How To Make A Bouquet Garni

A bouquet garni is a great way to infuse your dishes with even more flavor.

I learned years ago not to let culinary terms frighten me from trying new things in the kitchen. One such term was “bouquet garni,” and I thought it was far too fancy a phrase for me to use in my everyday cooking. It turned out that I was unknowingly doing something similar every time I made chicken soup. Discovering how to make a bouquet garni was easier than I thought, and it’s something I now do regularly.

Yes, it’s a French term, but it simply means “garnished bouquet.” After all, that’s what we’re about to do—make a pretty little bouquet of fresh herbs. I like to use unbleached kitchen twine for my bouquets, though any butcher’s twine or kitchen string will work. It just needs to be strong enough to hold the herbs in place during the cooking. If I’m adding peppercorns or other small whole spices to the recipe, I’ll wrap the bouquet and the spices in a double layer of cheesecloth, then tie the ends together. Muslin cloth will also work.

You can use a variety of herbs to make your bouquet garni. The choice of herbs will depend on the type of recipe you are making. For example, I like parsley, bay leaves, and thyme for French recipes like onion soup. Savory beef stews also benefit from a similar bouquet. Indian recipes can benefit from a garni made of lemongrass, ginger, cilantro, and, if desired, placed in a cheesecloth with some star anise or black peppercorns. A bouquet for Chinese dishes might include a cinnamon stick, ginger, a bay leaf, and scallions (green onions).

I make a bouquet of sage, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves when I make chicken soup. Adding rosemary or tarragon to that combination is excellent for chicken dishes. Bay leaves, parsley, dill, lemon peel, and thyme are great for fish dishes. Instead of using dried herbs in marinara sauce, you can use a bouquet garni of oregano, thyme, and basil.

How to use a bouquet garni

Now that you know how to make a bouquet garni, don’t let your imagination stop there. You can use a bouquet garni in many dishes, including stews, soups, and bone broths. Add a bouquet of fresh herbs to infuse lentils, quinoa, millet, beans, rice, and other grains and legumes with subtle or intense flavors. Add it to poaching liquid for fish, shellfish, meats, and chicken.

I don’t know about you, but I always seem to have excess herbs after I buy them for specific recipes. Rather than letting them spoil and throwing them away, you can plan ahead by tying them together in bouquets for future use and hanging them up to dry. Once dried, you can store them in zippered bags and use them in future recipes. Another option is to wrap the tied herbs in plastic wrap and freeze them in zippered bags for when you need them.

How do I store leftovers?

After learning how to make a bouquet garni and use it, you may be wondering what to do with it once you remove it from the recipe. It is not advisable to reuse a bouquet garni as the herbs will lose their flavor. Once done, remove the bundle from the recipe and discard it in the trash. If you used cheesecloth for the bouquet, you can rinse the bag, let it dry, and reuse it in future recipes. Boiling the bag in water and a teaspoon of baking soda will help remove strong flavors.

Serving suggestions

The trick to learning how to make a bouquet garni is also knowing when it is useful, especially if a recipe does not include it. I’ve found that most recipes I’ve made that call for dried herbs can benefit from using a fresh herb bouquet instead. For example, a bouquet with oregano, rosemary, basil, marjoram, and thyme can substitute for the Italian seasoning in Instant-Pot Cabbage Soup or Slow-Cooker Italian Wedding Soup (add parsley and extra oregano to this bouquet and omit the dried versions from the recipe).

You’ll find a bouquet garni used in recipes such as Pork Osso Bucco. Replace the dried oregano, thyme, and parsley with fresh herbs and a bay leaf for this delicious Seafood Stew. Make a bouquet of bay leaves and fresh thyme for this Instant-Pot Lamb Stew. Have fun exploring new recipes with fresh herb bouquets.