Can You Roast Frozen Fruit Straight From The Bag?

Roasting frozen fruit may sound like a bad idea at first. Why would you want to toss ice-cold chunks into the oven instead of throwing them in a smoothie (such as our tropical passionfruit smoothie) where it sounds like they belong? But there are plenty of reasons to toss your frozen fruit on a baking sheet. The heat will extract the liquid while concentrating the flavors at the same time, leaving you with a thick, goopy mixture that tastes just as good as fresh produce. Plus, using cold fruit means you don't have to wait until your favorite cherries or peaches are in season to deploy them in tasty treats.

But is roasting fruit as simple as pouring it straight out of the bag? Essentially, yes. You can follow many of the same steps as baking fresh fruit — namely, spreading it out on a lined baking sheet, then placing it in the oven until it's the consistency you want. The main difference here is that you'll want to extend the cooking time with the frozen stuff. In general, just leave your slices in the oven for 15 minutes longer than you would with fresh produce, which can help some of the extra moisture dry off as well.

So how can you ensure that your frozen fruit comes out of the oven in the best shape possible? It depends on what you want to use it for. If you're just roasting it on its own, it'll generally come out with a consistency that's perfect for a compote, which can become a topping for pancakes, yogurt, oatmeal, or waffles. In this case, try tossing your fruit in sugar or honey on the baking sheet, and you can add a little cinnamon or vanilla extract if you'd like. Then, pop everything in the oven for up to 20 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until it becomes nice and goopy. To keep the baking time consistent, keep your produce in the freezer while your oven preheats so that it doesn't begin thawing out on the sheet.

However, you can also use frozen fruit right out of the bag in baking recipes. There are a few things to consider here: Just like when roasting it plain, keep it in the freezer until the moment you plan to use it so that the juices don't bleed into your batter. And to seal its liquid in even more, toss your fruit in flour first for recipes like Cardamom Blueberry Muffins. While you can experiment with different options with this frozen produce, smaller fruits like berries work best in general, since they have less moisture to let go of.