Freeze Basil: Tricks For Preservation

Fresh basil is highly aromatic, delicious, and healthy – but unfortunately, it also wilts quickly. You can find out how to preserve it by freezing here.

Harvest and clean basil

The first steps before freezing are very simple and consist of harvesting and cleaning. Depending on how you want to process the basil or use it after defrosting, you can pluck off individual leaves or cut off entire stems.

Just make sure that you wash everything thoroughly and that there is only a small amount of residual moisture.

Info: The aroma of the basil is reduced with each variant of preservation. However, this affects the drying process the most. Even here, however, you can preserve more flavor by blanching.

Freeze basil leaves – this is how it works

As soon as the preparations are complete, only a few steps are required.

1. Place the stems or leaves individually on a plate. You must not touch each other.
2. The basil is prepared in this way and placed in the quick freezer for at least an hour. However, to be on the safe side, it can also be 90 to 120 minutes.
3. The basil is then taken out of the freezer and packed airtight in a freezer bag or another suitable container and frozen at -18°C.

You can expect a shelf life of about 1 year.

Freeze chopped basil

Probably the easiest way to preserve herbs such as basil is to freeze them and cut them into small pieces. And this is how you do it:

1. Wash and pat dry the basil
2. Finely chop or chop the basil leaves
3. Place in suitable cans or freezer bags and seal tightly
4. Label frozen goods

If the herbs are frozen relatively dry, they can be removed in good portions at any time. You can use them directly when cooking and do not have to defrost them separately.

Freeze basil as herb cubes

Another way of preserving the aromatic herb and being able to use it after defrosting is to freeze herb cubes.

To do this, first, follow all the preparatory steps. The difference, however, is that you chop the basil, suitable for this include:

• knife
• chopping knife
• scissors
• mortar
• mixer

Mixed with a little water, the herb is now filled into ice cube bags or an ice cube tray.

Tip: With the ice cube mold, you should also put a freezer bag over it after freezing. Otherwise, the taste will suffer.

Freeze pesto

Here, too, portioning in suitable containers is advisable. Unless you use larger amounts for pasta dishes, salads, or sandwiches anyway. Then, for example, boxes or bags can be selected.

Thaw basil

It is best to let the basil, in whatever form, gently thaw in the fridge for a few hours. Depending on how you want to use it, you can also add the frozen basil directly to the pot or pan.

Shelf life after freezing

Frozen basil will keep for about 1 year. However, this only applies if you have followed all the steps and are using leak-proof containers. Otherwise, there is a risk of freezer burn and loss of taste.

Tip: Label the containers with the contents and the date, otherwise you will quickly get confused with herbs and pesto variants.