How to store fresh basil with roots

Basil provides fresh, summery flavor to favorite hot-weather dishes like salads, grilled pizza, bruschetta, and more. But just because it brings the fresh flavor, doesn't mean it stays fresh for long. Sadly, this bright green herb can go from tall and perky to limp and wilted before you ever get the chance to use it. But I'm here to tell you — it doesn't have to be this way.

If you think you've sworn off this ever-fading herb, give this a read first. When stored properly, fresh basil can last long enough for you to actually get your money's worth out of it. And if you need it to last even longer, you'll also learn how to freeze and dry basil for long term preservation.

How to Store Fresh Basil Leaves

There is no decided method for storing basil. People swear by different methods, so we've provided two options, both of which have proven results.

Method #1: Basil Bouquet

As with many fresh herbs, it's helpful to think of them as cut flowers. Any leafy herb with a soft stem, including basil, can be stored as you would a bouquet of flowers — in water. Here's how:

1. Trim the stems, removing the last inch or so. Place basil in a jar filled with a few inches of water.
2. Loosely cover the tops of the basil with a plastic bag (unfortunately, your basil bouquet won't make a beautiful centerpiece). A thin, produce bag works great for this.
3. Leave the basil bouquet out at room temperature, replacing the water every few days. Whatever you do, don't refrigerate it. Exposed basil doesn't do well in the cold. Once you're ready to enjoy, wash and dry the leaves.

Fresh basil will last one to two weeks when stored this way.

Method #2: Plastic Bag

Another popular method for storing basil is the plastic bag method (it sounds far less exciting than "basil bouquet," I know). If you prefer to keep your basil stored in the fridge like salad greens, this method protects it from the harsh elements.

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

How to Preserve Basil

If you don't plan to use your basil within one to two weeks, there are two methods for long term preservation: freezing and drying.

Freezing Basil

Because basil isn't as hardy as herbs like rosemary or mint, it does best when frozen as a paste. Here's how:

1. Rinse the herbs. Then blanch them by dipping them in a pot of boiling water for about 10 seconds (using tongs is the best way to do this). Then shock them by immediately plunging them into a bowl of ice water.
2. Dry with a paper towel or salad spinner. Remove the stems.
3. Add to a food processor along with just enough olive oil to create a sort of pesto-like paste. Freeze in an ice tray for individually-portioned servings.

To use frozen basil, add it to hot dishes straight from frozen, or thaw and drain before adding to cold dishes. Frozen basil will last for up to three months.

Read More: How to Freeze Fresh Herbs

Drying Basil

You never know how long store-bought dried basil has been sitting on the shelf, so drying your own is going to be the fresher (and cheaper) option. Here's how:

Basil, especially sweet basil or Genoa basil so popular in Italian dishes and used in pesto, is notoriously tricky to keep fresh. It turns black and wilts at an astonishingly quick rate. There are methods, however, of keeping the leaves fresh once the stems have been picked. The fresher the basil you buy, of course, the longer it will keep in any case.

#1 The Very Best Method

Hand's down the best way to store basil in to put the bunch in a glass or jar filled with water, just like flowers.

Trim the cut ends, put the bunch in a glass, jar, or vase of water that will fit in the fridge, and cover the whole thing, or at least the basil leaves, with a plastic bag. Put the whole in in a refrigerator. Basil kept that way will stay vibrant and green for up to a week.

Is it a bit of a pain? Sure. Not super-duper convenient? Fair point. Takes up a lot of fridge space? No one could argue against argue that point. Does it also keep basil as fresh as possible for as long as possible? Absolutely it does.

#2 The Next-Best Method

We've established that the very best method isn't always as practical as one might like. Luckily, there is a second-best-but-still-completely-serviceable choice.

The second best way to store basil is to store it like salad greens: pick the leaves off the stems and lay them in more or less a single layer on layers of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel, roll up the towel around the leaves, and put the roll in a plastic bag. This method keeps the leaves hydrated but not wet or damp.

#3 Freezing for Longer Storage

Want to keep basil around for more than a few days? Freeze it! There are several ways to do it effectively.

For the greenest, freshest seeming basil: quickly blanch the basil in boiling salt water for 15 seconds, drain it, and dunk it into ice water to cool it quickly (this sets the green color), and then whirl it in a blender with just a bit of olive oil. You can pour the purée in ice cubes trays, freeze them, and transfer the cubes to re-sealable plastic bags where they keep for up to a year.

Admittedly, that method requires a touch of work. Alternatively, you can simply lay clean, dry basil leaves on a baking sheet, freeze them until frozen (about an hour will do it), and transfer them to resealable plastic bags. Basil frozen this way will turn dark, almost black, but retain plenty of basil flavor. To keep it green, you'll need to blanch it, squeeze it dry, then lay it flat to freeze. Once you bother blanching the basil, though, it's worth making the purée and freezing it that way, since it retains so much more flavor with that method. 

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