To freeze herbs, all you need are your favorite aromatics from the garden or the rest of that bunch of cilantro you bought last week, a little lovely olive oil, and an ice cube tray to preserve that herbaceousness for another day. You’ll never toss perfectly good herbs again.
Knowing how to freeze that abundance of herbs from the garden (or last weekend’s trip to the grocery store) is a little like being able to summon a spell. Simply plop the herbs in an ice cube tray and fill them with oil. That’s it. Unlike drying herbs, freezing herbs retains all the vibrancy in terms of both taste and color. Weeks or months later, when you’re ready to impart some summer herb awesomeness to anything—soups, stews, sides, fish, omelets, cooked vegetables, and so on—simply take a cube and gently warm it in a skillet.–Renee Schettler
Freeze Frame
How to Freeze Herbs
To freeze herbs, all you need are your favorite aromatics from the garden or the rest of that bunch of cilantro you bought last week, a little lovely olive oil, and an ice cube tray to preserve that herbaceousness for another day. You’ll never toss perfectly good herbs again.
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Keep the herbs whole or roughly chop them, it’s up to you. Place a small amount of one herb or a mixture of herbs into each indentation in your ice cube tray.
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Pour enough olive oil (or melted coconut oil, ghee, or butter) into each indentation to almost fill it. Place in the freezer for several hours or overnight.
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When the oil is frozen, remove the cubes from the trays, place them in a resealable plastic bag, label each bag with the type of herb using a Sharpie, and toss the bag in the freezer for up to several months. Pull out a cube or two whenever a little oil and fresh herbaceousness is desired, whether you’re making sauces, soups, stews, braises, pan sauces, even eggs. And if all you need is a smidgen of green goodness rather than an entire cube, simply grab a knife and slice as little or as much off as you need.
How To Freeze Aromatics variation
Citrus zest, grated ginger and fresh chili also work really well when preserved using this method, so get creative and make up some interesting mixes. Just remember to label the bags.
How To Freeze Herbs & Aromatics In Water variation
Follow the recipe above, using cold water in place of oil. Plop the resulting ice cubes in cocktails, soda, or water.
Serving: 1cubeCalories: 248kcal (12%)Carbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1g (2%)Fat: 28g (43%)Saturated Fat: 4g (25%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 1mgFiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 17IUVitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 1mgIron: 1mg (6%)
Originally published July 13, 2018
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