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Leftover Cilantro? 8 Ways to Use the Rest of the Bunch

The recipe said "2 tablespoons chopped cilantro." The store sold you a bunch the size of a small bouquet. Here's what to do with leftover cilantro before it turns into a dark, soggy clump in the crisper.

Herbs are sold for families. You're one person with one taco night. Below: how to keep the rest of the bunch fresh for longer, eight quick ways to use it up, and how to freeze it when the week gets away from you.

First, store it in a jar of water

Cilantro wilts fast when it's left in the plastic bag it came in. Treat it like flowers instead:

  1. Trim a little off the bottom of the stems.
  2. Stand the bunch in a jar or glass with an inch or two of water.
  3. Loosely cover the leaves with a plastic bag (the produce bag works).
  4. Put the jar in the fridge and change the water every couple of days.

Stored this way, cilantro often stays fresh for about a week, sometimes longer, compared with a few days in the bag. Pull out any yellow or slimy stems when you change the water.

One small tip: don't wash the whole bunch before storing it. Extra water on the leaves makes them go bad faster. Rinse only what you're about to use.

8 ways to use the rest of the bunch

None of these needs a special trip to the store. Most take a handful of cilantro and a few minutes.

1. Stir it into eggs

Chop a small handful and fold it into scrambled eggs right at the end, or scatter it over fried eggs with a spoonful of salsa or hot sauce. Add a warm tortilla and some cheese and you have a quick dinner that uses a real amount of the bunch.

2. Make cilantro rice

Cook rice as usual. When it's done, stir in a big handful of chopped cilantro (stems too), the juice of half a lime and a pinch of salt. It turns plain rice into a side dish, and it's the base for the next idea.

3. Build a rice and bean bowl

Cilantro rice, a can of black beans warmed with a pinch of cumin, and whatever toppings you have: corn, avocado, shredded cheese, a fried egg, pickled onions. Finish with more cilantro. A can of beans gives you two bowls, so this covers two dinners.

4. Finish a soup

Cilantro is great stirred into soup at the very end. Try it in black bean soup, lentil soup, chicken noodle soup, ramen or a quick coconut curry. Add it off the heat so it stays bright.

5. Blend a quick green sauce

This is the fastest way to use most of a bunch at once. In a blender or food processor, blend:

Spoon it over cooked chicken, fish, roasted vegetables, eggs or rice. Keep it in a covered jar in the fridge and use it within 3 or 4 days. For longer, freeze it (see below). It darkens as it sits, but a squeeze of lime helps.

6. Toss it into noodles

Cold or warm noodles with soy sauce, a little sesame oil, lime juice and a handful of cilantro make a fast dinner. Add cucumber, a fried egg, leftover chicken or tofu if you have it.

7. Make a quick salsa

Chop a tomato, a bit of onion and a handful of cilantro. Add lime juice and salt. That's it. Use it on tacos, quesadillas, eggs or grilled meat. A few spoonfuls on a quesadilla uses more cilantro than you'd think.

8. Pile it into tacos and wraps

Don't be shy with the garnish. Cilantro isn't only a sprinkle on top. A small handful of whole leaves inside a taco, wrap or sandwich adds freshness and uses up the bunch fast.

Don't throw out the stems

It's tempting to pull off the leaves and toss the stems. Don't. Cilantro stems are tender and full of flavor, especially the thinner ones near the leaves. Chop them finely and use them just like the leaves in rice, salsa, sauces and soups. The thicker stems at the very bottom are tougher, but they're great blended into the green sauce above.

Using the stems also means the bunch goes further, which is the whole point.

Freeze it in an ice cube tray

If it's day five and half the bunch is still there, freeze it before it turns.

  1. Rinse and dry the cilantro well.
  2. Chop the leaves and tender stems.
  3. Pack about a tablespoon into each slot of an ice cube tray.
  4. Top up with olive oil or water and freeze.
  5. Once frozen, pop the cubes into a labeled freezer bag.

Drop a cube straight into soup, curry, rice, beans or a pan sauce. Frozen cilantro loses its crisp texture, so it won't work as a fresh garnish, but the flavor holds up well in cooked food.

You can also freeze the green sauce from idea 5 the same way. It's a nice thing to find in the freezer on a tired night.

Next time: plan two dinners that use the bunch

The real fix isn't eight new cilantro recipes. It's buying the bunch with a plan. When one dinner calls for cilantro, pick a second one that can use the rest in the same week. Taco night on Monday? Make a rice and bean bowl or a noodle dish on Wednesday.

The same idea works for parsley, basil, dill and green onions. Herbs are cheap, but throwing out most of a bunch every week adds up, and it's annoying.

That's how 3Onions plans your week. It picks three dinners for one person that share ingredients, so a bunch of herbs lands in more than one dinner instead of the trash. The grocery list notes what gets used up. If that sounds useful, join the 3Onions early-access list (the iPhone app is almost here, and your first week will be free).

FAQ

Can you eat cilantro stems?

Yes. The thin, tender stems near the leaves taste like the leaves and are great chopped into rice, salsa, soups and sauces. The thicker stems at the bottom can be tougher, so blend them into a sauce instead.

How long does cilantro last in the fridge?

In the plastic bag it came in, often just a few days. Stood in a jar of water with a loose bag over the leaves, it often lasts about a week. Change the water every couple of days and remove any slimy stems.

Can you freeze fresh cilantro?

Yes. Chop it, pack it into an ice cube tray, top with oil or water and freeze. Use the cubes in cooked food like soups, curries, rice and beans. It won't be crisp enough to use as a fresh garnish after freezing.

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