woman scooping basil into ice cubes with olive oil to preserve frozen
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Can you Freeze Basil to keep it fresh? Yes! In fact, it’s Best!

From the title, you can tell that freezing basil is how I keep basil fresh. It is my favourite way because it holds the flavours so well, and it is so easy. Let me share with you how I keep our basil all year round.

woman scooping basil into ice cubes with olive oil to preserve frozen

Can you Freeze Basil

Yes! As I covered in the title and first paragraph of this post, you absolutely can freeze basil. It is my recommended method for preserving basil. The basil flavour remains sharp and well preserved, which erupts again later when you defrost the basil cube to use in soups, breads, dishes, and so on.

processing fresh basil in food processor

How to Freeze Basil

A convenient way for me to preserve basil is finely chopped and frozen in olive oil.

I add about 2/3 basil and 1/3 olive oil to my food processor, chop and mix, then scoop ice cube trays full before loading my freezer.

What You May Need

Freezer

Spatula

Ice Cube Trays (or search for some neat time you are at a thrift store)

Food Processor

Measuring cups

Spoon

chopped basil in food processor

Directions to Freeze Basil with Olive Oil in Cubes

Print the directions below and keep your basil fresh in ice cubes and olive oil. Please leave a rating for others to learn about this recipe as well. Thank you!

scooping basil into ice cube trays

Storing Basil

Once frozen, store the basil in a Zip Lock bag or airtight container in your freezer for several months.

frozen basil cubes to keep basil fresh
frozen basil cubes to keep basil fresh
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

How to Freeze Fresh Basil in Cubes

Fresh basil is a great addition to cooking, but it's a shame the plant does not last all that long. But fresh basil can live on for many months by preserving it in freezer cubes!
Prep Time15 minutes
Course: Cooking Extras
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Basil Cubes, Basil Olive Oil Cubes, Frozen Basil Cube
Servings: 12
Cost: $5

Equipment

  • Food Processor
  • Ice Cube Trays
  • Freezer
  • Spatula
  • Spoon

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Basil Leaves and stems
  • 2/3 cup Olive Oil Plus extra to pour into cubes where necessary

Instructions

  • Clean basil steams and leaves to discard any that are unfit for preserving
  • Add half of the basil to the food processor and chip fine
  • Add half of the olive oil to the chopped basil and pulse
  • Scrape into ice cube trays
  • Chop the leftover basil
  • Add the other half of olive oil
  • Scrape chopped basil into ice cube trays
  • Use a spoon to push basil down into the cube to fill each cube 2/3 full
  • Pour additional olive oil into each cube so that the basil is covered in olive oil
  • Add to ice trays to the freezer and freeze for 1-2 days
  • Store frozen cubes in zip lock bags or plastic bags until needed

Video

More Preserving Recipes

Preserving food is a must have skill in the kitchen. As well as the gardener that plans to feed their family year round from the bounty that a garden can supply.

For more preserving recipes, check out how we preserved excess fruit over the summer in fruit roll ups, and our fresh tomatoes in roasted tomato soup that we later froze.

My Favourite Kitchen Appliances

cuisinart food processor
insta pot
kitchen scale
stainless steel pots and pans
pot scrapers
cast iron pot
kitchenaid blender
glass mixing bowls
cast iron pan

Pin this idea for later

preserved basil pin

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I love this! I do this with my pesto! I never thought of just freezing basil and olive oil to keep it basic for more things other than pesto. I just need more freezer space. 🙂

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