How to Store and Preserve Fresh Herbs

Preserving and storing fresh herbs so they last longer cuts down on waste, of course. But these practices also serve as a big boon to your future self when some recipe calls for the odd bunch of basil, dill or parsley and you've completely forgotten to chuck some in the grocery cart. 

Fresh herbs can be high-maintenance ingredients, as anyone who has ever transferred a limp and blackened mass of plant material from their crisper drawer to the trash can tell you. (I have been that person. I can tell you.) Fresh herbs aren't generally expensive, typically no more than $1 to $3 per bunch, depending on the variety. But they can feel a little financially precious if you're routinely throwing them away before you're able to use them up, and let's face it, there are only so many batches of chimichurri and pesto we can bring ourselves to make and freeze on the regular. 

Good news on that score, however: you don't have to commit to actually growing fresh herbs in order to have them in your life consistently. With mere minutes of prep and maintenance, there are ways to store them that can increase their longevity significantly, from a few days to weeks and even potentially months. 

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For advice on the best ways to store fresh herbs, I spoke to several garden experts on the matter. Before you throw in the dish towel and resign yourself to a lackluster life of dried herbs only, check out their easy and practical suggestions for keeping your fresh herbs fresh for as long as possible.

Tender herbs vs. hearty herbs

Both for cooking purposes and for storing purposes, it's important to understand that not all herbs are the same when it comes to their basic nature. "Most herbs fall into two categories, soft (or tender) herbs, and hearty (or woody) herbs," says Allison Vallin Kostovick, creator of Finch and Folly, and author of The Garden Maker's Book of Wonder. Soft herbs are those that have delicate, tender stems that are typically palatable along with their leaves, such as basil, cilantro, dill, mint, parsley, and tarragon. By contrast, hearty herbs are known for their woodier stems and thicker leaves such as oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme, where the stems aren't typically eaten.

These different types of herbs require different considerations, both in and out of the refrigerator. "Because of their delicate nature, soft herbs require gentle handling as they can easily bruise, and are usually added at the end of cooking as prolonged heat zaps most of their flavor away," says Kostovick. "Woody herbs are much hardier in terms of handling, and tend to also pack a little more concentrated bite to their leaves, allowing them to be used during any stage of cooking," she says.

How to prep herbs for storage

"When herbs are stored correctly, they can last anywhere from a week to three weeks," says Sandra Nanka, owner and gardening expert at Mudbrick Herb Cottage, "but the fresher the better for flavor and nutrition." Storing fresh herbs is a delicate balance of maintaining appropriately damp conditions, but never crossing the threshold from damp to wet. "Before storing any herbs, always gently wash your herbs and dry them thoroughly with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture," says Nanka. While certain herb stems may be submerged in water for storage, the leaves should be always kept damp enough to not dry out, but never wet to the degree that rot can take hold. Any brown or black leaves should be removed from herbs of any kind before storage.

Store soft herbs in water

"In general, think of soft herbs more like cut flowers," says Kostovick. "They'll be much happier stored vertically in a jar with a little water, whereas the hearty herbs prefer to be rolled up horizontally in a damp paper towel."

In addition to washing and drying your soft herbs as above before storing them, you'll want to trim the stems of soft herbs slightly, as you would flowers before they go in a vase. "Place in a jar filled with one inch of water," says Kostovick, "making sure no leaves are touching the water." Use a paper or plastic bag to loosely cover the jar, and keep it in the fridge. Covering the herbs protects them from the dry environment of your fridge, helping them maintain a little moisture, preventing them from browning.

If you're worried about accidentally tipping over an open jar containing water all over your fridge, you can even use a large Mason jar with a lid to store your soft herbs. "You can gently tuck the leaves of tender herbs," says Kostovick, just making sure that there's enough clearance that none of the leaves touch the water at the bottom. Your herbs can be stored all in the same jar, with the exception of basil, which is cold-intolerant. It can be treated the same way, just stored on a countertop, out of direct sunlight.

Lastly, Kostovick advises being thoughtful about where in the refrigerator you place your herbs. "Avoid placing in the coldest spots of the fridge, like in the back as that could expose your delicate herbs to too much cold," she says. "Make sure to change out with fresh water every other day."

Store woody herbs in damp paper towels

Woody or hearty herbs require a slightly different process, but still a low-maintenance one that easily prolongs their usefulness by a week or more when done properly. "Hearty herbs are best stored rolled up in a slightly damp paper towel in an airtight container or ziplock bag to help extend their life and prevent them from drying out," says Nanka. "Replace the damp towel every few days. You'll know when they are on their way out when they start to wilt and brown." Note that the key word here is damp, not wet, and the paper towel should never be soggy. You'll also want to look out for signs of mold, but that should not occur so long as you are regularly changing out the paper towel as instructed.

Similar to their soft herb counterparts, you can also feel free to let your woody herbs mingle. "Your hearty herbs can be rolled happily up all together," says Kostovick.

Store any herbs in the freezer

For long-term storage, or to put any herbs to use before their time in the fridge is up, no matter how long you've extended their freshness by proper storage techniques, Nanka also recommends freezing herbs for cooking purposes. "Both soft and hearty herbs can also be stored in the freezer for longer-term use and storage," she says. "Prior to freezing, be sure to remove hearty herbs from their stems and chop to your desired size for future use," placing them in a sealed bag or airtight container, or even with a little water in ice cube trays for pre-portioned amounts. Soft herbs can follow the same process, but Nanko also notes that while frozen soft herbs will maintain their flavor, they might lose out a bit on presentation: "Some will bruise when stored in the freezer and don't look great when defrosted, so are best used in cooking rather than as a garnish."