What’s the best way to freeze basil leaves so that they remain as fresh as possible and are easy to use in recipes throughout the winter? Here are six different ways put to the test!
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I’ve always believed that freezing basil to preserve it through the winter is best accomplished through making pesto. And it’s great to have it so convenient to use for bread toppings and pasta dinners, among other things. But if you’ve ever grown a couple basil plants, you know that when they’re happy (in my garden, that’s after getting rid of bugs…) they will continue to pump out leaves until frost kills them.
And you only need so much pesto (plus, it’s not the cheapest thing to make), which is why I researched and wrote about 22 other ways to preserve basil. Because using up is a good thing. But while I was searching for ways to preserve basil, I came across a number of different ways to freeze basil – some in comments, some on Pinterest, and some from websites – that had me curious:
What is the best way to freeze basil leaves?
Can it really be done and still have that great basil flavor? And since I’ve been pretty vocal about my love for not blanching produce before freezing (like beans, peas, corn, and peppers) because of how easy it is and the better results, of course you can guess I’d have to test this with basil, too.
So I gathered six different methods, tested them all on one day, froze them for a week, and took pictures along the way to share with you. There was a clear winner for me – and a second method that surprised me. Each method is pretty easy to do, though, so you can choose any one you think looks best!
6 Ways to Freeze Basil Leaves
1. Blanched
I’m starting with the method of blanching and freezing fresh basil leaves because it is the “official” way. Meaning, when you search for how to freeze basil, this will most likely be the first thing that comes up.
How to blanch & freeze basil leaves:
- Wash & dry basil leaves.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.
- Put fresh basil leaves into a colander that fits into the pot (it’s important to have the basil in something so you can quickly remove it all at once).
- Dip the colander with leaves into the boiling water for just 3-5 seconds.
- Transfer blanched leaves immediately to the ice water bath.
- Spin the blanched leaves dry in a salad spinner (or pat dry as best you can). This is the spinner I use and love – it’s the longest lasting one I’ve had.
- Lay out on a cookie sheet and freeze until firm, 12-24 hours.
- Transfer leaves to a freezer bag – they start thawing immediately, so move quickly.
Results:
Brightest color, though most time-intensive. If leaves are blanched just a few seconds too long, some turn brown, which I found stressful. Transferring to freezer baggie was hard since they start to thaw within seconds on tray and are very wilted.
Once in the bag, though, the individual leaves were easy to remove to use in recipes.
2. Unblanched, spread on tray
This is my typical go-to method for preserving produce from berries to green beans, so it made sense for me to try it with basil, right? Of course it’s super easy:
- Wash & dry basil leaves.
- Lay out on a cookie sheet in a single layer.
- Freeze until firm, 12-24 hours.
- Transfer leaves to a freezer bag, pressing out as much air as possible.
Results:
The frozen leaves looked exactly like they did when I put them on the tray, BUT they started to thaw so quickly it was tricky to get them into the bag and they turned brown rapidly as I did.
They, too, were easy to remove for recipes, though they ‘broke’ more than the blanched leaves (which may be better for recipes?).
Above is a side-by-side comparison after bagging up both the blanched and unblanched leaves.
You can see on the left how brown the unblanched leaves became as I transferred them to the bag. The smell and flavor (I pulled off pieces to taste just to see if there was a difference) seemed the same, however, so it’s a matter of visual appeal, I think.
3. Fresh Leaves Rolled in a Paper Towel
I read about this method in a comment on a website, “I have always rolled my basil in paper towel and then in Ziplock bag in freezer” and was curious to see if the paper towel made any difference. I’m assuming it is to soak up moisture?
- Wash & dry basil leaves.
- Add a single layer of leaves to a paper towel and roll it up.
- Place in a gallon freezer bag, removing as much air as possible (have you used this trick yet?) and freeze.
Result:
Hard to peel leaves off paper, not easy to access leaves for recipes (have to take roll out, unroll and peel off leaves…), and some of the leaves actually turned brown in spots.
This was probably my least favorite method – there wasn’t much to recommend it in my opinion.
TIP: Keep track of how much basil you freeze – and all your other food preserving – with the free printable Preserving Record Notebook!
4. Unblanched Straight Into Freezer Bags
This was another method I read about in a comment on a website I visited: “I often harvest my basil leaves and put them straight into freezer bags. Once frozen, I just take out what I need to cook with and chop while still frozen. They maintain that great fresh taste.”
Since this was a version of my favorite non-blanching method, I wondered if it could be any different than how I usually do it on trays?
- Wash & dry basil leaves.
- Place leaves into freezer bags.
- Remove as much air as possible, either by pressing or using this trick, and freeze.
Result:
Decent color, easiest method (only handle the leaves one time), easy to break off portions to use.
Oh, my gosh, this was the WINNER in my book! Look at the more natural green color (the blanched basil looks unnaturally green to me) and how fresh the leaves still look!
While you have to actually break off chunks to use (vs. the individual frozen leaves of blanched), that’s not hard to do and it’s how you would use them in cooking anyway. It’s true that the leaves will turn brown as you cook with them, but that’s what fresh leaves do, too, so that’s not a negative for me.
I love, love, that again the easiest method proved to be a good one – and the best one for me.
But there are still two more popular Pinterest methods to test, one that surprised me with its usefulness, the other with its…not so usefulness.
5. Chopped & Coated With Oil
This method is very popular on Pinterest and I wondered if coating in oil would somehow help preserve the leaves versus the other methods. Here’s how to do this:
- Wash, dry & chop basil leaves.
- Toss leaves with a bit of olive oil (I used 3 c. of leaves to 2 TB. oil).
- Portion into mason jars and freeze.
Results:
Very dark leaves and very hard to remove – I needed to chip away at it just to remove a bit. The oil didn’t seem to help keep color at all.
I was actually surprised to learn that this was another of my least favorite methods since it seemed to be so popular.
6. Chopped in Liquid Cubes
I’ve read about this method many times and have done a version of it by processing leaves in a food processor, almost like pesto, before adding them to ice cube trays (one time in olive oil).
I didn’t find these cubes easy to use – they seemed to be a one-shot wonder good for only marinara or pasta sauces (and since I usually have this amazing roasted sauce in the freezer, I hardly make it from scratch in the winter). What I liked about this version (again from a comment) was the differences:
- Wash, dry & slice basil leaves.
- Divide among ice cube tray sections.
- Add either water or broth to cover leaves.
- Freeze until firm and place in labeled freezer bags (or use ice cube trays with covers and store them in the trays).
Results:
The leaves kept good color in both the water and broth. Although there is slightly more time involved with cutting and pouring, it’s easy to transfer the cubes to baggies and easy to use cubes in soups and stews.
This was another WIN for us as I see these cubes being a lot more versatile than smaller cut basil or oil-covered basil. The cubes would even be a way to add basil flavor to curries.
So, how will I be preserving our garden basil?
I will be preserving the rest of our basil leaves unblanched straight into baggies and I’ll make sure to have a few liquid cubes, too, for our favorite winter soups and stews.
I’m happy to have these tested ways to keep the basil flavor all winter- along with lots of pesto, of course.
Have you used any of these methods for freezing basil? Do you have a favorite? Let me know in the comments!
Other Freezing Preserves To Try:
Homemade Pesto (with secret, frugal ingredient!) to Freeze and Eat All Year!
4 Ingredient No-Cook Chia Berry Freezer Jam
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Mimi says
You are quickly becoming my go to website for how to freeze anyting! I have frozen basil by chopping it in the food processor and adding just a little bit of olive oil. I then put that in a ziplock bag and roll the bag to get all the air out. I find it fairly easy to break off what I need for stews or soups.
Jami says
Thank you, Mimi – I’m glad to know it’s been useful for you! And I love that idea -I’ll have to try it. 🙂
Yula says
My basil grew out of control this year! Thank you for testing all the methods and taking the time to write this all up. I will try your favorite method 🙂
Jami says
Great – glad that was helpful!
Valerie says
Thank you Jami .. I was just about to freeze A bunch of basil and thought I would look up to see if the “direct in the bag” method was actually One of the best ways and thanks to you I know that it is. For anyone who likes N the leaves to remain a bit separate once frozen after washing and drying I leave them out on baking paper and freeze overnight. In the morning take them out, called the baking paper a bit for all of the lease directly into A freezer bag. Because so fast I don’t have to worry about anything thawing.
Jami says
Thanks for the review and that tip, Valerie!
Sharon V says
I have frozen chives in “logs “ wrapped up tightly in plastic wrap. You simply unwrap and cut off a chunk. I will be Trying this with basil!.
Jami says
Good idea!
Steve D says
Many thanks for this ‘scientific’ study, a real service to the community. We just got 1/2 bushel of fresh basil from a local grower which went to 6 bags of pesto and 10 bags of fresh basil – all popped into the freezer. I anticipate lots of fresh pasta with basil/pesto next winter.
Jami says
You’re welcome, Steve – it sounds like you put it to good use!
Kate says
Thanks for trying all of these. Now I know what I’ll do!
Jami says
Glad this was helpful, Kate!
jodie filogomo says
You think of things the way I do…experiment with all of the ways. I just loved this, and of course I’m so glad the easiest way worked out the best.
Thanks for this,
XOOX
Jodie
Jami says
Glad it was helpful!
Kathy Yearwood says
Thank you for posting this article and doing so much research to share with us! I would love your opinion/experience on freezing basil/parsley to use in bean dip. I’m of course looking to retain the freshest flavor.
I put together the following recipe which I make weekly.
RECIPE FOR Basilicious Herbed Bean Dip:
• Cannellini Beans – one (15-ounce) can, drained and rinsed or 1-1/2 cups of cooked beans of your choice
• Plain Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream – 1 Tablespoon
• Mayonnaise – 1 Tablespoon
• Milk – 3 Tablespoons (or nut milk of your choice)
• Agave – 1 Tablespoon (or sweetener of your choice)
• Lemon juice – 2 Tablespoons (half a medium lemon)
• Lemon zest – from ½ of a lemon, finely minced
• Table or fine sea salt – heavy pinch
• Cayenne Pepper – ¼ teaspoon (or spicy pepper of your choice)
• Basil – 1/2 cup using leaves and tender stems (or 1/2 of kit contents)
• Parsley – 1/2 cup using leaves and tender stems (or 1/2 of kit contents.
• Garlic – if spring garlic then use 2 small or 1of medium, if garlic scapes use 2 and if cured cloves use 1 to 2. If spring garlic use both the white and green portions trimming away roots and any dried leaf tips.
• Olive Oil – 1 Tablespoon
Place coarsely chopped garlic in food processing and process until finely minced. After mincing garlic add herbs and repeat. Combine all ingredients except olive oil in food processor and process until smooth, stopping and scraping down sides as necessary. Pour contents into a bowl, stir in olive oil, sample and add additional salt to taste. Keep refrigerated and use within four days of preparation for best flavor. Note: If using as a wrap or sandwhich spread, we increase the spiciness so that it stands out from the other fillings, otherwise it is not as zesty as when serving as a chip or vegetable dip. Also, if preferring a plant based dip / spread, replace the yogurt and mayonaise with equal amounts of fresh avocado.
I would like to freeze the basil and parsely once chopped into individual zip lock bags with the amount for one recipe. I’m contemplating preparing the herbs and testing three frozen samples. One, mix with a small amount of beans; two, mix with the 1 T of mayo; and three mix with the 1 T of oil. I know you can freeze lemon juice but since I use fresh I would like to use it fresh when I make the dip. I cook my own beans, so I used the liquid instead of milk, that why I’m think just use a small amount of beans.
In your opinion on this type of recipe, are there advantages to freezing the herbs with any other particular ingredient?
Jami says
This looks like a great recipe, Kathy! Of your three options, I would only do the oil. The mayo tends to break down when thawed after freezing and I’m not sure of what the bean puree would do (definitely test it, though).
Why not just add the leaves to a baggie in the portions you need? That was my favorite method and seems like they would be easy to add to the food processor still partially frozen right from the bag…
Pixie @ Cheerfully Vegan says
I have always thought that blanching veggies before freezing had to suck out some of the nutrients ahead of time. I have rarely done it. Maybe it is because I am also supremely lazy when it comes to finding the easiest methods! lol I have a garden for the first time in years. I’ve grown things I never grew when I was a young upstart, because I’ve learned to like different produce since I’ve gotten healthier. That includes basil. I decided after reading that you can freeze unblanched greens for short periods (less than 6 months) that you should be able to do the same with basil. I just tried it last week, but, of course, I haven’t used any of it yet! I look forward to reading your other no-blanch adventures!
Jami says
Yes, I agree – and while fresh is best, finding a way to freeze the summer’s basil makes good use of it.
And it seems that we are of the same mind, re: “supremely lazy when it comes to finding the easiest methods.” Amen!
MommaDuck says
I always thought blanching was a MUST…” It stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture. Blanching cleanses the surface of dirt and organisms, brightens the color and helps retard loss of vitamins.”
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/blanching.html#:~:text=Blanching%20(scalding%20vegetables%20in%20boiling,helps%20retard%20loss%20of%20vitamins
The loss of vitamins was my biggest concern. Your testing shows the color stays after blanching, but you mentioned the taste is the same.
Hmmm…to blanch or not to blanch…?
I believe I will try not blanching this round. Thank you for your post.
Jami says
I, too, have read that a lot. I think the key is “helps retard the loss.” Blanching just helps, but doesn’t prevent. There is loss the longer things are frozen, but it’s actually pretty minimal. And my thought is if we don’t eat it because of the texture, etc., we’re not getting any vitamins at all, lol.
However, I don’t really think about vitamins with basil – mainly with green beans, snow peas, etc. that I also freeze without blanching. 🙂
Margie says
I am going to try the unblanched straight into freezer method. Is it best to take the basil leaves off the stem or can you freeze the entire stem?
Thank you!
Jami says
I always take the leaves off the stem since it makes them easier to use after freezing.
Joe B says
I love pesto, and home made is so much better than jarred commercial stuff. I live in an apartment so grow a bunch – store bought starters repotted into larger containers, inside when needed (nights here can ge chilly) and outside daily for sunshine and extra heat. I harvest when I have enough for a small batch of 8 – 10 servings of pesto, freezing the pesto in ice cube trays then wrapping each frozen cube in Glad Wrap and then pack 9 flat into a medium freezer bag removing all air possible. Besides regular use I can build up a good supply of pesto to last me over the winter by the time the season is too late to keep the basil going. The last of the basil from a final harvest of the plants is simply wrapped tightly in Glad again (each bunch enough for 8-10 pesto cubes) and again put those in a freezer bag removing all air. Tht gives me enough basil to make pesto the next spring while I wait for my new plant purchases to mature enough to harvest again.
Jami says
What a great system, Joe! You are a picture of using what you have and doing what you can where you’re at. 🙂
Totally agree with homemade pesto vs. commercial, too!
Debra Ward says
Thanks so much! Thrilled to find the results of your experimenting as I tried to figure out how to save up enough basil (from my weekly countertop AeroGarden pruning) to make a batch of pesto. 🙂
Jami says
Super glad this was helpful to you, Debra! Love that you are gardening where you can, too. 🙂
wade sisler says
Great post. I really appreciated your science like comparisons. I’m also going for easy ways to prune and take care of my basil all summer on the way to the big pesto making summit in early August.. Can’t imagine blanching it every two weeks.
Jami says
Glad this was helpful!
Dhaval says
Is there an issue with botulism associated with the coat in oil before storing technique similar to how garlic oil has issues with botulism when stored in oil?
Jami says
If it were at room temperature, yes. But freezing basil in oil is fine.
Joe Agosta says
Wash/dry the basil leaves and then vacuum bag before freezing. Works great.
Jami says
Thanks for the tip!
Cheryl Snow says
Thanks for your reply, Jami….. to each her own RE: freezer bag process!
PS: totally agree re: no-blanch method, I quit doing that years ago when discovered we didn’t like blanched frozen veg, so: why?!
Jami says
Exactly!