How to Keep Cilantro Fresh

Jodi Torpey, contributor

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Experiment 1 tested how long cilantro would stay fresh when placed in water and left on the counter.

Jodi Torpey

Experiment 2 tested how long cilantro would stay fresh when placed in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Jodi Torpey

Experiment 3 tested how long cilantro would stay fresh when placed in water, covered, and refrigerated.

Jodi Torpey

Experiment 1 tested how long cilantro would stay fresh when placed in water and left on the counter.

Photo: Jodi Torpey

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I have a love-hate relationship with cilantro.

I love to use it in my cooking, but I hate for it to go to waste. That’s what spurred me to find the best way to keep cilantro garden fresh for several weeks.

The broad lower leaves of the coriander plant are known as "cilantro." Cilantro is typically sold in bundles of fresh leaves and stems or grown in the garden. I use cilantro in all kinds of recipes from Mexican cuisine to Southwestern recipes. It’s also a main ingredient in Middle Eastern and Asian cooking, too.

The problem I’ve always had with this slightly pungent herb is the fresh leaves don't stay fresh for long and can turn mushy when stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Even though cilantro is inexpensive to buy at the grocery store and easy to grow in the garden, I was tired of having to toss it on the compost pile instead of on top of a salad.

I decided to conduct a simple experiment to see if I could find the best way to keep cilantro fresh for more than a week or two. I bought one bunch of cilantro and divided it into three smaller bundles.

Experiment 1: The first bundle of cilantro was placed in a small jar of water and left on the counter, similar to the way I keep sprigs of basil fresh.

Experiment 2: The second bundle was placed in a small jar of water, covered with a plastic sandwich bag and placed in the refrigerator.

Experiment 3: The third bundle was trimmed and placed in a plastic container with an airtight lid.

Then I waited to see which bunch of cilantro would stay the freshest for the longest amount of time. I checked on each of the containers every few days and made sure there was plenty of water in the two jars.

Here’s what I discovered:

The cilantro in the jar of water on the counter (Experiment 1) was the first to go. It lasted just over 7 days. This is a fewer number of days than when stored in a plastic bag in the fridge.

The cilantro in the plastic container (Experiment 3) lasted about 10 days longer than Experiment 1. The leaves didn’t get mushy, but they did start to turn an unappetizing color.

Experiment 2 was the clear winner. The cilantro stems placed in water, covered and refrigerated remained fresh for just over four weeks.

Do you have a special method for keeping cilantro or other herbs fresh in your kitchen? Please share your tips here.

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Comments (7)

JustPlayDolls writes: Clean the fresh herbs; chop them into single portions in an ice cube tray with olive oil; freeze; pop the herb cubes into a ziplock bag. :)

Works with all fresh herbs.
Posted: 1:16 pm on March 21st

SirGawain99 writes: I've stored fresh coriander in the freezer for many months at a time. Once thawed, it is still attractive and tasty, but the nose is less pungent, and it deteriorates quite fast. It needs to be thawed at the last minute before serving.

My method involves rinsing the cut stems, then removing as much water as possible in a salad spinner. I place them in a plastic bag and remove all of the air. I have a small vacuum pump, but this can be accomplished quite well with your mouth via a drinking straw. Once the bag has collapsed as far as possible, I twist the end and knot it tightly. One of those commercial vacuum sealers would probably work best.

It's important to plunge the package into the coldest part of your freezer, and leave it closed for a few hours to freeze the coriander as fast as possible. Slow freezing allows large water crystals to form, which split the food fibres and cause it to go limp when thawed.
Posted: 5:16 am on March 15th

Sandy1976 writes: I also tried many was keeping this delicate herb fresh for longer time. Finally I too found a way to stay them fresh for about three weeks. The moment I come back from the vegetable market I pick any dried or mushy cilantro. Place them on the kitchen towel under and above the cilantro inin such a way that all the moisture get dried up and then put it in the plastic wrap or container with breathing valve or holes in the box I never put them in air tight box it stays fresh for 3-4 weeks
Posted: 11:40 pm on November 1st

jdanko writes: I found that if I put the entire bundle in a ziploc bag and placed it in the freezer, it keeps it fresh. It thaws in your hand when you want to use it.
Posted: 2:42 pm on August 14th

mlgrant writes: Hi Jodi, I am in rural Victoria Australia we call it corriander here I am not too sure about freezing the leaves and stems as they tend to go soggy,I have frozen the roots though and they went well.I like to use them in curry paste and curries. The best and most successful way I have found to store this herb is by making sure it is fairly dry and then wrapping it in paper towel so it is enclosed completely using a few sheets and then placing in an airtight plastic bag or container .Then change the towel every few days or when using ,this keeps the corriander in great condition for about 2 weeks that is as long as ive kept it because I have usually used the entire bunch by then anyway. Cheers and happy gardening :)
Posted: 6:34 am on July 28th

WesternGardener writes: Thanks for the great suggestion! I hadn't thought about freezing cilantro, but will certainly try it with the next bunch I buy.

--Jodi
Posted: 5:31 pm on May 11th

sunnywonder writes: Hello Jodi,

I'm from Berlin Germany, where you can buy all this asian herbs everywhere. But I hate waste too and I love to have cilantro on the hand for "Guacamole" at any time. Sometimes I make it late at night. So in my opinion the best thing to store it long times is, to deep freeze it. You can easy pick some frozen leaves that you need and give it still frozen to your meals.
I think the taste is fine and not really different in quality from fresh herbs.

Posted: 3:30 am on May 11th

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