The easiest, fastest, best way to FREEZE BASIL!

🌱 HOW TO FREEZE BASIL

A new way to freeze basil! Ditch the ice cube trays filled with olive oil— you don’t need them!

This basil freezing method is a quick and easy way to preserve a lot of fresh basil.

Use 1 tablespoon of olive oil for every 3 cups of fresh, lightly packed basil leaves.

6 cups of basil fits in a quart bag. Use multiple quart bags instead of moving up to a gallon size for more.

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Bulk Quart Freezer Bags

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[melodyveit]

I put the leaves on a cookie sheet and pop in the freezer. When the leaves are frozen i put them in a ziploc bag. Then I just pull out as many leaves as I want.

[nonnieanthonys]

I always freeze my basil in ziplock bags. I don’t use any olive oil just fresh clean basil! I also do the same with parsley, rosemary thyme and sage. Great way to have fresh herbs on hand. No wasted herbs !

[Aries]

That's very helpful, thank you!

I love Basil but I only buy them the day or the next day I need them, as they don't stay "fresh" after two days (they start to turn black).

Also, I don't throw away the stems after I took all the leaves off. I used Basil mostly in my pasta dishes, specifically spaghetti, and Asian dishes. It's the stems (whole) that I usually freeze and then add them to my simmering spaghetti sauce whenever I make spaghetti. Believe me, they do add a lot of Basil "flavor" even without using the leaves.

[annatraficante]

I put the Basil (stalks and all) in a freezer bag and stick in the freezer. When frozen I remove the bag and squash the contents until all the Basil brakes down. I then put the broken Basil in a plastic container and return to freezer. When cooking sauces etc. during winter I just sprinkle what I need and then return the container back into the freezer. The Basil remains loose and you just tip out what you need. It is easy and convenient.

[sarathurston]

I do this to the very hard-to-find Thai basil and Thai holy basil. Also, kaffir lime leaves for my Thai recipes. It works perfectly, and saves me a 40-mile round trip to the Asian supermarket in winter.

[alisonreeder]

Excellent video. Thankyou my basil has gone crazy and I didn't want to waste it.

[haywardgarner]

I just toss the leaves in a freezer bag. Since I am using them for cooking in the winter, this method has worked for me. Nice to see someone else with a similar version of freezing. I may try adding olive oil to see if I notice a difference.

[gusgstratton]

To minimize risk of bruising when mixing with olive oil, one could alternatively lay out the basil on a cookie or baking sheet, and spray the olive oil for a more thorough coating of the leaves.

[crackerjack]

I am going to try this. I have lots of basil to harvest and don't want it to go to waste. Thanks!

[iainb]

I have grown basil for years now and this idea never occurred to me, so thanks to you I should have basil through the winter and spring. Cheers.

[denisehelton]

Well said. Just enough to instruct without going on and on. Thank you

[craigb.franklin]

Thank you so much for this wonderful video. My basil really grew this year and thanks to you it won't go to waste.

[CeliniaGava]

Nice! I love the way you've shown us to do this. I didn't like the idea of essentially turning it all into pesto, since I love using fresh basil in a variety of dishes! Thanks for the info!

[MeandmyVs]

I've been doing this over 25 years. It's best. Hands down!

[kgrant]

Excellent - thank you. You can also use a small-diameter straw (flattened), to suck the last of the air out of the bag. Works great! (Thx to my sister for showing me this.) Cheers! ☺

[arejetko]

I dream about having that much basil! The "no wash" tip is excellent. Great video.

[catherinemcgill]

I love this idea and I’m going to do it with this year’s crop. I’ve frozen basil successfully for years but I’ve been working too hard. I always washed it, dried it, turned it into confetti in the food processor, mix with olive oil (way more than you used, freeze in tablespoon sized balls then bag. I’m going to use your easy method today because I have tons!

[gailwelicki]

This is my first year of growing basil. I have far more than I'll ever use. Thanks for the tips. I plan to try it.

[sewdesire]

My basil has grown like crazy this year! From reading the comments it sounds like many of us have a lot of basil. I've already given a bunch to my neighbor for him to make and freeze pesto. I took a bunch and dehydrated it. I swear that my plant replaced everything that I harvested in less than a month! I am going to try your method of freezing basil. Thanks for sharing!

[jenniferkleine]

Love this! I freeze dry a lot of my herbs but I'm trying this today!