Freezing Fresh Herbs: Rosemary and Thyme
This post shares some of my tips on Freezing Fresh Herbs, with a focus on tips for freezing Rosemary and Thyme! Did you know that many fresh herbs can be frozen in the summer when they’re abundant and then used all through the winter?
PIN Freezing Fresh Herbs: Rosemary and Thyme.
Even though it’s still quite warm in Utah, I can feel the nights getting a bit cooler, and I know it’s not that long until the garden goodness has to either be preserved or lost. I hate losing anything that comes from my garden, and try to freeze as much as possible. Since I have lots and lots of herbs, a few years ago I started to experiment with freezing fresh herbs to see if I could preserve the flavor enough to make it worthwhile to use them during the winter. I’m no expert, but I’ve learned a few tricks.
I actually discovered how to do this somewhat by accident when I cut the branches off my rosemary and thyme bushes one fall and didn’t have time to pick the leaves off. I washed the herbs, then put the stems into a Ziploc bag and put it in the freezer, not sure what would happen.
I was delightfully surprised when the frozen leaves fell off the stems, and even happier when I tried using some of the frozen rosemary and thyme leaves and discovered they were nearly as good as fresh. Try this if you have rosemary and thyme in your garden and live where there’s a cold winter, and I think you’ll like the result.
Read about the difference between soft herbs and hard herbs:
If you’re going to try freezing herbs, first it helps to understand the difference between soft herbs and hard herbs. Years ago Helen from Beyond Salmon wrote an excellent post on preserving and using herbs in which she explained this well.
Which ones are Soft Herbs?
Basically soft herbs are things like basil, cilantro, parsley, oregano, and mint which are either eaten raw or added only for a few minutes of cooking. I’ve written earlier about how to freeze fresh basil, and I suspect that many of the other soft herbs can be frozen that way also, although basil combines especially well with the olive oil.
Which ones are Hard Herbs?
Hard herbs are things like rosemary, thyme, savory, and sage which are suitable for long cooking times. The two things from this list that I’ve had great luck freezing are rosemary and thyme.
Freezing Fresh Herbs, Rosemary or Thyme (Step One):
To freeze rosemary or thyme, start by cutting some stems with leaves of rosemary or thyme. Make them short enough they’ll fit into a ziploc bag. The herbs should be washed in cold water and either spun dry or blotted dry with paper towels.
Freezing Fresh Herbs, Rosemary or Thyme (Step Two):
Put rosemary in small Ziploc bag.
Use a separate Ziploc bag for the thyme. Let thyme and rosemary stay in the freezer for several weeks.
Freezing Fresh Herbs, Rosemary or Thyme (Step Three):
After a few weeks, take ziploc bag out of the freezer and use a rolling pin to roll over the bag containing the herbs. You should see a significant amount of leaves come loose from the stems. If some leaves don’t come off, you can remove the loose leaves and freeze the others a bit longer, or pick the rest off by hand.
This rosemary has been frozen for nearly a year and is still green and very fragrant.
Thyme is a bit more fragile than rosemary, but this thyme is still great after nearly a year in the freezer.
Freezing Fresh Herbs, Rosemary or Thyme (Step Four):
After I’ve separated the leaves from the stems, I like to store my frozen herbs in canning jars which have a lid that seals well. This keeps moisture away from the herbs. (The jars go back in the freezer.)
Enjoy using your frozen rosemary and thyme!
That’s how easy it is to preserve the rosemary and thyme from your garden to use in wonderful soups and stews all winter long. Use the frozen leaves in any recipe calling for fresh rosemary or thyme. For recipes created using dried thyme or rosemary, use about twice as much of the frozen herbs as you would the dried version.
More Tips for Freezing Herbs, Garden Produce, and Other Ingredients:
- My Favorite Tips for Freezing Garden Tomatoes, Fresh Herbs, and Vegetables
- How to Freeze Fresh Basil
- More About Freezing Fresh Herbs: Freezing Sage, Tarragon, and Mint
- Freezing Fresh Lemon and Lime Juice
70 Comments on “Freezing Fresh Herbs: Rosemary and Thyme”
Great tips on preserving the flavor of rosemary and thyme! Freezing herbs is a no-hassle way to add a burst of freshness to our meals all year round.
Thanks, I’m glad it’s useful for you!
Good morning. I’m in the UK. I bought some rosemary sprigs from the supermarket & wanted to try & freeze them. I left the plastic bag unopened, wrapped it in aluminium foil, then put it in a ziplock bag. I’ve just taken it out of the freezer & the sprigs are intact but are black! Unusable I would imagine. Help!
I’m sorry that happened to you. I didn’t ever wrap anything in foil, just froze them in the bag. I don’t know what would have caused that, so many variables. But it works perfectly for me when I do it just like I described here.
I have a huge rosemary bush. Last year I follow some on-line instructions to freeze the clippings that were between 3 – 8 inches long. I rinsed them. Dried them. Then put then on a tray separately to freeze. I put them in a freezer bag afterward but after being in the freezer bag a couple of months they turned brown so I thru them out. What did I do wrong. I know have tried freezing them the chopped up leaves in ice cubes with water and topped with olive oil. I also make rosemary pesto out of it an froze them in ice cube trays like I do with basil pesto. So we will see what happens with those. I am also going to rinse and dry some long clippings. Then roll them separately in Saran Wrap and into a freezer bag to freeze. Hope that works. Do they stay green better if you blanch them first?
Hi Judi. The only method I’ve used for freezing rosemary is the one I describe here, where I freeze them on the stems. I do wash the rosemary and dry it carefully. Mine don’t turn black and they stay good for a long time.
Great post! We have lots of thyme and rosemary this year.
I grow lots of flat leaf parsley and actually find it freezes very well. I wash, de-stem, dry and freeze them in zipper bags. Come winter soup time, I slice off a frozen chunk, mince it, and add it in at the end. All flavor and color are preserved!
OMG, I am absolutely going to try that! Thanks for the tip.
How well do you think that the rosemary and thyme will do if I put them in my sealable foodsaver bags? Or do you think it will crush the herbs too much as it is sucking out the air?
I might let them freeze inside the open bag, then seal when they’re frozen. But I think it’s a great idea!
Pingback: 7 Easy Ways To Preserve Herbs From Your Garden - Off Grid World
They should be pretty dry when you put them in the freezer, but they don't need to be 100% bone dry.
Just so I'm clear, when you rinse the herbs then they're still kind of damp when you put them in the freezer, right? You're just blotting them and not actually letting them set out on the counter to 100% dry before putting them in the bags and freezing?
Thanks!
Thanks for the info on freezing herbs.
Katy, so glad it was useful for you. I still do this every year!
This is an oldie but goodie. My friend Googleed me up your site. I had a ton of rosemary and nothing to immediately use it in so I needed help. Thanks for this!
I haven't tried freezing chives. Let me know how it works if you try it!
I have tried freezing rosemary just like you did – kind of lazy and just threw them in a bag in the freezer! I love that you put your herbs in glass jars! Have you tried freezing chives?
Cindy, did you try entering your e-mail after you click the link that says "subscribe by e-mail" and it didn't work? If so send me an e-mail (under Contact) and I will forward it to the company that manages the e-mail subscriptions.
Great post! I've pinned it and shared it on Facebook, but I can't seem to successfully subscribe to your blog via e-mail. 🙁 And I WANT to!
I am going to try this with some fresh thyme I have.:-) Thank you so much for sharing!
Wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas!:-)
So glad you like the idea. I do find the frozen herbs are useful all year round!
I just wanted to add to the chorus about how awesome this is! I think I'll even use the frozen thyme in the summer because I hate having to pull off the leaves. (I'll still use fresh when I can get away with using sprigs though.)
Stacy you're welcome! So glad it was helpful for you.
Thank you for this! I'm going to freeze my abundant rosemary & thyme today!
I freeze the herbs in bags and then transfer them to jar to store in the freezer. Not sure why the jars would break – my entire freezer is full of nuts, flours, and various types of herbs and seasonings, all frozen in jars. I've never had one break.
How do you freeze them in your canning jars? When I put canning jars in the freezer they break???
Mary, hope you enjoy the frozen rosemary!
I just found your blog this morning. I just cut back my rosemary before transplanting it to move inside for the winter and was wondering what would happen if I froze the sprigs. As usual my first stop was google. I will try freezing what I cut. Thanks for the ideas.
Carol, I've tried freezing swiss chard and kale and can't say I've been thrilled with the results either.
Great tips, Kalyn. I've been doing some freezer cooking for a while now because it saves me a lot of time. Although I've been meaning to freeze some greens, I haven't been able to preserve their freshness as I mean it to.
You're welcome. I'd love to hear how the "dry" freezing works on basil. I worry that it will turn black.
Kalyn, thanks for such an informative site! I will be freezing my basil and rosemary. I will attempt the "dry" freezing method for basil, though. Love your tips on freezing rosemary 🙂
Noah, I've been doing it a few years now and always had good luck.
Old thread but found through Google. I just tried this with loads of rosemary and thyme. Hope it works out.
Thanks
Dallas, haven't tried freezing cilantro, which is considered a "soft" herb. You might use the directions for freezing basil since it's also a "soft" herb.
This is a fantastic tip. I'm going to give it a try with some cilantro.
~M Thanks for letting us know the rosemary stays good in bags as well as jars. Also, love your tip for using the rosemary stalks, just brilliant!
I wanted to follow up on this post. I wash and dry my rosemary and then put it in snack size ziplocs (labeled) and freeze. I just leave them like that until I'm ready to use them and then use my fingers to pick of the rosemary. I don't own a rolling pin or have freezer space in my annoying side-by-side fridge/freezer for jars. This method works great and the rosemary is still very fragrant.
I also save the "stalks" of the rosemary to put into chicken stock. I figure it helps me reuse/recycle something I'd toss and adds to the flavor. Yum!
Wow, thanks for your herb preserving posts. It looks so easy. 🙂 And your pictures are great.
Debbie, I’ve kept some herbs in ziploc bags (when I had a lot!) and they did okay, but I do think they keep a little better in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Just came across your wonderful instructions on how to freeze thyme. Thanks!
Can you keep the frozen thyme in ziploc bags (I make sure to squeeze out the air) or do they need to be transferred to jars after a few weeks?
Carole, how great to hear that you’ll be enjoying your herbs all winter! I love having a freezer full of them myself!
It is October in NYC and my city garden still has beautiful sage, rosemary, thyme and basil. After spending the last two hours surfing the net, I found you. Thanks so much for posting this information. I look forward to enjoying all my herbs all this winter thanks to you.
Thank you Kalyn for this super and helpful blog!
I just told my family: “I now know how to freeze thyme. Now top that!” 😉
hahaha
Seriously, thanks so much.
Thanks Kalyn, I hadn’t thought about freezing herbs until I looked it up on the web, your blog was my most favoutite, and made the most sense, so thanks for that 🙂
Anna
Oops, that was obviously a Freudian slip. I would blot dry with paper towels!
You would “blog dry with paper towels?” 😛 That’s adorable, Kalyn!
Thanks for clearing up my confusion. This is a very inspired use for a salad spinner. 🙂
I just recently discovered yummy rosemary, and it will be great to have some around for crockpot recipes, roasted veges, and Italian dishes. Thanks so much for the advice!
M, yes I definitely wash the herbs. I use a small salad spinner and spin them as dry as I can before freezing. If you don’t have a salad spinner, I would blog dry with paper towels. Thanks for noticing, and I will edit the post to add that information.
Hi Kalyn,
Do you wash the rosemary before you freeze it? I’m getting rosemary from the store.
When I freeze my soft herbs, I definitely wash it first before putting it in the food processor with a bit of water (no oil) and transferring it to the freezer.
Thanks!
Hi Kalyn, thanks for this great article.
Im now freezing many types of fresh herbs, and my cooking has found a new leash of life.
Im also freezing peeled garlic cloves, sliced ginger, and best of of, whole chilli peppers. This is great for me because now the only perishables I need to worry about are the main meat and veg.
Amy there’s no reason you couldn’t freeze butter with fresh herbs, but it’s not something I’ve tried so I don’t know what combinations to recommend. I do know that herb butter recipes can be found though, so you might try googling “herb butter” and see what you find. Maybe someone who’s done it will comment here too.
Can you freeze butter that is made with fresh herbs? What herbs would make the best butter?
Lucette, if you live where it’s cold, you”ll love having the frozen ones.
Helen, I freeze Kaffir lime leaves too, forgot to mention that!!
Karina, I know what you mean about rosemary envy. I have that when I go to California.
Shuna, great tip.
Gattina, sorry to hear about the overly tidy husband.!
Kayln,
In the place I live the humidity is always low…I dried a bunch of oregano last month, looked good… but before I decided on how to storge it (crushed? then put in bag? or jar? or in fridge?…), my husband thought that was a garbage and threw it away by mistake… grrr!
And if you want to have fresh herbs for sweet purposes in the future, try this:
http://eggbeater.typepad.com/shuna/2006/06/candied_herbs.html
I love all your how to photos. They speak volumes!
What a fabulous informative article. Great tips!
When Steve and I honeymooned in Italy we stayed at an old Tuscan farmhouse B & B. A rosemary plant stood outside the kitchen door – it was over six feet tall! I had severe rosemary envy.
Hi Kalyn,
This is such a great idea. I’ve only frozen kafir lime leaves before, but now I’ll try it with other stirdy herbs.
Thanks for the tip 🙂
Cheers,
-Helen
Such a good idea–I’ve got rosemary and 2 kinds of thyme–have to get busy.
Sher and Christine, you’re lucky to live where it doesn’t get that cold. (Have I mentioned recently how much I hate winter?)
Joe, you’re in for a cold winter where you are now. Good luck. Hope it’s not too bad.
Gattina, I haven’t tried freezing oregano. Let me know if you try it. I’d consider it a “soft” herb so I might freeze it in olive oil or make it into pesto. However, I think the dried oregano is pretty good too.
Kalyn,
a little thing makes a big difference!… I used to put my rosemary in (double) ziplock bags, still can’t stop the moisture going in. Will store them in canning jars now, thanks Kalyn. Btw, I have a lot of fresh oregano (just start planting it this year), shall I freeze or air dry them?
Great tips Kayln! I’m sure we will be needing this when winter comes around since we don’t have the luxury of warm times like we did in Phoenix!
Great tips Kalyn. I’ll try this with my thyme. The rosemary keeps well right in the ground over our rather mild winters.
Your rosemary and thyme look very good, I must say. Our winters are mild here, so I normally only freeze basil–in olive oil.
Tanna, you’re welcome.
Alanna, yes, put the jars back in the freezer.
Garrett, works great.
Vinella, they freeze very well.
Kevin, yes, even better if you’re buying herbs and end up wasting them.
Kalyn,
That’s a great tip. Perhaps espacially for those of us who have to buy fresh herbs and end up throwing so much away.
Hi kalyn,
Thanks for sharing these tips of storing herbs in freezer.
Hereafter wards i can store without seeing blackspots.
Vineela
How awesome. I didn’t know you could freeze it.
Do you put the jars back in the freezer then? I’m definitely going to do this. My friend Sharon also brings her pot of rosemary inside for the winter … works great.
My rosemary is fine all winter but the thyme dies back. I’ll try this with my thyme! Thanks.