Three to Dry Mint Leaves Including Air Drying, and Using the Oven

How to dry mint leaves to use in tea, beauty products, and food recipes. Methods include air-drying, using a food dehydrator, or drying it in the oven.

My mint grows from March to October but after that, it dies back for the winter. That means that I have two options to keep myself stocked up in mint over the cold months. Pot some plants up for inside or dry mint leaves to use until it starts re-growing in spring. There are several ways to dry leafy herbs and in this piece, I’ll take you through how to dry mint in the oven, a drying rack, and a food dehydrator.

Carefully drying herbs can preserve the flavor, color, and essential oils from the plant for months to come. Once dried, it will last for a year, and you can use it in tea or in beauty recipes like soap. The methods I share for how to dry mint apply to other leafy herbs too. So if you have a herb garden filled with lemon balm, basil, and parsley, you can dry them in the same manner.

When to Harvest Mint

Pick mint it in the morning before the sun has a chance to evaporate away essential oils. The rule with harvesting herbs for drying is to take the plant material when it’s at its prime. For mint, this will be late spring for its first harvest. The leaves should look fresh and green, and it’s said that a plant’s volatile oils are at their peak just as its flowers are beginning to bloom. There are many types of mint out there but all of them will flower and bees will love them.

If your mint is looking tired or scruffy, it won’t be the best for drying. Cut it down to the ground, compost the leaves, and let the plant regrow. Within weeks you’ll have plenty of fresh green leaves to dry. You can do this several times over the spring and summer, and mint will happily rebound to give you even more aromatic leaves.

Rinsing and Drying Mint

Before you proceed with any of the drying methods below, make sure to clean the mint. It will have been outside and may have dirt, insects, and whatever else on the leaves. First, lay the mint on a cloth outside in the shade for thirty minutes. This gives bugs a chance to fly off.

Next, fill the sink with cool water and submerge the leaves — it’s easiest to do this if they’re still on the stem. Swish the mint around gently then take it out and let dry. A dish rack is a perfect place but you can also spread it out on towels in a warm, airy place. It’s better to not put it in direct sunlight though.

How to Air Dry Mint

There are two main ways to air-dry mint. You can tie bunches of it with string and hang it upside down in a warmish, dry, dim, and airy place. It could be inside or even be on a protected porch. To keep dried leaves from scattering on the floor below, loosely tie a paper bag over the bunch. It’ll catch any bits that fall so they won’t make a mess and won’t go to waste.

To dry mint this way, it can take up to two weeks. If it takes longer then the air in the room might be too humid and you should investigate the oven or dehydrator methods below.

Another way to air dry mint is to use a drying rack. There are many types out there but I have a small cloth one that I use regularly. I lightly spread the mint on, stems and all, and leave it there to dry. It usually takes a week for it to dry if the room is warm enough.

I’ve had a lot of folks asking where I got my drying rack from. I bought it years ago and unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be available any longer. I have my eye on this one though if you’re interested.

Food Dehydrator Method for Drying Mint

To dry mint quickly, use a food dehydrator. I use mine for drying all kinds of herbs, fruit, and veggies especially if they have high water content.

Clean the mint as instructed further above. Next, pluck the leaves from the stems and place them in a thin layer on the racks of your food dehydrator. Dry at 40°C/105°F for three to five hours or until the leaves are brittle and crumble when rolled between your fingers. Allow to fully cool down before you store it in jars. Residual heat can cause condensation in the jars and that will spoil the mint.

The dehydrator that I use is from Stockli. In the USA, I recommend this food dehydrator.

Oven Drying Method for Drying Mint

If you have a drying rack or dehydrator, it’s easy to dry mint. But what if you don’t have either and need to dry a bunch now? Fortunately, there’s another method to dry mint that doesn’t require specialist equipment and is quick too!

Once your mint is rinsed and dried, lay it in a thin layer over a lined baking sheet. If you pluck the leaves off first, the mint can dry a little quicker. You can leave it on the stem if pressed for time. Pop it in the oven at 40°C/105°F until you’re sure it’s completely dry. Turn the leaves every half an hour or so and keep the oven door wedged open a crack so that moisture can escape. A tea towel or pot holder can help keep it open the right amount.

If you dry mint in the oven, it will take just as long as drying it in a food dehydrator. Keep in mind that drying large amounts of mint at a time can take even longer. You should also avoid drying large piles of mint at a time since it will take so much longer to dry and the herb’s scent and flavor will likely be impacted.

Storing Dried Mint

High-quality dried mint is still green in color and the scent and flavor will be very minty. If it’s black or is lacking in aroma, it’s likely that it spent too much time being heated. Try for smaller batches next time and I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it.

When the mint is bone dry and room temperature you can put it in containers to store. If it’s destined for tea, I’ll crumble the leaves up by hand or use a stick blender (or food processor). I also store the leaves whole. They look pretty placed on top of handmade soap and can also be infused in oil whole. Mint leaves will dry into a fraction of the size you began so plan to use a container that’s a quarter to one-eighth the size of the mint when fresh. Dried mint has a shelf-life of at least a year. After that, it tends to lose its flavor.

PS — if drying mint seems like too much trouble you can also freeze it. A good friend of mine buys bunches of peppermint at the farmers market, pops it in the freezer, and takes handfuls out when she makes tea.