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Freezing Basil

How to Freeze Basil and Other Fresh Herbs

We’ve talked before about how to harvest basil, but what if you’ve got way too much or it’s clear that the plant will not survive any longer? Then, it’s time to freeze the basil! Learn about quick ways of freezing basil, rosemary or any other herb for that matter. This way, fresh herbs will always be ready and available.

Freezing Basil

How to Freeze Basil and Other Herbs

Although fresh herbs are ideal, they are not always practical. These instructions for freezing basil work great for other herbs such as rosemary, sage, thyme, cilantro and oregano too. Here’s an easy way to keep herbs on hand.

1) Chop leftover fresh herbs. Remember that the stems can be chopped right along with the leaves, no need to let them go to waste.

2) Divide the cut fresh herbs into ice cube tray compartments. Silicone molds or mini muffin pans could also be used as containers to freeze the herbs.

3) Cover the chopped herbs with olive oil to 3/4 full. The fresh herbs will infuse into the oil while freezing. Melted butter (to make herb butter) or just plain water can alternately be used to fill the ice cube compartments.

4) Freeze until firm.

5) Transfer the individual cubes into a resealable freezer safe bag or containers until ready to use.

6) Toss the cubes (as many as desired) into soups, stews, roasted veggies, pastas – any recipe that would benefit from a hit of fresh herb. Ready when you are!

Freezing Basil

Additional Information

To check the shelf life of basil, see our basil page.

To keep fresh herbs beautiful and available, see our post on storing fresh herbs.

To harvest and make use of a large rosemary plant, see our post on making rosemary skewers.

To find out how long other foods are good for, please visit the Dairy, Drinks, Fruits, Grains, Proteins, Vegetables and Other sections of Eat By Date or use the search function below.