How to Freeze Fresh Herbs

Freezing herbs is a great way to preserve them. Come and learn how to freeze fresh herbs so you can readily use them in your favorite recipes anytime. 

I love using fresh herbs to add flavor, aroma, and vibrant color to many dishes without adding extra calories or salt.

Unfortunately, they can quickly lose their sought-after qualities even if adequately refrigerated. 

I have found a simple solution—freeze them! Freezing herbs is one of the most effortless ways to preserve fresh herbs.

It doesn’t take up much freezer space, is easy to do, and helps you save money in the long run. It also reduces food waste and trips to the grocery store. 

You can freeze fresh herbs individually, like freezing parsley or combinations of your favorite herbs.

Today, I’ll focus on freezing a combination of rosemary, sage, and parsley—one of my favorite herb mixes.

You can freeze freshly chopped herbs in ice cube trays, airtight containers, or a Ziploc bag. Use frozen cubes of rosemary, sage, and parsley in soups, stews, or oven-roasted potatoes year-round – replace the fresh herbs in your recipe as needed! 

Whether you grow herbs in your backyard garden or buy them fresh from a farmer’s market or grocery store, look at how to freeze fresh herbs so that you always have this delicious ingredient.

Jump to:

• Harvesting and Shopping Tips
• Which herbs freeze best
• Let’s prep our herbs for freezing
• Chopping and mincing
• How to freeze herbs in multiple ways
• FAQ
• Recipes to substitute for fresh
• More food preservation
• Summary
• Recipe

Harvesting and Shopping Tips

Growing herbs and/or planting an herb garden is easier than you think! Whether grown in a backyard garden or pots on your patio, most plants grow prolifically to provide delicious flavors all season.

To get the most from your herbs and preserve your summer’s bounty, harvest them anytime during the season when they are at their peak flavor and aroma but before they flower. It is important to pick your herbs early in the day after plants have dried off but before hot weather sets in. [source]

When purchasing at the grocery store or produce market, look for herbs with vibrant green leaves and healthy-looking stalks. Avoid any bunches with yellowing or limp stems, as they’re most likely going bad.

Which herbs freeze best

Herbs are the perfect way to add fresh flavor and aroma to your cooking. Frozen, they can be used just like fresh ones!

Many different kinds of herbs can be frozen, including cilantro, chives, dill, lemon balm, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage, and tarragon.

Experiment with various herbs and combinations until you find one that suits you best. Change the amounts if necessary; if that doesn’t work, try another type of herb.

My favorite herb combinations to freeze are parsley, rosemary, and sage. 

Let’s prep our herbs for freezing

To retain the most flavor out of your fresh herbs, let’s prepare them correctly. 

Here are the simple steps:

• Soak the herbs in a large bowl of water, and swish them around. This will dislodge dirt, debris, or even insects -especially if picked from your backyard. You can soak with or without stems attached. 
• It is important to get the leaves as dry as possible to prevent freezer burn and the formation of ice crystals. To do this, you can either spin or pat dry your leaves with paper towels or a tea towel for those without a salad spinner.

How to prep sage leaves: Sage leaves are large and bulky, so pinching them from the stem is much easier than with smaller plants or herbs. It’s also worth including some of these stalks when making your homemade broth for extra flavor!

How to remove rosemary leaves from the stem: Hold the top part of the rosemary stem with one hand. On the other hand, pull down the individual leaves until the stem is bare. You can use the rosemary stalk to flavor a homemade broth or white bean soup!

How to prep parsley leaves: Pinching the leaves from their stems is a delicate process that takes a little time but avoids bruising them, producing great results.

Learn more about How to Freeze Parsley

Chopping and mincing

To prepare your herbs for freezing, you can leave them whole or chop them down to the desired size.

To chop: Place the dry fresh herbs on a cutting board. Gather them in an even smaller pile and hold them down nicely with one hand while using your other hand to slice thin with as little effort as possible! Turn leaves 90 degrees, then cut again if needed until you have perfectly uniform pieces of whatever herb you are preparing to freeze.

To mince: Keep chopping your herbs, this time holding the handle with one hand and applying pressure to its tip. This will pivot the knife, allowing you to cut and mince the parsley as finely as you like.  You can also use a food processor for mincing if you like – just a few pulses until it’s as fine or chunky as desired!

Another easy option is to use a mezzaluna to chop and mince your herbs down to size. 

How to freeze herbs in multiple ways

If you love cooking but hate throwing away your overflow of fresh herbs, freezing is the perfect solution for long-term storage. Luckily, several ways exist to effectively freeze and preserve your favorite kitchen ingredients! 

Freezing chopped herbs on their own

Now that you have the herbs chopped down to your preferred size, it’s time to freeze them so they’ll be ready when you need them.

Place loosely into a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Label, date and freeze your bag. Use as needed. If you are making different herb mixtures, it’s a good idea to label each bag with the herb variety it contains.

Another option is to create a solid block by rolling whole leaves into a long log that can then be sliced with a sharp knife. This is a great method for fresh sage leaves. 

To do so, firmly pack the herbs in a gallon-size Ziploc freezer bag. Without sealing the bag, lay it flat on your counter and start rolling from the bottom up while pushing out the air. When you reach the top, seal your bag. Be sure to label and date your bag before freezing.

When you are ready to use your frozen herbs, there is no need to thaw them. Remove the amount you need and quickly replace the container or log back into the freezer. 

Freezing herbs in ice cube trays

The most convenient and best way to freeze herbs is using a standard ice cube tray. This preservation method creates frozen herb ice cubes perfect for cooking with and adding soups, stews, sauces, and more! Adding water or oil is the most common way to create these frozen herb cubes. However, you can also make them without any liquid at all!

Follow these steps for this convenient freezing option.

1. Mince the bunch of fresh herbs.
2. Measure 1½ tablespoons of minced herbs into each section of an ice cube tray.
3. As an option, cover the herbs with 1½ tablespoons of cold water or olive oil. Neutral vegetable oil can also be used.
4. Place the tray in your freezer until the cubes are frozen solid. 
5. Pop out the water or oil cubes, transfer them to a Ziploc plastic freezer bag, and seal them.
6. Store them in the freezer until you need them.

FAQ

Recipes to substitute for fresh

When you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, there are plenty of recipes where frozen can be excellent substitutes. Here are some suggestions:

• Soups and Stews: Frozen herb cubes can be easily added to simmering soups and stews. They release their flavors gradually, enhancing the taste without needing fresh herbs. One of my favorites is my family recipe fot Escarole and White Bean Soup.
• Roasted Vegetables: Toss frozen herbs with olive oil and your favorite vegetables before roasting. This infuses the veggies with delightful herb flavors. One of my favorites is this Roasted Potatoes and Carrots Recipe.
• Egg Dishes: Enhance omelets, frittatas, or scrambled eggs with a handful of frozen herbs. One of my favorites is this Italian Potato Frittata Recipe.

More food preservation

Food preservation and proper storage are key to preventing food from going bad. Many methods of food preservation exist, such as canning, freezing, pickling and drying. If you want to learn more, check out these other step-by-step guides.

Summary

Do you have any fresh herbs that you need to use up? If so, then consider freezing them! Freezing herbs is a great way to preserve their flavor and make them last longer. Plus, it’s really easy to do! Just follow these simple steps and you’ll be freezing fresh herbs like a pro in no time.

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You can find the mezzaluna I am using in the recipe video in my Amazon store. If you are interested, head to my Amazon store for all the details.

★★★★★ Are you planning on freezing herbs? I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate these different methods!

Recipe

I originally published this post on October 5, 2021, and republished it on May 28, 2024, with updated content and a video. Thanks for sharing.