How to Dry Mint Leaves
 
Prep time
Total time
 
You can use dried mint in a variety of dishes to add more flavor to them, or as a garnish for that inviting look, or you can drop a few leaves into your teapot for that extra aroma and health benefits. Drying mint leaves is super easy. Follow my tutorial.
Author:
Recipe type: Basic Recipes & Techniques
Ingredients
  • Any amount of fresh mint, such as peppermint or spearmint (the more the better, as the leaves shrink while drying)
Instructions
  1. If you are cutting mint from your garden, cut it about ⅓ down the stem (this will allow for the remaining plant to grow back. Do not pull out the plant from the ground completely!). Shake your cut mint to get rid of any insects that may be hiding in between the leaves or on the stalks.
  2. For both for garden mint and store-bought mint: Wash the herbs in a bowl under cold running water to remove any dirt, dust, and insects. To make sure the mint is free of any foreign material, pour the water in the bowl often as you wash the mint, until the water is clean.
  3. Drain and shake off the moisture from the mint. Spread in a single layer on paper towels, to dry at room temperature, a few hours.
  4. When completely dry, strip the leaves off their stalks (hold the sprigs at their tops and slide your fingers down to strip off the leaves). Your goal is to remove the main, hard stalks. Any tiny, tender stalks towards the top of the plant are fine to leave as is. (You can either discard the stalks or dry separately to add a few to your teapot to brew with tea leaves.)
  5. Spread the leaves in a single layer on paper towels and allow to dry at room temperature, 3 to 5 days, or until they are completely dry and crisp (do not place outside under direct sunlight - the leaves will darken before they get a chance to dry).
  6. Store in an airtight glass jar, away from direct sunlight. You can either leave the leaves whole or crumble them. Note that the leaves will keep their aroma longer when kept as is. You can crush the mint right before you add it to a dish. Simply rub the leaves with your hands until fine, discarding any hard stalks you may find (tiny ones are OK to keep).
Recipe by AZ Cookbook at https://azcookbook.com/2016/07/27/how-to-dry-mint-leaves/