How to Store Rosemary: Fridge, Freezer and Drying

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is a woody member of the mint family.¹ For storage, that woodiness matters: America’s Test Kitchen classes rosemary as a hearty herb,² and hearty herbs are stored differently from soft ones like parsley and mint. Rosemary is also one of the herbs that dries well,³ so drying is a good option rather than a last resort. Below is what named sources say, with their scope. The “fresh for up to three weeks” home figure that circulates could not be traced.

At a glance

Question	Short answer
Refrigerator method	Keep it dry: in its original package or an open zipper-lock bag, refrigerated.²
How long in the fridge	Up to five days for fresh herbs in general, per the Government of Canada.⁴ Commercial storage at 0°C (32°F) can reach 3 weeks.⁵
Ethylene	UC Davis lists rosemary as minimally affected or unaffected.⁵
Freezer	Can be frozen on the stem.⁶ Use it in cooked dishes; thawed herbs go limp.⁶
Drying	One of the easiest herbs to air-dry.⁷ Low temperatures keep more aroma.⁸⁹
Dried rosemary, how long	1 year to 1 to 3 years, depending on the source; McCormick names rosemary in its 1 to 3 year group.¹⁰
Rosemary in oil	Refrigerate and use within 4 days, or freeze.¹¹

Keeping fresh rosemary in the refrigerator

America’s Test Kitchen explains that hearty herbs are adapted to dry conditions and take in moisture through their leaves, so it is important to keep them dry.² Its storage method for hearty herbs is simple: leave them in their original packaging or put them in an open zipper-lock bag, and refrigerate.² That is different from the damp paper towel method often recommended for rosemary, which is ATK’s method for delicate herbs, not hearty ones.² In the same guide, a slim herb keeper with a vented lid kept herbs fresh longer than the other containers ATK tested.²

The Government of Canada’s general advice for fresh herbs is to store them unwashed, trim the stalk ends, put them in a resealable plastic bag and keep them in the crisper for up to five days, then rinse them under cool running water when you use them.⁴ ATK adds that hearty herbs do not hold much grit and only need a quick rinse if they are dusty.²

Ethylene. UC Davis’s postharvest fact sheet on fresh culinary herbs says some herbs, including mint and parsley, are very sensitive to ethylene, while others, rosemary among them, are minimally affected or do not respond at all.⁵

How long it lasts.

Source	Scope	Figure
Government of Canada⁴	Fresh herbs in general, home crisper drawer	up to 5 days
UC Davis Postharvest Center⁵	Most fresh herbs in commercial storage, above 95% humidity	3 weeks at 0°C (32°F); 2 weeks at 5°C (41°F)

These measure different things: commercial storage just above freezing at very high humidity,⁵ against a home food-safety rule of thumb.⁴ Neither tested rosemary on its own. UC Davis also notes that herbs generally lose essential oil and aroma during storage.⁵

Freezing rosemary

Penn State Extension says rosemary, like thyme, can be frozen on the stem.⁶ Its general methods for herbs:

Sprigs or leaves on a tray. Spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze, then move them to a freezer bag so you can take out only what you need.⁶
Ice cubes. Half-fill an ice cube tray with water, put about a tablespoon of chopped herbs in each section, freeze, and top up with water the next day.⁶
In oil. Mix 1/3 to 1/2 cup of oil with 2 cups of chopped herbs and freeze in trays or small jars.⁶ Penn State says oil should only be added if the herbs will be frozen, and herbs in oil should never be kept at room temperature.⁶

Rinse and dry the herbs gently before freezing.⁶ Use frozen herbs in the same amounts as fresh and add them to cooked dishes without thawing.⁶ Freezing makes the water in the leaves expand, so they are limp when thawed and generally not attractive as garnishes.⁶ The freezing time on the tray is not given by Penn State, and we found no published figure for how long frozen rosemary keeps its flavor. More detail is in can you freeze rosemary?

Drying rosemary

What drying costs you. Drying temperature makes a measurable difference to rosemary’s aroma. In a 2001 study, leaves dried in normal air at 50°C (122°F) lost their linalool, and borneol, camphor, eucalyptol and alpha-pinene fell below fresh levels; leaves dried in dried air at 30°C (86°F) kept all the characteristic compounds close to fresh.⁸ A 2007 study of Sardinian rosemary and thyme found losses of volatile compounds depended directly on drying temperature and time, and for rosemary, drying at 38°C (100°F) with low air flow prevented the loss.⁹ Both point the same way: low and slow keeps more of rosemary’s aroma.

Air-drying. NCHFP names rosemary, with sage, thyme, summer savory and parsley, as one of the sturdy herbs that are easiest to dry without a dehydrator: tie them into small bundles and hang them.⁷ Penn State asks for a dry spot with good air circulation, away from the sink, stove or dishwasher, and suggests a paper bag with holes punched in it to keep dust off.¹²

Dehydrator.

Source	Setting	Time
NCHFP⁷	Preheat to 95°F to 115°F; as high as 125°F in humid areas	1 to 4 hours
Penn State¹²	95°F to 110°F	not given

A commonly quoted starting setting of 90°F is below both ranges. The low end of these ranges, 95°F, is 35°C, close to the 30°C and 38°C conditions that kept rosemary’s aroma in the studies above.

Oven. NCHFP describes drying herbs in a very cool oven, and says the oven light of an electric range or the pilot light of a gas range gives enough heat for overnight drying.⁷ Penn State does not recommend oven drying, saying even the lowest temperature destroys much of the flavor; if you do it, no higher than 180°F (82°C), for 3 to 4 hours, door open.¹² We found no source for drying rosemary at a 125°F oven setting or for a drying time of “a couple of days”.

Microwave. ATK’s method for hearty herbs: a single layer between two paper towels, 1 to 3 minutes on high, until the leaves are brittle and fall easily from the stems.² Penn State’s general method is to start with 1 minute, mix every 30 seconds and keep checking, about 2 to 3 minutes per cup.¹² Penn State warns that the paper towels can catch fire if there is too little in the oven, and that a microwave of 1,000 watts or more may heat too fast.¹² Neither drying study above tested a microwave.

Done when. NCHFP: herbs are dry when they crumble and the stems break when bent.⁷ More detail is in how to dry rosemary.

Storing dried rosemary

Store it in airtight containers in a cool, dry, dark place.⁷ Keep the needles whole and crush them as you cook: Penn State says whole herbs hold their oils and flavor longer.¹² Air, light, moisture and heat all speed flavor and color loss.¹³ If you keep dried herbs in the fridge or freezer, let the container warm before opening, since condensation can form when a cold container meets a warm kitchen.¹²

Source	What it covers	Figure
UC Cooperative Extension, 2002¹³	Ground spices and dried herbs, home storage	1 year
America’s Test Kitchen¹⁴	Ground spices and dried herbs	1 year
Penn State Extension¹⁵	Most dried herbs	about 1 year
McCormick¹⁰	Leafy herbs “such as basil, oregano, rosemary” and most blends; a spice company’s own guidance	1 to 3 years

McCormick is the only one that names rosemary, and it is a spice company’s guidance for its own kind of product, not a measurement. We have not averaged these. McCormick defines shelf life as the time spices stay most aromatic,¹⁰ so these are quality windows, not safety dates. To check, crumble a little and smell it.¹⁴

Using dried rosemary. ATK found dried rosemary held up reasonably well in recipes with fairly long cooking times, more than 20 minutes, and a good amount of liquid,¹⁶ and that 1 part dried to 3 parts fresh came closest in flavor.¹⁶ See dried rosemary vs fresh.

Rosemary in oil

Rosemary-infused oil is a common kitchen project, and it carries a botulism risk. Oregon State University Extension explains that herbs are low-acid foods that can carry Clostridium botulinum, and that oil creates an oxygen-free environment.¹¹ For fresh herbs in oil made at home, it says refrigerate and use within 4 days, or freeze.¹¹ Penn State gives 2 to 4 days refrigerated for oils made with fresh herbs.¹⁷ For oils made with dried herbs, the two disagree:

Source	Dried herbs in oil
Oregon State University Extension¹¹	Must be refrigerated and used within 4 days, or frozen
Penn State Extension¹⁷	Refrigerate for up to three months

We have not picked between them. The Oregon State rule is the more cautious.

Not yet measured

How long fresh rosemary keeps in a home refrigerator, measured on rosemary.
Whether damp towels or a dry bag keeps rosemary longer at home (ATK’s advice is to keep hearty herbs dry, but we found no published head-to-head test on rosemary).
How long frozen rosemary keeps its flavor.
A shelf life for dried rosemary measured on rosemary.

Salvia rosmarinus Spenn., Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. powo.science.kew.org · Reference work ↩
Liz Bomze, “Our Guide to Fresh Herbs”, America’s Test Kitchen, 2019. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸
Danielle Lapierre, “When You Should Actually Use Dried Herbs (and Which Ones to Avoid)”, America’s Test Kitchen, 2022. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩
“Food safety tips for fresh herbs”, Government of Canada (copy hosted by UC ANR). oc4h.ucanr.edu · Regulator ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
Cantwell and Reid, “Herbs (Fresh Culinary)”, UC Davis Postharvest Research and Extension Center. postharvest.ucdavis.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶
Martha Zepp, “Freezing Herbs”, Penn State Extension, 2025. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰
“Herbs” (drying), National Center for Home Food Preservation, University of Georgia. nchfp.uga.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶
Di Cesare et al., “Study of the volatile composition of the raw and dried rosemary”, Industrie Alimentari, 2001 (abstract). agris.fao.org · Peer-reviewed ↩ ↩²
Piga et al., “Influence of Different Drying Parameters on the Composition of Volatile Compounds of Thyme and Rosemary Cultivated in Sardinia”, 2007. iris.uniss.it · Peer-reviewed ↩ ↩²
How Long Do Spices Last?, McCormick. mccormick.com · Merchant ↩ ↩² ↩³
Raab and Woodburn, “Herbs and vegetables in oil” (SP 50-701), Oregon State University Extension Service, 2025. extension.oregonstate.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
Hirneisen, Zepp and LaBorde, “Let’s Preserve: Drying Herbs”, Penn State Extension, 2023. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷
Add a Little Spice to Your Life! Part II, University of California Cooperative Extension. ucanr.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩²
Keeping Spices and Dried Herbs Fresher Longer, America’s Test Kitchen. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩²
Stacy Reed, “Preserving Herbs by Drying”, Penn State Extension, 2024. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩
“Science: Substituting Dried Herbs for Fresh”, America’s Test Kitchen. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩²
Martha Zepp, “How to Safely Make Infused Oils”, Penn State Extension (copy hosted by UC ANR). ccfruitandnuts.ucanr.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩²

How to Store Rosemary: Fridge, Freezer and Drying, Checked Against the Sources