How to freeze thai basil

See Recipes with Thai Basil

Basil can also be preserved in oil or frozen to maximize its shelf life. Chop fresh basil leaves and place in clean ice cub trays. Cover with oil, water, or stock and freeze. When ready to use, simply remove a few cubes and keep the rest in the freezer.

Store basil for up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Leave it in its original plastic container or rinse the leaves, roll them up in paper towels, and place them in a resealable plastic bag for up to about 4 days.

To freeze basil, blanch the leaves, flash freeze them separately, then combine and freeze them long-term in an airtight, freezer-safe container. If you don’t need to preserve individual leaves, you can also freeze basil without blanching and flash freezing it, or you can freeze basil in puréed form.

Chop and Freeze

Use a food processor to coarsely chop washed basil leaves. Add a drizzle of olive oil and pulse to lightly coat the leaves with oil; this will keep the basil from turning black in the freezer.

The leaves are also commonly used in cooking, though some people eat the leaves raw. Holy basil tastes spicy and bitter. There are many ways to incorporate holy basil into your daily life. You can cook with it, take it in supplement form, or make a tea with it.

Wash and dry the leaves, using either a paper towel or a salad spinner. Wrap the basil leaves in a dry paper towel and place inside a plastic bag. Seal and store for one to two weeks.

Thai basil is wonderful eaten raw, slivered, and added to salads, both your plain old cucumber-tomato salad or something meaty like northern Thai larb. But its hardy leaves stand up especially well to cooking—their flavor infuses readily into food and the leaves don’t wilt quite as much as Italian sweet basil’s would.

Basil loves hot weather, and if your plants are flourishing, it’s time to prune (and harvest). If the flower stems are too woody to pinch (often the case with Thai basil), cut them off with shears. A plant allowed to flower will soon go to seed, stop growing, and die, so be vigilant about removing flowers.

If you love the classic flavors found in Thai food such as Thai basil, hot peppers, garlic, and ginger, you will LOVE this easy pesto.

Pruning is a good way to push your Thai Basil to expand and become bushy. Regularly pruning the plant will encourage growth, keep the plant healthy and become bushier.