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After many trials and errors, I’ve concluded that freezing fresh herbs in olive oil is the perfect way to preserve them. Discover the secret to freezing herbs for later and using them in all your favorite recipes! With this easy step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to freeze fresh herbs in ice cube trays and cut down on food waste. This method is perfect for adding flavor to pasta, soups, skillet dinners, and so much more.
Freezing Fresh Herbs
I’m going to start this post by convincing you to go to the grocery store and stock up on all the fresh herbs that you can find. Don’t worry about the dang astronomical price that is attached to them. I mean, who cares that we’re paying Gucci prices for grass! Don’t get me started.
Anyhow. Incorporating fresh herbs into your dishes can elevate everyday meals, adding vibrant flavors and a burst of color. Herbs like basil, rosemary, and thyme can transform simple recipes into gourmet delights! They bring a freshness that dried herbs can’t match, enhancing the overall taste and aroma of your recipes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Freezing herbs in olive oil is one of my favorite kitchen hacks. It’s a simple and effective technique for keeping your herbs fresh and ready to use in any recipe, and you only need two ingredients – fresh herbs and olive oil.
How To Freeze Fresh Herbs
I used to get really annoyed with myself every time that I forgot about the bunch of fresh herbs that suddenly decided to wilt way before I was ready to use them. In search of a solution to this problem, I found this very helpful piece by The Gardener’s Eden, and I have been using their awesome method for the past several years.
- Choose firm herbs: Opt for fresh, firm herbs to ensure the best flavor. You can use basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, and more.
- Chop or leave whole: You can chop the herbs or leave them in larger sprigs or leaves. A combination works well too.
- Fill ice cube trays: Fill the ice cube compartments about 2/3 full with herbs.
- Add olive oil: Pour extra virgin olive oil over the herbs, making sure they are fully submerged. This also works with other cooking oils, like avocado oil or vegetable oil.
- Freeze: Cover the tray with plastic wrap and freeze for several hours or overnight.
- Store: Once frozen, remove the cubes from the trays and store them in freezer bags.
- To use: When ready to use, it can go from the freezer straight to the frying pan – no thawing needed.
Benefits For Freezing Herbs
Freezing herbs in olive oil is convenient and preserves their flavors and nutrients. You can use these herb-infused oil cubes directly in your cooking, saving time and adding a burst of fresh flavor to your meals.
Tips For Success
- Rinse and dry: Make sure to rinse and thoroughly dry your herbs before freezing to prevent ice crystals from forming.
- Label your bags: Don’t forget to label your freezer bags with the type of herb and the date it was frozen.
- Use within a few weeks: For the best flavor, use your frozen herbs within a few weeks.
How To Use Frozen Herbs
Apart from the preserving deal, the cooler thing is that you can remove a piece from the freezer, throw it in the pan, and bam! You just killed two birds with one stone: You didn’t have to pour out the oil, AND you didn’t waste any energy on chopping up that rosemary!
Drop 1-2 cubes into a pot or pan to make
- A warm and comforting chicken noodle soup recipe.
- Your go-to spinach pasta dish.
- A delicious chicken and vegetables skillet meal bursting with flavor.
More DIY Recipes
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How to Freeze Fresh Herbs
Ingredients
- olive oil
- fresh herbs, basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, etc…
Instructions
- Choose firm fresh herbs.
- You can chop up the herbs or leave them in larger sprigs and/or leaves. I always do a combination.
- Fill the ice cube compartments about 2/3 full of herbs.
- Pour in the olive oil, covering the herbs.
- Top the tray with plastic wrap and freeze for several hours or overnight.
- Remove the frozen cubes from the ice trays and store them in freezer bags.
- When ready to use, remove a cube or two from the bag and transfer it to a frying pan.
Notes
- Rinse, clean, and thoroughly dry the fresh herbs.
- Keep in the freezer.
- Use within a couple of weeks.
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
I don’t mean to be a dork, but could you give me a couple (or several!) examples of how you use these? I will be freezing basil and oregano.
Thanks!
Hi!
It’s just like adding olive oil to a skillet to heat it up. Most dishes usually call for oil to start with, so you can take a cube of frozen oil with herbs out of the freezer and add it to the skillet and heat it up over medium to medium-low heat.
Super easy and the best for using In recipes! No more waste at harvest time!
Thank YOU! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
You initially said you can keep them for as long as you wanted them you end it by saying use them I 2 weeks. A bit contradictory
Why do they need to be used within a few weeks?
Hi!
According to the literature I read about herbs and oil, produce items like garlic and herbs can harbor C. botulinum, which thrives in an oxygen-free environment like (infused) oil. This is why flavored and infused oils must be made and stored correctly to prevent botulism poisoning. When infused oils are manufactured commercially, low-acid ingredients are acidified to prevent bacterial growth.
Thank you! My husband planted an herb garden for me this year and I’ve been worrying that I can’t use them all fast enough! This is brilliant! I’m wondering about a longer freezer shelf life if I dumped the “cubes” into a ziplock baggie with all the air removed??? to store longer?? I’m going to try, if they’re not great, I haven’t lost anything, right? Thank you again for this wonderful idea!
Very cool idea. I would suggest using a different oil rather than olive oil though. Olive Oil has a very low smoke point and the molecular bonds are easily disrupted. Its meant more for dressings and dipping. Heating it for frying basically is turning into trans fats and we all know enough about trans fats to know we need to stay away from them. I would suggest a coconut oil that’s slightly heated to liquid and then poured into the ice trays. Its a saturated fat (meaning “stable”) and will not be affected by the heat.
I realise this is a little bit of a promo for the olive oil, but I’m more entranced and envious of your ice cube tray. Where did you get it from? I must have one the same!
Hi David! I got those on Amazon 🙂 Here’s the (affiliate) link: http://amzn.to/29RG0Kn
Thanks Katerina! Can’t wait to buy them for both regular ice, and then most definitely to make herb-ice. The shape of these seems so much more suited to herb-ice, and as a single person, I’m happy to make the extravagant expense only *now* knowing that I’ll have “fresh” herbs on call. You’re awesome, thanks again! 🙂
PS if you don’t have ice cube trays, use a cupcake tin lined with plastic wrap but keep the filling small!
Like the ideas…but can’t get rid of that sidebar for pinterest,yum,FB, twitter, etc…makes it hard to read the recipes Can’t even seen to type name and email…doing it blindly and hope it works!