For years, we’ve been told that fresh is the gold standard when it comes to fruit and vegetables, as if anything from the freezer is automatically second best. But many chefs and nutrition professionals argue the opposite, saying frozen options can come with real advantages that are both practical and nutritional. Beyond convenience, the key point is that frozen produce is often preserved at a moment when it’s at its best, while “fresh” can spend days in transit and storage. Add in the fact that frozen packs usually cost less and last far longer, and the freezer aisle starts to look a lot more appealing.
Dietitian McKenzie Jones is among those who regularly recommends reaching for frozen produce, describing it as accessible, easy to use, and in many cases just as nourishing, or even more so, than fresh. The reason comes down to timing. Fruits and vegetables meant for freezing are typically picked when they’re perfectly ripe, then quickly frozen within hours to lock in their nutritional value. Meanwhile, fresh produce can sit in delivery trucks, on supermarket shelves, and then on your kitchen counter before you ever get to it.
That time matters because many nutrients naturally decline after harvesting. The article notes that experts often highlight items like berries, spinach, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, and even seafood as smart choices to buy frozen. It also points to research comparing a range of produce, including corn, carrots, broccoli, spinach, peas, green beans, strawberries, and blueberries, finding vitamin levels in frozen versions were comparable to fresh, and sometimes even higher. In other words, the idea that frozen is automatically less nutritious doesn’t hold up in many everyday cases.
Doctor Meena Malhotra agrees, saying frozen can be the better option precisely because it’s harvested at peak ripeness and frozen right away. She points to berries as a standout example, suggesting they can retain more vitamin C than the fresh berries you find in stores, and they’re often much more budget friendly. Nutritionist Lisa Poole adds that strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries start losing vitamin C and antioxidants soon after they’re picked, so freezing shortly after harvest helps preserve what you’re actually trying to eat. Fresh berries, on the other hand, can slowly lose nutritional quality while waiting in chilled supermarket displays and later in your fridge at home.
Still, frozen isn’t a perfect substitute for everything. Sarah Osborne notes that tomatoes and cucumbers tend to suffer in texture after freezing, and frozen avocado doesn’t behave like a fresh one when you want slices for salads or toast. So the best approach is a mix, using frozen for nutrient dense staples you want on hand, and buying fresh when texture and crunch are the whole point.
Do you rely on frozen fruits and vegetables, or do you only buy fresh, and which freezer staples do you always keep stocked? Share your thoughts in the comments.
