Dried parsley, tarragon and lemon balm have less flavour than fresh, and freezing keeps mint's flavour better than drying (RHS). Most of these herbs are best used fresh, and the rest can be frozen chopped in water or oil, or as whole sprigs on a tray, for cooked dishes. Dill and coriander bolt in hot, dry weather, so sow little and often, and freeze the surplus.
Drying: what works and what does not
Dried parsley has less flavour than fresh leaves. Dried tarragon has a milder flavour, and the leaves are best used fresh. Lemon balm dried for tea is much milder than fresh. Mint can be frozen or dried, and freezing preserves its flavour better. Chervil's delicate aniseed flavour does not survive cooking, so it goes into salads or into hot dishes just before serving. Dill can be hang-dried (RHS), though nothing is said about its flavour afterwards. For basil, chives, coriander and sorrel there is no RHS advice on drying or freezing, and basil and chives lose their flavour if cooked, so add them fresh at the end. Herbs with tougher leaves suit drying better: see drying herbs that dry well.
How to freeze them
Parsley, dill, basil, chives, lemon balm, mint and tarragon keep their flavour well when frozen, and frozen herbs can be used in the same proportion as fresh (Penn State Extension). Frozen herbs go limp when thawed, so they suit soups, sauces and stews, not garnishes, and are best added directly to a hot dish without thawing.
Ice cubes in water. Chop the leaves, add them to an ice-cube tray, top up with water and freeze (RHS, for parsley). Penn State puts about a tablespoon of chopped herb in each section of a half-filled tray and tops up with water once it is partly frozen. Store the cubes in labelled bags and add them to cooking.
Chopped in oil, flat-frozen. Layer chopped herbs with oil in a zip-lock bag, spread it thin, freeze it solid and break off portions. The thin layer freezes and melts quickly (Penn State). This suits herbs going into a pan or dressing, where extra water would dilute the dish.
Whole sprigs. For dill or mint used as a sprig, spread them on a tray to freeze, then pack them into a container.
Herb butter. Beat finely chopped herb into softened butter, roll it into a log and freeze it, slicing off coins as needed. This is ordinary kitchen practice rather than an extension method, and it suits tarragon and chives.
Herbs release odours that transfer to other foods, so Penn State advises wrapping them in foil or using glass containers with airtight lids, not ordinary plastic freezer bags. Label and date each pack. Use them within a few months, as general advice.
Herb by herb
| Herb | Dried or fresh | Freezing |
|---|---|---|
| Basil | Loses flavour if cooked; no drying advice | Chopped in oil, flat-frozen |
| Chervil | Flavour does not survive cooking | Not on Penn State's list; in oil, butter or a little water is the usual fallback |
| Dill | Can be hang-dried | Whole sprigs, or chopped in water |
| Parsley | Dried has less flavour than fresh | Ice cubes in water |
| Coriander leaf | No advice on drying leaves | Not on Penn State's list; chop and flat-freeze |
| Chives | Lose flavour if cooked | Ice cubes in water, or herb butter |
| Tarragon | Dried is milder | Chopped in oil, or herb butter |
| Mint | Freezing preserves flavour better | Whole sprigs, or ice cubes in water |
| Lemon balm | Dried is much milder | Chopped in water or oil |
| Sorrel | No advice on drying or freezing | Not on Penn State's list; it is usually cooked, so chopped in water works |
Chervil, dill and coriander: sow little and often
Chervil is prone to flowering prematurely in warm conditions. The RHS advice is to water regularly, sow summer crops in a cool, partly shaded spot, and sow new batches every few weeks. Dill flowers prematurely in hot, dry conditions, which limits further leaf growth, so water through dry spells; compact varieties such as 'Domino' are slow to bolt, and dill can be sown in small batches from mid-spring to mid-summer. Coriander flowers sooner in hot, dry weather and stops producing leaves, so grow it shaded from midday sun and sow small batches every few weeks. Basil is sown in several small batches weeks apart, outdoors only in early summer once nights stay above 10°C. Last frost dates differ across Scotland, so check yours on the frost dates page.
Once dill or coriander boltsA plant switching early into flowering and seed production, usually triggered by stress, after which leaves, roots or bulbs turn bitter or unusable. Full page →, leaf production stops, so a sudden warm spell can end the fresh-picking window. Cut and freeze what is there that day rather than lose it. Harvest in the morning if you can, when the leaves are lush (RHS, for chives), and wash and dry them before chopping.
Common questions
Can you freeze basil without it turning black?
Penn State Extension recommends layeringPropagating a new plant by pinning a low, flexible stem into the soil while still attached to the parent, so it roots before being cut free. Full definition → chopped herbs with oil in a freezer bag, spread thin, so you can break off portions, and lists basil among the herbs that freeze well. Bare basil leaves frozen in water tend to darken and go limp, and coating the chopped leaf in oil protects it better. A glut can also be blended into an oil-and-basil paste before freezing. Frozen herbs go limp when thawed, so use them in cooked dishes. Basil tends to lose its flavour if cooked (RHS), so for hot dishes add fresh leaves at the end. The RHS has no advice on freezing it.
Which of these herbs can be dried?
Dill, parsley, tarragon and lemon balm can, but the result is weaker. Dill and parsley can be hang-dried, dried tarragon has a milder flavour, dried lemon balm is much milder than fresh and dried parsley has less flavour than fresh (RHS). For the herbs that dry well, see drying herbs that dry well.
How long do frozen herbs keep?
No storage time is published for these herbs. As general advice, use them within a few months, in cooking.
Would a dehydrator work better than air-drying?
Probably not. The RHS says dried parsley, tarragon and lemon balm are weaker than fresh, and a dehydrator speeds up drying rather than changing what drying does to the flavour.
Can I freeze whole sprigs instead of chopping?
Yes. Spread sprigs on a tray to freeze, then pack them into a container. They go limp on thawing, so use them in cooked dishes, not as a raw garnish.
Sources
Show the 11 sources
- RHS: How to grow basil: Basil losing its flavour if cooked, flowering in mid to late summer, small batches sown weeks apart, and nothing on drying or freezing
- RHS: How to grow chervil: The delicate aniseed flavour not surviving cooking, premature flowering in warm conditions, regular watering and a cool partly shaded spot, and sowing new batches every few weeks
- RHS: How to grow dill: Hang-drying dill leaves and storing them in an air-tight jar, bolting in hot dry conditions, extra watering in dry spells, slow-to-bolt Domino, and sowing in small batches from mid-spring to mid-summer
- RHS: How to grow parsley: Freezing chopped leaves in an ice-cube tray topped up with water, hang-drying, and dried parsley having less flavour than fresh
- RHS: How to grow coriander: Flowering sooner in hot dry weather, shading from midday sun, sowing small batches every few weeks, and drying seed (nothing on freezing leaves)
- RHS: How to grow chives: Chives losing their flavour if cooked and nothing on freezing or drying
- RHS: How to grow tarragon: Leaves being best fresh, dried leaves having a milder flavour, and tarragon being freezable
- RHS: How to grow mint: Mint leaves being freezable or dryable, with freezing preserving the flavour better
- RHS: How to grow lemon balm: Drying lemon balm for tea with a much milder flavour than fresh
- RHS: How to grow sorrel: Harvesting sorrel from spring to autumn and snipping out flower stems, with nothing on freezing or drying
- Penn State Extension: Freezing herbs: Parsley, dill, basil, chives, lemon balm, mint and tarragon keeping flavour when frozen, the ice-cube tray method, flat freezing with oil, storing in foil or glass to stop odours transferring, herbs going limp on thawing, and adding frozen herbs straight to hot dishes (United States source)