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Home » garden » How to Dry Herbs Indoors (+ How to Keep Cilantro Fresh For Weeks!)

How to Dry Herbs Indoors (+ How to Keep Cilantro Fresh For Weeks!)

Posted:10/3/13
Updated:3/7/16

With the seasons changing many of our garden herbs are coming to a end (except our Oregano which I’m pretty sure is going to grow forever).  Most herbs tend to love this time of the year but the weather tends to change quickly in mid to end October, so we always plan ahead in preserving our herbs before it’s too late.  One frost is all it takes to kill a lovely cilantro plant  – don’t let it happen to you.

Freezing and drying herbs in multiple ways makes your garden season last even when there is a foot of snow out on the ground.   Need some basil?  No problem.  Just dry it and crush it up – then you will have basil to last you forever.  Same goes for so many other herbs.   Also if you don’t have a garden, no worries. Maybe you’re at the farmers market or grocery store and you see a great sale on dill or parsley, grab it, dry it and you’ll have dried dill and parsley to last you the next year.  

How to dry herbs indoors. By doing this you can make your own dried oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley, thyme and more for recipes!

Here are some ways I use our herbs to make them last as long as possible.

Cilantro: Cilantro is a tricky herb to preserve, but hands down one of my favorites to cook with.  In my opinion dried cilantro loses its taste, but you can absolutely freeze cilantro in ice cube trays.  Just throw your cilantro in a food processor with some water to turn into a puree, then transfer to ice cube trays and freeze.  When you need some cilantro, just pop it out, defrost and use.  I often times use frozen cilantro in fresh salsa and it tastes great.  

If you’d like to keep your cilantro lasting longer in the freshness department, this is my suggestion on how to store it.  This technique keeps your cilantro fresh for at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator.   First, cut your cilantro stems down a little bit.  Then fill a glass jar with some water, insert cilantro. 
Preserving HerbsIMG_5983
Then put a plastic baggie on top and rubber band it to the jar so it’s secure.  Put into your refrigerator.  Replace your water as it turns brown.  Whenever you need some cilantro, just take out the jar and use accordingly.
Preserving HerbsIMG_5985
This is our cilantro after about 10 days, still looks pretty great to me!
Preserving HerbsIMG_5987

Mint: I love mint, I love everything about it, especially the smell!   Isn’t mint just one of the most heartiest prettiest herbs you’ve seen?
Preserving HerbsIMG_5976
I could just squeeze mint’s cheeks it’s so pretty!
Preserving HerbsIMG_5978

I enjoy mint mostly in drinks, either in cold drinks or a great natural herbal tea (post coming soon!).  I drink alot of water throughout the day, especially fizzy Seltzer water, but what makes it extra special is some mint with it.    To make mint ice cubes, just rip up your mint leaves and throw in a ice cube tray.  Then on top fill up with water.  Don’t be scared to really fill up these cubes with mint, use as much as you want.  
Preserving HerbsIMG_5996_1
Then when you grab a drink of water, pop out a mint ice cube and it freshens up your drink.   This is great in iced tea and lemonade as well.
Preserving HerbsIMG_6086

Dill and Basil:  These herbs work great dried so you can cook with them for a endless amount of time.  Before we had a garden I would buy dried herbs but not anymore.   Drying your own herbs is very economical, not to mention the taste will defeat the store bought bottles!
Dill: I love dried dill in soups, stews and rice dishes.  
Preserving HerbsIMG_5968
Dill is also up there on one of my favorite smelling herbs, it puts me in a good mood almost instantly.  Maybe I should invent a dill perfume!
Preserving HerbsIMG_5971
Basil is a staple in cooking, both fresh and dried.  It’s hands down one of the dried herbs I use most in cooking so I always have a few jars filled up in the kitchen full of it.  
Preserving HerbsIMG_5972
To dry your herbs, clean and let dry.   Then take a rubber band and tie them up in a place in your home.  The dryer the place in your home, the better, but in a loft space like I live in all my living area is pretty equal and I’ve found that herbs dry great pretty much anywhere.   Let your herbs dry for a few weeks, usually 3-4 weeks.  You will see your herb leaves start to turn crispy.  Once the entire bunch is crisp, then untie, remove leaves with a shake above a bowl and crush.  I do this the easy way by throwing in a food processor.  A few pulses later and you have dried herbs ready for cooking use.
Preserving HerbsIMG_6078
When you walk into our home the first thing you see hanging are herbs and onions.  Can we talk about how great your home is going to smell because of these herbs too?
Preserving HerbsIMG_6175
Dried herbs tend to be much stronger than fresh herbs. When substituting dried herbs for fresh herbs, use 1/3 the amount that the recipe calls for.  Store your dried herbs in jars. 
Preserving HerbsIMG_6081

Dried herbs made direct from your garden make an amazing holiday present.  Tie a little bow around a couple of glass jars and you will win the hearts of many!

 

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  1. Mr. & Mrs. P says

    October 6, 2013 at 7:39 pm

    Thanks for the cilantro tip! We always put it in a jar with water but didnt know about putting the bag over it

    Reply
  2. veganmiam.com says

    October 6, 2013 at 6:38 pm

    I love freezing my herbs – especially cilantro! Cilantro is pretty expensive here in Buenos Aires and I don’t use all of it – so I just freeze them in ice cube trays just like freezing basil pesto! Thanks for sharing this tip – I have never tried this method before in the fridge!

    Reply
  3. Heather // girlichef says

    October 6, 2013 at 2:22 pm

    I love all of these fantastic tips…especially the cilantro one!

    Reply
  4. Debra says

    October 5, 2013 at 4:12 pm

    Great idea with the cilantro. Loved the title, too.

    Reply
  5. Ash-foodfashionparty says

    October 5, 2013 at 12:09 pm

    Such a nice way to preserve them. Unforturnately I am not left with a lot after I get it form the store..:)
    I really like the mint icecube idea, great.

    Reply
  6. Samina | The Cupcake Confession says

    October 5, 2013 at 10:38 am

    wooowiee!!! Cilantro and mint are my FAVVVVORITE herbs ever! I love the magenta-ish stalks of the mint leaves and they smell FANTASTIC! This post is sooooo helpful!!! Loveeee the tips you’ve given to preserve the cilantro! and to dry the other herbs! Bookmarking! 🙂

    Reply
  7. Joanne says

    October 5, 2013 at 8:29 am

    This is such an awesomely informative post!! I am definitely going to have to try that cilantro trick!

    Reply
  8. Bam's Kitchen says

    October 4, 2013 at 10:45 pm

    Love all the tips for keeping the herbs fresh and love that ice cube idea for drinks! Have a super weekend. BAM

    Reply
  9. Aimee / Wallflower Girl says

    October 4, 2013 at 3:50 pm

    I love the ice cubes idea! And I’ve never thought of drying my own herbs before, bet they make the house smell great 🙂

    Reply
  10. Mary says

    October 4, 2013 at 1:26 pm

    All these tips are wonderful – great to know how to keep them.
    Mary x

    Reply
  11. Monica says

    October 4, 2013 at 12:00 pm

    I have got to start doing what you said with cilantro with parsley. I always wish I had parsley around but I don’t buy it often because I feel like I never get to it and it goes bad. Need to get my act together and put it in a jar like that. Being able to keep it for about two weeks would be awesome…

    Reply
  12. Koko says

    October 4, 2013 at 11:34 am

    This post is so informative. I needed that cilantro advice…I keep mine in the fridge and it is always dying!!

    I’m going to dry all my garden herbs in a dehydrator this weekend….we have so much basil and I don’t wanna lose it! 🙂

    Reply
  13. Jamie | Jamie's Recipes says

    October 4, 2013 at 10:53 am

    Very timely! I have an abundance of basil (and jars and jars of frozen pesto) that I was thinking of drying. I am going to give it a go.

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      October 6, 2013 at 2:34 pm

      Sounds like a yummy harvest!

      Reply
  14. Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says

    October 4, 2013 at 10:01 am

    You’re right – that would be a great idea for a gift for people! Can’t believe how long your cilantro looked nice for. Have a great weekend!

    Reply
  15. Jaclyn says

    October 4, 2013 at 9:17 am

    This was SO helpful, I’m going to come back to this when I need tips for preserving herbs! Love the idea of freezing cilantro…why did I never think of that?!

    Reply
  16. Danelle says

    October 4, 2013 at 9:10 am

    Great information! Especially the cilantro trick!

    Reply
  17. [email protected] says

    October 4, 2013 at 8:27 am

    Good herb tips here.

    Reply
  18. Kim (Feed Me, Seymour) says

    October 4, 2013 at 7:39 am

    I’m really happy to see this. I just started gardening, if you can even call it that. And I have a very small amount of basil so I don’t think there is enough to dry it. But I’m most definitely using your tip for cilantro and pinning this for next year, when my garden hopefully explodes a little!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      October 6, 2013 at 2:33 pm

      Good luck Kim!

      Reply
  19. Kelly says

    October 4, 2013 at 5:52 am

    Thanks for the great tips! Cilantro is one of my fave herbs to cook with too. I bet your house smells so wonderful with all these dried herbs:) Great post, thanks for sharing Pamela!

    Reply
  20. Emma @ Fork and Good says

    October 4, 2013 at 4:43 am

    This is a fantastically helpful post – thank you!

    Reply
  21. Suzanne says

    October 3, 2013 at 10:30 pm

    Great tips for storing herbs, I usually put in water and stick in the fridge but never heard of the plastic bag and rubber band, Going to try that, you dry your herbs like I do roses, never tried that either, Learned a lot!

    Reply
  22. Beth says

    October 3, 2013 at 10:16 pm

    What a great educational post! I think your house must smell amazing.

    Reply
  23. Amy @ Elephant Eats says

    October 3, 2013 at 9:37 pm

    Oh my gosh, thank you so much for telling me this trick about cilantro! While I usually use so much cilantro that I don’t have any left, I am sometimes left with some and i hate that i put it in the fridge and forget about it and it turns brown and gross. I’m doing this next time!!! The mint ice cubes are so so pretty. Do your kitties try to get at the hanging herbs? 🙂

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      October 6, 2013 at 2:32 pm

      Thanks Amy! The kitties are so used to the hanging herbs now they don’t care at all. I think they think it’s a natural jungle in here. 😉

      Reply
  24. Sarah | The Sugar Hit says

    October 3, 2013 at 9:31 pm

    I LOVE this. I am actually trying to grow my own herbs at the moment, so stay tuned, and thanks for the advice!!!

    Reply
  25. angela @ another bite please says

    October 3, 2013 at 8:59 pm

    i love that tips…especially for the cilantro..that is my favorite herb to cook with as well. I love the photo of the herbs hanging upside down to dry out.

    Reply
  26. hani says

    October 3, 2013 at 7:16 pm

    love this post!

    Reply
  27. Craftynail says

    October 3, 2013 at 6:33 pm

    omg this makes me want to play with herbs right now! too bad all i’ve kept alive this year is catnip. lol

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      October 6, 2013 at 2:31 pm

      Well catnip is a purrrrrfect one! 🙂

      Reply
  28. Sophie33 says

    October 3, 2013 at 5:27 pm

    Thanks so much, my friend! I will do all of that! 🙂 Yeah! x

    Reply
  29. Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says

    October 3, 2013 at 5:05 pm

    LOVE the tips on drying herbs!! It does two things — home smells delicious and spices for the pantry 🙂

    Reply
  30. Davida @ The Healthy Maven says

    October 3, 2013 at 3:40 pm

    suggestions for rosemary?!?!?! I killed all of my herbs except the rosemary eek! Need ideas!

    Also I would totally wear dill perfume…

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      October 3, 2013 at 6:08 pm

      I dry rosemary the same way as the dill and basil – just hang up to dry and then remove the stems from leaves. Enjoy your dried rosemary!

      Reply
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Hi! I'm Pamela, an artist Mom who shares family recipes. My farm is a 1,000 sq ft apartment in NYC. Let's make dinner together.

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