How to Store Mint

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Mint tastes great in both savory and sweet recipes. Since it is so versatile, it's a good idea to keep this summery herb as fresh as possible. Mint will last up to a week in a plastic bag and 2 weeks in a vase. You can even freeze mint. Freezing whole leaves is a good option if you want to cook savory meals or meats. Mint ice cubes, on the other hand, are a great way to preserve chopped mint for use in drinks, desserts, soups, and herb rubs.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Using a Plastic Bag

1
Pat the mint dry if you washed it. Wet mint will spoil more quickly than dry mint. Usually, you should not wash mint before storing it. If the mint was washed, take a paper towel and gently press down on the mint to dry it.^{[1]
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2
Dampen a paper towel with cool water. Gently run 2 squares of paper towel under a faucet. Squeeze out the extra water. The towel should be damp but not soaking wet.^{[2]
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3
Wrap the mint in the paper towel. Place the bunch on half of the paper towel and wrap the other half loosely over the top. This will prevent the mint from drying out in the fridge.^{[3]
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4
Slide the mint and paper towel into a plastic zip bag. Choose a bag that is big enough to fit the bunch without crushing the leaves. Seal the top by pressing down on the zipper. Do not press the air out of the bag; you want a little air to circulate.^{[4]
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- If you don't have a large enough zip bag, you can use a plastic shopping bag and wrap the ends loosely around itself. You can also trim the mint to fit.
5
Place the bag in the fridge. Lay the mint flat on its side on a shelf in the fridge. Do not place anything on top of the mint or it may become crushed and more difficult to cook with.^{[5]
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6
Rinse the mint before cooking with it. When you are ready, you can take the mint out of the fridge. To wash it without damaging the delicate leaves, fill a bowl with cold water. Hold the mint bunch by the stem before dunking the mint into the water. Shake off excess water and pat dry with paper towels.^{[6]
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Throw the mint out after a week or when it becomes dark or slimy. The mint will usually last for about a week using this method. The leaves will begin to darken and wilt when it is going bad.^{[7]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Keeping Mint in Water

1
Trim the end of the stems. Take the mint out of its rubber band. Use kitchen scissors to cut off about 1 inch (25 mm) from the end. If there are any leaves near the ends, pluck or cut them off.^{[8]
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- This method works well with mint bought from the store or with freshly clipped mint from a plant.
- You do not need to rinse the mint before you do this. Ideally, you should wait until you are ready to cook it. If you have washed the mint, however, pat it dry before storing to keep it from rotting too quickly.
2
Add 1 inch (25 mm) cool water to a vase or jar. You only need a small amount of water. Small flower vases, Mason jars, plastic soup containers, and water glasses all work well.^{[9]
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Move the mint to the jar. Make sure that the ends of the stems are touching the water. Let the mint spread out around the rim of the jar.^{[10]
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4
Place a loose-fitting plastic bag over the top of the jar. A plastic grocery bag or plastic zip bag works well for this. Gently pull the top of the bag over the jar. Do not crush or press down on the leaves.^{[11]
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- If you are using a tall plastic container with a lid, you can use the lid instead of a bag. Just make sure that the lid does not crush the leaves.
- If the bag is loose around the bottom of the jar, use a rubber band to secure it in place.
5
Set the jar on a fridge shelf. To avoid spills, do not place the mint jar on top of anything else. Instead, let it sit directly on the shelf. A door shelf helps keep the mint secure.^{[12]
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Change the water every 2 to 3 days. The water will become cloudy after a few days. Take the mint out of the fridge. Hold the mint gently with one hand while draining out the jar with the other. Refill the jar with 1 inch (25 mm) of water.^{[13]
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7
Wash the mint when you are ready to use it. Trim off the mint that you want to use from the vase. Dunk the leaves into a bowl of cold water. Shake off the extra water, and repeat if there is dirt on the leaves. Dry it with paper towels.^{[14]
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8
Throw out the mint after 2 weeks. The water in the jar will keep the mint fresh for up to 2 weeks. Keep clipping the leaves to use in recipes. Throw out the stems when you run out of leaves or when the leaves begin to darken and wilt.^{[15]
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- You may notice new roots coming of out the stems. This is normal.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Freezing Whole Mint Leaves

1
Spread out the mint leaves on a baking tray. Make sure that the mint is spread out in a single layer. Do not let separate stems or leaves touch. If you do, they may become frozen together.^{[16]
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- You can also use a cookie sheet or casserole pan for this.
- Generally, you should not wash the mint before you store it. If you do, pat it dry completely with paper towels. Extra water can cause it to freeze improperly.
2
Set the tray in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours. Make sure that nothing is on top of the mint or touching it. This will help the mint freeze without being crushed or stuck together.^{[17]
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3
Move the frozen mint leaves from the tray to a freezer bag. Take the tray out of the freezer. Remove the mint from the tray and move it into a freezer bag. At this point, the mint can be touching since the stems and leaves are already frozen.^{[18]
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- You can use a plastic food storage container if it is marked for freezer use. That said, you may not be able to get rid of all of the air in the container, and the mint might not fit as well into the container.
4
Remove extra air from the freezer bag. There are many ways to do this. You can squeeze out the air by pressing down on the bag while you seal it. Alternatively, try sucking out the air with a straw before quickly zipping the bag. If you have a vacuum sealer, use it for the best results.^{[19]
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5
Write the date on the bag before placing the bag into the freezer. The date will tell you how old the mint is and when you may need to toss it. Place the mint on a freezer shelf. Make sure that nothing is on top of the mint.^{[20]
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- You do not need to defrost or thaw mint before using it in recipes.
6
Cook with the frozen mint. You do not need to thaw or rinse mint before cooking. It will taste better and preserve its texture if you just toss it into your recipe frozen.^{[21]
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7
Thaw the mint on a paper towel if you are not cooking. If you want to use fresh mint without cooking, you can defrost it on your counter for a few hours. Place a paper towel underneath to help drain it. Afterwards, gently rinse it by dipping it into a bowl of water.^{[22]
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8
Throw the frozen mint leaves out after 6 months. Mint will only last for about 6 months in the freezer. Toss any leftover mint you have at this point.^{[23]
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- Mint that has freezer burn or appears discolored should not be used. Toss the mint out if it looks bad.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Freezing Mint Ice Cubes

1
Chop the mint. Lay several mint leaves in a pile. Roll them up before slicing the roll into multiple pieces. Continue until you have chopped all of the leaves.^{[24]
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- You can wash the the mint beforehand if you would like, but for this method, it does not make much of a difference either way.
2
Fill an ice cube tray halfway with mint. Fill each cube compartment about halfway with chopped mint. Gently press down on the mint to keep it contained within the cube.^{[25]
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Cover the mint with water. Fill the rest of the cube compartment with water. Make sure, however, that it does not overflow. You can use a teaspoon to slowly add small amounts of water.^{[26]
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- Do not place the ice cube tray with mint under a faucet. The stream of water might fill the trays too quickly and flood the mint out of the tray.
4
Freeze the ice cube trays for up to 6 months. Place the ice cube tray on a shelf in the freezer. Do not place anything on top of the tray. The cubes will freeze within a few hours. They will last for up to 6 months when frozen using this method.^{[27]
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- If your tray has a cover, you may want to cover the mint to prevent contamination.
- Throw out the mint if it is discolored. Since this may be difficult to notice with an ice cube, you should never keep mint cubes past 6 months.
5
Thaw the mint cube in a sieve if you want to cook the mint. You can also use a paper towel or cheese cloth. Just place the ice cube on top of the cloth and suspend it over a cup. As the ice melts, the chopped mint will be held in the cloth.^{[28]
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- The water from the ice will rinse the mint for you, so you do not need to do any additional washing.
6
Place the ice cubes directly in drinks. If you are using mint in lemonade, margaritas, or water, just pop out 1 or 2 cubes from the tray. Put them in a glass and fill the glass with your drink. As the ice melts, a refreshing mint taste will infuse the drink.^{[29]
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