How to Dry Fresh Basil

At the end of the summer when the garden is overflowing with basil, it’s the perfect time to start drying basil to stock your pantry. Fortunately, you don’t need any special equipment to dry basil.

Let’s chat about the different methods of drying basil – air dry, dehydrator, oven method, microwave and air fryer – and the pros and cons of each method.

I like to grow basil plants along with our other summer vegetables such as tomatoes and squash. They make great companion plants. And help keep pests away.

All through the summer, I’ll harvest small amounts of basil to make pesto for our Friday night pizza, to cook with, or add to tomatoes while I’m canning them. The frequent harvesting helps the plants bush out and produce more leaves.

Towards the end of the summer, I’ll do a large harvest and cut the plants back by about two-thirds. I’ll use this harvest to make freezer pesto and stock the herb cabinet for winter.

Harvesting and Preparing Fresh Basil for Drying

Basil is best harvested before it starts to flower as it can get bitter. That being said, if the basil has started to flower, I’ll still harvest it and use it. I’ve never been able to tell a difference.

Use scissors or garden clippers when you harvest basil. The leaves bruise easily and can oxidize and turn black. They’ll also lose some of their flavor.

I like to clip the stems off instead of just pinching off the leaves. I do this even when I’m only harvesting a little to just immediately. This will help the plant get bushy.

Once it’s harvested, basil need to be cleaned and preserved fairly quickly. Basil has a tendency to oxidize and turn black wherever there is a bruise, and sometimes where there isn’t a bruise. I like to get it all processed within an hour of harvesting.

If I harvested a lot of basil, I’ll fill a sink with cold water and put it all in the sink. Swish it around a bit and you’ll start to see dirt in the water. Occasionally there will be bugs that were hidden in the basil that need to be removed.

Next pinch the leaves off the basil and put them in a salad spinner. Once it’s full, spin the basil leaves to remove any excess water.

If you don’t have a salad spinner, or if you’re going to dry the basil in bunches, use several clean kitchen towels and pat the basil dry.

Now, the basil is ready for drying.

How to Dry Basil

I think most people will agree that while dried basil is good, it doesn’t have nearly the flavor that fresh basil does. Because of that, drying basil is not my favorite way to preserve basil.

However, I do like to keep dried basil on hand during the winter to quickly add to things I’m cooking or canning. So every summer I harvest and dry basil.

I’m often asked if it’s better to use an oven or dehydrator to dry basil. My answer is, “Use what you have.” The process will be a little different depending on if you use an oven or dehydrator (or air dry) to dry the basil. But the end result will be the same.

So, don’t get hung up on what’s “best.”

Pro Tip: Do NOT chop basil before drying, as it will be more likely to discolor. If you want chopped dried basil, crumble the dried leaves.

Air Drying Basil

Yes, you can air dry fresh basil. In my opinion, this gives the best end results. BUT you need to know a couple of things first.

Fresh basil has a high water content, so if you choose to dry basil by hanging and air drying it, be sure to bundle it in small bundles. Basil has a tendency to mold, and you don’t want that.

Using the Oven to Dehydrate Basil

Using the oven to dry basil seems like a good choice, since you probably already have an oven. The problem with the oven is that it can heat up the fresh basil too much and cook instead of dehydrating it.

When basil gets hot it will release it’s essential oils and while your house will smell amazing, the dried basil will lose some of it’s flavor.

Drying Basil in a Dehydrator

Using a dehydrator is probably the easiest way to dry basil. But you’ll want to make sure your dehydrator has a temperature gauge.

I have three different dehydrators and I love them all for various reasons. One does not have a temperature gauge and I’ve learned that it gets too hot for drying herbs. You can often find dehydrators at thrift stores but if you want to buy a new one, I recommend this Nesco (I’ve had this same model for 20 years) or this Excalibur (I’ve had this model for 5 years).

Basil, like other herbs, are sensitive to heat and light. The heat will cause the volatile oils to be released – your house will smell amazing, but the dried basil will be bland. So, if your dehydrator does not have a temperature gauge then use one of the other methods for drying basil.

Using a Microwave to Dry Basil

There are very few scenarios in which I think I’d need to dry fresh basil leaves in a microwave. The only one that comes to mind is if I needed some dried basil for a canning recipe and didn’t have any. In canning you can’t safely substitute fresh herbs for dried herbs. If that’s the case, microwave drying basil is the way to go.

Using an Air Fryer to Make Dried Basil

Using an air fryer to dry fresh basil is another method that I don’t really see a need for. The air fryer can get to hot and you run the risk of burning the basil. But, if you need dried basil and only have fresh, the air fryer will work.

At a Glance

Storing Properly

One of the things I’ve learned about storing dried basil is that the longer the leaves are kept whole, the more flavor it will have. Because of this, I prefer to store dried basil as whole leaves instead cut leaves.

If you’re going to keep the jars in a closed cabinet or pantry, a clear jar like a quart or half gallon mason jar is fine. However, if you keep your spices on open shelves, you should consider using colored jars to store them in.

Stored properly, dried basil should last a year or so. It will lose flavor the longer it’s stored but it won’t be unsafe to use.

It’s important to keep dried basil, and other herbs, in jars that have an airtight lid. And to not open them very often.

I like to keep a small jar in my pantry to use regularly, and then a larger jar to refill the small jar as needed. This keeps the basil from being exposed to air over and over.

If you live in a humid area, you might want to use food grade silica desiccant packs. Or use a food saver and vacuum seal the jars that you’re using to refill the small jar.

Substituting Dried for Fresh

You can easily substitute dried basil for fresh basil and vice versa if you know the ratio to use.

If a recipe calls for fresh basil, you’ll use 1/3 that amount in dried basil. So, if you need 1 tablespoon fresh basil, you’ll use 1 teaspoon dried basil.

If a recipe calls dried basil, you’ll use 3X that amount of fresh basil. So, if it calls for 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, you’ll use 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh basil.

How to Use Dried Basil

You probably don’t need much direction here but I thought I’d mention a few ways to incorporate dried basil into your meals.

Dried basil is a great addition to soups and sauces, of course. But it’s also great added to butter and garlic and spread on bread for a tasty garlic bread.

If you have a little more time, you can make fresh zucchini calzones and add dried basil.

The thing I mainly use dried basil for is in canning recipes. In case you didn’t know, you can add dried herbs to any canned recipe and not mess up the safety of the recipe. And y’all, that’s a game changer.

Thanks for sharing with your friends!