6 Simple Ways to Preserve Fresh Parsley to Use Year Round

Reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward

Last Updated: November 19, 2023

Parsley is a versatile herb that tastes best when it is fresh, but it can also be preserved for later use. It is commonly used in French and Italian cuisine, and can be used in a range of dishes, including fish, chicken, pasta, and vegetables. It also can be used as a garnish or tea or to aid digestion and bladder issues, and is high in vitamin K, vitamin C, and folic acid. Some have even reported brewing strong parsley tea to use as a hair rinse to get rid of head lice.

Method 1

Method 1 of 6:

Refrigerating Parsley

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Gather parsley before the first flowers start to open, and gather it in the morning after the dew has dried. It will have maximum flavor at this time of day; the heat of the afternoon will diminish the parsley's flavor. Alternately, purchase fresh parsley at a grocery store. Choose bright green bunches of parsley that look nice and smell fresh. Don't pick parsley that is shriveled, brown, moldy, or is dried out. Carefully cut the parsley with stems still attached, and be careful to not bruise the leaves.
Use cold water to rinse, and then shake the parsley gently to remove excess water from the leaves. This will remove any residual dirt, as well as any bugs that crawled into your parsley.

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Alternatively, leave the parsley sprigs whole.
Place the parsley on the top shelf, keeping it away from any foods that might drip on the parsley.
5
Gently toss the parsley every day. Tossing the parsley will ensure that it will dry evenly on all sides. Within 2-3 days, the parsley should be dry and will retain its bright green color.
- If you dry entire stems of parsley, drying time might take up to a week.^{[1]
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  Research source}
Store it in a cool, dry place.

Method 2

Method 2 of 6:

Blanching and Freezing Parsley

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Gather parsley before the first flowers start to open, and gather it in the morning after the dew has dried. It will have maximum flavor at this time of day; the heat of the afternoon will diminish the parsley's flavor. Alternately, purchase fresh parsley at a grocery store. Choose bright green bunches of parsley that look nice and smell fresh. Don't pick parsley that is shriveled, brown, moldy, or is dried out. Carefully cut the parsley with stems still attached, and be careful to not bruise the leaves.
Use cold water to rinse, and then shake the parsley gently to remove excess water from the leaves. This will remove any residual dirt, as well as any bugs that crawled into your parsley.
3
Blanch the parsley in boiling water. Blanching is a method that scalds herbs, vegetables or fruit so that their color and flavor will last when they are preserved.^{[2]
X
Research source} To blanch the parsley, use tongs to dip sprigs of parsley into a pot of boiling water briefly and swirl them around. Pull out the parsley when the color brightens.
- The blanching step can be skipped, but the parsley will likely have less flavor and may have a gray-green color.
This will stop the parsley from cooking after being in contact with boiling water.
Be careful not to overflow the ice cube tray with water. Alternatively, put the chopped parsley in small freezer bags.
Use within 4-6 months.

Method 3

Method 3 of 6:

Air Drying Parsley

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Gather parsley before the first flowers start to open, and gather it in the morning after the dew has dried. It will have maximum flavor at this time of day; the heat of the afternoon will diminish the parsley's flavor. Alternately, purchase fresh parsley at a grocery store. Choose bright green bunches of parsley that look nice and smell fresh. Don't pick parsley that is shriveled, brown, moldy, or is dried out. Carefully cut the parsley with stems still attached, and be careful to not bruise the leaves.
Use cold water to rinse, and then shake the parsley gently to remove excess water from the leaves. This will remove any residual dirt, as well as any bugs that crawled into your parsley.
Wrap a paper bag around each bundle of parsley to keep dust and sunshine from the parsley while it is drying. Sunshine can diminish the drying parsley’s bright green color. If you wrap the bundles with paper bags, be sure to allow enough air flow around each bundle so that they do not mold. Check each bundle occasionally to ensure there is no mold growth.
Indoor drying will typically produce more flavorful dried herbs. This process may take a week or two to produce fully dried parsley. If you hang the bundles outdoors, be sure to choose a spot that is protected from moisture, animals and birds. Tie the bundles securely so that they do not blow away.
When leaves are crumbly, they are ready to put into an airtight container and stored in a cool, dry place.

Method 4

Method 4 of 6:

Oven Drying Parsley

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Gather parsley before the first flowers start to open, and gather it in the morning after the dew has dried. It will have maximum flavor at this time of day; the heat of the afternoon will diminish the parsley's flavor. Alternately, purchase fresh parsley at a grocery store. Choose bright green bunches of parsley that look nice and smell fresh. Don't pick parsley that is shriveled, brown, moldy, or is dried out. Carefully cut the parsley with stems still attached, and be careful to not bruise the leaves.
Use cold water to rinse, and then shake gently to remove excess water from the leaves. This will remove any residual dirt, as well as any bugs that crawled into your parsley.
If the parsley has contact with the metal cookie sheet, it can darken the parsley's color.
This will ensure adequate air-flow around the cookie sheet while the parsley is drying.
It should dry within 2-4 hours.
Keep it in a cool, dry place.

Method 5

Method 5 of 6:

Using a Dehydrator to Dry Parsley

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Gather parsley before the first flowers start to open, and gather it in the morning after the dew has dried. It will have maximum flavor at this time of day; the heat of the afternoon will diminish the parsley's flavor. Alternately, purchase fresh parsley at a grocery store. Choose bright green bunches of parsley that look nice and smell fresh. Don't pick parsley that is shriveled, brown, moldy, or is dried out. Carefully cut the parsley with stems still attached, and be careful to not bruise the leaves.
Use cold water to rinse, and then shake the parsley gently to remove excess water from the leaves. This will remove any residual dirt, as well as any bugs that crawled into your parsley.
If you are in a location with high humidity, you may need to raise the temperature to 125 °F (52 °C).
Leave space around each sprig, and place the tray in the dehydrator. This will ensure that air in the dehydrator will circulate around the parsley evenly.
5
Keep an eye on your parsley. Monitor the parsley periodically, and remove it when it is dry. If the leaves crumble and the stems break instead of bend, then the parsley is dry.
- It can take anywhere from one to four hours to fully dehydrate the parsley, depending on your machine.
Keep it in a cool, dry place.^{[3]
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National Center for Home Food Preservation
Publicly-funded center dedicated to educating consumers about research-backed safety practices for preserving food

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Method 6

Method 6 of 6:

Using a Microwave to Dry Parsley

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Gather parsley before the first flowers start to open, and gather it in the morning after the dew has dried. It will have maximum flavor at this time of day; the heat of the afternoon will diminish the parsley's flavor. Alternately, purchase fresh parsley at a grocery store. Choose bright green bunches of parsley that look nice and smell fresh. Don't pick parsley that is shriveled, brown, moldy, or is dried out. Carefully cut the parsley with stems still attached, and be careful to not bruise the leaves.
Use cold water to rinse, and then shake the parsley gently to remove excess water from the leaves. This will remove any residual dirt, as well as any bugs that crawled into your parsley.
Place a paper towel on a plate and place a single layer of parsley leaves on it. Then cover the leaves with another paper towel.
4
Microwave the leaves for 30 seconds. Watch them constantly to ensure that they do not burn. If the parsley is not fully dry, gently toss the parsley leaves to ensure it is drying evenly. Microwave the leaves for another 30 seconds.
- Times may vary depending on the model of your microwave. Follow the instructions for your microwave.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I use fresh parsley?

Joy Song

Community Answer

You can make a dish with shrimp and cashew nuts. Here is the recipes. 1. Rinse and dry the shrimp. Then marinate them with a little cooking wine, white pepper powder and a little salt for 20 minutes. 2. Wash the parsley and cut into small pieces. 3. Heat some oil and saute some diced ginger. 4. Stir fry the shrimp first and then remove them. 5. Stir fry celery until medium-well cooked, re-add the shrimp, then season with salt and chicken powder. Add the cooked cashew nuts and serve.

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Tips

Dried herbs are more potent than fresh herbs. Substitute roughly 1 teaspoon of dried parsley for 2 teaspoons of fresh, chopped parsley.

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Do not harvest parsley until you are ready to start the drying method of your choice. If you leave parsley out too long after cutting it, it will wilt and will have inferior flavor and color after the preservation process.

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Parsley can also be preserved by integrating it into other foods, such as herbed butter, herb-infused oil, pesto, and so on.

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