It is quicker and takes up less space than air-drying leaves, and is gentler than using an oven – the temperature can remain low and the air can circulate. You can also dry mint in the oven Drying mint with a dehydratorĪ dehydrator is ideal for drying mint and other herbs quickly and gently. This method is much quicker than air-drying mint, however the aroma is often less intense, and the process consumes more energy. Remove them from the oven immediately, so that the leaves do not become brittle or burnt. After about 20 minutes, the leaves should begin to curl, indicating that they are done. Switch off the oven after five minutes, so that the leaves dry in the residual heat. Preheat the oven to about 50☌, and place the leaves inside. To do this, lay out the individual leaves on a baking tray lined with parchment. Dying mint in the ovenĪ quick and easy way to dry mint and peppermint leaves is in the oven. Store them in air-tight jars or containers. You will know when the mint is dry enough because the stalks will break off easily. Depending on the thickness of the bunches, it can take anywhere from two to three weeks before the mint leaves dry completely. Hang the bunches of mint upside down in a warm place out of direct sunlight – a temperature of 20☌ is ideal. Air-drying is the gentlest way of preserving mint’s intense aroma. Even though this method is often viewed as outdated and time-consuming, it is worth a try, particularly for peppermint. Traditionally, mint is tied in bunches and air-dried. Read on to find out more! Air-drying mint is the most gentle method for preserving the herb Air-drying mint leaves Nowadays, there are a number of ways to dry mint leaves.

What is the best way to dry mint?ĭrying is considered the best method for preserving mint’s fresh aroma. The gentler the drying, the more intense the aroma. To preserve the aroma as much as possible, rinse the leaves with cold water and dry them quickly and gently by dabbing them with a kitchen towel. If your leaves are especially dirty, you may need to wash them. Avoid using water to clean the mint leaves, because many of the essential oils are water-soluble washing them will decrease the intensity of the aroma, especially if you intend to harvest peppermint leaves for tea.

Mint has the best aroma just before flowering Preparing mint leaves for dryingįirst, remove any rotten or withered leaves, before shaking the sprig lightly to remove dust and soil. You can harvest individual mint leaves, of course, but this is not ideal if you want to preserve larger quantities. This way, the mint will sprout again quickly and plentifully. Simply, cut off the individual shoots as close to the ground as possible. You can also harvest mint in autumn but do so before the first frost. So if you can, harvest your mint in early summer. In theory, you can harvest mint leaves from spring to autumn. However, they are most aromatic in warm, sunny weather, when they release essential oils, just before flowering. Drying the leaves can help it preserves much of the mint’s aroma and consistency and allows you to store the leaves for several months.

As such it can be difficult to enjoy mint over winter, once the harvest season is over. Unfortunately, in the refrigerator, mint leaves wither within a few days. Homegrown, fresh mint has the most intense aroma.

Dried mint tea