# pesto: freezing longevity **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 8, 2018, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pesto-freezing-longevity/821001 "2018-09-08T14:43:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2018, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pesto-freezing-longevity/821001/1 "2018-09-08T14:43:44Z")
Fresh basil season is half over where I live and I have no recently-made pesto on hand. Drat! I have a small amount of pesto made last year and it will be gone in a few days. So much for my pesto woes. My real question is how do you pesto aficionados feel about frozen pesto? I had some of my year-old product yesterday evening. It is clearly inferior to fresh made. How long would/do you keep pesto frozen before use. For me, from now on it’s “use frozen within three months.” ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2018, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pesto-freezing-longevity/821001/2 "2018-09-08T15:10:55Z")
I use it for up to a year, until I make the next batch in early fall. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pesto-freezing-longevity/821001/3 "2018-09-08T16:38:51Z")
Up to a year, but I make a vegan pesto without parmesan, which defrosts more tastily. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2018, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pesto-freezing-longevity/821001/4 "2018-09-08T17:30:36Z")
Wife grows a lot of garlic and basil. I make a lot of pesto. I’ve made four large batches this year with one more left to do. We freeze it in ice cube trays, then vacuum seal and put in the chest freezer. We’ll use it up by next fall. So, a year. However, I would NOT say a year if you have a typical freezer with auto-defrost. That kills frozen food far sooner. Our chest freezer doesn’t have an auto-defrost so food lasts much longer. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2018, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pesto-freezing-longevity/821001/5 "2018-09-09T01:16:09Z")
Yep. A year is our limit here too. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2018, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pesto-freezing-longevity/821001/6 "2018-09-09T03:24:43Z")
I found a partial jar of pesto from Costco in my freezer that’s about a year and a half old. Still tastes fine. I wouldn’t make a habit of keeping it that long, though. ---
**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2018, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pesto-freezing-longevity/821001/7 "2018-09-09T13:33:58Z")
From **wguy123** : > [@](#): > > …then vacuum seal and put in the chest freezer. I think this might be the ticket for a better tasting pesto. I freeze mine in used sour cream containers. Not at all vacuum tight. Thanks for the responses. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pesto-freezing-longevity/821001/8 "2018-09-10T22:00:56Z")
My wife makes pesto base (chopped basil and oil) and freezes it in small containers. When she wants pesto sauce, she takes a container from the freezer and, after it thaws, blends it with parmesan and pine nuts. She tries to use them all within a year.