The BEST Way to Freeze Basil
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- Every summer, fresh basil is easy to grow in abundance, or buy for pennies at the Farmer's Market. But come winter, you'll wish you had some of that abundance put by, when a little package of fresh basil is suddenly four bucks. Plant Based Chef Robin Asbell has been putting up basil for years, and has come up with a method that really works well. Just watch, you'll see!
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Great idea. Am going to do this tomorrow. Tks
This is a good method to do with SOME of my basil. Love the remark: 2020 is a year we may all want to forget; but we'll still eat the basil. 😁
absolutely, you'll be glad it's there come Winter..
You are brilliant! I've never seen this and truly appreciate you sharing this genius idea!!!
Thanks! It's one of the few things I do every year, no matter what. I treasure the basil throughout the cold months!
I watched a few videos about freezing basil and this is the first one I found where someone talks about using it after it's been in the freezer! I appreciate the perspective and nuance.
Thanks! It's a great thing to have in the freezer!
@@RobinAsbellPlantBasedChef😊
Best idea yet….gonna do exactly that way…..thanks….
I do it every year, it always makes me happy in the winter, when I can smear it on a pizza crust and taste summer!
Best and easiest idea I have seen so far!! Thank you.
Thanks! I'm almost done with my stash from last year.
2020 is the year I started gardening! Maybe a lot of us did. I have basil growing wild. I just learned that it contains digestive enzymes that help break down your food faster which is good for clearing out toxins. Good to have around for the Winter to add to chicken soups to help get through colds.
When you start reading about herbs, it turns out most of them have amazing health benefits. Glad I could help you with your basil!
Thank you. I love the sheet in the ziplock bag idea.
I'm doing this right along with you! My basil just won't quit!💚😄
I tried this idea and what a great find!!
Glad you like it!
I like to form little squares in the bag before freezing, that way it's super simple to just grab some of the basil. I do the same with chopped frozen garlic. Just use the opposite side of your knife so you dont cut the bag ;)
That's a great idea!
Basil in pasta is heavenly.
I never knew you could freeze it like this. Thanks for the tip!!!! My husband first name is Asbel, which is not very common, that's so cool that it's your last name with an extra L😂
I'm glad you like the method. I've seen all kinds of spellings of Asbell, but never met someone with the first name Asbel. Nice to connect.
Thanks for this tip. I grow lots of basil and this will help me preserve it when there's so much harvest, more than I need to use.
Basil plants are so generous, and it's a great way to save the bounty for the coming months!
i've been looking what to do for the leftover basil that i have, thank youuu iam doing it now 😍
Here we are getting quite expensive packed fresh basil US$3/20gram and definitely need to save the rest in freezer for next cooking, really appreciate your way to preserve it in olive oil raw. There are too much coming across other chefs to boil in oily water or salted water as a cost of serious favor lost and texture i guess.
This really works- and you can use it when basil is in season, so you can have it all winter long!
This is great. I've got a bunch of basil from my indoor hydro grow. They grow so fast, I need to deal with them. This is a great way to store them. Thanks for the vids!
Glad to hear it- I just happen to have a pizza in the oven, smeared with the basil I froze last Fall!
@@RobinAsbellPlantBasedChef There ya go! An excellent way to use basil. And of course pasta.
Thank you for this video. I noticed the cube style method didn't work well for me but this method will be great and it will take up little room in my freezer too.
It's so much more efficient in a full freezer! Thanks!
Thank you for sharing. I have a big plant in the backyard, and it's getting cold. I was looking for a way to preserve some for the winter months.
I’m always glad when I have it in the freezer!
Wow, that was easy. Will be doing this method. Thank you! So happy I found your video.
Thanks!
I love your green chef's shirt!
Thanks!
Thankyou so much . Love from Scotland 🏴
you're welcome! I'm a bit Scottish!
Yours was the best Basil tip! I freeze tomato paste in freezer bags to break off too. Thx
yes! That is such a grea way to avoid wasting half the can!
I really like this way to freeze basil
Thanks, it really makes it convenient!
Pinched basil from my garden, and now I am going to try this. TYVM for a great video
You're welcome!
@@RobinAsbellPlantBasedChef I've made it one time, and froze. I need to do more.
@@dianevitale1214 I'm so glad it's helping- it's so worth it!
Watched your tomato video, you are awesome 😎 I'm looking forward to viewing your videos. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Great video, thanks, I always get lots of basil
Love this!!!! Such good info and helpful. You are funny, too. Subscribed.
Thanks, you made my day!
@@RobinAsbellPlantBasedChef No problem. I watch a lot of cooking shows online and I really like how yours got right to the point and gave such helpful and concrete and clear info. A lot of channels don't do that.
Now that makes the most sense to me. Thank you.
Enjoy your basil!
Thank you very much ! This is what I need to learn!
Good, I'm glad to help!
I am happy to see your fire extinguisher on the wall....smart....
Lol , we moved it in my latest videos. I thought it looked 😂🤣
I appreciate it too, it’s a logical and common sense location. Better than below the sink at the back😑
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾I love it!
You have such beautiful hair.
Thank you so much 🤗
Good idea, thanks, I like this the best.
Glad to help!
Your idea of freezing basil flat in a freezer bag is what I do with leftover sauce, soup, rice, even pasta. As long as it’s thin enough (or you’re strong enough), it’s easy to just break off what you need and throw the rest back in the freezer.
It's a space saving way to store food!
Going to make this paste tomorrow . Today bought some Basil today . Thank you for the helpful video . As Basil is out of stock in supermarkets in Sri Lanka .
I'm so glad I can help you to keep the goodness!
Thx. for the informative video.
I'm about to do some myself!
You could even use a vacuum sealed bag; and that will at least double the storage time. If you have a vacuum sealer like the seal a meal or even a commercial one; would last at least twice as long
Thank you I will freeze mine this way.
Hello robin absolutely love your tips and tricks this is the 2 nd year been growing basil 🌿 and cilantro I also have a purple basil so love this and now I’m gonna go watch your other videos and I’m a new subscriber ty
So nice of you
Thanks, Sandra, you’ll be glad you did🤗
Thanks. Gonna do this.
Thanks! You'll be glad to have it this winter!
Dang! Fantastic idea! I always make jar after jar of pesto which is a pain. I've needed basil for sauce and only had pesto! Now I know what to do with my oregano too... besides drying it. Thank you!
Glad you like it!
Great way to preserve basil for the cold months!
Depending on how much you're preserving, you could use silicone bag.
And fun plant based cheese alternate if you are making pesto - green banana biomass (or gb flour!) It's a great way to add prebiotics - i use a spoonful of gb flour when making coconut milk yogurt! (thanks to Chef Jana for this tip!)
Silicone is a great idea. I've used banana flour in baking, not sure about using it as a cheese alternative, but if it works for you, go for it!
If you have a cookbook on how to cook with basil, I would love to buy it. I love the smell of basil and I love pesto, but that’s all I know.
Thank You, just learnt something... I subbed
so glad!
Gorgeous Angel.... Thanks
now's the time!
Seems like a lot of olive oil, I just watched a video where she throws about six cups of whole fresh basil leaves into a bowl, then uses her hand to mix a very light coating of olive oil onto the leaves and puts them (whole) into a zip lock bag - squeezing out all of the air. When she needs some she just breaks off a frozen chunk and throws the bag back into the freezer before they thaw. I fell in love with red basil this summer and I'm obsessed with it - unfortunately, I live in a town house in New Jersey without many windows so I'm trying everything! Thanks for your video 🥰
I used to freeze whole leaves, it didn’t last as long and it discolored for me. See how it goes.
I saw that video, too. I’m going to try both just to see what happens.
Last summer I tossed whole tomatoes in freezer bags, and they were perfect for cooking for the entire year!
Really great tip thank you very much. One question I'm lucky enough to have a chambered vacuum sealer instead of Ziploc bags could I put it in one of my vacuum sealed bags?
sure- just don't get it hot, and keep it thin. That will work well, except you can't reseal as easily after you break off a chunk...
Thank you so much! Great ideas!
Thanks for the great information
Great video! Looks like you didn't wash the basis first? Should it be washed?
I did wash it and spin it dry. Just too boring to show!
@@RobinAsbellPlantBasedChef LOL, thank you so much for your reply!
Thanks for posting this video! Now I won't have to buy extra ice cube trays! I have been buying ready made pesto sauces in the store.
save money and make better pesto! Yay!
Going to do it your way! Thank you!
It really saves space in the freezer!
Thank you! Very informative!
So glad you like it- I grow so much basil and I freeze it for the winter!
Thanks Robin. When is it the best time to add to your cooking? I'll be doing this tonight as I've just harvested my first batch here in Australia.
Hi Chris, Thanks for watching! Definitely add it toward the end, just to thaw and get warm. Cooking fresh basil can make it discolor and lose flavor.
Lucky you, it's a frozen tundra where I am, the only basil is in little plastic boxes at the grocery store!
@@RobinAsbellPlantBasedChef great and will do. Fortunately, when mid autumn arrives, I'll transfer my basil to the window sill again where it will still grow; just slower.
Thank you 😊
Do we wash the basil first ? Great video, thank you.
yes, it's washed and spun dry. Thanks for watching!
🍃thank you 🍃
You're welcome! It always works.
Thank you🙌🏼🤘🏼
How long will this last in the freezer? Can basil be canned?
Amazing - I do the same thing with my garlic without oil. I spread them over baking sheet with parchment paper to freeze and then cut them into small pieces. Total time saver!
I love my freezer!
@@RobinAsbellPlantBasedChef Me too can’t imagine how life would be like without mine!
Tell me more about your garlic freezing please
@@sharnndurning7952 I usually get a large bag of peeled garlic and I process them into a smooth paste with the food processor. I then line several baking sheets with parchment paper and spread the garlic paste as evenly as possible and then freeze them. After the paste is frozen I cut them into small pieces with a pizza roller and store the garlic in the freezer with thick freezer bags. It saves a lot of time when I cook 👩🍳
@@ilove6kies I mince my garlic and ginger (separately) and put it into 4 oz glass jars and put them into the freezer. I pull one out and use it over the course of the week. I love recipe ready!
Will try this…
Thank yo for this video
I'm glad it's helping people save the precious basil of summer!
Thanks Sandra. Can I do this with allnother herbs like mint, oregano, rosemary, cilantro, etc?
I'm sure you can-good luck!
Will this work with cilantro, and parsley etc etc .?
I'm sure it would!
Thank you!
you're welcome!
You should freeze the leaves whole, you will keep more of the flavor of the Basil.
Do you anything special to the leaves prior to freezing? Thank you
I put them in a gallon zip lock bag and put enough olive oil to coat them, then put them in the freezer.
Thanks much 👍🏽
I hope you enjoy it!
If I vacuum seal the leaves do I have to ad olive oil??
The oil helps keep them from turning black.
Going to do this today! Thank you!
супер!!!
Thank you! I planted basil and then realized I really don’t know what to do with it.
It'really versatile, in pastas, soups, sauces, have fun with it!
I'm oil free.... can I just process my basil and then freeze it? I'm thinking it'll get freezer burn. Any suggestion for oil-free would be appreciated! :-)
I suppose you could use a little water, but it will freeze to a more solid consistency, so spread it very thinly.
Thank you!!
I'm giving it a whirl in just a bit. Crossing my fingers! With the same olive oil too.
It'll be great!
Can you please give some sense for proportions of basil leaves to olive oil? That looked like a ton of olive oil for not a lot of basil? Or, what kind of viscosity we should look for when done? More oily than gritty? Thanks!
The beauty of it is that you grind the basil you have, and drizzle in just enough oil to make it fluid. It's your choice whether you just want to moisten it or make a smoother paste with more oil.
How can I save my Basil if I don’t use oil? Can I use salt free vegetable stock?
Give it a try- water freezes to a harder texture, so spread it thinly to it will be easy to break.
Can I do this with all herbs ?
Can i use avacado oil instead of olive oil?
That was really interesting and useful, but it was hard to hear your voice over all the appliance noise. Still, I persisted and am going to do this today ! Thank you.
Noted! I've learned a great deal since I started doing these ;-)
Was the basil dry or fresh?
fresh!
Thank you for the informative video!
@@carolynrizzo2601 I'm glad to help!
You look so young and pretty 😀
I guess the make-up is working!
What if you don't have a food processor??
A blender works, too, although you need more oil to get it to move. You could mince it very finely and mix with oil, too.
How about washing it
Can you make it with the blender instead of the food processor?
sure, just put the oil in first, and you might need more oil to get it flowing. Blenders are better for liquids, processors are best at more solid things, and you add liquid after they are minced.
Hi, Robin. Sorry but it was a bit difficult to hear your direction while the food processor was in use. (I am a senior citizen.)
sorry about that, I really didn't know what I was doing back then. Just process the basil, scrape down, add just enough oil to moisten.
@@RobinAsbellPlantBasedChef
Thank you!
Tip : Don't talk while the processor is running.
LOL, I've learned a great deal in the last year of making videos-check out my newer ones!
Unable to hear you while machine is on.
maybe needs a quieter food processer
I hope you got the gist of it over the noise!
might as well just go ahead and make pesto, and then freeze it, and then it's all made and ready to use from the freezer....
sure, but raw garlic doesn't hold as well. The basil alone has fewer problems while frozen. If you're going to use it right away, you might not notice a difference, for sure.
Oh no …just bought little herb ice cube trays with plastic covers..a no go huh???
As long as you’ve bought it, try it both ways, the plastic covers may help.
Excessive processing, overworked, heat ruins basil. This is American tidy not Italian. Quick pulse in processor only, do absolute minimum.
It works great, I'm sure, either way.
You're doing a great job, please learn how to edit!
I did try to learn, but now I'm not making videos anymore.
I do not consume any oil. Not going to work for me. Bummer. That looks like a huge amount of oil. Not meant to be a negative. Just bummed I can't use your method.
I’m so sorry that it doesn’t work for everyone.
Don’t talk over machines
Thank you!
You're welcome!