How to Store Fresh Herbs

Few things are more frustrating than picking a beautiful handful of basil or cilantro and finding it slimy and black in the crisper drawer two days later. Fresh herbs are delicate, and most of them spoil fast when stored carelessly. But the fix is simple once you understand that herbs fall into two camps, soft-stemmed and hardy, and each keeps best a different way. Soft herbs like a drink of water; hardy herbs like a damp wrap; and for anything you cannot use in time, freezing in oil locks in flavor for months. Match the herb to the method and you can keep most fresh herbs vibrant for one to three weeks instead of two days.

Part of our Vegetable Gardening & Raised Beds guide →

In this guide

1. Soft Herbs: The Bouquet-in-Water Method
2. Hardy Herbs: The Damp Towel Method
3. Handling Herbs Before Storage
4. Freezing Herbs for Long-Term Storage
5. Frequently Asked Questions

This guide covers the three storage methods that actually work, which herbs belong in each, and the small handling details, like not washing until you are ready to use, that make the difference between herbs that last and herbs that rot. Whether you grow your own or buy by the bunch, these techniques stretch every harvest further.

Soft Herbs: The Bouquet-in-Water Method

Tender, soft-stemmed herbs, the leafy ones like cilantro, parsley, mint, dill, chervil, and basil, behave like cut flowers, and you store them the same way. Treat a bunch of cilantro like a bouquet and it stays crisp far longer than it ever would loose in a bag.

1. Trim the stem ends. Snip about half an inch off the bottoms so the stems can draw water freely, just as you would with cut flowers.
2. Stand them in a jar of water. Fill a glass or jar with an inch or two of cool water and set the bunch in so only the stems are submerged, not the leaves. Pluck off any leaves that would sit underwater, since submerged foliage rots quickly.
3. Cover loosely and refrigerate (except basil). Drape a loose plastic bag over the leaves to hold humidity, and place the jar in the fridge. Most soft herbs stay fresh one to two weeks this way.
4. Refresh the water. Change the water every couple of days when it clouds, and your herbs will keep even longer.

Basil is the exception

Basil is a soft herb, but it is also a heat lover that hates cold, and the refrigerator turns its leaves black and slimy within a day or two. Store basil with its stems in water like the other soft herbs, but leave the jar on the kitchen counter at room temperature, out of direct sun, with no bag over it. Treated this way, basil can stay good for a week or more, and the stems may even sprout roots so you can pot them up. The rule is simple: water jar yes, fridge no.

Hardy Herbs: The Damp Towel Method

Woody, hardy herbs, the tougher ones like rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, and marjoram, do not want to stand in water. Their sturdy leaves are built to resist drying, and a water jar can leave them waterlogged. Instead, they keep best with just a little ambient moisture in the cold.

1. Lay the sprigs on a paper towel. Spread them in a single layer on a slightly damp (not wet) paper towel or clean dish towel.
2. Roll them up loosely. Roll the towel around the herbs gently so they are cushioned and lightly humid but not crushed.
3. Bag and refrigerate. Slip the bundle into a loosely closed plastic bag or container and store it in the crisper drawer. The damp towel keeps the herbs from drying out while the loose bag prevents trapped condensation.

Hardy herbs stored this way often last two to three weeks, longer than soft herbs, because their lower moisture content makes them slower to rot. Check the towel every few days and re-dampen it lightly if it has dried out completely.

Handling Herbs Before Storage

How you handle herbs before they go into storage matters as much as the method. The single biggest mistake is washing them too early. Surface water is what triggers rot, so wait to wash herbs until the moment you are going to use them. If you harvest in dry weather, often you can skip washing entirely until use.

If you do need to rinse herbs before storing, dry them thoroughly first. Pat them gently with a towel or spin them in a salad spinner until the leaves are dry to the touch, then store by the appropriate method. Leftover droplets on the leaves accelerate spoilage, so the drier the herbs go into the fridge, the longer they last. Harvest herbs in the morning when their oils are highest, handle them gently to avoid bruising, and discard any yellowed or damaged leaves before storing, since one rotting leaf can take down the whole bunch.

Freezing Herbs for Long-Term Storage

When you have more herbs than you can use fresh, freezing preserves their flavor for months, far longer than any fridge method. The best technique for most cooking herbs is to freeze them in oil, which protects the leaves from freezer burn and oxidation and gives you ready-to-cook portions.

1. Chop the herbs. Finely chop clean, dry herbs, alone or in your favorite blends.
2. Pack an ice cube tray. Fill the wells of an ice cube tray about two-thirds full with the chopped herbs.
3. Top with oil. Pour olive oil (or melted butter) over the herbs to cover them and fill the wells. The oil seals out air and locks in flavor.
4. Freeze, then bag the cubes. Freeze until solid, pop the cubes out, and transfer them to a labeled freezer bag. Drop a cube straight into a hot pan whenever you cook.

This oil method is ideal for hardy herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, and oregano and for cooking herbs like basil that you will saute rather than use raw. For herbs you want to keep loose, like parsley or chives, you can also flash freeze them dry: spread chopped herbs on a tray, freeze until firm, then bag them so they pour out a pinch at a time. The same flash-freeze logic applies to garden vegetables; see our guide to freezing vegetables from the garden for the full method. Frozen herbs lose their fresh-leaf texture, so they are best stirred into soups, sauces, sauteed dishes, and dressings rather than used as a raw garnish.

Between the water jar, the damp towel, and the freezer, you have a method for every herb and every situation. Soft herbs drink, hardy herbs wrap, and surplus freezes in oil. Master these three and you will stop throwing out slimy bunches and start getting the full value from every harvest. For more ways to preserve and ripen your late-season crops, see ripening green tomatoes indoors or browse our outdoor living hub.