How to Dry Basil
I love drying my own herbs, especially basil. There’s just something about the smell of fresh basil. It’s distinctive and sweet. It’s also quite strong, so at times, the muted flavor of dried basil is needed for a recipe. Below, I tell you how to dry basil easily at home
How To Dry Basil
It’s actually pretty much the same process as drying parsley, or any leafy herb!
1. Harvest your basil if you’re using your own plant. You’ll want to cut from the top of your plant, cutting all the way to a leaf pair and not leaving a stub of the stem. Only cut up to 1/3 of your plant off at a time so you don’t shock your basil plant. If you are using store bought basil, that’s ok too!
2. Rinse your basil with water, gently rubbing the leaves with your fingers to remove any dust or dirt.
3. Remove the basil leaves from the stems.
4. Lay the basil leaves on a paper towel and blot them dry. Try to get as much of the water droplets off of the leaves as you can.
5. Make a little pouch out of parchment paper by folding it in half and securing the sides with staples. Be sure to write the date of the harvest on the pouch, as well as the date three weeks out. Three weeks out will be when the basil is finished drying.
6: Place the pouch in a place with good air flow. Make sure that it isn’t in direct sunlight.
7: Once the three weeks has passed, you’ll want to open up the parchment pouch and cut the leaves into smaller pieces. Don’t cut them too small! Leave some size to the leaf bits so that when you go to use the dried basil, you can crumble the dried leaves more and release the wonderful basil aroma. These herb scissors are perfect for the job.
Step 8: Store your dried basil in an air tight jar.
The labels shown in the picture above are awesome! They dissolve in water so you don’t have to scrub sticky residue from your little glass jars. I highly recommend them!
6,848 comments found