DIRECTIONS on How to Dry Mint Leaves for Mint Tea! These DIY How to Make Mint Tea instructions shows how easy it is to dry mint leaves so you can make your own homemade peppermint tea. I store this dried mint tea for months so I can enjoy the health benefits year round!
How to Make Mint Tea
I start everyday with a cup of tea. Do you?
It can be warm or cold, it doesn’t really matter. Most green and black teas have enough caffeine for that morning boost. My morning always starts with a yawn. Then I waddle out of the bedroom with my comfiest bed shirt on and make myself a cup of tea.
I then continue to have a few cups of tea throughout the day. The kind of tea depends on the season and my mood. In Winter I might start with English Breakfast or Earl Grey. In the Spring it’s all about Green Jasmine. A nice spiced tea is great for autumn.
Homemade Mint Tea
But the Summer is dedicated to Mint tea. And drying mint is so easy!
Mint tea can be enjoyed throughout the day. It’s not uncommon for me to make a cup while I’m making dinner to start to calm down for the day. It’s also not uncommon for me to make a cup of this in the afternoon when it’s “go time” with work but I need to stay sane.
It has no caffeine but is naturally invigorating due to it’s flavor and natural “chill” from the menthol, making it perfect for a good start in the morning or an afternoon pick-me-up. This lack of caffeine also makes it perfect for an evening or pre-bedtime tea. It’s also great for after meals to aid digestion. It helps to sooth upset tummies and calm nausea as well. Mint tea also helps many pregnant women, especially helping with morning sickness during the first trimester (here’s my peppermint tea recipe).
It’s garden season so if you have a herb or vegetable garden chances are you might be growing mint. Mint is one of those plants that have a life of their own when it comes to growing all over.
It’s technically a weed, so it can easily take over entire gardens or yards if not contained. But it is easy to get plenty of it! It’s best to keep it in its own area or a container to prevent it from taking over, but it can be managed in a garden plot. If you plan on making a lot of tea just keep trimming and drying your expanding plant.
How to Dry Mint
I found 2 mint plants recently that somehow survived our brutal winter and were happily growing and getting ready for Summer. Mint is a hardy plant!
Is there anything sweeter then the smell of when you touch of your fingers on fresh mint? Mmmm. Mint can be easily dried to use for tea leaves. There’s really nothing to it.
Many people hang their mint to dry but I’m both inpatient and sometimes out of space. With this method below you’ll solve all that as your mint will be ready in 2-3 hours. It will also show you how to do so without burning it up, as sometimes happens if you rush it.
Have fun drying your mint and enjoy that next cup of tea! Make sure to serve with some tea sugar cookies!
How to Dry Mint Leaves
It’s as simple as spreading a layer of fresh mint on a cookie sheet. Here’s a before and after of drying mint.
Set the oven on a low enough temp and let it sit for 2-3 hours.
Crumble it up and store it in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
How much dried mint for tea?
To make a single cup of mint tea, use a teaspoon of dried mint. Let steep for 3 minutes in hot water.
And now you know how to make peppermint tea! Enjoy!
Looking to dry more herbs? Here’s how to dry parsley in the microwave and here’s how to dry basil in the oven.
Looking for more tea recipes? Try my Cucumber Peppermint Tea, Earl Grey Tea Popsicles and Tomato Tea.
Looking for more mint recipes? Try my Cast Iron Chicken with Mint Chutney and Pea Shoots Pasta.
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How to Make Mint Tea
PrintIngredients
- Fresh Mint
Instructions
- Pick mint, clean if needed. If cleaning, make sure to dry mint completely, I like to let it sit overnight.
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees F.
- Place mint in one layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake mint for 2-3 hours. Check at the 2 hour mark to see if mint is completely dry. If not, check every 15 minutes.
- Once out of the oven take mint and crumble leaves into a container. Store in jar, preferably in a dry dark cabinet shelf.
- When using for tea, use one teaspoon of dried mint leaves and steep for 3 minutes in hot water.
Audrey says
Way too much waffling about existential nature of mint, obscuring the recipe.
Pamela says
Hey Audrey, you can scroll past the text you don’t want to read to get to the recipe if you’d like. Hope this helps you. 🙂
jenna j says
I’m 10 weeks pregant and my doctor recommended that I drink mint tea to try to help my upset stomach in the mornings. I wanted to make it myself so I have been drying this way. So far it’s been helping, so thank you.
Karen says
Hi. Great note! Just…ammm the teas and pregnancy arnt friends….you cant drink any kind of tea wile you are pregnant. Thats what my gynecologist tell me.
Jennifer says
How long is okay in the closet? I made my today and I have until Sunday to drop off
Pamela says
Hey Jennifer, I’m sorry but I don’t understand your question. Can you rephrase?
Doris Dede says
Place the tea leaves on the cookie sheet, then use the back seat of your car on a hot summer day. The temperature of your car can easily reach that 170 degrees on a hot day and just imagine the aroma!
Pamela says
A natural car air freshener – I LOVE IT!
Rihana says
Best tea making guide I found on the internet, thanks for sharing.
Pamela says
I’m glad you liked this guide! Thanks for commenting!
Daniel says
your article is very good. I can’t wait to try it with my family. Thank you for sharing ideas with me. I’m waiting for your next article.
Jessie walker says
Really did not need two pages of how mint tea makes you feel just to get to a paragraph explaination of the way to dry the leaves. People who write these articles are too full of themselves, believing others really need to hear how they feel about it…..
Rosaria says
Jessie Walker, all you just need is to say thanks because she share it, even you don’t want to read it.
Pamela, thanks for the info how to dry mint leaves, now I can have mint tea every morning.
Pamela says
Thanks Rosaria, I’m glad you found this helpful. Enjoy your mint tea! 🙂
Acheilia says
Hi
Its a amazing recipe!
I would like to know if i can use it for a video
Pamela says
Hi Acheilia, please email me for more information.
Rogers says
Thanks for the knowledge it’s great
Marie Cronin says
I have a dehydrator that I use for all my herbs that I grow during the summer. It takes about 24 hours to do up to 8 trays of herbs. It doesnt heat up the kitchen in the summer, so that’s a bonus! I just started growing mint this year and I didn’t know how much to use in my tea, so thank you for that information. 🙂
Nou says
Can you use this for any kind of leaf for tea?
Pamela says
You can use this method for many different types of teas! Is there a specific one you need help with?
Lesley Webber says
Just to say its quicker in the microwave than the oven
Danielle Thompson says
170 degrees sounds fairly hot. Are we talking Celsius or Fahrenheit??
Thanks x
Pamela says
Hey Danielle, 170 Fahrenheit. Enjoy your cup of tea!
Carol says
I’m going to put 1 t. dry mint in tea bags for Christmas gifts. Google directions for tea bags made from coffee filters.
Pamela says
Hey Carol, that’s such a nice gift!
Celine Lewis says
Interesting recipe; however, one important part is left out…is this recipe for one cup of tea? 2 cups? How much water to 1 tsp of dried mint? We pick wild mint and hang under cover upside down to dry, then crumble out the leaves. Until now, we have used the dried mint in other recipes but are ready to go for the tea!
Pamela says
Hey Celine, when using for tea, use one teaspoon of dried mint leaves and steep for 3 minutes in 8 oz hot water. This would be 1 serving. Enjoy!
Tula says
Hi Pamela, I will be making up bags of mint tea, complete with metallic tea balls for infusion, as holiday gifts!!! I came to your page to find out if I can/could include some ground up stems with the leaves?( as they are very aromatic as well and will increase the amount of outcome )Will it affect the sweetness/bitterness of the tea? I am using regular mint and a peppermint variety for this tea. Also I was going to add some chamomile for variety. Have you used this combo before ? TY kindly,
Pamela says
Hey Tula, that sounds like such a magical gift to receive! You can definitely include the stems with the leaves. Adding chamomile would be a treat – I love mint + chamomile combined! Enjoy!
Stephanie says
Wow thays a lot easier than i thought. I love tea and im definitely going to give this a try 🙂 thankyoou
Pamela says
Enjoy Stephanie! 🙂
connie perkins says
can you use the flower buds too ?????????????/////
Pamela says
Hey Connie, I’d suggest picking the mint before it flowers or it can taste bitter. With that said, if you don’t mind the taste, you can dry the flowers too.
Gen says
BE WARNED this is 170 Degrees Fahrenheit NOT Celsius. I wish people would make this clarification when they write these things.
Also when you do this it smells like sick so close the door and open a window.
Pamela says
Hey Gen, yes it’s 170 Degrees Fahrenheit. I dry mint often in the oven and I’ve never smelled anything. Enjoy the tea!
Margaret Mitchell says
Can you do same with other herbs such as dill, basil, etc ?
Pamela says
You sure can. Just make sure to check your herbs every hour to be safe, time depends on climate/ humidity, but usually 2-4 hours is the golden number.
Shoba Mano says
Do your leaves remain green after drying or do they turn a darker colour? I have found if they need to be slightly darker/brownish before they can be considered well and truly dry. If they are still green then the leaves are not dry and can get moldy when stored.
Also is the colour of your tea brown or green? In the photo it looks brown.
Pamela says
Hi Shoba, the color of tea is going to be a lovely light green/yellow. The leaves are completely dry and can store for months, I have never had a issue with mold. I often dry mint for friends and place in small mason jars as gifts. Enjoy!