When your garden is producing an abundant crop of fresh basil, it’s time to think about preserving it for use all year long. Read on for more about how to dry basil using several different methods, including one that might be a bit unexpected.
Originally published February 2019; this post has been updated.
Home cooks everywhere love basil for adding flavor to meals. I love to store homemade basil pesto in the freezer, both in large quantities for coating pasta, or in ice cube sized chunks to add to soups. And this delicious lemony basil sauce is another way to preserve basil for future meals.
If you’ve got more basil than you know what to do with, drying some for the spice rack is another option.
Preparing Basil for Drying
Before drying your fresh basil leaves, you need to prepare it. Harvest and wash basil leaves by submerging stems of basil into a big bowl of water. Swish them around a bit, make sure that they’re all submerged, and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes. Swish again, and lift basil into a colander to drain.
Transfer drained basil leaves to a towel. Use a second towel to dab the top of the basil stems, removing all visible moisture.
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Remove basil leaves from the stems. The stems can go into your compost bin; the whole leaves are the part to be preserved.
Related: Growing Herbs Indoors
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How to Dry Basil
Dried basil has the benefit of being shelf stable. It doesn’t take up space in the freezer like freezing basil does. Dry basil is a key ingredient in cooking Italian dishes like lasagna and marinara sauce.
While you don’t need anything fancy to dry most herbs, basil has a high moisture content and will mold if the drying process takes too long. A food dehydrator offers a more controlled environment for drying basil, though it’s not the only way to do so.
Dehydrating Basil
To dry basil in a food dehydrator, scatter prepared basil leaves on dehydrator trays. Position them so that they’re close together but not overlapping. This allows for free air flow.
Set dehydrator to lowest heat setting (some dehydrators have an “herb” setting).
How long it takes to dehydrate basil will vary greatly based on the humidity of your region. Begin checking basil after about four hours, though depending on your climate, this can take as much as 24 hours.
If you find that you don’t have enough basil to fill your dehydrator, you can add trays of green onions, parsley, or other fresh herbs to make it a full batch.
Drying Fresh Basil in the Oven
To dry basil in your oven, line a baking tray with a clean kitchen towel and scatter leaves in a single layer. Turn the oven onto its lowest setting and prop the oven door open.
If yours is a newer oven with a bread proofing setting, use that, otherwise aim for a temperature no higher than 180 degrees Fahrenheit. It will take two to four hours (or more) for basil to fully dry.
An Unorthodox Method to Dry Fresh Basil
Spread basil on baking sheets as you would for oven drying. Instead of turning the oven on, set the trays of basil leaves inside your car. The heat from sitting in the sunshine will work just as well as any dehydrator without using electricity or gas.
Air Drying Basil
If your climate is dry and hot, the simplest way to dry basil leaves is to use what Mother Nature offers up. You can air dry basil the old-fashioned way if you have the space.
Cut long stems of basil and bundle them together using a twist tie or a rubber band.
Hang basil to dry on rafters at room temperature, or stretch a length of sturdy line on a fence out of direct sunlight or across the ceiling and use clothespins to hold herbs in place.
Optionally, you can cut a slit in the bottom of a small paper bag and push the stiff stems into the bag and through the slits so that the bundle of herbs is covered by the bag. This helps keep dust off the herbs as the leaves dry.
An outdoor drying rack can be as simple or elaborate as you like. Basically, these are trays on which herbs are set, with a bottom that allows airflow. You can create an inexpensive drying rack at home using a picture frame from a thrift store.
Cut a piece window screen so it’s just a bit larger than the frame and use a staple gun to attach the screen material to the frame. To use your rack, set it up on blocks in a dry place so that the air will flow all around the herbs. Avoid setting basil in the direct sun.
Storing Dried Basil
Test the leaves by crushing them in your hand. If the basil is dry enough, it should crumble into dry little bits. If they just roll or bend or wrinkle in your hand, they still need more time.
You can also remove the leaves that feel dry and return those that aren’t quite ready to the dehydrator. They don’t always dry evenly.
When the basil leaves are crispy, rub them between your fingers to crush them for storage.
Store dried basil leaves in an airtight container. Adding a desiccant packet can help maintain freshness. Store jars of basil in a cool, dark place.
I find it’s useful to keep a large jar of dried basil in a cupboard and a smaller jar in the spice drawer. This prevents me from introducing moisture to the large jar every time I add this flavorful herb to a recipe. When the small jar is empty, I refill it from the large one.
Using Dehydrated Basil Leaves
Your homemade dried basil can be used just as you’d use the store bought version. But yours will be fresher! And free of plastic waste.
Stir dried basil leaves into soups and stews, use it in this zucchini lasagna, or add it to these herbed English muffins.
Just be sure to crumble or crush the leaves as you use them so you don’t end up with full-sized rehydrated basil leaves in your recipe! (Go here for 25+ recipes that use basil!)
Go here to learn all about growing and harvesting your own fresh basil.
How to Dry Basil
Basil has a high moisture content and will mold if the drying process takes too long. A food dehydrator offers a more controlled environment for drying basil, though it’s not the only way to do so.
Ingredients
- Fresh basil
Instructions
- Prepare basil by washing and thoroughly drying. Remove most of the stem, leaving behind only the leaves.
- Place leaves in a single layer on dehydrator trays or a baking sheet lined with a towel. Pack as many as you can onto the trays without overlapping a lot.
Dehydrator:
- Set dehydrator to 95 degrees Fahrenheit or the lowest heat setting - some dehydrators have an “herb” setting. Begin checking basil after about four hours, though depending on your climate, this can take as much as 24 hours.
Oven:
- Turn the oven onto its lowest setting. If yours is a newer oven with a bread proofing setting, use that, otherwise aim for a temperature no higher than 180 degrees Fahrenheit and prop the door open to let some of the heat escape. It will take two to four hours or longer for basil to completely dry, again, depending on the temperature you use and the humidity. Check it frequently.
Air Drying:
If your climate is dry and hot, the simplest way to dry basil leaves is to use what Mother Nature offers up. You can air dry basil the old-fashioned way if you have the space.
- Cut long stems of basil and bundle them together using a twist tie or a rubber band.
- Hang basil to dry on rafters at room temperature, or stretch a length of sturdy line on a fence out of direct sunlight or across the ceiling and use clothespins to hold herbs in place.
Notes
How long it takes to dehydrate basil will vary greatly based on the humidity of your region. Basil is done when it is crunchy and crumbles when you pinch the leaves between your fingers.
An 8 quart bowl of basil leaves is enough leaves to fill a 9-tray Excalibur dehydrator and nets about 2 cups of dried basil. I say about because this depends a lot on how full you pack the leaves in the bowl and how much you are able to fit on the trays.
Store dried basil in an airtight container.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 96 Serving Size: 1 teaspoonAmount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
Hello going through the drying in the oven now. At the end of the summer how do I store in the freezer?
The dried basil will last, no need to freeze it!
Can you dry the basil flowers as well? Or is it better to dry basil before it flowers? Thanks for any guidance you can provide 🙂
Try to catch it before it flowers.