real estate adviser: My Favorite Ways to Use Up Leftover Fresh Herbs

Victoria Heydt,
Editorial Project Manager

We've all been there before: found a delicious recipe that calls for fresh herbs, bought a bunch, then proceeded to use only a fraction of it, leaving the rest to wither away to an unseemly death in the cold depths of the crisper drawer.

Well, not this year, my friends. Not this year. In 2022, a tiny habit I'm making an effort to develop and keep is to no longer let those beautiful greens go to waste. No more wilted cilantro, parsley, or mint. No more browned rosemary. No. More.

What can you do instead? Here are a few ideas to help use up those fresh herbs:

•	Freeze Them: You can freeze fresh herbs, like cilantro, either whole or in ice cubes.
•	Dry Them: There are plenty of ways to dry your fresh herbs: air drying, microwave drying, oven drying, or dehydrating.
•	Infuse Them in Spirits: Try your hand at infusing them into spirits. I have my eye on our Lavender-Rosemary Infused Vodka recipe.
•	Use Them in Cocktails: Add a bright, earthy flavor profile to your cocktails or use them as fun garnishes. (Guess who's going to try their hand at smoking rosemary?! Hint: It's me!)
•	Infuse in Oil: Infuse them in oil for a lovely flavor boost when cooking day-to-day foods.
•	Make Butter: Chop up those herbs and create your own compound butter. (I did just this for our filet mignon recipe, and I still have dreams about it.)
•	Make Salt: Make a flavored salt to give an extra boost to your recipes.
•	Make Bread: If you, like me, found yourself making a lot of bread in 2021, then you already have all of the ingredients to make this delicious rosemary focaccia bread.
•	Make Pesto: Put your leftover basil to use in our classic pesto recipe. Delish!
•	Make a Salad Dressing: Take 5 minutes to whip up our bright and flavorful lemon vinaigrette with leftover parsley.

The best tip I can provide is to be proactive. When planning your meals for the upcoming week/s, be mindful to select a few recipes that use the same herbs. That way, you cross-utilize ingredients and reduce food waste.

What are your go-to tips and tricks for using up leftover fresh herbs? Let us know on Facebook and Instagram @thespruceeats.

Victoria Heydt
Editorial Project Manager, The Spruce Eats