Mint leaves are one of my favorite herbs to dry for tea. They’re so easy to grow, easy to dry, and they taste delicious any time! Hot or iced, morning or evening – a mug (or glass) of mint tea is just so refreshing. Who doesn’t like mint? Mint grows prolifically (seriously, you have to contain it if you don’t want it to take over your garden), so I love to dry as much as I can in the summer and have a big, airtight glass jar of the dried leaves to make tea from all year long. If figuring out how to dry mint leaves for tea feels confusing, here are four super easy ways to do it.
Pin This Post for Later!
How to Dry Mint Leaves for Tea
The most popular methods for drying mint include air drying, oven drying, and using a food dehydrator. Personally, I love to use the air drying/paper bag method since it’s quite hands off and easy to do large batches at a time!
With the paper bag method, you also don’t need any special tools. If you have some scissors and a paper bag, you’re all set!
Before you start drying you mint – no matter which method you choose – it’s important to know how to properly harvest your plants in order to encourage future new growth as well as to prevent disease. You can find out everything you need to know about harvesting your mint plants in our blog post: How to Harvest Mint for Tea.
The best time to harvest fresh leaves during the growing season is usually in the late spring to early summer. Try to harvest in the late morning before the sun is at its hottest and the essential oils have evaporated.
If you’re using your own mint and haven’t sprayed it with any chemicals, it’s not necessary to wash it before you being the drying process. However, if you buy your mint from a grocery store store or a local farmer and aren’t sure if it has anything on it, it doesn’t hurt to wash it first! Just rinse it and dry thoroughly on a paper towel or kitchen towel. Make sure it’s thoroughly dry and there are no signs of moisture before you start drying.
How to Air Dry Mint Using the Paper Bag Method
If I haven’t raved about it enough already, I’ll say it again – the paper bag method is such an easy way to dry your fresh mint leaves! Totally my go-to and preferred method. Plus, you can get a lot of mint done at once.
All you need is a large paper bag (like a grocery bag) and scissors. Take your bag right outside, cut some mint, and throw it in your bag. You can either pick the leaves off of the stems or just dry the whole stalk.
If you decide that you want to wash or rinse your mint first, it’s really important to make sure that any excess moisture is gone before you put it in the bag. You can do this by laying it on a towel for awhile or using a salad spinner to speed up the process.
When your bag is full of dry mint, fold it over to close and hang it in a dark place away from direct sunlight. Make sure that the bag isn’t more than 1/2-3/4 full so that you have adequate air flow. I like to punch holes in the top of my bag, thread some thin string or rope through them, and hang them in the dark closet. But any cool dry place will do – like a pantry or basement.
After about a week, check your mint. When it’s crumbly and totally dry, it’s ready! If you end up leaving it for a few weeks, it won’t hurt (I told you, this method is so easy!) Next, simply crumble it up with your hands and store in an airtight container. If you left the stems on, they are easy to pick out at this point. They don’t tend to crumble like the leaves do.
You’re done!
How to Air Dry Mint in Bundles
As an alternative to the paper bag method, there are other methods for air-drying mint, too. One of the most popular ways is to group your mint plants into bundles, tie a string around them, and hang them in a dark, well-ventilated area with low humidity.
Although this is another great way to dry mint that doesn’t take extra equipment, I haven’t found it to be the best way for me since it’s more time consuming and you need a way to catch any drying mint that falls from the plants. It is beautiful, though!
How to Oven Dry Mint
The oven method is another good way to dry your mint. The main advantage of this method is that it doesn’t take any additional tools besides an oven and a baking sheet (or a few). The downside to oven drying is that it takes quite a bit more concentration and attention than the other methods, and can have a higher electricity cost.
To oven dry your mint, start by spreading it in a single layer on a baking tray or cookie sheet. Heat the oven to its lowest temperature setting (between 100°F and 160°F is best). If you heat too high, your fresh herbs can burn easily. Propping the oven door open can help to keep the temperature lower and increase the air flow in order to thoroughly dry your tea leaves.
Check on your leaves every half hour and turn them every so often to allow them to thoroughly dry.
How to Dry Mint Using a Food Dehydrator
Using a food dehydrator is another option that’s quicker than air drying and takes a bit less attention than oven drying. Obviously, the downside to this method is that you have to have a food dehydrator.
For this method, spread your dried (not moist) mint leaves on a dehydrator tray. You don’t want them too tight, or there won’t be enough airflow. Turn your dehydrator on at about 115°F and check after 2-3 hours. It may take up to 5 hours to get them thoroughly dry. You want them to be crumbly in your hands.
How to Store Dried Mint Leaves
Store your dried mint leaves in an airtight jar. A Mason jar works well. When dried properly, they have a shelf life of up to a year. After a year, the quality and freshness will start to decrease.
How to Make Mint Tea
Homemade mint tea doesn’t compare with buying mint tea sachets from the grocery store. It’s so much fresher and more potent. Once you taste that homegrown mint flavor, you’ll never go back!
Our blog post on How to Make Your Own Mint Tea walks you through the steps of making hot tea, iced tea, and (bonus) even frozen mint tea. It also explains how to make fresh mint tea with just-picked leaves or use dried leaves.
You don’t need fancy tools to make loose leaf tea with your own dried mint. A simple mesh strainer, cheesecloth, a tea ball, or a french press all work well.
More Tea Recipes
Related Posts
Leave a Reply