How to Dry Herbs at Home: Bundles, Screens, and the Dehydrator
October 14, 2025
Drying is the oldest preservation method there is, and for herbs it’s still the best one. A fresh herb is mostly water, and removing that water is what lets a summer harvest keep its usefulness through a whole year of teas, infused oils, and salves.
Here are four ways to do it, from the slowest and gentlest to the fastest.
Hanging bundles
This is the classic method, and it’s still the right one for long-stemmed herbs.
- Gather stems into small bundles, no thicker than your thumb, so air reaches the middle.
- Tie with string or a rubber band, which tightens as the stems shrink.
- Hang upside down somewhere warm, dry, and airy, out of direct sunlight.
- Wait 1 to 2 weeks, depending on the herb and your humidity.
Sunlight fades both color and aroma, so a bright room works but a sunbeam doesn’t. If your space is dusty, hang the bundle inside a paper bag with holes cut in the sides.
Screens and racks
Loose leaves, flower heads, and petals dry best spread in a single layer on a window screen or mesh rack, anywhere with airflow on both sides. Turn them every day or two. This is the method for calendula heads and chamomile flowers, which have no stem worth bundling.
The dehydrator
A dehydrator gives the fastest reliable results, and it’s the best choice in humid climates where air-drying invites mold. Spread herbs in a single layer and run the machine on its lowest setting, ideally between 95 and 115 degrees. Most leaves finish in a few hours. Low matters: hotter settings cook off the aromatic compounds you’re trying to keep.
The oven, if it’s all you have
Set the oven to its lowest temperature, spread herbs on a baking sheet, and prop the door open a crack so moisture escapes. Check every 15 minutes. It works, but ovens run hot even at their minimum, so treat this as the backup method rather than the default.
How to know they’re fully dry
Use the crumble test: a fully dry leaf crumbles between your fingers, and a stem snaps instead of bending. If anything flexes or feels leathery, it still holds water, and water is what makes stored herbs mold. When in doubt, give it two more days. Under-dried herbs in a sealed jar are the most common way a harvest gets lost.
Storing what you dried
Store herbs whole rather than crushed, since every break in a leaf releases aroma you’d rather keep for the teapot. Keep them in airtight glass jars in a cool, dark cupboard, each labeled with the herb and the date. Kept that way, dried herbs hold their potency for about a year.
From there, the shelf is yours: steep them, infuse them into oil, or work through our guide to starting a home apothecary. And if you want a reference for which herbs are worth drying in your region, our Field Guide to Common Medicinal Herbs organizes them by climate.
A note on safety
Identify every plant with certainty before it goes in a jar. This article is educational; it is not medical advice.
Go deeper with the guide Field Guide to Common Medicinal Herbs by Climate & Region This article is for educational purposes and reflects traditional herbal use. It is not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before using herbs, especially if pregnant, nursing, or taking medication.
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