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How to Dry Basil

August 25, 2014 by becky 22 Comments

How to Dry Basil and Other Herbs+ Recipes using basilHow to Dry Basil (and other herbs) + Recipes with Basil

Basil is my favorite herb! I love using it in recipes. It has such great flavor! I am excited to share with you a really easy way to dry basil along with some fabulous recipes!

BasilWe have the smallest space ever for a garden so every year we plant the same things. Two pepper plants, two tomato plants and always basil. We also did jalapeno this year which I am glad because sadly for some reason our pepper and tomato plants might not produce anything this year. But our jalapeno plant and basil are doing great! Our basil was so close to dying but we finally got around to planting it from the little pot and look at it now! I don’t want to waste it so I have lots of plans for using it.

Here is a fabulous way to dry your own basil along with other herbs (like sage or thyme.)  I found this idea in my recent issue of The Food Network Magazine.

How to Dry BasilHow to Dry Basil (or other herbs)

1-  Wash and dry the leaves, then remove the leaves from the stems.

2- Working in batches, arrange the leaves in a single layer on a paper plate or paper towel.

3- Microwave in 20-second intervals until the leaves are fully dry and brittle.

4- Crumble them into an airtight container and store up to three months.

So easy and fun! My boys loved being my assistants. I love that the basil has more fragrance than store-bought basil.

 

Recipes with Basil

Creamy Pesto Chicken PastaCreamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

Roasted Tomato Basil SoupRoasted Tomato Basil Soup

Italian Pressed Picnic SandwichItalian Pressed Picnic Sandwiches

PestoEasy Basil Pesto from The Frugal Girls

PestoChicken Pesto Panini

Tomato Basil Parmesan SoupTomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Avocado Pesto PastaAvocado Pesto Pasta

Pesto, Tomato and Mozzerella Grilled CheesePesto, Mozzarella & Tomato Grilled Cheese

 I also love just chopping up some fresh basil and adding it to pasta dishes. I also don’t have a post on it but I LOVE Caprese! Just layer sliced fresh mozzarella along with basil and tomatoes and top with salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

What are your favorite recipes using basil?

Filed Under: Miscellaneous

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Comments

  1. Lauren Allen says

    August 25, 2014 at 8:31 am

    Thanks for the great post! I’m totally going to dry my leftover basil! Pinned!

    Reply
    • becky says

      August 29, 2014 at 4:14 pm

      You’re welcome! 🙂

      Reply
      • Jan says

        March 28, 2019 at 7:02 am

        Becky how did you get it to grow like that? Did you pinch it off constantly?

        Reply
        • becky says

          April 2, 2019 at 5:49 pm

          Hey, I’m not exactly sure! This was a few years back when we lived in a townhouse. I did pinch off the tops as it was about to flower. There were also sprinklers that went off pretty often so it got plenty of water.

          Reply
    • Sandy says

      June 9, 2015 at 9:29 am

      How do you store them ? Freezer frig dark cabinet ?

      Reply
      • becky says

        June 10, 2015 at 2:46 pm

        It’s best to keep it in a dark dry place like a cabinet. And keep it in an airtight container.

        Reply
  2. Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later! says

    August 25, 2014 at 1:18 pm

    This is so great! Pinning!

    Reply
    • becky says

      August 29, 2014 at 4:14 pm

      Thank you Amber!

      Reply
  3. lilyrose almeda says

    October 7, 2014 at 12:05 am

    i dont have oven..can i just airdry my leaves??

    Reply
    • becky says

      October 9, 2014 at 10:08 am

      Do you mean microwave oven? A regular oven would work just on a low temperature. You could probably air dry it. I would google it.

      Reply
  4. Healthy Living says

    June 14, 2015 at 6:09 am

    Basil has so many health benefits. Thanks for sharing these amazing ideas.

    Reply
    • Megan Richter says

      July 20, 2015 at 1:38 pm

      Drying basil this way is quick, but it will lose a lot of the health benefits because of the heat in the microwave. I would recommend drying any herb out in the oven at it’s lowest setting or investing in a dehydrator. They will have more of the vitamins, minerals, etc. left over with these methods than nuking them in the microwave.

      Reply
  5. Marjie says

    June 20, 2016 at 6:07 am

    How did you get your basil plant to get so big? Mine is barely producing any.

    Reply
    • becky says

      June 20, 2016 at 3:25 pm

      I’m not an expert but pruning it helps. I suggest googling ways to help basil grow bigger because there are a lot of resources out there smarter than me. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Darlene says

    August 1, 2019 at 7:25 am

    Fantastic idea! I love basil and never thought of drying it

    Reply
    • becky says

      August 13, 2019 at 3:43 pm

      Thank you! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Louise Martin says

    September 22, 2019 at 9:11 am

    I had a large batch of basil this year and wanted to do something other than pesto ( I make more arugula pesto). After harvesting leaves w/o stems, I wash (rubbing each leaf to rid bugs if any). I put them in light batches in a spinner, spinning a few times each batch. I lay leaves on a towel spread out, pat dry as bests possible. I roll a batch of leaves together and cut into small pieces for drying. I lay the chopped basil spread out on a cookie sheet, making sure pieces are not clumped together. I leave the basil to air dry for three to four days. Several times a day I move the pieces around, carefully not to “clump”. On the second day I might put the sheet in an unused oven or just leave out for the 4 days. The longer the better. The pieces are crunchy, dark green (pretty, healthy color), and flavorful. Not the grey-green basil that comes from the store. I store the basil in used jars. I know this is a process, much like canning. But it is worth the time to get a great dried basil with fresh flavor. Good for gifts!!!

    Reply
    • becky says

      September 23, 2019 at 11:39 am

      Thanks for sharing this! I’ll have to try out this method next time.

      Reply
  8. Maxine M. Perez says

    May 4, 2022 at 12:19 pm

    All so helpful. Thank you!

    Reply
    • becky says

      May 5, 2022 at 10:50 am

      You’re welcome! 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Top 10 Recipes of 2014 - Love to be in the Kitchen says:
    December 29, 2014 at 7:31 am

    […] How to Dry Basil + Basil Recipe Round-Up Our basil grew like crazy this year so I learned how to dry it shared some great recipes using […]

    Reply
  2. How to make food last longer without preservatives - Sussy Machoka says:
    December 19, 2016 at 6:47 am

    […] Dry herbs and spices to make them last longer. Here is a resource on how to dry basil and other herbs Love to be in the kitchen. […]

    Reply

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