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An easy guide for drying herbs in the oven. Dried herbs are perfect for making tea, seasoning your favorite dish, or gift giving.
Gardening goals don’t always go as planned. Sometimes the weather cooperates, and sometimes it doesn’t. One of my goals this year was to grow enough herbs to begin drying them for homemade tea. So far, I’ve been harvesting and drying lemon balm and mint about once a week. It’s a slow process, and it will take most of the summer to fill even a few jars, but it’s been a rewarding experience. I’ve learned a lot, and every time I dry a batch, it feels like a small success. Along with tea herbs like lemon balm (which is featured in this post) and mint, I also plan to dry basil and rosemary for cooking. The method below works well for all of these, and I also freeze extra basil to use later in soups and spaghetti sauce.
Drying Herbs in the Oven: The Process
- Harvest your herbs. If your plants are homegrown and haven’t been treated with pesticides, there’s no need to wash them—rinsing can strip the natural oils from the leaves. If you’re using store-bought herbs, give them a gentle rinse and pat dry thoroughly with a clean towel.
- Harvest with care. Only take about one-third to one-half of the plant at a time. This keeps the plant healthy and encourages new growth.
- Prep the herbs. Remove the leaves from the stems and arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Spreading them out helps them dry evenly.
- Set your oven. Turn it to the lowest possible temperature. My oven doesn’t go below 170°F, so that’s what I use.
- Dry the herbs. Place the baking sheet in the oven and leave the door slightly ajar. This allows moisture to escape and prevents the herbs from baking. Dry for about an hour, checking occasionally.
- Look for signs they’re ready. The leaves will appear shriveled and darker in color when fully dried.
- Cool and store. Let the herbs cool completely, then store them in clean glass jars with tight-fitting lids.
How To Store Dried Herbs
I’m storing my dried herbs in quart mason jars, and it’s taking a while to fill them. My goal is always to end the summer with at least a couple of jars each of mint and lemon balm. Since I’m drying them for tea, I gently crush the leaves before placing them in the jars to make them easier to measure and use later. Store your jars in a cool, dark place, and for the best flavor, try to use the dried herbs within one year.
Shop + Source
- Baking sheets
- Gathering basket
- Garden shears
- Quart mason jars
- Blue striped towel (similar)
- Regular twine
- Blue & white twine
Free Printable Tags
To make storing and organizing your herbs a little easier, I’ve included a set of free printable jar tags. They’re simple, easy to use, and fit perfectly on mason jars. Just download, print, and cut them out. These tags are especially helpful if you’re drying more than one kind of herb or planning to give a few jars as gifts.
Homegrown Herb Tags
Just fill out the form below
to get the easy-to-download PDF.
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Herbal tags will be great. I love the idea of giving homegrown gifts. Thank you.
Thank you for this information. It’s very helpful. One question. Do you leave the oven on at its lowest setting during the hour of drying with the door slightly ajar or turn it off?
Thank you!
Hi Larryn…leave the oven on. Keep in mind that your herbs may not take an hour, so keep an eye on them!
I have never tried drying herbs in the oven. My dehydrator is not very large so love this idea. Your posts are always among my favorites!!! Thank you for oven-drying ideas. ♥
I am looking forward to drying mint for tea and rosemary for cooking! Thank you!
Good to know this alternative method! I like drying mine by hanging up small bunches, then crushing it into glass jars; we finally got some warm weather and my kitchen is already too hot! I’ve been known to put the tough stems into soup/spaghetti sauce, etc., then picking it out before it reaches the table! I love putting basil into pesto, then freezing it in ice cube trays for an instant “fix of Italian” when cooking!
Hi Ann, thanks for the tutorial on drying herbs! My daughter bought me an Aero Garden for Christmas and I’m also going to grow some outside, so this will be so helpful. It’s a fun little hobby and a few nights ago I made some chicken that suggested a garnish of basil and it made me feel so good to pluck 2 leaves from my plant and use them….and the chicken was delicious! Love your blog!
Thank you, Ann, for this great post. I have an herb garden that is thriving and I’d love to try drying some of the herbs I have. I always find something useful in your posts. I subscribe to other decorating/design blogs but yours is undoubtedly my favorite!
Melissa
I have been drying and saving herbs for as long as I can remember. Like you, sometimes it takes a while to gather as much as you need! There are times when the herbs are taking over and I will cut bundles, band the stems and hang them upside down in my kitchen window using a tension curtain rod for the hanger. I think the mason jar idea is great. One thing I do all the time is wash. I keep one deep plastic tub for this purpose only. I put 1 teaspoon of salt in the cool water, swish to dissolve the salt and soak the leaves for a few minutes, usually 5 or 10. My reasoning is this. Little critters hitch a ride sometimes. I use no chemicals on my plants and that makes them happy little places for tiny fleas or spiders. The quick salt soak and brief rinse takes care of that. I have not noticed a change in flavoring. So far anyway. I also gather enough to fill the little storage jars I pick up at IKEA. I make gift baskets for friends and family every Thanksgiving. Each one has a little collection of herbs as well as gifts specific for that person. It is my way of saying thank you to each of these special people. Each item in the basket has a purpose and each herb is labeled so that over time a collection has been gifted.
Thanks for this. I’m growing French tarragon….I use it fresh for tarragon chicken. But, it’s always great to have dried on hand. I will definitely be trying this later. Enjoy your day! ;)