Chimichurri is a sauce that enhances the flavour of any meal. Whether itās added to some grilled chicken or made into a salad dressing, itās the perfect addition to any dish. Itās common not to use it all with your meal, so what do you do with the leftovers?
Can You Freeze Chimichurri??
Yes, you can freeze chimichurri for up to 3 months. To freeze chimichurri, spoon it into the slots of an ice cube, freeze the tray leaving you with frozen cubes of chimichurri which you can then store in a freezer bag.
Do Does Chimichurri freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Chimichurri? No
How To Freeze Chimichurri
Freezing chimichurri is a fairly easy process. Itās nice to freeze it in a way to have multiple servings, rather than in one large batch. You canāt thaw and refreeze, so small serving sizes typically make more sense.
Below is a step by step process to freeze this delicious sauce:
- Spoon Into Ice Cube Tray: Spoon your chimichurri into each individual slot of an ice cube tray or silicone mould. Whichever is more convenient for you. With the back of that spoon, be sure to smooth out the sauce to make it nice and even in the tray.
- Freeze: Place the silicone mould or ice cube tray into your freezer. Leave it for about 2-3 hours, or until the chimichurri has fully frozen.
- Pop Cubes Out: Remove the mould or tray from the fridge and begin to pop out each piece of chimichurri. Take some extra time and wrap each piece into clingfilm. This will prevent them from freezing together and protect them from freezer burn.
- Bag Up: Place the individually wrapped pieces into a freezer bag or a freezer-safe container. You can place them all in the same freezer bag.
- Label: Take a marker and write the date youāre freezing the chimichurri onto the front of the freezer-safe container or freezer bag.
- Seal and Freeze: Be sure to squeeze any excess air out of the ziplock bag and place it back in the freezer for future use. Try to store it closer to the back of the freezer to prevent thawing when the freezer door opens.
3 Tips for Freezing Chimichurri
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing chimichurri to have the best results:
Label Clearly
If you’ve frozen chimichurri alongside salsa verde and pesto then there’s no way you’ll be able to tell the difference. Instead, make sure they’re clearly labelled and stored in their own bags.
Make It Punchy
The flavour is likely to degrade a little when frozen so don’t hold back on the chilli and garlic when you know you’ll be freezing it.
Use Good-Quality Bags
Chimichurri cubes will stink. They’ll be pungent with garlic and chilli – smells you won’t want to spread in your freezer – so use good quality freezer bags with a tight seal.
How Long Can You Freeze Chimichurri?
As long as the chimichurri is stored nicely in an airtight container, it should stay good for roughly 3 months. After 3 months, you can expect the chimichurri to have lost a bit of the flavour.
You may also notice the once vibrant colours have become a bit dark and less appealing.
When kept in an airtight container or covered dish, chimichurri will last for around 2 weeks in the fridge. You’ll need to stir it before serving.
How Do You Defrost Chimichurri?
Defrosting chimichurri is extremely simple. Since you freeze it in individual serving sizes, you can take out as little as one ice cube worth of chimichurri, which will defrost quickly.
If you planned ahead and know youāll need the sauce the following day, place a few cubes in a separate dish and leave it in the fridge overnight.
If you need it to thaw a bit faster you can place it on the counter in a dish or slightly microwave it. Some will even throw it directly into a dish theyāre cooking, but this can cause the dish to become a bit watery.
Can You Refreeze Chimichurri?
Refreezing chimichurri would not be a good idea. It can cause the flavour to disappear leaving you with a green sludge that’d bland. Instead, use the technique above to freeze it effectively so you can easily grab one or two cubes at a time.
Does Chimichurri Freeze Well?
Yes, chimichurri does freeze well. Being able to freeze individual serving sizes makes it so convenient for planning your future meals.
Depending on some of the herbs youāve added into your chimichurri recipe there is a chance youāll notice some of them turn slightly brown or potentially soggy while itās frozen, but the overall taste should remain as delicious as always!
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing chimichurri or chimichurri in general, then these may help:
Yes, chimichurri sauce from the shops can be frozen but it should be removed from the jar to avoid it cracking as it freezes.
Using an ice cube tray is one of the best ways to freeze chimichurri. You can freeze individual portions of the sauce into ice cubes this way.
