of the freezer depending on the sharpness of the knife you're using.

Quick tip: "I would not recommend freezing celery with other vegetables since each vegetable has a different structure, and some lend themselves better for freezing," says Mentzer. Freezing veggies together can also make it tougher to cook after thawing since some take more or less time to cook.

Best ways to use frozen celery

If you diced and blanched your celery before freezing, you can add it to soups and stews straight from the freezer, says Mentzer. However, if you plan to use celery in something like a stir fry, thawing helps prevent moisture from ruining the dish and turning it mushy.

You'll need to thaw and cook fresh frozen celery before using it in recipes.

Some of Mentzer's favorite uses for celery are in comfort foods like:

• Pot pies
• Soups and stews
• Stuffing
• Casseroles

Frozen celery lends itself particularly well to soups and stews because you likely won't notice the slight change in texture.

Mentzer doesn't recommend using frozen celery for juicing since the fresh frozen stalks become too soft once thawed.

Insider's takeaway

If you have too much celery on your hands that you don't want to waste, freezing is a great way to prolong the life of these crunchy stalks. Blanching then freezing celery will extend its life for eight months or more. Use it in your favorite comfort food dishes like Thanksgiving stuffing, cream of celery soup, and chicken pot pie.