How to Freeze Basil
Preserve your summer harvest with this easy freezing method! Learn how to freeze basil to enjoy in soups, sauces, and more all year long.
Equipment
- Ice cube tray for ice cube method
- Small saucepan and ice bath for blanching method
- freezer-safe container a plastic bag or a glass jar
Ingredients
- Fresh basil
Instructions
Ice Cube Method
- Rinse the basil under cold water and pat dry. Strip the basil leaves off of the stems.
- Roughly chop the basil leaves.
- Pack the chopped basil into ice cube trays, pressing down to get as much in as you can.
- Fill each cell of the ice cube tray with water. Press down on the basil to submerge it as much as possible.
- Pop the ice cube tray in the freezer and freeze until solid.
- Remove the basil cubes from the ice cube tray and transfer them to an airtight container. Promptly return to the freezer.
Blanching Method
- Wash the basil leaves and remove them from the stems.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the individual leaves for 30 seconds.
- Remove the leaves from the boiling water and immediately submerge them in an ice bath. Let the leaves cool for a few minutes in the ice bath.
- Remove the blanched basil leaves from the ice bath and pat them dry with a paper towel or a clean tea towel. Get them nice and dry.
- Grab small bundles of leaves and roll them up into a basil roll. You can make one big roll and take a cutting of it as needed, or make small rolls that you can grab one at a time.
- Place the basil rolls in a freezer bag and freeze until use. If you’re freezing more than one roll, flash freeze them on a baking sheet first to avoid them sticking together.
Fresh Basil Pesto
- Use your basil to make a batch of homemade pesto or nut-free pesto.
- Spoon the pesto into ice cube trays and freeze until they are solid.
- Transfer the cubes to an airtight container and return to the freezer.
- To use the pesto, take as many cubes as you need out of the freezer and allow them to thaw at room temperature
Notes
- Basil is best harvested in the morning; this is when its flavor is the sweetest. Trim sections of the basil above a node to encourage more growth and shape the basil plants as you go.
- Don’t forget to label your container! It’s shocking how easy it is to forget what it is, especially if you’re freezing other herbs and greens.
- You can freeze basil in oil following the same ice cube instructions. Spin the basil in a salad spinner to dry it. Then, instead of water, pour olive oil or avocado oil into the ice cube trays and freeze.
- I don’t recommend running your basil through a food processor and freezing it as a paste. I have tried this method, and the basil oxidized very quickly, leaving me with an off-putting brown paste. (This doesn’t happen with pesto because of the other ingredients in it.)
- Be sure to get as much air out of the bag as possible to prevent freezer burn and keep your basil tasting great.
- Frozen herbs are best used within a year. They are still edible after that, but the flavor and color will start to degrade. I like to make it a goal to use up my freezer stash before the next gardening season begins.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!