How To Freeze Basil - 2 Best Ways
The two winners in the freezing basil test - unblanched into baggies and sliced liquid cubes with water or broth.
Servings: 2 quarts
Calories: 3kcal
Equipment
- 2 quart freezer baggies or other air-tight, freezer safe containers
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups basil
For Liquid Cubes:
- 1/2 cup broth* (chicken or vegetable)
- 1/2 cup water*
Instructions
- Harvest, wash and dry basil leaves as needed (TIP: you don't need to remove all the tender stems, just the thicker, harder stems).
Unblanched Into Freezer Bags:
- Place dried basil leaves into freezer baggie. I usually but 1 to 2 cups of leaves into each bag.
- Remove as much air as possible, either by pressing or using this trick, and then freeze.
- To Use: break off chunks of frozen leaves and add directly into your recipe.
Chopped In Liquid Cubes:
- After drying leaves, SLICE them into thin strips (gather a stack of leaves, roll them up and slice from one end to the other).
- Divide among ice cube tray sections (no blanching needed).
- Add either water or broth to cover leaves.
- Freeze until firm (about 2 hours) and then place in labeled freezer bags (or use ice cube trays with covers and store them in the trays).
- To Use: add a frozen cube to any soup or stew recipe - also is nice in curry sauce and other types of sauce.
Notes
*Or use 1 cup of either broth or water to fill the cubes.
Storage:
Frozen basil leaves and cubes will last 8 months to a year. After 8 months, the unblanched leaves may start to degrade a bit, but I still usually use them (it's a quality issue, not a safety issue).
Nutrition
Serving: 1cube | Calories: 3kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.2g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 0.4mg | Sodium: 73mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 317IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.2mg
