Freezing Fresh Herbs in Olive Oil

I had intended to share this tip last fall when all of those beautiful summer herbs were facing their wintry demise.  But it is equally relevant now – have you ever bought a $3 package of fresh herbs just to have a bunch of leftovers?

You could toss them into any dish to use them up.  Or dry them.  Or you could freeze them to maintain a bit of that freshness.  But instead of chopping the herbs and freezing them in water, I’ve been freezing mine in olive oil.

See where we’re going here?  Yep.  Instant infused olive oils!  I keep my herb cubes in the freezer and just toss one into a pot any time I want to sauté veggies or meat or even begin a soup or casserole!

Recipe Notes:

*Some recommend carefully labeling the cubes and freezing them separately depending upon which herb is frozen.  I just toss mine all together and use whatever I grab to add to my dish!

Freezing Fresh Herbs in Olive Oil

Fresh Herbs, chopped

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ice Cube Trays

Place chopped herbs into the compartments of an ice cube tray.  You can mix the herbs or use one herb per compartment. 

Slowly pour 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil into each ice cube compartment to cover the herbs.  Cover the tray tightly with plastic wrap (I’ve found that press & seal works the best).  Place the ice cube tray in the freezer, as level as possible.  Freeze overnight, then pop the frozen cubes out of the ice cube tray and into a labeled freezer bag.

To use, simply add a cube to a skillet over medium-low heat to melt.  Then prepare soup, stir fry, or any other meal as desired!