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Can You Freeze Sage?

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By Ross Young

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A little sage goes a long way. You certainly don’t need a bunch of it to add flavour to a dish. But therein lies the problem. When you need sage, you buy a packet from the supermarket but find you only need a leaf or two. So, what can you do with the bunch that’s leftover?

Can You Freeze Sage?

Yes, you can freeze sage for up to 6 months. You can either freeze whole sage leaves or you can slice sage leaves up and freeze them in ice cubes.

Does Sage Freeze Well? Yes

Can You Refreeze Sage? No

How to Freeze Sage

When freezing sage, you have two options. You can either freeze whole leaves in a bag, or you can freeze sage ice cubes: 

How to Freeze Sage Leaves

This is a quick way to freeze sage but is not our preferred method. If, however, you like to keep your sage leaves whole, then this is the method for you:

  1. Pick Leaves: Pick your sage leaves, making sure to remove any damaged ones.
  2. Bag Up and Freeze: Once you have got your leaves, toss them into a zip lock bag and place them in the freezer.

That’s all there is to it. You need to remove leaves as and when you need them.

How to Freeze Sage in Ice Cubes

This is our preferred method for freezing sage (and most herbs for that matter). Not only does it make it super easy to store and use, but by submerging your sage in the water, you reduce the risk of flavour loss and freezer burn:

  1. Pick Leaves: First, pick your safe leaves from their stalks. Make sure you discard any dodgy-looking leaves as you only want to freeze the best quality leaves here.
  2. Clean: Once you have your leaves, give them a good wash. You don’t need to dry them as you’ll be submerging them in the water anyways.
  3. Slice: Roll your sage leaves up into cigars and then slice finely along the length.
  4. Add to an Ice Cube Tray: Take an ice cube tray and add a tablespoon or two of sage into each slot. Cover with water, then place in the freezer.
  5. Final Freeze: Once frozen solid, remove the ice cubes from the tray and place them in a zip lock bag as this is a far more efficient way of storing the ice cubes and frees up the tray to use for another item.

You can also try freezing your own herb mixes in the form of a bouquet garni. Check out how we do that with our thyme freezing guide here.

3 Tips for Freezing Sage

Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing sage to have the best results:

Create Herb Mixes
Don’t stick to sage only. You can mix sage with other herbs such as rosemary and thyme to create frozen bouquet garni.

Freeze Whole Leaves in Ice Cubes
This is more for aesthetics, but it works really well for adding into a drink. Freeze single, whole leaves and water in an ice cube tray. 

Make Sage Butter
Flavoured butter works well in the freezer. Mix softened butter with sage (and other herbs if you fancy), then roll into a sausage shape and wrap in cling film. When you want to add sage flavouring to your cooking, slice a ring of butter off and add it to your dish.

How Long Can You Freeze Sage?

Sage will keep in the freezer for 6 months before losing any of its flavours. We would always recommend labelling items in the freezer to ensure you know when they need to be used. 

How Long Does Sage Last in the Fridge?

Sage will keep for around 10 days in the fridge when wrapped in a kitchen towel. You’ll find that after 10 days, the leaves begin to wilt and lose their strong flavour.

How Do You Defrost Sage?

We would highly recommend going down the route of using an ice cube tray. The reason being that you can throw the ice cube straight into a stew or soup to get an instant sage hit without the need to defrost.

If you need it without the water, just place the ice cube in a sieve and run under warm water until it melts away, leaving you with fragrant sage leaves that can be pressed into pork chops.

Can You Refreeze Sage?

Refreezing sage is likely to be safe. However, we would still advise against doing so as the flavour can degrade rapidly.

There’s only one reason you’re using sage, and that is for the flavour. If it has no flavour, then there is no point in having it to hand. 

Does Sage Freeze Well?

Whole, fresh sage leaves are always going to be superior, especially if you’re able to pick them from your own garden.

If, however, you want to give your dishes a hit of sage flavour, then you’ll struggle to tell the difference, especially if you use our ice cube method above.

Related FAQs

If you’ve still got questions about freezing sage or sage in general, then these may help:

Can You Freeze Pineapple Sage?

All varieties of sage can be frozen, including purple sage and pineapple sage. The method for doing so is no different from the one outlined in this article. 

Can You Freeze Whole Sage Leaves?

Yes, sage leaves can be frozen whole in a freezer bag, but they will become a little mushy once defrosted. They will still be packed full of flavour, though!

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