• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Food Lovin Family
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Cooking Tips
  • Appetizers
  • Breakfast
  • Drinks
  • Dinner
  • Lunch
  • Sweets
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Cooking Tips
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About Me
    • Recipes
    • Cooking Tips
  • ×

    Home » Cooking Tips » How To Freeze

    Can You Freeze Mint Leaves – Guide To Freezing Fresh Mint Leaves

    Published: Mar 10, 2021 by heather · This post may contain affiliate links

    • Facebook

    Fresh mint can be used for a variety of dishes and drinks. It’s an herb that’s nice to have on hand year round for those times you want to add freshness and flavor to your dish. Can you freeze mint leaves? Yes, in this article we are sharing how to freeze and preserve fresh mint leaves.

    A bowl of mint leaves.

    Mint is a wonderful, versatile herb that can be used in a wide variety of ways. Used for cocktails, desserts, salads, rice and more, this beautiful green plant is a great ingredient to have on hand.

    This article covers different ways to freeze and store this flavorful herb to use for later. There are a couple of methods for freezing fresh mint leaves, freezing the whole leaf or freezing them into ice cubes.

    What you need

    Fresh mint – Use fresh, healthy mint.

    Paper towels, clean dish towels or salad spinner – These are needed to help dry the herb once cleaned.

    Ice cube tray – Used for freezing into ice cubes.

    Baking sheet – Used for freezing individual leaves.

    Freezer storage bags – Needed to store in the freezer.

    Vacuum sealer and bags – If you are using the sealing method.

    How to freeze mint to make it last longer

    Freezing mint is the best way to extend the herb’s vibrant color and flavor. It’s important to use high quality, fresh leaves that aren’t damaged or old to ensure you get the best tasting herb.

    Freeze whole mint leaves on baking sheet

    This is a wonderful way to freeze whole leaves. It’s a good method to use if you know how many leaves you need.

    • Prepare: Gently rinse mint leaves and pat dry with paper towel or clean dish cloth. Be sure to try and get them as dry as possible. You could even use a salad spinner to help get them dry.
    • Freeze: Place individual leaves on a baking sheet lined in wax or parchment paper. You want the leaves to lay as flat as possible and to make sure that they are not touching. Freeze for 2-3 hours or overnight.
    • Pack: Place frozen mint leaves into freezer safe bags. Make sure to remove any excess air. Don’t forget to label with date and freeze for up to 6 months.
    Mint leaves on parchment on a baking sheet.

    Freeze mint in ice cubes

    This method enables you to thaw cubes easily as needed. These are great to add to soups and stews because they just melt into the dish.

    • Prepare: Remove any damaged leaves from fresh mint sprigs and discard. Remove the good leaves and gently rinse. Pat leaves dry between paper towels or clean cloth.
    • Portion out: You can freeze the leaves whole or choose to chop them up. Place 2-3 leaves or 1-2 teaspoons of chopped mint into each ice cube compartment in the ice cube tray.
    • Fill tray: Top the leaves with water and freeze the ice cubes. Make sure that the leaves are completely submerged in the water before freezing. Once the cubes have completely frozen, remove from tray and store in an airtight freezer bag for up to 6 months.
    Ice cube tray with fresh mint leaves.

    There are several different ways to use frozen mint ice cubes. They are perfect to add in drinks like tea, water, cocktails, punch, lemonade and more. They add such a great burst of flavor and color.

    These cubes can also be added to soups, stews, rice and more. Simple add the cubes directly into the dish that’s cooking so they will melt.

    Freeze in vacuum sealer

    • Clean: Clean mint leaves and dry with paper towel or clean dish cloth. You can seal individual leaves or the whole mint sprig.
    • Prepare: Form a bag using the vacuum sealer materials. Make sure the bag is large enough to hold the sprigs or leaves.
    • Seal: Place mint in bag and then seal the open end with the vacuum sealer according to manufacturer directions.
    • Freeze: Freeze the vacuum sealed bag for up to 6 months.
    Mint leaves in ice cubes in a bowl.

    How to defrost

    It’s simple to defrost the leaves for use. Make sure to start thawing 2-3 hours before needed.

    Defrost individual leaves

    1. Remove the frozen leaves from the from freezer bag and place on a paper towel. This will help absorb any moisture while it’s defrosting.
    2. Let the mint thaw for 2-3 hours at room temperature.
    3. Using a paper towel, pat any excess water off the leaves. Use as needed.

    Defrost ice cubes

    1. Take mint cubes out of freezer and place them in a fine mesh strainer. Place the strainer in your sink.
    2. Turn your faucet to cold water and let the water run over the cubes.
    3. Let the water run until the mint can be separated from the ice.
    4. Pat dry with paper towel.

    One thing to consider is that once the mint has been thawed, it can’t be frozen again.

    More How To Freeze

    • Can You Freeze Sour Cream?
    • How Long Does It Take For Water To Freeze
    • Can You Freeze Pulled Pork? (Guide To Freezing)
    • Can You Freeze Ham – How To Freeze, Thaw, Reheat
    • Facebook

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hello and thank you for visiting Food Lovin’ Family! With 3 kids I know it can be hard getting food on the table. Here you will find easy and delicious recipes that the whole family will enjoy.

    More about me →

    Favorite Recipes

    • 25 Best Fondue Recipes
    • 28 Best Movie Snacks
    • 21 Best Loaded Fries Recipes
    • Chili Cheese Dip
    • How Long To Bake Chicken Wings
    • 31 Delicious Crescent Roll Recipes

    Sweets

    31 Best Blueberry Desserts

    Slice of blueberry pie, blueberry ice cream, and piece of blueberry buckle.

    27 Best Brownie Mix Recipes

    Chocolate cookies, brownie sundae, and brownies.

    Brownie Sundae

    28 Best Movie Snacks

    Candy, popcorn, chicken nuggets, and soft pretzel.

    More Love →

    Drinks

    25 Delicious Breakfast Drinks

    Smoothie, hot chocolate, frappuccino, and mimosa.

    25 Delicious Apple Cider Cocktails

    Glass filled with ice and apple juice.

    25 Spooky Halloween Cocktails

    Orange martini, bloody mary, and green martini.

    30 Festive Christmas Cocktails

    Copper much with cranberries, blue drink, green drink, and a milky drink.

    More Love →

    Lunch

    30 Best Fall Soup Recipes

    Four bowls of soup.

    30 Tortilla Wrap Recipes

    Chicken tortilla wrap, hap and cheese wrap, and chicken wrap.

    25 Bagel Sandwich Recipes

    Four different bagel sandwiches

    50 Cold Lunch Ideas

    Chicken wrap, chicken salad, tortilla roll up, and stacked sandwich.

    More Love →

    Breakfast

    Strawberry Muffins

    25 Delicious Breakfast Drinks

    Smoothie, hot chocolate, frappuccino, and mimosa.

    McDonald’s Breakfast Sauce Recipe

    Bowl of yellow sauce and a spoon.

    27 Best Bisquick Recipes

    Breakfast casserole, chicken tenders, pizza, and piece of quiche on plate.

    More Love →

    Appetizers

    25 Best Fondue Recipes

    Cheese fondue with bread, chocolate strawberry fondue, steak fondue.

    28 Best Movie Snacks

    Candy, popcorn, chicken nuggets, and soft pretzel.

    21 Best Loaded Fries Recipes

    Loaded cheese fries.

    Chili Cheese Dip

    Hand holding chip with cheese dip.

    More Love →

    Dinner

    Meatloaf Sandwich

    Meatloaf sandwich and bowl of chips.

    How To Cook Sizzle Steak

    Cooked steak on a plate with green beans.

    31 Breakfast For Dinner Ideas

    Breakfast casserole, steak bagel sandwich, egg and sausage bowl.

    Meatloaf With Brown Gravy

    Meatloaf with gravy and mashed potatoes on a plate.

    More Love →

    Footer

    Collage of logos.

    Copyright © 2022 foodlovinfamily.com. All rights reserved. PRIVACY POLICY.