Have you ever had trouble keeping fresh herbs fresh? Do your cilantro and parsley go wilty, limpy, or dry after a few days?
Several years ago my mother taught me this super easy trick, which really works, and keeps fresh herbs fresh and useable for up to a couple of weeks. The trick involves the clever use of a plastic bag.
Now, I don’t know why this works. It just does.
How to Store Parsley, Cilantro, and Other Fresh Herbs
PrintMethod
1 Snip off the bottom of the stems.
2 Make sure the leaves are completely dry. Better to hold off rinsing them until you're about to use them.
3 Fill a jar or a water glass partially with water and place the stem ends of the herbs into the water in the jar.
4 If you are storing the herbs in the refrigerator, cover loosely with a plastic bag. Cilantro loves cool temperatures and should be stored in the refrigerator. Parsley can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. According to Harold McGee
5 Change the water after several days if the water starts to discolor.
Fresh parsley, cilantro, basil, and other fresh herbs can last up to 2 weeks or longer when stored this way.
Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to How to Store Parsley, Cilantro, and Other Fresh Herbs on Simply Recipes. Thank you!
PrintProducts We Love
This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.
If you make this recipe, snap a pic and hashtag it #simplyrecipes — We love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter!
Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
Your comment may need to be approved before it will appear on the site. Thanks for waiting. First time commenting? Please review the Comment Policy.
I’ve got what seems like a stupid question, but I’ve read most of these posts and it still remains: When I purchase these herbs from the grocery (and they are super expensive, yes), they last at least 2 weeks, sometimes more. I just put them in the fridge as is. And it’s true that I end up wasting some.
But why would I want to go through the trouble to do this if I don’t get any extra time out of it? What am I missing here?
We store basil in water and plastic at room temperature. It turns black in the refrigerator.
Live in an apartment….. often get fresh cut herbs from friends but the cuttings are too short to put in water as you suggest, any ideas?
This method is great my cilantro stayed fresh and smell the same as when I brought
it.
xxxxxyyyyy
It’s great. Sometimes when I buy cilantro and put in the refrigerator the next it wilt. After reading your instructions, I will try this method. Thank you , Ann