Frozen Kale

part of: Kale

Frozen kale is a convenient way to keep this nutrient-dense leafy green on hand without worrying about it wilting in the fridge. The leaves are blanched and frozen shortly after harvest, making them ready to drop straight into soups, stews, smoothies, and pasta dishes.

While frozen kale loses the crunch needed for raw salads, it’s ideal for any cooked application. It breaks down quickly in hot dishes, adding earthy, slightly bitter green flavour to everything from minestrone to shakshuka. It’s also a popular addition to green smoothies.

Frozen kale is typically sold in blocks or loose-leaf packs and is available year-round, regardless of growing season. It’s a practical option for reducing food waste, as you can use exactly what you need and return the rest to the freezer.

Farmed

photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Kale is harvested by cutting the mature leaves from the plant. The leaves are washed thoroughly, trimmed of tough stems, and chopped. They’re then blanched briefly in steam or boiling water to preserve colour and texture, cooled rapidly in ice water, drained, and flash-frozen. The frozen kale is packaged in bags or boxes for retail sale.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 28kcal

Protein 2.7g

Carbs 2.9g

Fat 0.5g

Fibre 2g Sugar 0.8g

Mass Distribution

1 package (10 oz) is about 284 g — roughly 80 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈0.63kg

Freshwater ≈136.94L

Land ≈0.52m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

Made from

Kale, leaves

In the kitchen

Used as

cooked leafy green

Goes well with

garlic lemon olive oil parmesan white bean

Classic dishes

Caldo Verde
Kale and white bean soup
Kale smoothie

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

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