How To Store Fresh Mint To Keep All That Flavor Intact

Toothpaste, a steaming bowl of pho, and a refreshing mojito cocktail. What do these seemingly unrelated items all have in common? Their use of mint, an herb that's incorporated into many products and dishes, from a deconstructed watermelon gazpacho salad to a platter of Vietnamese-style summer rolls with peanut sauce. This aromatic green sprig is known for its sweet-yet-sharp flavor and strong cooling effect. But this signature taste is only as prominent as the freshness of this herb.

To keep your mint's energizing flavor intact, you have to store it properly. Mint can be kept in quite a few places, whether it be left on the counter or stored cold in the fridge or freezer. But in conjunction with where you choose to stow mint away, there are a few methods to maximize its freshness even more. This can make your mint last anywhere from a week to several months, and more importantly, these techniques will preserve its menthol flavor.

Varied types of mint are fast-growing plants, so it makes sense that they can be kept fresh in a similar manner as flowers in a vase. Just as you would trim the ends of your roses or tulips before placing them in a clean, water-filled vessel, the same can be done with your flowering herbs. All you need to do is snip the bottom of your mint sprig stems and place them in a jar of water.

After doing that, you can just leave the mint on your counter. Be sure to change the water daily or whenever you notice it getting cloudy, or else your herb won't retain its pungent taste or vibrant color. This super-simple method will keep your mint fresh for up to a week, making it well-suited for people who reach for this ingredient often when cooking.

However, if you need to extend the life of your mint even longer, there's a way to do this that will keep it good for around three weeks. Simply repeat the previously mentioned steps, but this time, place the jar in the refrigerator after placing a loose plastic bag over the mint to help it maintain moisture. But if you're planning to use the mint within the next three to five days, you can also ditch the jar and instead wrap the herb in a damp paper towel, before placing the packet in an unsealed plastic bag and refrigerating it. 

Lastly, you can reduce food waste and prolong your mint's longevity by freezing it. Doing this can protect your mint's taste for six months, and mitigates the need to use it up quickly.

One method is to rinse your mint, chop it up, and spread it out among an ice cube tray's sections. Then fill each compartment with water and allow it to freeze. Once completely frozen, remove the minty ice cubes and transfer them to a container or bag within the freezer. However, this method won't maintain the original texture of your sprigs, as the mint will be limp after the ice that surrounds it thaws. For this reason, this technique is best used if you're planning to use the mint in soups or stews. 

Another freezing technique that will better preserve the natural form of mint is to place the sprigs into a resealable plastic bag in a carefully arranged single layer, before squeezing all air from the bag and closing it tight. This flattened bag should then be placed in the freezer, and the mint will remain usable for half a year. Mint preserved this way won't look as good as fresh herbs in lemonade, but the taste will remain invigorating.