How to dry herbs in an air fryer

If you want to keep your herbs for a long period of time without worrying about them going bad, drying is the best possible option!

Dried herbs don’t particularly have an expiration date and can keep their flavor for a while, making them perfect for canning and storing.

An air fryer is a convenient way to dry your herbs and easy to come by.

So how do you dry herbs in an air fryer? Drying herbs in an air fryer is a simple process. Set the air fryer temperature to 360°F, place the herbs in the air fryer, and allow them to dry for about 3-4 minutes. This will dry your herbs quickly and effectively.

Read on to learn more about drying and dehydrating herbs!

Dry herbs in the air fryer

Follow these simple steps and your dried herbs will be ready in just a few minutes.

1. Preheat air fryer to 360°F.
2. Wash the herbs well.
3. Dry the herbs with a paper towel.
4. Remove the stems from the herbs and place the dried herbs in the air fryer basket.
5. Cover the herbs with such a rack.
6. Air fry for 3 minutes at 360°F.
7. Stir the herbs after 1 minute so everything dries evenly.
8. Once done, transfer the herbs to a bowl to cool completely.
9. When they’re done cooling, you can store them whole or mash them up a bit. 

Dehydrate Herbs in the Air Fryer

Although you can dry your herbs relatively quickly, it won’t remove all of the water they contain. To do this, we will have to dehydrate them.

Dehydration takes longer and involves slowly drying the herbs at a low temperature. Follow the steps below to dehydrate herbs in an air fryer

1. Set the air fryer temperature to 125-150°F. 
2. If your air fryer already has a preset dehydration option, select it.
3. Evenly distribute your washed, cleaned and dried herbs in the basket before covering with a rack.
4. The process can take between 1 and 3 hours, depending on the number of herbs. 
5. When they’re done dehydrating, check the herbs with your hands. If they start to crumble, the dehydration process is over. 

Other ways to dry herbs

You can use any of the following methods to dry herbs:

Oven

You can easily dry herbs in the oven by following these simple steps:

1. Place a silicone tray on the baking sheet. This will prevent the herbs from sticking to the baking sheet.
2. Next, set the oven temperature to the lowest possible.
3. Bake for 30 minutes.
4. Check your herbs after 30 minutes. You should be able to shred them easily. 

Microwave oven

Microwaving herbs is very simple, but you have to be careful. They can easily burn themselves with this method.

1. Clean and separate the leaves from the herbs.
2. Place the herbs between two paper towels and microwave for 1 minute.
3. Check the herbs and, if necessary, reheat them in the microwave for 30 seconds or more.

How to store dried herbs

What is the next step after drying the herbs? Store them, of course. After all, you don’t want your herbs to lose their flavor.

The best way to store dried herbs is to use glass or airtight plastic containers.

You can save the herbs whole or crush them and store them. The choice is yours!