Fresh basil has a special talent for looking gorgeous one minute and turning sad before you figure out what to do with the rest of it.

Freeze it. You won’t get fresh-garnish texture after it thaws, but you can hang onto that basil flavor for sauces, soups, pasta, and other cooked dishes instead of throwing half the bunch away.

Watch Me Do It

What to Know

Freezing changes the texture of basil. Once thawed, the leaves will be limp, so frozen basil is best saved for recipes where it will be cooked or mixed in rather than used as a pretty fresh garnish.

A Simple Way to Freeze It

1. Wash the basil and dry it well.
2. Remove the leaves from the stems.
3. Spread the leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet or tray.
4. Freeze until the leaves are solid.
5. Transfer the frozen leaves to a freezer-safe bag or container, remove as much excess air as practical, label it, and return it to the freezer.
6. Pull out only what you need and add it directly to cooked dishes.

Another Option: Basil Cubes

You can also chop basil and freeze it in ice cube trays with water for easy portions to drop into soups, sauces, and other cooked dishes. If you freeze basil with oil, keep it frozen rather than storing herbs in oil at room temperature.

Laura’s Tip

Don’t thaw the whole bag just to grab a little basil. Take out what you need while it’s still frozen and put the rest right back. And remember: frozen basil is for flavor, not beauty. Save the fresh leaves for Caprese; let the frozen stuff do the heavy lifting in dinner.