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frozen basil cubes closeup
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5 from 2 votes

How to Freeze Basil

Learn how to save fresh basil in the freezer for your next recipes in two different and easy ways.
Course Ingredient
Cuisine American, Asian, French, Italian, Mediterranean
Keyword freezing basil, oil infused basil, pesto
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 cup

Equipment

  • Ziplock bags
  • food processor
  • ice cube trays

Ingredients

Whole basil

  • 1 c fresh basil leaves
  • water for washing

Basil ice cubes

  • 1 c fresh basil leaves
  • water for washing
  • 4 tbsp olive oil add more if necessary

Instructions

Whole basil

  • Remove the basil leaves from the stems and wash them thoroughly.
    washed basil leaves
  • Dry them with a towel or in a salad spinner until they are bone dry.
    drying out basil leaves
  • Place them carefully in a Ziploc bag, preferably in an even layer.
    loading plastic bag with basil leaves
  • Place them in the freezer until you need to use them.
    frozen basil leaves

Basil ice cubes

  • Remove the basil leaves from the stems and wash them thoroughly. Dry them with a towel and then add them into a food processor.
    basil leaves in food processor
  • Add the olive oil and pulse until the basil is finely minced.
    blended basil in oil
  • Add the olive oil and pulse until the basil is finely minced.
  • Scoop the basil oil into ice cube trays evenly.
    adding basil and oil into ice cube tray
  • Add a little more oil in each cube to cover the basil.
  • Place in the freezer overnight, then pop out the cubes and put them all in a Ziploc container.
    cubes of frozen basil