Can You Freeze Pandan Leaves?

3 minutes

Pandan leaves are a popular component of Thai cuisine and are known for their fragrant, sweet aroma. While pandan is typically sold as a paste or powder, you can also buy pandan leaves and use them in a range of recipes. But what’s the best way to keep them?

How to Freeze Pandan Leaves

Freezing pandan leaves is a great way to preserve them. After all, they’re not the most widely available oriental spice, so keeping a supply in the freezer is a smart move if you’re a big fan of homemade Thai cuisine.

Below are the steps you need to follow to freeze pandan leaves the right way: 

1. Lay Out on a Tray
   Line a tray with greaseproof paper and place the pandan leaves on top. Make sure they’re well spaced out and not overlapping. 
2. Flash Freeze
   Place the tray of pandan leaves into the freezer and leave them for 2-3 hours, or until they have frozen solid, before removing the tray. 
3. Bag Up
   Place the pandan leaves into a suitably sized freezer-safe bag. Then, press as much air as you can from the bag before sealing it. 
4. Label and Freeze
   Write today’s date and the use-by date on the front of the freezer-safe bag and place it in the freezer. Remember, you can freeze pandan leaves for around six months.

3 Tips for Freezing Pandan Leaves

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

Always Flash Freeze
Although it takes a little longer, it’s really important that you flash freeze pandan leaves before freezing them. If you bag them up right away, they will stick together in the freezer, making it difficult for you to prise them away from one another.

Keep Dried Leaves at Room Temperature
If you’ve purchased dried pandan leaves, you should keep them at room temperature instead of in the freezer. If you freeze dried leaves, their complexion will change, and they may even go soggy. So, you should only really freeze fresh pandan leaves.

Try Pandan Paste or Powder
Pandan leaves aren’t as widely available as pandan paste or powder, particularly fresh leaves. The good news is that you can use paste or powder in the same way that you use the leaves, and they add that sweet and delicious taste to your recipes.

As such, if you can’t get your hands on some fresh pandan leaves, check out the herbs and spices aisle in the local supermarket and see if you can pick up a paste or powder instead.

How Long Can You Freeze Pandan Leaves?

You can freeze pandan leaves for around six months. They actually do really well in the freezer, and some people are tempted to keep them for longer than this, but it’s best to use them within this timeframe.

The longer you store the leaves in the freezer, the more likely they are to deteriorate in texture and flavour.

So, if you want your pandan leaves to retain their fragrance and taste, it’s best to use them within six months of freezing them.

You Can Freeze Pandan Leaves for up to 6 Months

How Do You Defrost Pandan Leaves?

When it’s time to use your frozen pandan leaves in a particular recipe, the good news is that you don’t necessarily have to defrost them.

Whether you’re adding them to a curry or a baked recipe, you can just add the frozen leaves as they are.

However, if you want to defrost pandan leaves, simply transfer the bag from the freezer to the fridge the night before you plan to use the leaves, and they will have thawed in time for your preparations.

Can You Refreeze Pandan Leaves?

You can refreeze pandan leaves that you have defrosted in the fridge. However, we’d only recommend doing this once. Pandan leaves are delicate, and they’re likely to be affected by sudden changes in temperature.

The more you freeze and thaw them, the more likely they are to spoil.

With this in mind, try and only remove pandan leaves from the freezer that you plan to use at any given time.

Do Pandan Leaves Freeze Well?

Generally, pandan leaves freeze really well. You just need to remember to flash freeze them first, or they will stick together in the freezer.

Also, press as much air as you can from the freezer-safe bag before you seal it, as this will protect the leaves from freezer burn. If you follow these steps, you shouldn’t encounter any issues when freezing pandan leaves.