Basil is well known for its medicinal and culinary uses, and for its fragrant and distinctive aroma. Basil is rich in nutrients and adds a delicious taste to several types of food such as Caprese Salad and Chicken Parmesan.
You can freeze fresh basil so it's available to use in your favorite recipes at any time.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Freezing Pureed Basil
Step 1. Pick or chop the basil leaves to separate from the stems
You won't need basil stems when you freeze basil. If you harvest basil from your garden in the middle of the growing season, pluck or cut 5 to 6 inches (12.7 – 15.2 cm) from the top so you can allow the remaining stems to continue growing.
Step 2. Rinse the basil leaves under cold running water
You can also soak basil leaves in cold water. After that, place the basil leaves in a colander and allow it to dry completely.
Pat the basil leaves with a paper towel to allow the water to soak into the towel. Basil leaves are very fragile, pat gently or place between paper towels until basil dries
Step 3. Place 1-2 handfuls of basil leaves in a food grinder
Place the basil leaves into the food grinder container, but not too tightly.
Step 4. Use the “pulse” setting to smooth the basil leaves
This will result in coarsely chopped basil leaves. If you want to make pasta, use the settings suggested by your food processor. This process should only run for a few seconds. The finer the cut you want, the longer this process will take.
Step 5. Add olive oil to the basil leaves while you grind them
Olive oil works to prevent basil leaves from wilting or even rotting when frozen and olive oil also provides a more delicious aroma. It's a good idea to give 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil for each pile of basil you grind. The use of olive oil is not mandatory. If you don't want to use it but want to freeze the basil in an ice cube tray, you can add enough water to the food processor.
Step 6. Transfer the mashed basil to a storage container for freezing or an ice cube tray
If you are using a tray, you can transfer the frozen basil in the ice to a larger container after it has been frozen for more than 12 hours.
Step 7. Use frozen basil
You can leave frozen basil in the freezer for months and use whenever you want, especially in winter. Basil can be separated easily so you don't have to bother pulling it out. If you want to use them in a hot dish, you can simply add the frozen basil and let them thaw in it – you don't have to thaw it yourself.
If you have too much frozen basil, you can share it with your friends – they will love it
Method 2 of 3: Freezing Fresh Basil
Step 1. Separate all the leaves from the stems
You can pick them or cut them to separate them from the stems.
Step 2. Soak the basil leaves in cold water
Use a salad spinner to make your job easier. If you don't have one, you can do this by washing the basil leaves in a bowl and patting dry with a paper towel.
Step 3. Put enough ice cubes into a bowl of cold water
Step 4. Bring a pot of water to a boil
The pot used must be large enough to accommodate the basil leaves.
Step 5. Dip the basil leaves in boiling water for 5-10 seconds
Be careful not to dip it for more than 10 seconds. Transfer the pan to a different heater so that it cools down as quickly as possible.
Step 6. Transfer the basil leaves to the ice water with a strainer
Do this quickly so that the basil leaf ripening process can be stopped.
Step 7. Place the leaves on a paper towel
This is the longest part, be patient. You can lay out one leaf at a time with your hands and use a paper towel to pat it dry. You can let the leaves dry for 5-10 minutes if you want.
Step 8. Place the basil leaves on a baking tray or plate
Place the leaves one by one so that the leaves are not too close together and touch. You may need to use a baking sheet along with a toaster tray.
Step 9. Freeze the basil leaves
Place the tray or plate with the basil leaves in the freezer and wait for the basil to freeze completely. Then, remove the basil leaves from the freezer.
Step 10. Transfer the basil leaves to a storage container
You can use zip-lock plastic bags, Tupperware, empty milk cartons, or other storage containers that you can easily close.
Method 3 of 3: Quickly Freeze Fresh Basil
Step 1. Separate the leaves from the stems
Step 2. Soak the basil leaves completely
Step 3. Spread the basil leaves over the surface and let them dry for at least 30 minutes
You can use your kitchen surface, a toaster tray, or a plate. You can also use paper towels to speed up this process.
Step 4. Place the basil leaves in a storage bag
You can stack the leaves less tightly in the bag to make sure they are completely dry and don't stick together. You can use a zip-lock bag, Tupperware, or other sealable storage container.
Tips
- You can use a finer setting in your food grinder if you want to make a basil paste that you can freeze and use to make pesto. When the basil paste is shaped the way you want it, place it in a resealable freezing container and place it flat in your freezer. You can use it whenever you want to make pesto.
- Ice cube trays are perfect for freezing basil; each cube can hold 1 tablespoon (15 ml) so it's quite ideal as your measure in cooking (eg a recipe says 3 tablespoons basil, you just put 3 frozen basil into it).
- Use about 3 tablespoons (45ml) of olive oil for each time you grind a bunch of basil leaves.
- Freeze basil either whole or chopped by placing it in an ice cube tray filled with water in the freezer. The basil leaves will turn black after freezing, but the taste is as normal as ever.
