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How much is in a Bunch of Basil?

Many recipes tell you to use 1 bunch of basil but how much is a bunch of basil? And how much basil do you need for a cup of chopped basil? This is especially important if you grow your own basil since there is no "basil bunch" defined.

Over the next few grocery trips, we shopped at different stores to determine how big a typical bunch of basil is. We discovered that 1 "average bunch of basil" weighed 2.5 ounces. So for our measurement experiments we used a 2.5 ounce size bunch of Italian basil.

In addition, we found out that one bunch of basil contains about 60 sprigs of basil. This means that there is about 1 cup of packed basil leaves in a bunch, 1 cup of chopped basil leaves in a bunch, and 2 cups of loose basil leaves in a bunch. It also answers how many teaspoons of basil per sprig, which comes out to about 3/4 of a teaspoon per sprig. You can then do the conversion into tablespoons if you need.

Did you know that basil is a herb that belongs to the mint plant family. There are many different varieties of basil and each has its own distinct aroma and taste. It is grown world-wide and used in many cultural cuisines.

Hopefully now that you know how much is a bunch of basil you won't waste any basil when cooking. If you are buying from the grocery store you can check the weight on the scale there and if you are growing your own basil you can just use a kitchen scale to measure it. We recommend this one which we use at home and enjoy: Oxo Good Grips Food Scale. To determine how many 1 ounce bunches of basil you need to get the correct amount of chopped basil leaves you can use the converter below.

How much is in basil 1

Custom Conversions for Basil Bunch

One Basil Bunch Equals

  • There is 1 Cups (237 mls) of Packed Basil Leaves in a Basil Bunch
  • There is 1 Cups (237 mls) of Chopped Basil Leaves in a Basil Bunch
  • There is 2 Cups (474 mls) of Loose Basil Leaves in a Basil Bunch
I need:

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You need 1 Basil Bunches

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How to Store Basil Bunch

General How to Store Basil Info

There are more than 60 varieties of basil, each with its own distinct flavors; some of which include hints of lemon, thyme, jasmine, clove, cinnamon and anise.

Short Term Basil Storage

Snip off the bottom of the unwashed basil stems. Fill a jar or a water glass partially with water; place the stem ends of the herbs into the water in the container. Loosely cover the jar of basil with a plastic bag and store at room temperature. Change the water after several days if the water starts to discolor. Fresh basil can last up to 2 weeks or longer when stored this way.

Basil Long Term Storage

Freezing is the preferred method of storing basil. Place basil leaves in a plastic freezer bag; this will keep them fresh for at least 1 year.

Freeze fresh chopped basil by placing 2 teaspoons into each ice cube mold, fill the remaining space with water. Once frozen, pop the ice cubes out of the tray and put into a plastic freezer bag for storage. When needed, just remove the quantity you need and either thaw in a strainer or put the whole herbed ice cube into your mixture.

You can also freeze oil concentrates, which consists of adding basil to oil. Place the basil leaves in your food processor, add extra-virgin olive oil until it just covers the leaves. Process into a thick consistency and freeze; when needed, take some out of the bag and add it to your mix. This is a good way to preserve basil for dressings and pesto.

Dried basil will retain its complexity and flavor for up to 1 year. However, basil tends to lose some essential oil and flavoring during the drying process. Once dried, store it in an airtight container, away from heat and light.



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What is the Produce Converter?

One of the biggest hassles when cooking and working in the kitchen is when a recipe calls for "the juice of 1 lime" or a similar measurement. Often times when cooking people use bottled juices, pre-sliced vegetables and other convenient cooking time savers. Produce Converter will help you convert the "juice of 1 lime" and other similar recipe instructions into tablespoons, cups and other concrete measurements.

Produce Converter can also be used to figure out how many vegetables to buy when you need, for instance, "A cup of diced onion." You can use our easy conversion tool to figure out exactly how many onions you need to buy at the store in order to end up with the amount you need for your cooking.

We hope you enjoy Produce Converter and if you have any suggestions for how we can improve it and make your cooking easier please let us know.

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