Can You Freeze Rosemary – How To Freeze Rosemary For Fresh Flavor?

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Can You Freeze Rosemary: A fresh bunch of Rosemary is in high demand and is used in almost everything, starting from roasted meat, savory marinades, vegetables, grilled sandwiches, herbaceous cocktails, etc.

Rosemary has its health benefits as well starting from calming inflammation, digestive issues, restlessness, mental disorders, etc., and generally comes in the form of ointments, tinctures, and cream.

Rosemary is generally a sturdy herb, generally stays good on its own and a little goes a long way after a fresh harvest. Whether you have your harvest of fresh herbs and vegetables or store-bought ones, knowing how to properly store them will always benefit you.

So let’s learn about some interesting storage techniques to preserve your Rosemary properly and keep it fresh and good for the longest time possible.

Can You Freeze Rosemary

Can You Freeze Rosemary?

Yes, Rosemary freezes beautifully. If you are somebody who belongs to a region that is hot in climate throughout then you won’t face many issues with your Rosemary because it generally stays evergreen in a comparatively warmer climate.

For other regions, you must be careful with your rosemary because you aim to preserve it and also not dry it out. Freezing with proper techniques is the key here. Let’s read more about this in further sections of the article.

Do You Need To Wash Rosemary Before Freezing?

Yes, Rosemary is traditionally preserved by drying like many other Mediterranean herbs. Follow certain tips and tricks to preserve Rosemary by freezing it and making sure its flavor and aroma are intact.

How To Freeze Rosemary?

Freezing Rosemary sprigs to store them properly will make it convenient for you to use them up as garnishings in recipes like roasted potatoes, crispy fries, vegetables, or chicken. Here are the steps to do so efficiently:

  • First, you need to clean and carefully lay your rosemary sprigs on a baking tray and put them inside the freezer to flash-freeze your rosemary leaves.
  • Once the rosemary sprigs have been frozen solid for a couple of hours, remove the tray from the freezer and shift all the sprigs to a container. Avoid using freezer bags here because there is a high chance your rosemary will get damaged by being crushed through other dish containers.
  • Finally, return this container to the freezer and try to use the rosemary up within 3 months.

Now, whenever you need to use some rosemary in your cooked dishes, you can simply open your freezer and grab a sprig to pick a few pieces of rosemary as per your choice rather than taking out the whole bunch every single time and exposing them to unnecessary air.

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Can You Freeze Rosemary In Ice Cubes?

Yes, freezing rosemary in ice cubes is the best option if you consider a better way to use them up from frozen. If your recipe calls for sprinkling rosemary into soups or pasta sauces, here are the steps to freeze them properly

How To Freeze Rosemary In Ice Cubes?

  • First, finely dice the rosemary and get it prepared for storage.
  • Next, arrange for an ice cube tray of the most appropriate size and fill in each slot with rosemary leaves up to 2/ 3rds of the available space.
  • Next, fill in the slots with olive oil or melted butter and cover the herbs fully.
  • Next, flash freezes the herbs by wrapping this ice tray with plastic and placing it inside the freezer for up to a good 6 to 12 hours or overnight.
  • Once frozen solid, remove this tray and transfer the herb cubes into a ziplock bag in the freezer.

How Long Can You Freeze Rosemary?

Rosemary has proven to last in the freezer for approximately a year if stored properly. However, there can be a slight chance for the flavor to degrade slightly, hence it is best to use up frozen Rosemary within 3 to 4 months.

Beyond that, your rosemary will remain perfectly safe to eat, but you will see that it adds little or no actual rosemary flavor to your recipe so there’s not any point in consuming it any longer.

Additionally, if you wrap the ends of the rosemary sprigs with a damp kitchen or dish towel to keep the moisture intact, then it is going to last you in the fridge for around 10 days. Freshly harvested rosemary sprigs can last for a couple of weeks inside the fridge. Dried rosemary lasts for a year or more inside the freezer.

But if you do not need to wait that long, you can alternatively dry rosemary in the oven. For this, you need to set the oven to a maximum temperature of 30 °C and keep opening the door occasionally during the process to allow the moisture to escape.

To get better acquainted with details of herbs like coriander check out our other write-ups on Can You Freeze Coriander and clear your concerns.

Best Tips To Freeze Rosemary

Now that you have learned how to freeze rosemary properly, we have some amazing tips to follow that will help you get the best results while freezing rosemary. These are:

  • Opt for only the Ice Cube Method if possible. The ice cube method of freezing rosemary is arguably the best approach because the cubes will be packed full of flavor and can be used directly from the freezer which will also ensure you don’t end up with dry, sharp, and brittle rosemary leaves.
  • Try to Mix it with Other Herbs. You can try mixing your rosemary with other herbs and flavors like thyme and garlic for an ultimate flavor combo that can be added to various dishes to give a zing of fantastic flavors.
  • Use the freshest and current Rosemary. You must make sure to use the best and the freshest Rosemary because freezing is in no way going to improve it. If you see your rosemary has started losing its flavour, then there is no point in freezing or preserving it.

How To Defrost Rosemary?

For either of the methods through which you freeze and preserve rosemary, defrosting is something that you do not need to worry about. If you are using Rosemary for a cooked dish like soup, sauce or stew then you can simply take your rosemary directly from the frozen and throw it in your dish and wait till it completely melts naturally in the oven heat. Leaving it in the fridge overnight for thawing is also not required here.

F.A.Qs on Can You Freeze Rosemary

1. Do you wash rosemary before freezing?

Yes, Rosemary must be washed and dried thoroughly, next leaves must be stripped from the branches, and then stored in zipper-type freezer bags.

2. Is it better to freeze rosemary or dry it?

Drying rosemary is better because dried rosemary is not going to be as aromatic as fresh rosemary, but it lasts way longer than freezing or refrigerating. To dry your rosemary, let the sprigs sit in a dry place for a couple of days.

3. Can you freeze rosemary in olive oil?

Yes, Rosemary can be frozen quite well in olive oil and in fact, this keeps them from going dry. Just store your diced rosemary in ice cubes and submerge them with olive oil or melted butter before flash-freezing them.

4. Is Frozen rosemary good?

Rosemary is a cold-hugging herb that can easily withstand freezing temperatures and will keep good food safe and quality as well in your freezer.

Bottom Line

With this, we have come to the end of today’s article and we hope you found this tutorial helpful to preserve your fresh Rosemary for the longest time. For more such important facts and interesting storage techniques of various food items make sure to stay tuned with us.

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