{"id":913,"date":"2023-04-10T02:58:04","date_gmt":"2023-04-10T02:58:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fueledwithfood.com\/?p=913"},"modified":"2023-04-10T02:58:07","modified_gmt":"2023-04-10T02:58:07","slug":"how-to-freeze-basil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fueledwithfood.com\/how-to-freeze-basil\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Freeze Basil (Whole Leaves or Ice Cube Trays)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Freezing basil is one of the easiest ways to preserve fresh basil leaves when you have more than you can use. I tend to freeze basil in summer when my garden grows abundantly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll show you how to freeze basil two ways: freezing whole basil leaves and freezing it in ice cube trays with olive oil. Keep in mind that if you don’t blanch basil leaves, the basil may turn a dark greenish-brown when frozen. Don’t worry, though. It’s still safe to use!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frozen basil is best to use in soups or sauces because it won’t retain it’s crisp texture once defrosted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Should you wash basil before you freeze it?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes, washing before freezing is the best time to do it. Especially if you’re blending the basil into ice cubes, or chopping the basil up in any way. If it’s already washed, you don’t have to worry about remembering to wash it later, and can rest assured that everything in your freezer is ready to go whenever you need to use it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure that you dry the basil completely before freezing it. You don’t want to add unnecessary water to your bag of basil or to your basil cubes. It could cause ice crystals once the basil is frozen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to freeze whole basil leaves<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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There are a few different ways you can freeze whole basil leaves. Each has its pros and cons. My favorite is the easiest method \u2013 washing and drying the basil leaves, putting them straight in a freezer-safe bag, then freezing them. However, if you do this the leaves are more likely to stick together when frozen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like to use this process with whole Thai basil as well as Italian basil since we always buy an excess. Whenever we need basil for a recipe, we can just grab some from the freezer and pop it in beef panang or chop it up for Thai basil fried rice.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to make sure you thoroughly dry basil leaves because you don\u2019t want excess moisture in the bag, this can cause the basil to develop wet spots. Basil typically darkens if it\u2019s too wet, so if you want to keep the bright green coloring, dry your basil before freezing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you prefer that the leaves don’t stick together you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n