The 3 Easiest Ways to Preserve Fresh Basil to Use All Year Long

New York City isn’t exactly the ideal place for planting a vegetable garden — or, at least the kind of vegetable garden I’d love to have. Herb gardens, on the other hand, are totally doable for city dwellers, and something I’ve had great success with over the years. This year, in particular, I’ve watched my small basil plant flourish and grow like wildfire. But the days of fresh summer basil never last long enough — and if you love it as much as I do, it’s time to learn how to preserve basil so you can use it year-round.

Whether you’re making batches of pesto, refreshing aguas frescas, homemade tomato sauce, or any other delicious way, here’s everything you need to know about preserving fresh basil.

You can use frozen basil exactly as you would fresh leaves. The leaves will shrink as they freeze, so cup for cup, plan to use slightly less than if you were cooking with fresh basil. I’m partial to freezing fresh basil, either the whole leaves or pureeing it (but more on that below!), since it holds the flavor better than dried basil.

1. Blanch: Remove the basil leaves from the stem and blanch them in boiling water for a few seconds.
2. Ice bath: Transfer the leaves to an ice bath.
3. Dry & freeze: Dry completely and store in a freezer-safe container, separating the layers with wax or parchment paper.

If the idea of basil vinaigrette, pesto, or adding fresh basil to soup or stew sounds exciting, consider pureeing and freezing fresh basil leaves for later. Beyond these methods, you can also freeze the herb in olive oil, or make pesto and freeze that, too.

1. Prep: Remove the basil leaves from the stem, then wash and dry completely.
2. Puree: Use a food processor to puree the fresh basil leaves with olive oil. Use 1 tablespoon of olive oil per 1 cup of basil.
3. Freeze: Freeze the pureed basil in an ice cube tray, then store in a large resealable plastic bag or freezer-safe container.

If you like cooking with dried basil, say good-bye to the jars in the spice aisle, because now is the perfect time to dry your own. There are a few different methods, but I like to stick with oven drying because it’s so easy.

1. Prep: Remove the basil leaves from the stem, then wash and dry completely.
2. Dry: Set your oven to its lowest temperature. Place the basil leaves on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then put it on the upper rack of the oven. Bake for 2-4 hours, until the leaves are crumbly.
3. Crumble & store: Remove the basil from the oven and let cool. Crumble the basil leaves and store in airtight containers.