How to dry basil in the oven? - Step by step

Basil is easy to grow and often found in the kitchen or garden of serious home cooks. If you have this plant on your windowsill, you may be interested in the best way to dry it for long-term storage, such as drying the leaves in the oven for neat storage.

How do you dry basil in the oven?

To dry basil in the oven, simply wash and trim the fresh basil and place the leaves on a baking sheet. Place them in the oven on the lowest setting for 1.5 to 4 hours.

Drying basil is really quite simple. Of course, there are some good practices that you will need to follow to get optimal results. But it is very easy if you follow our step by step guide.

In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about drying basil in the oven, as well as some alternatives if you need them. We’ll even cover proper harvesting and washing techniques so you’ll have all the basil bases covered.

drying basil in the oven

Drying basil or any other herb in the oven is safe, easy, and quite effective, but there are some best practices you should know to get the most out of your herb.

Here are some things to keep in mind when preparing basil leaves for oven drying:

• Wash and dry the basil well before attempting to dry the leaves. If the basil has any moisture on the leaves, it will cook in the oven instead of dried, giving a very different result.
• Prepare the leaves by removing all the stems.
• Flatten the sheets as much as possible to get even heat distribution and no steam to collect or drip as they dry. To make the sheets nice and flat, you can cover them with a paper towel and place a heavy skillet or cookie sheet with cookbooks on top of them for 5 minutes.
• Allowing your basil leaves to air dry for 2-3 days before drying them in the oven will dramatically reduce the cooking time required.

Tools and materials:

• Baking sheet(s) - enough space to spread the basil so none of the leaves are touching
• Silicone baking mat with racks, like this one from DiOro (optional but recommended)
  • The edges will allow air to flow both under and over the basil leaves, creating a more even drying process.
  • If you need an alternative: A metal baking rack is fine.
• parchment paper

How to dry basil in the oven

Once you have all the materials and the basil is ready, you can move on to drying it! Here are a few easy steps to dry basil in the oven:

1. Preheat your oven to 170 -180F, preferably the lowest setting on your oven. If the lowest setting is above 180 F, you can leave the oven door slightly ajar to prevent the temperature from getting too hot and burning the basil.
2. If you are using a silicone baking mat or metal baking rack, place it on the baking sheet.
3. Line the baking tray with parchment paper.
4. Spread the basil leaves out so they are in a single layer and not touching each other.
5. Bake the sheets for 1.5 - 4 hours.

Note : Baking time will vary depending on oven temperature, how dry the leaves are before you put them in the oven, how full the baking sheet is, and the size of the basil leaves.

After 1 hour, check the basil every 15 minutes to make sure it isn’t burning.

When the basil is ready, move on to the following steps:

1. Remove them from the oven when they crumble to the touch.
2. Allow them to cool completely before crumbling the entire batch, as they will become even crispier as they cool.
3. Dried herbs will stay fresh longer if they are crumbled, but if you prefer ground basil, you can use a mortar and pestle for a finer grain.
4. Transfer to an airtight glass container, like these flip-top spice jars, and store in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight or heat exposure, for 6 months - 1 year.

Alternative Methods for Drying Basil

Drying basil in the oven is the most popular method for most home cooks to dry their herbs. It doesn’t take an absurd amount of time and doesn’t require any special equipment.

However, there are alternatives. If your oven is unreliable for some reason (or if it’s too hot to bake right now) consider one of the following options:

Can you dry basil in the microwave?

We have seen the very popular videos suggesting that you can dry basil and other herbs in the microwave perfectly in 60 seconds. There are things that seem too good to be true.

You can dry the basil in the microwave, but the leaves will lose their color, flavor, delicate aroma and nutrition . In short, it would be a complete waste of your herbs. Microwaving will break down the essential oils in your basil, rendering it virtually useless.

You’d better use another method.

How to dry basil in a dehydrator

If you have a dehydrator, it’s a great option for effectively drying your basil.

Be sure to wash and trim the basil as normal, and dry it as much as possible before dehydrating. Arrange the basil leaves on the dehydrator trays so that they are in a single layer and do not overlap in any way. Place the tray(s) in the dehydrator.

Your dehydrator may have a specific setting for herbs, or you can use the lowest temperature available, which is usually around 95 F.

The time it takes to fully dry will depend on the humidity in your home. If you are in a very dry location it may take as little as 6 hours, but it may also take up to 24 hours to fully dry.

When the leaves are very crisp, to the point of crumbling to the touch, they are dry and you can crumble them into your spice jars for storage. If they wrinkle or need to break, they need more time in the dehydrator.

How to dry basil outdoors

Air drying basil takes a while, but produces delicious results. This method is great if you can’t use the oven and don’t have a dehydrator.

Some herbs have stems large or sturdy enough that you can hang them upside down to dry. However, basil is quite delicate, so it is best to dry it horizontally.

To air dry the basil you will need a drying rack. We love this adjustable folding hanging bleacher system from Happy Hydro. It is made of polyester mesh and allows optimal airflow under the herbs, as well as plenty of space between tiers for air circulation.

To air dry the basil, trim it, wash it, and dry it as usual. Lay each sheet in a single layer on one of the mesh racks so nothing overlaps and each sheet has plenty of space around it.

Be sure to hang the rack in a humidity-controlled location. You don’t want too much moisture in the air when you’re trying to dry your herbs. A little bit of movement in the air is good, but you don’t want so much to disturb your herbs.

The basil will take a minimum of 1 week to fully dry on an air-dry rack. Although it may take longer depending on air and temperature conditions.

How to dry basil [Table]

Related topics

Although this article focuses on how to dry basil, you may want to know how to properly harvest and clean your basil, especially if you are new to growing it.

We have more tips for you if this is the case.

How to harvest basil

If you want your basil plant to survive harvest and continue to produce, you must be careful to never harvest more than a third of the plant at any one time.

Ideally, your plant should be at least 15 cm tall before you start collecting the leaves. But if you are going to use a lot, wait until it is more than 20 cm tall and well bushy.

If you only need basil to flavor a single meal, pick individual leaves, starting at the top of the plant. To cook or dry basil in batches, you can cut off the entire stems, but again, start at the top.

If you cut the top third of the basil all at once, try to allow it to recover for at least a few weeks before harvesting again.

How to clean basil

Washing basil is a delicate task. Too much water and you could wilt or drown the leaves. But you must be thorough to avoid any contamination by dirt or bugs.

Before washing it, separate each leaf from the stem of the plant. Remove any that have spots or holes, or any that are obviously dead or spoiled.

To wash them, fill a bowl with clean, cold water and add the leaves. Remove them with your fingers and rub the leaves clean if necessary. Avoid putting them directly under water, as the pressure can squash them too much.

Let them soak in the water for up to 3 minutes, then take them out and lay them flat on a kitchen towel to dry.

Be sure to always remove the basil leaves from the water, do not drain them through a colander or sieve. Dirt from the plant will sink to the bottom. So you don’t want to put it on the leaves again.

You can dry the leaves with a towel or kitchen paper if you’re in a hurry. Or you can leave them out to air dry.