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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.
Is it possible to add garlic to this mix. I’m thinking like minced…
This is such an awesome idea.
I know it’s not a herb but I have a tip with fresh ginger to save money. I’ve been doing it forever and never waste any. Buy the youngest firmest ginger when you come across it. Give it a quick wash and dry then into a bag in the freezer then whenever you need some you just grate it into your cooking peel and all (you won’t see or taste the skin plus I’m sure it will have extra nutrients like most things do under the skin) then put the rest back in the freezer! Last for ages too. I’d never store it any other way since I don’t use it all the time.
HI Sue!! I love this tip – that is so good to know!! Thank YOU very much for sharing!
I’m a fan of freezing ginger too. I chop up the ginger, place it in an ice cube tray, add a little water, then add the frozen cubes to a small container. I use the ginger in dishes, but mostly use the cubes to make a drink of ginger and honey – boil one or two cubes of ginger for 10+ minutes and add a little honey – has wonderful health benefits and tastes good too, and is a good “good night” drink.
Thank you for the hint about freezing the ginger without chopping or grating it as sometimes I like the ginger to be more finely chopped or want to slice it into slim slices.
Okay, I just have to say that this is brilliant. Every time I throw away old, unused herbs that I paid an arm and a leg for, I die a bit inside. And lovely photos, as always!
Great idea. Where the recipe states to use within a week, do you mean a week after it is frozen or within a week of thawing it out after it has been frozen for a certain amount of time?
Hi Bee! Yes, after they are frozen try to use them within about 2 weeks. And you don’t have to thaw them – just place in a frying pan and the cube will begin to melt right away over any amount of heat.
I have a food saver and store them in that and they store for a year…. Take out what you need and reveal!
What is a food saver? Thank you.
A food saver is a vacuum pack machine that takes all the air out of the bag of food you want to save for a longer amount of time. You can search the internet for many brands!
Genius!!! And I just so happen to have some rosemary I need to try this on today! Thanks for the info 🙂
Oh wow this is genius. I must do this sometime soon. Loving the pictures!
Okay, this is practically ART! So gorgeous! I’d be almost tempted to just plop those beautiful cubes straight into my mouth!
I love this so much! Would love to just pull some Fresh Herbs out of the freezer!
I’ve done this with pesto, but my brain just exploded – I can use it for all my herbs! I have quite the nice little thyme garden going, and I miss that fresh flavor during the colder months – but now I don’t have to!