How to Freeze Dill for Months

If you’ve got more dill than you can handle right now, this tutorial will show you how to freeze dill, so you can preserve it for months!

Dill is one of the most flavorful herbs to use in dishes – it adds a nice fresh flavor and goes really well with garlic and tomatoes. Dill is an annual plant from the celery family and it grows in spring and early summer. Then, it quickly flowers and forms seeds. This means that dill is not easily available throughout the year, so it would be a good idea to freeze some, when you’ve got a lot of it.

But do you know how to freeze dill for months? If not, don’t worry! You’ve come to the right place. Here, I am sharing two different ways for freezing dill leaves.

Why Freeze Dill Leaves

If you are uncertain whether freezing dill is worth the (small) effort, here are some good reasons to get you motivated:

• By freezing dill leaves, you preserve their nutritional value for longer periods of time.
• You also reduce food waste
• Better quality for less money. As I have noted above, the natural harvesting period of dill is very short. If you buy it then, you are sure to get the best quality for the lowest price. The dill grown in greenhouses will be much more expensive and its typical flavor won’t be that prominent.
• And last but not least, you will enjoy fresh, full-of-flavor dill for months!

Health Benefits of Dill

And before we see how exactly to freeze dill so that it lasts for months, let’s talk about health. Dill is not only a delish spice, but it also has some amazing healing properties:

• Dill leaves are packed with vitamins, minerals, fibers as well as antioxidants. These nutrients boost immunity, prevent infection, and protect the cells in your body from free radical damage.
• The herb also has potent anti-diabetic properties and regulates blood sugar levels.
• Dill leaves have great digestive qualities – they reduce bloating and are a powerful remedy for constipation.
• The abundance of B-complex vitamins as well as flavonoids makes it an amazing natural remedy for insomnia.
• Due to its strong analgesic and pain-relieving properties, dill can also be used to treat muscle spasms, arthritis, and joint pain.
• The anti-asthmatic and antibiotic properties, on the other hand, make dill a traditional remedy for respiratory diseases.

How To Freeze Dill Leaves

Now that we’ve gotten super inspired and are convinced we want to have dill around for as long as we can, even if it’s frozen – let’s get to the preservation methods. Here are my two favorite ways to freeze dill:

1. Freeze Thinly Chopped Dill in Bags

Follow this step-by-step guide and your freezer will be loaded with frozen dill in a matter of minutes.

• Firstly, look through the bunch of dill you’ve got and remove any yellowish and older-looking stems of dill. Obviously, we want to preserve only the good ones.

• Next, wash the dill thoroughly under the faucet, so that you get rid of any dust, debris, or bacteria that may have remained on its leaves. Another way to do it is to soak the dill in a bowl filled with clean water for a few minutes. Not only will you wash the herb, but you will also remove nitrates (in case there are any).
• Then, tap the leaves and stems using a paper towel. Leave them on a dish drying rack to dry completely. Otherwise, the unnecessary water will freeze as well.

• As soon as the dill leaves are dry, start chopping them. Chop them thinly. I actually recommend you don’t throw away the stems. They are as nutritious and tasty as the leaves.
• Once you are done with the chopping, it’s time to transfer the dill to a freezing bag. You may do it using a knife, a spoon, or your hands. I use a knife, as dill leaves tend to stick to wet hands (mine are always wet when I’m working in the kitchen).

• Once you’ve filled the freezer bag to about 2/3 or with as much dill as you’ve got, lay the bag flat, spread the dill flat and roll the bag with your fingers to squeeze the air out. Then close the freezer bag tightly.
• Place the bag in the freezer and in 4-5 hours your frozen dill will be ready. Whenever you need some for a dish, just open the bag and take out as much as you want using a spoon.
• You can store the frozen dill leaves for 3-6 months.

2. Freeze Chopped Frozen Dill In Ice Cube Trays With Oil

And if you wonder whether there is another easy way to freeze dill, wonder no more! The second step-by-step guide I am sharing with you is on how to freeze dill in oil. The result will look like mini herb butter chunks! Here’s what you need to do:

• Again, look through your bunch of dill and remove the old stems, if there are any. Wash the dill under running water thoroughly or soak the herb in a bowl filled with clean water for as long as 10 minutes.
• Then, tap the leaves and stems using a paper towel and leave them on a rack to dry completely.
• As soon as the dill leaves are dry, chop them thinly.
• The next step is to portion the chopped dill into ice cube trays. I recommend using silicone trays, as it’s easier to pop out the frozen dill cubes. To fill the ice cube trays, I find using a teaspoon is an easy way to avoid messes (as much as possible).
• Now that your chopped dill is in the ice cube tray, pour some olive oil to cover the dill is completely.
• Put the ice cube trays in the freezer and leave them there for at least 3 hours or until completely frozen.

• Once frozen, pop out the dill cubes and transfer them into freezer bags.
• Place the freezer bag in the freezer and store for 3-6 months.
• When it’s time to cook, grab a cube from the freezer, turn on the heat and let it melt for a few seconds – you can also use it on the stove or in the oven.

How to Use Frozen Dill in Recipes

Although frozen dill has a different texture from fresh one, you can still use it in a variety of dishes. Whether you are craving salad, soup, or stew, dill’s invigorating fragrance will be more than welcome. It also goes really well in pasta, with chicken, fish, seafood or cooked vegetables!

Here are some great recipes that will work with frozen dill as well:

• 15-Minute Garlic Shrimp In Tomato Sauce
• 10-Minute Healthy Chicken Pasta
• Spicy Garlic Shrimp

Yield: 1

How To Freeze Dill

Learn how to freeze dill and dill leaves for months! Here you’ll find two methods that will make freezing dill and easy and fun task. That’s right, fun.

Prep Time5 minutes

Total Time5 minutes

Ingredients

• a bunch dill

Instructions

1. Look through the bunch of dill you’ve got and remove any yellowish and older-looking stems. We want to preserve only the good ones.
2. Next, wash the dill thoroughly or soak it in a bowl filled with clean water for a few minutes. Not only will you wash the herb, but you will also remove nitrates (in case there are any).
3. Then, tap the leaves and stems using a paper towel. Leave them on a dish drying rack to dry completely. Otherwise, the unnecessary water will freeze as well.
4. As soon as the dill leaves are dry chop them thinly. Keep the stems as well!
5. Once you are done with the chopping, it’s time to transfer the chopped dill to a freezing bag. You may do it using a knife, a spoon, or your hands. I use a knife, as dill leaves tend to stick to wet hands (mine are always wet when I’m working in the kitchen).
6. Once you’ve filled the freezer bag to about 2/3 or with as much dill as you’ve got, lay the bag flat, spread the dill flat and roll the bag with your fingers to squeeze the air out. Then close the freezer bag tightly.
7. Place the bag in the freezer and in 4-5 hours your frozen dill will be ready. Whenever you need some for a dish, just open the bag and take out as much as you want using a spoon.
8. If you want to freeze dill in oil, then fill a silicone ice cube tray with the chopped dill, then cover the dill with olive oil (or other oil of choice) and freeze for 3 hours. Once frozen, pop out the cubes and transfer them to freezer bags.
9. You can store the frozen dill for 3-6 months.