Can You Freeze Herbs in Water or Oil?

Yes, you can freeze herbs in either water or oil, and both methods can help save extra herbs before they wilt. The best choice depends on how you plan to use your frozen herbs, whether that means soups and sauces or sautés and other savory dishes.

Freezing Herbs in Water

Water is one of the simplest ways to freeze chopped herbs at home. It works especially well when you plan to add the herbs later to soups, sauces, stews, or other dishes that already contain liquid.

Start with fresh herbs that are still in good condition. Wash them gently, dry them thoroughly, remove any tough stems, and chop the leaves as you normally would for cooking.

Penn State Extension recommends placing chopped herbs in an ice cube tray, covering them with water, and freezing until solid. Once the cubes are completely frozen, transfer them to a labeled freezer bag so you can remove individual portions as needed.

Parsley, dill, basil, chives, and several other herbs can work with this method. When dinner comes around, simply drop a cube into a simmering soup or sauce and let the ice melt as the dish cooks.

Keep in mind that frozen herbs will not have the same texture as fresh leaves once thawed. Freezing damages the structure of delicate leaves, so they tend to become softer. That makes them better suited to cooked dishes than crisp garnishes.

Freezing Herbs in Oil

You can also freeze fresh herbs in oil. This method works particularly well when the herbs will eventually go into dishes where you would use oil anyway, such as sautés, sauces, marinades, or pasta.

Chop the herbs first, then combine them with a suitable cooking oil. Penn State Extension suggests mixing roughly ⅓ to ½ cup of oil with two cups of chopped herbs before freezing the mixture in ice cube trays or small freezer containers. Basil is particularly well suited to this technique.

Olive oil can complement herbs used in Mediterranean-inspired dishes, while a neutral oil allows the herb flavor to stand out more clearly.

There is one important food-safety rule when working with fresh herbs and oil: do not leave homemade herb-and-oil mixtures at room temperature. Oregon State University Extension explains that fresh herbs stored in oil can create conditions that support the bacteria responsible for botulism. Homemade mixtures should be refrigerated for no more than four days or frozen for longer storage.

For freezer preparation, make the mixture and freeze it promptly. Once solid, keep the portions frozen until you are ready to cook with them.

Which Method Should You Choose?

Water and oil both work, but the recipe should guide your choice.

Water-based frozen herbs are ideal for soups, broths, stews, and sauces because the extra liquid simply becomes part of the dish. A parsley cube can go into chicken soup, while dill frozen in water can work nicely in a sauce or cooked seafood dish.

Oil-based cubes make more sense when you are starting something in a skillet or building a richer sauce. A basil-and-olive-oil cube, for example, can melt into a pan before you add tomatoes, vegetables, or pasta ingredients.

You can also freeze herbs without either water or oil. The National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends washing and drying whole leaves or sprigs, wrapping small amounts securely, placing them in freezer bags, and freezing them directly.

Whichever method you choose, portioning matters. Small amounts are easier to use than one large frozen block, and they allow you to take out exactly what dinner requires.

Skip the Home Prep With Ready-to-Use Cubes

Making frozen herbs yourself is useful when you have an overflowing garden or leftover herbs from another recipe. However, it still involves washing, drying, chopping, measuring, freezing, and repackaging everything.

Dorot Gardens offers a ready-to-use alternative. Its herbs are washed, chopped, pre-portioned, and flash-frozen into individual cubes, so you can add the amount you need without preparing a fresh bunch first. Dorot currently offers frozen herbs including basil, cilantro, parsley, and dill.

Each herb cube equals about one teaspoon, which makes measuring simple. You can pop a cube directly into a soup, sauce, pan, or other recipe while leaving the remaining portions protected in the freezer.

That convenience can also help reduce waste, especially when a recipe only calls for a small amount of an herb that would otherwise be sold by the bunch.

Conclusion

Yes, you can freeze herbs in water or oil. Water works especially well for soups and sauces, while oil can be useful for sautés, marinades, and richer dishes. Just remember to freeze fresh herb-and-oil mixtures promptly and never store them at room temperature.

Freeze extra herbs when you have them, or explore Dorot Gardens for pre-portioned frozen herbs that remove the washing, chopping, and measuring altogether. Keep flavor ready for everyday meals with Pop. Drop. Done.®