Can I Freeze Basil Leaves
Add either water or broth to cover leaves.
Can i freeze basil leaves. How to freeze basil. To freeze basil blanch the leaves flash freeze them separately then combine and freeze them long term in an airtight freezer safe container. Use a food processor to coarsely chop washed basil leaves. You can also try blanching them.
Transfer the finished cubes to freezer bags and use as needed. That means they are great used in recipes but they don t work well for garnishes. If you don t need to preserve individual leaves you can also freeze basil without blanching and flash freezing it or you can freeze basil in puréed form. This will keep the basil from turning black in the freezer.
Cooking dinner shouldn t be complicated. Scoop the resulting mixture into ice cube trays and freeze. Dry completely and store in a freezer safe container separating the layers with wax or parchment paper. It helps with preserving natural color and taste when the herb is frozen.
Preserving basil leaves whole or blanched is an easy way to freeze basil as well. Once you have all your leaves off wash and dry your basil. Wash dry slice basil leaves. If the idea of basil vinaigrette pesto or adding fresh basil to soup or stew sounds exciting then consider pureeing and freezing fresh basil leaves for later.
It does require just a bit more prep work than flash freezing. Freezing works well for basil chives oregano lemon balm mint or tarragon. I use a cheap o hamilton beach this one that i ve had for years she s an oldie but a goodie. Remember though they will be limp when defrosted.
You can simply freeze the whole basil leaves or chop them and store them in a container or freezer bag but keep in mind that they might shrink a little. Frozen herbs can be used in the same proportion as fresh herbs. The leaves kept good color in both the water and broth. Blanching is the first thing you can do to better prepare basil leaves for freezing.
Place basil into a colander that will fit into the pot you will use for boiling water. Divide among ice cube tray sections. I like to just fill a sink with cold water swish the leaves around and then dry them in a salad spinner. To preserve some of the appealing green color when freezing whole leaves steam them pat dry and freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Once frozen the leaves can be transferred to a freezer bag get as much air out of the bag as possible and stored for about 6 months. You simply need to place basil leaves in boiling water for a short period of time 15 seconds should do the trick and then quickly cool the leaves down. Remove basil leaves from the stem and toss them in a pot with boiling water for 3 5 seconds. Although there is slightly more time involved with cutting and pouring it s easy to transfer the cubes to baggies and easy to use cubes in soups and stews.
Your food processor is your friend for freezing herbs.