“Fresh vegetables are more nutritious than frozen ones.”
Fresh vegetables are usually not more nutritious than frozen ones; vitamin levels are mostly similar, and frozen is sometimes higher.
Frozen vegetables are a nutritious choice and count just as much as fresh ones. Buy the form you will actually eat, based on cost, taste and convenience.
Keep a few bags of plain frozen vegetables on hand for quick meals, and buy fresh when it suits your plans.
Safety note: Choose plain frozen vegetables when you want to control added sodium, sauces or saturated fat. Follow package cooking and storage instructions, and discard food that has thawed unsafely or shows signs of spoilage.
Talk to a healthcare professional if: you have kidney disease, trouble swallowing, a food allergy or another condition that changes which vegetables, or ways of preparing them, are right for you.
Moderate confidence because direct lab comparisons and reviews find frozen produce is usually as nutritious as fresh, with a few nutrients higher in one form or the other. The studies covered a limited set of foods, nutrients and storage conditions.
Fresh vegetables are usually not more nutritious than frozen ones; vitamin levels are mostly similar, and frozen is sometimes higher. In one study, beta-carotene was lower in frozen peas, carrots and spinach.
A study of eight fruits and vegetables measured four vitamins after typical home storage. Vitamin C was the same in five and higher in frozen samples in three. Vitamin E was higher in three frozen foods and the same in the rest. Riboflavin was mostly the same. Beta-carotene was lower in frozen peas, carrots and spinach, which is the main area where fresh came out ahead. A larger review found that fresh produce can lose a lot of nutrients during transport, storage and cooking, while blanching before freezing reduces some water-soluble vitamins.
- Bouzari A, Holstege D, Barrett DM. Vitamin retention in eight fruits and vegetables: a comparison of refrigerated and frozen storage. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2015;63(3):957-962. DOI: 10.1021/jf5058793. PMID: 25526594
- Rickman JC, Barrett DM, Bruhn CM. Nutritional comparison of fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables. Part 1. Vitamins C and B and phenolic compounds. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 2007;87(6):930-944. DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.2825