Thyme is one of the herbs I use most often in cooking and fresh thyme is very easy to store.
3 ways to store thyme
There are 3 ways you can store thyme and keep the fresh taste:
- In a fridge – For a few weeks
- In a freezer – For a few months (or longer)
- Or dried – Much longer but a bit less flavour
Taking them in turn:
How to store fresh Thyme
Option 1 – Store thyme in a fridge
This is probably the method used most often – and great if you only have a little amount of thyme left over.
There are 3 ways you can store thyme in a fridge:
Option 1a – In a sealed container
All you do is put the thyme in a sealed container and into the fridge. Even using as simple a method as this will keep it fresh for a couple of weeks.
Option 1B – In a resealable plastic bag
To keep it longer simply place the thyme in a damp paper towel and into a resealable plastic bag. However do make sure you replace the damp paper towel every 2 to 3 days, as there is a danger it might go mouldy
Option 1C – With the stems in water
Very similar to the way you keep cut flowers fresh, you can use the same method with thyme. (As shown in the picture)
Just make sure when you leave it in the fridge to keep the stems in water and replace the water on a regular basis.
Option 2 – Store fresh thyme in a freezer
This is my preferred option by a long way as it’s a very easy way to store large quantities of thyme, and still keep the fresh flavour.
I tend to grow 3 different types of thyme:
- French thyme – great for stews, soups, meat and fish dishes.
- Lemon thyme – for chicken and fish dishes.
- Orange thyme – for duck, dessert & carrot recipes.
The advantage of storing all 3 types in a freezer is that you can simply use the right type of thyme when you are cooking your meal.
Ingredients
- Minimum of 1 bunch of thyme
- Some fresh water (optional)
Equipment
- Freezer bag
- Paper towel
- Sieve (optional)
- Ice cube tray (optional)
Instructions
Option 2a – Quick & Easy
- Wash the thyme
- Dry the thyme using the paper towel
- Put the sprigs into a sealed container and freeze
Option 2b – Make thyme ice cubes
- Wash the thyme
- Remove the thyme leaves
- (Easiest option is to use a sieve – see video)
- Put the leaves in an ice cube tray
- Add water
- Freeze
Video
Option 3 – Dry thyme
When you dry thyme it will keep most of the flavour – but not as good as freezing it.
Yes, you can dry thyme in an oven but the 2 most effective options for keeping the best flavour are:
.
Option 3a – Food dehydrator
By far and away the best option for drying thyme is to use a food dehydator – like the one shown on the right, (Available on Amazon )
It will take about 1 to 3 hours to dry, but the key advantage is:
- Very easy to use
- Maintains most of the flavour
- Store dried thyme for a long time (at ambient) temperature.
Option 3b – Microwave
If you don’t have much time then it’s very easy to dry thyme in your microwave. All you do is
- Place a single layer of paper towels in the microwave
- Add some thyme sprigs
- Heat on high for about 30 seconds
- Turn the sprigs and repeat in 30 second intervals
- Until the leaves are dry and crumbly
- Store in a sealed jar
The picture only shows a few sprigs of thyme in a microwave, you can add a lot more.
How to store fresh thyme in the freezer
Equipment
- Sieve
- Ice cube tray
- Large bowl (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 Sprig Fresh Thyme French, Lemon or Orange
- 50 ml Water
Instructions
- Wash the thyme
- Remove the thyme leaves
- Put the leaves in an ice cube tray
- Add water
- Freeze for 12 to 24 hours
Video
Notes
Why grow your own Thyme?
If you go into most supermarkets you will probably be able to find a bag of ‘fresh’ thyme.
When you are cooking fresh herbs tend to make a real difference to the results. Herbs are really easy to grow at home and many of them grow really fast.
But there are 3 main advantages of growing your own thyme:
- It will be fresher with more taste (even the ‘fresh’ thyme in supermarkets will be at least 1 day old)
- You can grow thyme varieties (like orange or lemon thyme) not available in most shops
- You will save money
Growing thyme is very easy to do at home – more details in our article on how to grow thyme indoors
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