How to Dry Mint Leaves

Mint is a herb with a very pleasant taste. Mint in its dried form is also used as a garnish, seasoning or tea along with other herbs. The process of drying mint leaves is relatively simple, and you can choose from a few different methods to achieve the same results.

Table of Contents

Prepare mint leaves

Mint harvest. As with all mints, you should harvest when the plant is about to flower. Use garden shears or a sharp knife to cut the mint in the morning, when the morning dew has just dried.

Cut about 1/3 of the length of the main branch. ^{[1] X Research Source} Do this so that the mint still has enough strength to regrow.
Mint harvested just before the plant blooms will have the most aroma and flavor, as this is the time when the leaves contain the most essential oils in the plant’s growth cycle.
Gently shake each mint leaf after cutting to remove insects that may be hiding in the leaves.

Wash mint and dry. Wash each mint leaf under cold running water. Use paper towels to pat dry. The mint must be completely dry before you continue with the following steps. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Place the mint on a paper towel to dry, then spread in a layer on another paper towel to let it dry for another 1-2 hours. Remember not to let the mint branches overlap.
If you have a vegetable roasting basket, you can put a handful of mint in the basket and roast to drain. After that, you still have to spread mint on a paper towel and let it dry for another 1-2 hours.

Consider plucking leaves from branches. Only the natural drying method requires you to keep the branches intact. With other methods, you should separate the leaves and branches before drying, as this will make the drying process easier.

You just need to use your hands to pluck the leaves or use a sharp knife to cut.
Check the mint leaves for damaged or diseased leaves. Discard the bad leaves, keep only the good leaves.

Dry the natural way

Gather mint into bunches. ^{[3] X Research Source} Divide the mint into small bunches. Use string to tie each bundle.

Be sure to tie the bundles of leaves on the branches so that as much of the leaves are exposed to the air as possible.

Hang the mints to dry in a warm, dark, and ventilated place. Tie the other end to a coat hanger or clothes rack and leave it all in a warm, well-ventilated but dimly lit room. Remember to hang the bundles upside down. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Bedrooms, empty rooms in the house, or kitchens with dark areas are usually best, but if you can’t find a room that’s dark enough, you can also get a paper bag loosely draped over bunches of mint leaves, and stick them in place. so that it does not cover the bundle of leaves.
The room should have a minimum temperature of 20 degrees Celsius.
Hanging the bunches of mint leaves upside down allows the scent of the oil to travel down the leaves instead of concentrating on the branches.

Remove mint leaves from branches. The mint leaves will dry in about 1-2 weeks. Take down the bundles of leaves and scrape the leaves onto a plate.

Hold the lower end of the mint sprig with one hand.
Use your other hand to swipe down along the leaf. The mint leaves will fall off easily, but you may need to pluck the leaves at the ends of the branches.

Dry in the microwave

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Spread mint leaves on a microwaveable dish. Spread the mint in a single layer, don’t let the leaves overlap.

By spreading only one layer of leaves, you will dry faster and more evenly than if you put a stack of leaves in a bowl.

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Dry in batches of 10 seconds in the microwave. Microwave the mint leaves and spin 10 seconds at a time, checking often to see if the leaves have begun to curl and crisp. Mint leaves will usually dry in 15 -45 seconds. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Ideally, mint leaves will remain green. You can use mint leaves when they have turned brown, but the green leaves will retain a stronger flavor.
If you put a lot of mint leaves in a dish instead of spreading them in a layer, you will have to turn them over every 30 seconds for a total of 1-3 minutes. However, this is actually not ideal, and can result in unevenly dried mint leaves.

Dry in the oven

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Preheat the oven to 60 degrees Celsius. You just need to preheat the oven to its lowest setting.

The drying temperature should be very low. Mint will dry quickly when dried at high heat, but the flavor of mint also loses a bit. Do not dry mint at temperatures above 93 degrees Celsius.

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Turn off the oven. After the oven has heated and stabilized at the set temperature for 5 minutes, turn off the oven.

This helps the mint to dry quickly in mildly warm conditions without sacrificing the flavor of the oil in the mint.

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Spread mint leaves on a baking tray. Arrange the mint leaves in a single layer on the baking sheet and avoid letting the leaves overlap or touch each other.

If mint leaves overlap or touch each other, some leaves may not be as dry as others. As a result, during the drying process you will find that some leaves are burnt while others are still damp.
You should also try to dry the leaves of the same size on a baking tray at a time. If you dry different sizes of leaves, some leaves may dry faster.
You don’t need to line a baking sheet before spreading the mint leaves, but if you’d like, you can line a sheet of parchment paper. Do not use non-stick spray.

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Let the mint dry in a warm oven. Place the mint tray in a warm oven and let it dry for 5-20 minutes. Check every 5 minutes if the mint is dry enough.

The dried mint leaves will begin to curl and become crisp but still green. You should check regularly so that the leaves do not turn brown.

Use a food dryer

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Spread mint leaves on the drying tray. Spread only one layer of leaves and try to arrange them so that the leaves overlap as little as possible.

Mint leaves will dry more evenly if stacked in a single layer, as each leaf will receive the same amount of heat. The overlapping leaves will need to be turned during the drying process, and some will dry before others.

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Turn on the dryer on the lowest setting. Place the drying tray back into the machine and turn on the lowest heat setting.

Low heat is all you need to dry mint leaves and similar herbs.
If your dryer doesn’t have a thermostat, you should check it more often during the drying process to prevent leaves from burning.
Remove unnecessary trays before starting drying. This will give you more space for the larger leaves and help increase air circulation around the mint leaves.

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Dry until the leaves are dry. Check the mint leaves about every 5 minutes. Remove the mint leaves from the dryer as soon as they dry.

The edges of the leaves will curl up and the leaves will be crisp but still green.

Use a dehumidifier

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Open the dehumidifier. The conditions of the air around the dehumidifier are very suitable for you to dry the mint. Turn on the dehumidifier as always.

A dehumidifier removes moisture from the air, so the air around the machine is usually quite dry. This is good, as mint can go moldy in wet conditions.

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Sprinkle mint on the cake cooling rack. Spread the mint leaves on a cookie or muffin cooler. Spread only one layer and try to avoid overlapping the leaves.

A cake cooling rack is ideal, as air can circulate from the bottom up and down from the top. This is also a factor that helps prevent mold.

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Dry the mint with a dehumidifier. ^{[6] X Research Source} Place a rack of mint leaves in front of the dehumidifier, right in front of the location that blows out the hottest and driest air. Leave the mint leaves there for 1-2 days until dry.

The mint leaves will curl up and feel crispy to the touch but still quite green.
You can find the hottest point of your dehumidifier just by running your hand around it.

Preserving dried mint

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Pour mint leaves into a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid. ^{[7] X Source of Study} Place whole dried mint leaves in an airtight container. Screw the lid on as tightly as possible.

Use jars with tight-fitting lids, non-porous, and non-hygroscopic metal containers. Materials such as paper, cardboard, and plastic will absorb the volatile oils of the mint plants.
Label each jar, stating the date, name, and number of dried leaves in the jar.
If possible, keep the leaves whole and just crush them just before using them, rather than pre-ground them in a jar. The mint flavor will last longer when left whole.

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Check humidity. Watch for mint leaves for the first few days. If moisture is present, you will need additional drying. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Simply pour the mint out and dry it again using one of the methods above.
Mint and other herbs will quickly go moldy if not stored in dry conditions.

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Store in a cool, dry and dark place. For the best taste, you should use dried mint within a year.

Do not use paper or cardboard boxes to store mints. These materials will absorb the aroma of the oil in the mint, reducing its flavor.

Things you need

All methods

Garden scissors or sharp knife
Tissue
Vegetable basket (optional)
Airtight vial
Markers

Dried naturally

Fastener

Use the microwave

The dish can be used in the microwave

Use the oven

Baking tray
Stencils (optional)

Use a food dryer

Drying tray

Use a dehumidifier

Dehumidifiers
Cake cooling rack

Steps

Prepare mint leaves

Dry the natural way

Dry in the microwave

Dry in the oven

Use a food dryer

Use a dehumidifier

Preserving dried mint

Things you need

All methods

Dried naturally

Use the microwave

Use the oven

Use a food dryer

Use a dehumidifier

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