Pin this Recipe For Later!
What to do with lots of basil?
If you have a garden you’ve probably encountered basil overload before. It’s the problem when you have just a couple basil plants but suddenly it’s mid Summer and they’re producing with a unstoppable momentum! It starts with a few basil leaves and suddenly you’re picking basil by the basket!
Don’t worry though, one way to solve basil overload is by drying the basil. This way you’re preserving your basil (and all the hard work that went into it) and will be able to enjoy basil for months (or years) afterwards.
I specifically grow basil to dry it. Sure, I use it fresh on dishes (like lasagna and tomato mozzarella salad!), but I use dried basil while cooking a few times a week, and it’s always a nice feeling adding dried basil when I know it came from the garden!
From Fresh Basil to Dried is easy!
Drying herbs is easy. Once you dry herbs for the first time, you’ll want to dry all the herbs! This method is similar to drying oregano, drying mint , making garlic powder and onion powder techniques. Here’s a how to video made I to show you how easy it is to do! Often people recommend hanging herbs to dry naturally, but we have limited space in NYC so I don’t have that luxury. Also between us, I’m extremely impatient so I love this quick drying method!
How To Dry Basil Leaves In the Oven
Make sure your basil is washed and completely dry. I wash the entire plant and dry mine overnight on a towel (another reason why I have so many flour sack towels!).
Preheat oven to 170 degrees. If your oven’s lowest temperature is 175 or 180, that’s fine.
Place basil leaves on a baking sheet, making sure the leaves don’t overlap. Depending on the amount of basil you have, you might need a few baking sheets.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until basil leaves are dried and can easily crumble. Mine took 50 minutes.
Remove basil from oven and crumble in bowl. The basil should easily crumble upon touching. I like to fill the bowl up with as many basil leaves I can fit in and then crumble with my fingers. You could also use a mortar and pestle.
Store dried basil in jar for storage. I like to reuse spice jars I get from the store. If properly stored dried basil will last 1-2 years.
I hope you’ll find this method easy to dry your basil! Enjoy!
Do you wash basil before drying?
Yes, you should wash basil before drying. This will be the time to remove any dirt or critters (hey it happens) on your basil leaves before drying it. The most important part is that the basil should be completely dry before we put it in the oven. I recommend washing it and letting it dry overnight on a towel. Pin for later:
