Can You Freeze Fresh Rosemary?
Yes, you can freeze it.
6 months (whole sprigs or chopped)
Rosemary is one of the better fresh herbs on this site for freezing, since its robust, resinous flavor survives the process better than a more delicate leafy herb's brighter notes would — whole sprigs or chopped rosemary keep for 6 months and come through tasting genuinely closer to fresh than most other frozen herbs manage. Wrapped in a damp paper towel beforehand, fresh rosemary already lasts a notably long 2-3 weeks in the fridge thanks to its woodier, sturdier structure.
Freezing rosemary sprigs whole, still on the stem, rather than stripping the leaves first, is a common approach since a frozen sprig can be tossed directly into a roast or a pot of soup and the stem simply removed before serving, saving the step of stripping leaves from a woody stem while it's frozen and harder to handle.
A rosemary plant, like mint, is easy to grow in a pot and provides fresh sprigs on demand, which is worth considering for a household that uses rosemary often, since it's one of the more forgiving herbs to keep alive indoors or on a patio, reducing how often store-bought storage and freezing questions come up at all.
Rosemary-infused oil, made by steeping sprigs in olive oil, is a popular way to capture the herb's flavor in a form that also freezes well, similar to how basil is sometimes preserved, and it sidesteps needing to freeze the woody sprigs themselves for a cook who mainly uses rosemary for its oil-infused flavor.
Storage times and safe temperatures are general guidance from USDA FoodKeeper, USDA FSIS, and FDA sources — they are not a guarantee of safety. When in doubt, throw it out. This is not a substitute for professional food-safety advice.
Source: USDA FoodKeeper data, checked 2026-07-12.