How to Store Cilantro

Cilantro is one of those herbs that goes from perky to pathetic in about two days if you don’t handle it right. I used to buy a big bunch, toss it in the fridge, and find a slimy green mess by midweek. Incredibly frustrating, especially at the prices grocery stores charge for fresh herbs. After years of experimenting (and wasting more cilantro than I’d like to admit), I’ve nailed down a few methods that actually work. Some keep it fresh for weeks, others let you stash it for months.

Understanding Cilantro’s Nature

Cilantro is delicate — there’s no getting around it. Those thin stems and soft leaves wilt at the slightest provocation. Too much moisture and it rots. Too little and it dries out. Too warm and it turns to mush. The trick is managing all three factors at once, which sounds harder than it actually is once you know the methods.

Preparing Cilantro Before Storage

Start by being picky at the store or farmer’s market. You want bright green leaves, firm stems, and no yellowing or sliminess anywhere. I give the bunch a sniff too — fresh cilantro has that strong, distinctive aroma. If it smells like nothing, it’s already on its way out.

Now, the wash-or-don’t-wash debate. I fall in the “don’t wash until you’re ready to use it” camp, mainly because extra moisture on stored cilantro accelerates spoilage. If you do wash before storing — which I get, some people prefer that for convenience — make sure you dry it thoroughly. I’m talking spin it in a salad spinner and then let it sit on a clean towel for a bit. Any lingering dampness on the leaves is a problem.

Storage Methods

Refrigeration with Water

This is my go-to method, and it works shockingly well. Here’s the process:

• Trim about half an inch off the bottom of the stems — fresh cuts absorb water better.
• Fill a jar or glass with about an inch of water. A mason jar works perfectly for this.
• Stand the cilantro in the water, stems down. Keep the leaves above the waterline or they’ll rot.
• Drape a loose plastic bag over the top — not sealed, just resting. This creates a little humidity tent without trapping too much moisture.
• Stash it in the fridge and change the water every couple of days.

Done right, this keeps cilantro fresh and usable for up to two weeks. I’ve pushed it to three weeks occasionally, though the flavor starts fading toward the end. It’s basically the same principle as keeping cut flowers in a vase, and it works just as well.

Refrigeration with Paper Towels

This method is better if your fridge is already crowded and you don’t have room for a jar standing upright.

• Lay the cilantro out in a single layer on a paper towel. Don’t bunch it up — you want even coverage.
• Roll the towel loosely around the herbs. Think burrito, not tight cigar.
• Slide the rolled towel into a plastic bag, but leave the bag open so air can circulate.
• Pop it in the crisper drawer.

The paper towel absorbs excess moisture while keeping enough humidity around the leaves to prevent drying out. I get about a week out of this method, sometimes a bit more. Not quite as effective as the water jar approach, but way better than just leaving cilantro loose in the fridge.

Freezing Cilantro

When I’ve got more cilantro than I can use fresh — which happens every time my garden plants bolt and I harvest everything at once — freezing is the way to go. Fair warning though: frozen cilantro loses its texture completely. It’s great in cooked dishes, soups, and salsas, but you won’t want it as a fresh garnish.

• Wash and dry the cilantro well.
• Chop it up however you’d normally use it.
• Spread the pieces out on a parchment-lined baking sheet so they’re not touching — this is the flash-freeze step that prevents you from ending up with one big green ice clump.
• Freeze until solid, then transfer to a labeled freezer bag. Squeeze out as much air as you can.

My favorite frozen cilantro hack, honestly, is the ice cube method. Blend chopped cilantro with a splash of water or olive oil, pour the mixture into ice cube trays, and freeze. Pop those cubes out into a bag and you’ve got perfectly portioned cilantro ready to drop straight into a pot of soup, a curry, or a batch of salsa verde. I make a big batch every fall and use them all winter. So convenient.

Drying Cilantro

I’ll be upfront — drying cilantro is my least favorite preservation method because it loses a lot of its characteristic flavor. The bright, citrusy punch that makes fresh cilantro special gets muted significantly when dried. But if it’s your only option, here’s how: tie small bunches by the stems and hang them upside down somewhere with good airflow but no direct sunlight. Once they’re completely dry and crumbly, strip the leaves off and store them in an airtight container. Dried cilantro works okay in spice blends and dry rubs where it’s part of a bigger flavor picture rather than the star.

Maintaining Flavor and Freshness

Whichever method you use, always give your cilantro a quick check before cooking with it. Wilted leaves are fine — they won’t taste as vibrant but they’re perfectly safe. Anything slimy, moldy, or smelling off should go straight in the compost. Good storage practices mean you’ll actually use the cilantro you buy instead of watching it decompose in the back of your fridge. That alone makes it worth the small effort.

Additional Tips

If you use cilantro regularly (and in my house, it goes in almost everything during summer), growing your own is honestly the most economical approach. It does well in pots or garden beds, wants plenty of sun, and appreciates well-draining soil. The catch is that cilantro bolts fast in hot weather — but that gives you coriander seeds, which are a whole other cooking ingredient worth having.

One last thing: buy cilantro with a plan. If you’re shopping on Sunday for meals you’ll cook Monday through Wednesday, great — your fresh bunch will be at its best. Buying it on a whim with no particular dish in mind is how you end up with cilantro soup in the vegetable drawer. Ask me how I know.