Preserve it! Dehydrating your herbs
Fresh herbs, whether purchased at a local grocery store or grown in your own herb garden, are easy to dehydrate and preserve. Start with a clean kitchen and clean countertops. Then, rinse the fresh herbs under running water to get rid of insects and dirt. Use a salad spinner to get all that moisture off or use several layers of paper towels to gently pat your herbs as dry as possible. The flavor of herbs comes from the oils in the cell walls of the plants. Leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds can all be dehydrated. It takes heat, low humidity, and air flow to dehydrate herbs.
Lay in a single layer on dehydrator trays. Set your dehydrator between 95 and 110 degrees F. Herbs are sufficiently dry when leaves are crispy and crumble easily between the fingers.
There’s one more step to the dehydration process to destroy any insects or insect eggs that may be on your dried herbs. Freeze your herbs at 0 degrees F for at least 48 hours.
Date and label your herbs. Store your herbs and herb mixes in a cool, dry, and dark place away from the stove and sink (I know this sounds crazy because we all use our herbs as we cook). Most dried herbs, if stored properly, will keep well for up to a year. Use your nose to judge whether your herbs are still flavorful – does your basil, for instance, still smell fresh? Whole herbs will retain their flavor longer.
Are you used to cooking with fresh herbs and worry about substituting dried? A general rule of thumb for most herbs is 1 tablespoon of fresh herb is equal to 1 teaspoon of dried herb or ¼ teaspoon of powdered herb.
To recap, there are five simple steps for dehydrating herbs safely
- Rinse the fresh herbs under running water to get rid of insects and dirt
- Remove the moisture from rinsing off of the herbs
- Dehydrate in a single layer until crumbly
- Freeze for 48 hours
- Store in a cool dry place
Go forth and dehydrate some herbs.
This article by UC Master Food Preserver of El Dorado County Laurie Lewis originally appeared in the Mountain Democrat in May 2026 .
Do you have a question about dehydrating or any other food preservation process? Reach out to the UC Master Food Preservers for researched-backed answers.