Can You Freeze Mint? Leaves, Ice Cubes and Storage

Yes. Penn State Extension names mint among the herbs that freeze well, and SDSU Extension includes it in its list of herbs you can freeze.¹² Frozen mint can be used in the same amounts as fresh, but like any frozen herb it goes limp when thawed, so it suits cooked dishes better than garnishes.¹² Mint also dries well, so freezing is not the only way to keep it.³

At a glance

Question	Short answer
Does mint freeze?	Yes; Penn State and SDSU Extension both list it.¹²
Methods	Loose leaves on a tray, or chopped leaves in ice cubes.¹²⁴
How long?	SDSU: frozen herbs are good for up to six months.²
Thaw first?	No, for cooked dishes.¹⁴
Garnish or salad?	Use fresh; frozen herbs are limp when thawed.¹
Freeze or dry?	Either. Mint is one of UMass Extension’s best herbs for air drying.³

Two ways to freeze mint

Rinse the leaves in clear water and pat them dry first.¹⁴

1. Loose leaves. Penn State strips the leaves off the stems, spreads them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freezes them, then bags them; because each leaf froze on its own, you can take out just what you need.¹ SDSU gives about one to two hours on the tray, until frozen solid.²

2. Ice cubes. Oklahoma State puts about a tablespoon of chopped herbs in each section of an ice cube tray and adds water; SDSU fills the tray half full of water and adds a tablespoon of herbs.⁴² Once frozen, move the cubes to a labeled, dated freezer bag.⁴

Herb cubes can also be made with oil; SDSU mixes two cups of herbs with 1/3 cup of oil.² If you do, keep them frozen. Herbs in oil can support botulinum toxin production, and a 2011 review in Food Protection Trends calls freezing the safest way to store them, with refrigerated mixtures used within 4 days.⁵ SDSU says never to keep herbs in oil at room temperature.²

Mint has a strong smell. Penn State suggests wrapping strong-smelling frozen herbs in foil so their odor does not move into other foods.¹

How long frozen mint keeps

Source	Scope	Figure
SDSU Extension²	Frozen herbs in general, airtight	Up to six months
Penn State and Oklahoma State Extension¹⁴	Frozen herbs	No time given; label and date

We found no mint-specific freezer figure. A claim that frozen mint lasts three years circulates online; we found no source for it. It would be safe to eat, though: USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says food kept constantly at 0°F will always be safe and that only quality suffers with long storage.⁶ How much flavor mint keeps after that long is another matter; we found no measurement.

Using frozen mint

In cooked dishes, add it frozen. Penn State and Oklahoma State both say not to thaw herbs before adding them to cooked dishes.¹⁴
Same amount as fresh.¹
In drinks, mint cubes can stand in for plain ice in iced tea or lemonade (editorial). Expect the drink to dilute as they melt, as with any ice.
For blending or muddling, thawed mint works because the texture no longer matters (editorial).
Not for garnish. Frozen herbs are limp when thawed; SDSU recommends using them in cooked dishes.²
Refreezing. A common rule says never to refreeze thawed mint. FSIS says food thawed in the refrigerator is safe to refreeze without cooking, though it may lose some quality from moisture lost in thawing.⁶ Freezing in small portions means you rarely face the question.

Drying mint instead

Mint takes well to drying: UMass Extension lists it first among the best culinary herbs for air drying, and says air-dried herbs keep their fragrance, taste and color for about a year.³ Penn State likewise says most dried herbs keep well for a year, and that storing them whole is preferred.⁷ UMass stores dried leaves in glass jars away from light.³ For methods, see how to dry mint.

A common tip is to dry mint and then freeze the dried leaves to make them last longer still. We found no source that recommends or tests this. UMass stores dried herbs in airtight containers in a cool, dry place, away from light, not in the freezer.³

Not yet measured

How long frozen mint keeps its aroma, measured on mint rather than herbs in general.
Whether spearmint, peppermint and other mints freeze differently. No source we found compares them.
Whether freezing dried mint extends its life.

Freezing Herbs, Penn State Extension. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²
Preserving Herbs, South Dakota State University Extension. extension.sdstate.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹
Jodie Gilson, Herb Preservation, UMass Amherst Extension. umass.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵
Freezing Herbs, Oklahoma State University Extension. extension.okstate.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷
Nummer, Schaffner, Fraser and Andress, Current Food Safety Issues of Home-prepared Vegetables and Herbs Stored in Oil, Food Protection Trends, 2011. foodprotection.org · Peer-reviewed ↩
Freezing and Food Safety, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. fsis.usda.gov · Regulator ↩ ↩²
Stacy Reed, Preserving Herbs by Drying, Penn State Extension. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩

Can You Freeze Mint? Leaves, Ice Cubes and When to Dry It Instead