How to Dry Parsley – Oven, Dehydrator or Air
Find out how to dry parsley easily in an oven, a dehydrator, or by air drying. With these uncomplicated steps – and the pros and cons of each method – you will be able to dry parsley to use in dishes all winter long!
I love to use dried parsley in recipes like Kid Approved Ranch Dressing, Simple Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing, and added to Cajun Barley Vegetable Soup or 15 Minute Crispy Tuna Patties.
Dried parsley is one of those herbs you have in your spice cupboard to use in things like dressings and soups. To be honest, it doesn’t have a lot of flavor compared to basil and oregano so I never really thought about it much.
Then I read an article about the healthy benefits of dried parsley – yes, specifically dry, not fresh! Apparently, drying increases the flavonoids in parsley, particularly apigenin which can help fight cancer, improve sleep, decrease anxiety, and regulate hormones. (source)
Fresh parsley also has health benefits – it’s a great source of vitamins K, C, and A, beta carotene, potassium, and calcium – any drying doesn’t lose as much of them as other types of herbs.
So now I make sure to dry the parsley I grow in our garden and use it in tomato sauces, soups and stews through the winter to try and take advantage of all that goodness.
How to Dry Parsley: Prep
- Gather Parsley. You can dry any parsley, curly or flat. Start with a bunch or whatever you’ve harvested from your garden.
- Wash the cuttings. Rinse the stems with leaves well and use a salad spinner to dry completely.
TIP: I rarely wash herbs when harvesting from my organic garden, only if the leaves were on the ground and are dirty, so it’s up to you if you know where the parsley came from.
3. Dry the parsley. Choose one of the following drying methods that works for you:
Air Dry Parsley
- Take a small amount of parsley stems in a bunch and use a rubber band to tie together at the base.
- Hang upside down in cooler place out of direct sunlight with low humidity until completely dry and crisp. (If you only have bright places, add a brown paper bag poked with holes around each bundle.)
TIP: Always use a rubber band to air dry herbs and flowers – as the stems shrink as they dry the band will automatically shrink, too, unlike string.
PROS: Very easy, quick, no equipment needed or heating up the house.
CONS: Can take up to 2 weeks to dry thoroughly, slight chance of mold developing before it’s dry enough.
NOTE: If you live in a humid environment, you probably need to use one of the other methods to dry.
Dry Parsley With An Oven
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees (use convection bake if you have it to increase airflow). Lay prepared parsley on a baking tray in a single layer. To save time, keep the leaves on the stems – they’re easy to remove when dry.
2. Bake for 20 minutes, checking every 5 minutes after that if not crisp. Depending on your oven and parsley size, it could take up to 35 minutes for the leaves to be crisp enough to crumble easily (my oven on non-convection takes 35 minutes). Let cool and then simply crumble the leaves off the stems with your fingers.
TIP: The key with oven drying is to check regularly, as the tender herbs can burn quickly otherwise.
PROS: Fairly quick, uses an appliance most everyone has.
CONS: Heats up the house, potential to burn so needs watching.
Dry Parsley With Dehydrator
1. Lay out parsley leaves in a single layer on dehydrator trays. I remove the stems for dehydrator trays because I can then fit more on the trays. Dry at 95-120 degrees for 2-6 hours, checking often, until the leaves crumble when rubbed.
2. When completely dry and crisp, pour the dried leaves from the trays into a bowl big enough to hold them. Then simply use your fingers to crumble the leaves into small pieces for storage.
TIP: The time to dry will vary with your machine and size of the parsley leaves, so start at a lower temperature and check often the first time you do it so you know the time needed for your kitchen and dryer. For example, my 1970s model dryer takes 5-6 hours on 120 degrees – a newer model may take only 2 hours at 100 degrees.
PROS: Depending on the size of your dryer, you can do a lot at one time, dryers tend to use less electricity than ovens, and you can place the dryer outside or in an unused room when it’s hot.
CONS: Takes longer than oven drying, the machine can be loud if kept inside (can you tell my family complains?), dries a little less evenly than the oven.
How long does dried parsley last?
Stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place dried parsley can last 1-2 years.
How much dried parsley do I use in place of fresh?
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley leaves = 1 teaspoon of dried parsley.
Want to preserve more food by drying?
Try one of these:
- How to Dry Tomatoes And Store In Olive Oil
- How To Dry Plums (Not Your Mother’s Prunes!)
- Homemade Dried Cherries Two Ways – Which is Best?
I hope you found this tutorial for how to dry parsley three ways helpful – if you try this, be sure to leave a 5 star rating so I can know how it went!
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How to Dry Basil – Oven or Dehydrator
Equipment
- Food Dehydrator optional
Ingredients
- 1 bunch fresh basil, any kind
Instructions
Prep Basil
- Harvest or buy basil. Remove the leaves from the stems.
- Rinse basil leaves gently.* Pat dry with a towel or spin in a salad spinner (or roll in a towel and leave overnight in the fridge).
- To make dried basil, choose either of the following drying methods:
Oven:
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees (use convection bake if you have it to increase airflow). Lay basil leaves on a baking tray in a single layer. Some will say to line with parchment, it's up to you – I never bother and don't seem to need it.
- Bake for 50 minutes to an hour until dry and crispy, depending on the size of your leaves (really large leaves may take longer). As you can see, the color changes and they shrink a lot. TIP: I've found there's no need to crack oven door open, even without a convection oven.
Dehydrator:
- Lay out basil leaves in a single layer on dehydrator trays. Dry at 95-120 degrees (higher heat if your kitchen is more humid) for 6-10 hours, checking often, until the leaves crumble when rubbed.
- The basil is dry when the leaves are totally crispy and crumble easily. They shouldn't bend or have any soft areas, but sound crunchy and fall apart in your fingers. This may take longer than 10 hours, depending on your dehydrator, kitchen humidity, and type of basil.
Store
- Crumble (or not). For both methods when the leaves are dry, pour them from the trays into a small bowl and use your fingers to crumble the leaves evenly. OR you can store the leaves whole and crumble when using them. (You can also use a spice grinder (or coffee grinder dedicated to herbs) or food processor to get smaller, more even pieces.)
- Place basil crumbles or whole leaves into small glass jars with airtight lids. Label and date: this is IMPORTANT because once it's in your spice shelf, it will look similar to a lot of other greenish herbs!
Notes
Nutrition
very helpful information, will do this right away with my parsley.
Great- I’m so glad this was helpful!
So simple, but I never knew! Would this work with other herbs too? Cilantro? Basil?
Thank you for sharing things I wish I knew long ago!
Yes, definitely!! I will be sharing a few other popular herbs that may differ a bit in timing, but the techniques are the same. 🙂