Although some people find it a bit soapy, coriander does bring zing to plenty of Thai, Mexican and Indian-inspired dishes. But with it often overpowering a dish if used excessively, you’ll find that you often buy a bunch and only use a few leaves. So, what do you do with it?
Can You Freeze Coriander?
Yes, you can freeze coriander for up to 4 months. The simple way to freeze it is to place it into a bag and then seal it up. You can also freeze coriander into ice cubes with some oil and other herbs or spices.
How to Freeze Coriander
If you are pushed for time, this is the initial approach you should take to freeze coriander. It’s not the best way to go about it, but it will be the quickest approach to take.
It’s also worth noting that coriander leaves and cilantro are the same things. Cilantro is the term used for coriander leaves in the US so the method below can be used for freezing coriander and for freezing cilantro:
- Clean It
First, make sure you have cleaned your coriander and removed any dodgy-looking leaves. You don’t want to freeze yellowy leaves as they won’t improve in the freezer.
- Bag it Up
Once you’ve got your perfect coriander in hand, you need to place them into a freezer bag. When you seal the bag up, make sure you remove as much of the air as possible.
- Freeze It
Label the bag up with the contents and the date and then place this bag into the freezer.
If you need to get your coriander frozen quick, then this is the ultimate route to take but it might not be the best approach to follow. Instead, try the approach outlined below:
How to Freeze Coriander in Ice Cube Trays
If you have a little more time on your hands and want to freeze it in the best possible way, then this is the approach you ought to take:
- Clean and Chop It
Make sure you have cleaned your coriander and picked out any of the dodgy-looking leaves. Trim the stalks from the leaves as you only want to freeze the leaves with this method and chop them up.
- Add Coriander to Tray
Place the leaves into the slots of an ice cube tray. You want to fill each slot up around two-thirds of the way. Don’t be afraid of adding other herbs at this point.
- Cover in Oil or Butter
Pour olive oil, melted butter or even just water into the slots of the tray until the coriander is completely submerged in the liquid. Wrap the tray in cling film.
- Initial Freeze
Place the ice cube tray into the freezer and allow the cubes to freeze solid. Try to keep the tray level during this stage of the freezing process.
- Final Freeze
After several hours (or overnight), the cubes should be frozen solid. Remove the tray from the freezer, pop the frozen coriander cubes out and place them into a bag before returning it to the freezer.
Freezing parsley, ginger, lemongrass and chillies have all been covered on Freeze It, and these are all ingredients you can freeze. So why not consider freezing them together in a flavour-packed ice cube?
You could try mixing ginger, lemongrass, green chillies and coriander into one ice cube to give yourself a way of instantly adding a Thai-inspired flavour hit to your cooking.
Another option is to mix parsley, coriander, mint and a small grating of garlic to create a salsa verde style ice cube.
How Long Can You Freeze Coriander?
Your frozen coriander will keep in the freezer for around 4 months. The longer you leave them in the freezer, the greater the chance that the flavour will degrade. That’s why I would advise using them within 4 months.
The advantage of freezing coriander in ice cubes and then surrounding it with water is the minimal risk of freezer burn affecting the coriander.
Coriander will keep for between 2 and 3 weeks in the fridge. After this time, it will begin to wilt and the leaves will dark as the flavour degrades.
How Do You Defrost Coriander?
Regardless of which form you have frozen your coriander, it will not need to be defrosted. If you have frozen it as full leaves, you need to stir the leaves into your hot dish.
If you have frozen your coriander as an ice cube, toss it into your stew, curry, stir fry or soup and give it a minute or two to melt completely. That’s all you need to do.
Can You Refreeze Coriander?
Like most soft herbs, coriander is quite delicate, so refreezing is not something I would suggest. This can degrade both the flavour and texture.
Texture changes will always occur when freezing something soft like coriander but refreezing can completely ruin it.
Does Coriander Freeze Well?
In terms of taste, coriander will retain its distinct flavour in the freezer for several months. The only downside to freezing coriander is the texture. It can become quite mushy, so you won’t want to use it for garnishing dishes.
This is the case for most soft herbs and will impact them all in the same way whether you’re freezing parsley, chives or mint.
Got a Question? Find the Answer Below:
I like to use the following method to freeze coriander, dill ,basil, parsley – anything with a soft stalk. Wash and dry arrange stem to leave as you would a bunch. place in a ziploc bag and roll it up tight leaving one end of the zipper open. Take a stout ribbon and from one end of the roll to the end with the zipper still open a touch tightly wind the ribbon toward the open end, close the zipper and fix a couple of rubber bands around the roll to prevent the ribbon from unraveling. Freeze solid.
When needed I simply shave off what I need. Not for garnish but for all other purposes. It’ll retain it’s flavor for much longer because there is no air to oxidize the herb. ????
Wow! Great suggestion Robin.
Thank you for that wonderful suggestion , I am growing it in my greenhouse and some has bolted but are still fragrant and useable and everything you have suggested is easily doable .
If air is the issue how about vacuum packing?
I wash, dry coriander leaves, by wrapping in paper towel put it in plastic bag & in the fridge. Next day the leaves are chopped finely with tender stalks.
Place them in a short glass jam or any bottle & leave in the freezer.
As needed I just scrape the top with a knife & add to food cooking.
As soon as it is scraped return bottle to freezer or else it will get mushy & may have to be thrown.
What about Coriander seeds? Can they be frozen as well?
Do they need to be dry?
I want to pick up seeds by freezing them for a few seconds for an engineering project.
There’s rarely a need to freeze coriander seeds as, in culinary terms, they’re normally dried and then stored in an airtight container where they’ll keep just fine for easily over a year.
Ah okay, but do you think temporarily freezing them will affect the seeds? Will the freezing break the structure of the seeds.
Unfortunately, we’re not sure what impact freezing would have on the structure of the seeds.
ah okay, thank you for the quick response