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Herb Cubes
By Snejana Andreeva
on Oct 27, 2021, Updated Jun 05, 2024
Got a garden overflowing with herbs 👩🌾? I have the ultimate hack for preserving herbs , so that you can easily infuse any dish with fresh flavor all year long. These herb cubes could not be easier to make and they will last for months in your freezer 🧊. This is the perfect way to save your summer harvest, when you have too many herbs to use before they go bad. This recipe works with any combination of fresh herbs 🌿.
- Why You’ll Love Herb Cubes
- How to Prepare Herb Cubes
- Nonna’s Tip
- Variations and Substitutions For Herb Cubes
- Similar Recipes
- Best Served With
- Common Questions
- Herb Cubes Recipe
Why You’ll Love Herb Cubes
This is the perfect recipe to preserve an excess of fresh herbs , whether they’re on their last good day in your fridge or growing in an over-abundance in your garden. All you need is olive oil and an ice cube tray 🧊. Here, fresh herbs of any variety are frozen in olive oil, which conserves their bright, fragrant flavor. Come mid-winter, or a dreary sunless day, just open the freezer, and take out an herb cube to upgrade any meal 💥. I especially love to use these cubes for sautéing vegetables, fish , poultry , and meat, adding to soups , dips , and marinades , and using them to make pesto 🪴.
How to Prepare Herb Cubes
🚿 Wash and thoroughly dry the herbs.
🔪 Roughly chop the herbs and distribute them across the wells of an ice cube tray.
🫗 Top each well with olive oil until the herbs are submerged.
❄️ Place the tray in the freezer and leave until fully frozen through.
🍳 Thaw a cube before you use it, or simply pop it in a hot pan and enjoy.
Nonna’s Tip
Be sure to dry the herbs well after washing them. You can even use a salad spinner for the job. The water can cause the herbs to oxidize and form crystals in the freezer ❄️.
Variations and Substitutions For Herb Cubes
- Add fresh, minced garlic along with the herbs 🧄.
- Mix some grated parmesan cheese 🧀 into the cubes. Basil + parm + olive oil = perfect base for making easy pesto.
- If you enjoy cooking with avocado oil , you can use that instead of olive oil.
- Use dried herbs , in addition to fresh.
Similar Recipes
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Hot Honey Recipe
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Homemade Mayo (Healthy)
5 mins
Quick Pickled Red Onions
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Best Served With
- You can’t go wrong serving herby olive oil for dipping alongside crusty fresh bread 🍞.
- My Cold Cucumber Soup 🥒 calls for olive oil and dill. Why not make some dill herb cubes and store them in the fridge to help this soup come together even quicker?
- These Greek Lemon Potatoes 🥔 go perfectly with oregano olive oil cubes.
- Use a cube as the base to a simple vinaigrette and use liberally on a simple salad 🥗.
- Pop a cube into a pan and combine with hot, freshly cooked pasta. Perfection 👌.
Common Questions
Certainly! You can also use avocado oil, melted butter, ghee (clarified butter), or your favorite cooking oil.
I like to use these cubes within 6 months of freezing. Be sure the cubes are well sealed, either in an ice cube tray with a lid, or removed from the tray and stored in a tightly sealed plastic bag or container.
Any herbs you love! Some ideas: rosemary, basil, thyme, chives, mint, tarragon, parsley, cilantro, oregano, and dill.
Run the ice cube tray through the dishwasher or briefly boil in water.
Twist the tray, or let the cubes come to room temp briefly and then tip the cubes out of the tray when they are just loose enough to wiggle free but are not thawed.
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Video
Equipment
- ▢ Ice Cube Tray
- ▢ Salad Spinner
- ▢ Chefs Knife
- ▢ Cutting Board
Ingredients
- ▢ basil leaves , or any fresh herb leaves
- ▢ olive oil or avocado oil
Instructions
- ▢ Wash and throughly dry the herbs. You can also dry them easily using a salad spinner. Roughly chop the herbs and distribute them across the wells of an ice cube tray. Top each well with olive oil until the herbs are submerged.
- ▢ Place the tray in the freezer and leave until fully frozen through. You can keep the cubes in the tray, with a tightly fitted lid, or you can remove the cubes from the tray and transfer to a tightly sealed ziploc bag or food storage container.
- ▢ Thaw one before you use it or simply pop it in a hot pan and enjoy.
My Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Herb Cubes
Equipment
- Ice Cube Tray
- Salad Spinner
- Chefs Knife
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
- basil leaves or any fresh herb leaves
- olive oil or avocado oil
Instructions
- Wash and throughly dry the herbs. You can also dry them easily using a salad spinner. Roughly chop the herbs and distribute them across the wells of an ice cube tray. Top each well with olive oil until the herbs are submerged.
- Place the tray in the freezer and leave until fully frozen through. You can keep the cubes in the tray, with a tightly fitted lid, or you can remove the cubes from the tray and transfer to a tightly sealed ziploc bag or food storage container.
- Thaw one before you use it or simply pop it in a hot pan and enjoy.
Video
Nutrition
Herb Cubes https://themodernnonna.com/herb-cubes/ October 27, 2021
