Freezing Basil in Ice Cube Trays - Olive Oil or Water
Looking for quick and easy ways to preserve basil? Come learn how to freeze basil in ice cube trays with olive oil or water. It’s simple to do, and creates the perfect little portion of basil that's easy to pop into a skillet, soup, and more - whenever you need it.
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting board
- ice cube trays of choice
- resealable freezer food storage bags
Ingredients
- fresh basil
- olive oil, water, broth, or other culinary oil of choice
Instructions
Making Frozen Basil Cubes
- Remove the basil leaves from the stems, and pluck off any flowers.
- Wash the basil leaves, and then at least partially dry them.
- Chop the basil into fine pieces. (I prefer to hand-chop mine with a knife, as our food processor tends to bruise and smash the basil)
- Scoop and portion the chopped basil into your ice cube tray of choice, lightly packing it until the cubes are almost full to the top.
- Pour olive oil, water, or broth over the chopped basil until the ice cube trays are full, but not overflowing. The thick oil may take a moment to settle and soak in between the basil bits. Top off as needed.
- Transfer the basil-filled ice cube trays to the freezer, and freeze for several hours or overnight – until frozen solid.
- Finally, transfer the frozen basil cubes into an airtight freezer container, such as a ziplock bag, reusable silicone food storage bags, or these durable freezer containers. Since they were frozen individually first, the cubes shouldn’t stick together so you can easily pluck one out as needed.
- Frozen basil cubes in olive oil or water should stay good for up to a year or longer. However, the flavor will be best if used within six months.
Using Frozen Basil Cubes
- Rather than fussing with defrosting, I usually add frozen basil cubes with olive oil straight from the freezer, allowing them to melt right into the dish.
- To remove oil or water first, simply place the basil cube in a small bowl or cup to defrost, and then strain off the water or oil once it melts – leaving just the basil bits to use.
- Basil cubes are an awesome addition to salad dressings, stir fries, soup, sauces, stew, sautéed vegetables, egg dishes, casseroles, pasta, pasta salad, and for cooking brown rice, quinoa, lentils or other dry beans.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!