How to Freeze Fresh Basil
Do you have an abundance of fresh basil and are looking for a way to preserve it that doesn’t involve making pesto? Freezing is the answer you are looking for. Freezing will help make your garden’s basil last all year. The freezing of blanched basil leaves also preserves the color, flavor, and nutrition better than dehydrating which is a major bonus.
Freezing basil is quite easy. All you have to do is blanch it and flat freeze. I will go in more details below.
You can flat freeze basil without blanching. However, if your goal is to preserve garden fresh green basil then you should take the extra step to blanch. Fresh basil has enzymes on it that will decompose fresh plants. These enzymes will survive in the freezer and your basil will darken. Quickly blanching the basil for 2-4 seconds in boiling water will kill the enzymes and allow your fresh basil to be frozen without loosing it’s green color or decomposing. Flat freezing simply means freezing the leaves separately in one layer. This prevents the leaves from sticking to each other in the freezer.
You can use your frozen basil instead of fresh basil cup per cup in most recipes. You can make it into pesto, add it to soups, make basil flavored syrups for drinks, or add it pizza. How do you use your fresh basil?
How to Freeze Basil.
First you will need fresh basil! Growing your own basil is easy or you can visit your local farmer’s market or farm stand. The living basil you see in the grocery store would also work although that is a more expensive option.
Pick your leaves off the stems and place the leaves in a colander.
Prepare an ice bath. You want this ready to go because the blanching process goes quickly and you won’t have time to prepare an ice bath later. If your sink is clean you can fill it with water and add ice. To stay sanitary, I like to use my largest mixing bowl. I fill it with water and ice and have it waiting in my sink or on the side. Your bowl needs to be bigger than your colander.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to boil. The pot will need to be large enough to dip your colander into it.
Once your water comes to a boil, dip your colander in the water submerging the basil for 2-4 seconds. You do not want to over blanch. This is a very quick process. Over blanching will cause your leaves to become brown or black.
Remove the colander from the boiling water and immediately place it in the ice bath. Gently stir the leaves to fully distribute the ice water. This stops the cooking process.
Remove the leaves from your colander and spin dry in a salad spinner. If you do not have a salad spinner then you can gently pat them dry. My OXO salad spinner is over 20 years old and still works great. Salad spinners are about $25 new and are handy investments for the homestead kitchen. They aren’t technically a “must-have” item if you are on a super budget. However, they fall into the “very nice to have” category.
Line a flat cookie sheet or container with parchment paper. Arrange your basil leaves in a single layer. This prevents the leaves from sticking together when frozen. Place in a freezer for 12-24 hours
Label the container or freezer bag that you will be using to place the frozen basil in. Many times it is hard to label once the container is frozen.
After your basil is frozen on your cookie sheet you will need to transfer it to your container or baggie. You will need to work fast so the basil does not thaw! Once transferred into a new air tight container it will last for up to a year in the freezer which means it will last until your next garden crop of basil comes in!
Here are the printable instructions:
How to Freeze Basil
Ingredients
- Fresh Basil
Instructions
- Pick garden fresh basil.
- Strip the leaves from the stem and place the leaves in a colander.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove.
- Fill a large mixing bowl with ice water.
- Dip the colander into the boiling water to wilt the leaves. This will take 2-4 seconds. Do not over blanch. This will cause your leaves to turn brown or black.
- Immediately remove the colander from the boiling water and dip the leaves in the colander into the ice bath to stop the cooking process.
- Remove leaves from colander and place them in a salad spinner to spin dry. You can also gently pat the leaves dry.
- Arrange leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Freeze for 12-24 hours before transferring leaves to a labeled ziplock freezer bag or other freezer safe container. Will last for up to one year.
Can you freeze basil? Yes you can and really is that easy. Be sure to let me know how it works for you. Here are some more Mossygoat preserving recipes for you to enjoy.