The answer isn’t simple! They vary in terms of their affordability, versatility in dishes, potential for food waste, and nutrition. Read on to see how they stack up, and which you should opt for.
Given the breadth of fruit and vegetable options, as well as store sales and loyalty program discounts, it's tricky to make generalizations or one-for-one comparisons between frozen and fresh produce.
That said, frozen does tend to have the edge with pricing, especially if you're also trying to eat seasonally, Dr. Wahls believes.
"Frozen foods are an affordable way to start eating more quality foods like vegetables," says Wahls. "I've seen people on a very limited budget able to make radical changes in their diets this way. My advice is always to get the highest-quality, seasonal, organic fruits and vegetables you can, and that can often be achieved more easily with frozen options."
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Although frozen fruits and vegetables tend to be a top choice for smoothies, stir-fries, and soups, they're more limited in usage than fresh options, according to London, Ontario–based Katey Davidson, RD. That's because there are significant differences in terms of texture.
When produce is frozen, the water inside expands, breaking its cell walls. That doesn't change its nutritional profile or taste, but it does remove some of the structure, making it softer when thawed. In some cases, it can be downright mushy. That's no big deal for a soup, but as a side dish, it could be much less appealing.
"Opt for fresh produce in dishes where you're looking for crunch or texture," says Davidson. "Frozen is great for when you're cooking and adding the veggies to a dish."
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Let's face it: We've all had that moment of finding the result of nutritionally good intentions at the back of the fridge looking yellowed, slimy, or unidentifiable. At the back of the freezer, though? Not so much.
Fruit and vegetables can be frozen for 8 to 12 months before they deteriorate in quality, says Janilyn Hutchings, a certified food safety professional and food scientist at StateFoodSafety, an Orem, Utah–based food safety certification and training program for the hospitality industry.
Let them go past that point and you're going to see enzyme activity that starts to break down the vegetables. But if you buy based on just a couple months ahead, it's likely you won't reach that point, giving frozen options the edge in reducing food waste.
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Contrary to popular belief, frozen can actually have an advantage over fresh when it comes to nutrition, according to Kara Hoerr, RDN, a dietitian in Madison, Wisconsin.
"When produce is frozen, it's picked when it's at its peak and is frozen shortly after harvesting to preserve the nutritional quality and taste," she says. "You're probably better off buying frozen raspberries or green beans in the winter than trying to buy them fresh. The taste will be superior, it'll be more cost-effective, and the nutritional quality will be higher."
That doesn't mean fresh produce that's been around for a few weeks is now nutritionally void, Wahls adds. It's difficult to gauge how many nutrients are lost exactly, she says, since there are unique factors that go into every crop — soil quality, whether it's picked in an immature state for transport, time spent in transit, how long it's been in your house — but fresh fruit and vegetables still retain more than enough nutrients to make them worth including in your meals and snacks.
In some ways, that makes it a tie in the fresh vs. frozen competition. One big exception, Davidson adds, is when frozen produce has added ingredients like sugar, sauce, or cheese, which can lower its nutritional profile.
In general, focusing on a mix of fresh and frozen can give you all the advantages of each, including convenience, affordability, and nutrition.
"Whatever it takes for you to boost your consumption of fruit and vegetables, do it," says Wahls. "Make it a habit to shop both fresh and frozen options, so you'll always have something on hand."
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