Make Your Own Dried Basil Herb for Winter

If you find yourself craving the taste of basil in the middle of winter and thinking longingly of those summer days when you had so much basil you didn't know what to do with it all, this post is for you. We may not be able to keep our basil plants alive and producing all winter long, but we can take steps now to preserve that delicious flavor.

Here's what you do: Harvest your basil plants throughout the growing season. Use some of your harvest fresh, and then either freeze your basil leaves or dry them. Once the temps drop and your plants slow their production, do a final big harvest so you can save all those summery leaves.

Drying basil leaves helps you use up a ton of basil so you don't waste any of your herbs. You'll end up with enough dried basil to toss into soups, salads, and pastas all winter long—all for very little effort.

No more buying those sad little packages of basil from the grocery store. Here's how to create your very own year-round supply of dried basil.

How to Harvest Basil for Drying

The best time to harvest basil is in the morning, once the dew has evaporated from the leaves but before the heat of the day kicks in.

If you're in the middle of your growing season, you'll want to harvest your basil so that it keeps on growing. You do that by cutting right above a leaf node. This will encourage your plant to keep branching out and producing even more leaves for you. Basil is a cut-and-come-again herb, which is one of the reasons I love it so much. That means you can take and take from your basil plants, and they'll just keep on giving.

Once you're at the end of your basil growing season (frost is forecasted), you can harvest all the stems from your plants and cut them at their base to remove them from the garden. (Don't forget to save some seeds for next year!)

Pro Tip:

Basil leaves are full of water, so they shrink to half their original size during the drying process. Whenever you plan to dry basil leaves, pick about twice as much as you'd like to end up with.

How to Dry Basil

Start off by giving your basil a good rinse in the sink to remove dirt and any little hitchhikers from the garden. You'll then need to remove all the water drops from your basil before you dry the leaves. So what I like to do is spread out my basil on a clean kitchen towel and then gently roll it up. Unroll and pat dry if any moisture remains.

Now, let's look at three different ways to dry your basil leaves.

Drying Basil in the Oven

I typically hang my herbs to dry, but for basil, I've had the best results using an oven. Follow these steps to dry your basil leaves in the oven.

1. Preheat your oven to 250°F (121°C).
2. Strip the basil leaves from the stems, and arrange them in a single layer on a baking tray. You can line your tray with parchment paper if you'd like.
3. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Check on the leaves every 15 minutes or so after the first 30 minutes have passed. The leaves are dried once they easily crumble between your fingertips.

Drying Basil in a Dehydrator

Drying herbs is super easy if you have a dehydrator. Follow these steps:

1. Preheat your dehydrator to 95°F (35°C).
2. Strip the basil leaves from the stems and arrange them in a single layer on the dehydrator trays.
3. Dry for 2 to 4 hours (time depends on your dehydrator model). Leaves are dried when they're crisp and easy to crumble between your fingertips.

Drying Basil by Hanging

You can air dry your basil leaves, but this is, by far, the slowest method. I've also found it to be the least reliable. Basil leaves have a high moisture content, so you need to make sure there's lots of air circulating around them to help them dry quickly. Check basil stems frequently while they're drying, and discard any bundles that show signs of mold.

Here's how to dry basil leaves by hanging them:

1. Strip the bottom leaves from the stems so that you have about 2 inches of clean stems.
2. Tie a couple stems together with twine or string.
3. Hang your little bundles somewhere cool, dry, and dark. After 5 to 7 days, check for dryness. Leaves are dried when they're brittle and easy to crumble in your hands.

How to Store Dried Basil

Transfer your dried basil leaves to an airtight container (I like to use Ball jars or cleaned-out spice shakers), removing any stems or flowers still attached. The leaves will naturally crumble in the process, which means your basil is ready to toss into your next marinade.

Place the container somewhere dry and dark, like a pantry. Your leaves should last up to 2 years, but you'll get the best flavor if you enjoy them within 6 months. Think of this as your stash for the upcoming winter; you can harvest and dry more leaves next summer.

How to Use Dried Basil

There are so many ways you can enjoy your dried basil to get the taste of summer all winter long. Here are some ideas:

• Toss into pasta or pizza sauces, marinades, or tomato soup for extra flavor.
• Sprinkle over salad dressing.
• Add as seasoning along with EVOO, salt, and pepper to roasted vegetables like carrots and squash.
• Stir into homemade herb butter.
• Add to herb rubs.

Ratio of Dried Basil to Fresh Basil in Recipes

Dried basil has a more concentrated flavor than fresh, so a little bit goes a long way. Use about a third of the amount of basil listed in the ingredients when recipes call for fresh basil. I like to use dried basil in cooked dishes (soups, stews, and casseroles) that I wouldn't be able to add fresh basil to until the very end.

Enjoy Your Dried Basil!

Every time you reach for that jar of dried basil leaves, you'll be transported back to summer. This is what we mean here at Gardenary when we talk about creating a year-round supply of herbs. Now you have basil for tomato basil soup and whatever cozy casserole you want to whip up on a cold day—no trip to the grocery store needed.

That, my friends, is how you save herbs so that you don't have to say goodbye to homegrown flavor in the off season.