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Why Frozen Blueberries Have A More Vibrant Color Than Fresh By Dennis Lee Nov. 8, 2025 8:00 am EST

Frozen blueberries are an easy ingredient to keep on hand for smoothies, dessert, or breakfast. One interesting aspect about the frozen version of the fruit is their extra rich color, because they can be pretty vibrant. The color in blueberries, as you know, comes from its skin, thanks to a group of antioxidant compounds called anthocyanins. When a blueberry is frozen, those ice crystals change the structure of the berry's tissue, making more anthocyanins readily available, and therefore displaying a deeper, richer, color.

So that means if you're using frozen blueberries for things like muffins or pancakes , you'll likely get a more dramatic pop in color when

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