How to reduce bitterness of Basil? I had some fresh Basil which was going dry, so I decided to make it into a sour cream dip (don't ask me why I didn't think of making a simple pesto before I added the sour cream).. The final product (sour cream, basil, salt and pepper) which I then blitz into a dip like consistency, has a bitter and slightly astringent after-taste from the basil..

So I am wondering what caused that.. Was it the basil itself? Did I use the wrong parts of the basil (both leaves and stems)? Or was it the ingredients? And how can I avoid it?

And the 2nd question is how can I reduce this bitterness now?
I personally don't use the stems directly, and I suspect that might've been your problem.

As for bitter flavors ... salt will help to mask bitterness (it's considered a 'competitor' against bitterness, not an enhancer), but it's frequently paired with sugar and/or an alternate flavoring to further hide the bitterness.