How to Dry Herbs in the Oven

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Learning how to dry herbs in the oven is possible, but the sources do not agree on the temperature, and two of them warn that the oven costs flavor and color. This guide covers how to pick and prepare the herbs, set the oven, spread and check them, and store the dried leaves, with the oven figures from four extension sources side by side.

The sources are the University of Illinois Extension, the University of Wisconsin Master Gardener program, Penn State Extension and the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) at the University of Georgia. Where they agree, the steps are shared. Where they disagree, the article gives each figure and its source rather than choosing one.

Quick answer

Set the oven to its lowest temperature and leave the door open or slightly open.
Spread the herbs in a single layer on a pan, and stir them now and then until they are dry.
Expect about 3 to 4 hours in the oven, and check the leaves for a crisp, crumbly finish.
Store fully dry leaves in airtight containers in a cool, dry, dark place.

Why oven drying is the last choice

The Penn State sheet is the most direct on the cost: “Oven drying is generally not recommended because even the lowest temperature destroys much of the flavor, oils, and color of the herbs.” The Illinois page gives the practical reason: “Oftentimes, oven temperatures cannot be set low enough and the result is loss of flavor and color.” It also states the condition for success: “Oven drying works well if the temperatures can be closely monitored.”

The NCHFP herbs page sets out the alternatives. It opens with the claim: “Drying is the easiest method of preserving herbs.” It describes the dehydrator as the controlled option: “Dehydrator drying is a fast and easy way to dry high quality herbs because temperature and air circulation can be controlled.” It also rules out the sun: “Sun drying is not recommended because the herbs can lose flavor and color.” The table below sets the methods side by side, using only what the four pages state.

Method	What the sources state	Source
Oven, lowest setting, door open	Up to 180°F for 3 to 4 hours; the Penn State page says not above 180°F (82°C)	Wisconsin, Penn State
Oven, ideal range	90 to 110°F, if the oven can be held there	Illinois
Oven light or pilot light	Enough heat for overnight drying in a very cool oven; the light in some ovens may help	NCHFP, Wisconsin, Penn State
Dehydrator	Thermostat at 95°F to 115°F, up to 125°F in humid areas; 1 to 4 hours	NCHFP
Sun	Not recommended, because flavor and color are lost	NCHFP
Microwave	Suited to small quantities; a wattage of 1,000 or higher may heat too fast	NCHFP, Penn State

The table shows the gap the sources leave for an ordinary kitchen oven. The Illinois range is the lowest, and the Wisconsin and Penn State limits are much higher. The article does not choose between them. It recommends the lowest setting your oven will hold steadily, which is the point the Illinois page makes when it ties the result to a temperature that can be maintained.

Pick and rinse the herbs

Harvest at the right moment. The NCHFP page says: “The best time to harvest most herbs for drying is just before the flowers first open when they are in the bursting bud stage.” Pick in the morning, after the dew has gone. The page says: “Gather the herbs in the early morning after the dew has evaporated to minimize wilting.” It also says: “Avoid bruising the leaves.” The herbs “should not lie in the sun or unattended after harvesting.”

Rinse the herbs and dry them before the oven. The NCHFP page says: “Rinse herbs in cool water and gently shake to remove excess moisture.” Then discard the damaged parts: “Discard all bruised, soiled or imperfect leaves and stems.” The sources do not give a drying time for herbs that are still wet, so the window in this guide assumes the herbs were shaken dry first.

If you are still choosing where to grow the herbs, see DIY herb planters, and for planting options beyond the bed, see plants for raised bed planters.

Sort the herbs by how tender they are

The NCHFP page divides herbs into two groups. The sturdier kinds are the easiest to dry: “The more sturdy herbs such as rosemary, sage, thyme, summer savory and parsley are the easiest to dry without a dehydrator.” The tender kinds need more care. The page says: “Basil, oregano, tarragon, lemon balm and the mints have a high moisture content and will mold if not dried quickly.”

The sources do not say which herbs do best in an oven. The NCHFP page describes a separate method for some leaves, laying them on paper towels without letting them touch, and it names mint, sage and bay leaf for that method. That is an air-drying method rather than an oven method, so it is not used in the steps below.

Set the oven

The Illinois page gives the clearest advice on the oven itself. It says: “Setting your oven at the lowest temperature and leaving the oven door slightly open often results in temperatures that can be maintained at that level.” It adds the target range: “However, if oven temperatures can be held between 90 and 110 degrees that would be the ideal oven drying temperature.”

The Wisconsin page allows a higher setting in its own method: “The leaves or stems should be spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet or shallow baking pan and placed in a warm (up to 180°F) oven, leaving the door open.” The Penn State sheet gives the same limit in its method: “To oven dry, set the oven at the lowest temperature (not above 180°F (82°C)) for 3 to 4 hours with the oven door open.”

The cited pages do not say how to check an oven’s real temperature. The Illinois page notes that oven temperatures often cannot be set low enough, which is why it asks for a setting that can be held steady. If your oven cannot hold a low setting, the NCHFP page offers a dehydrator as the controlled alternative, and the sources give no other fix.

Spread the herbs and dry them

Spread the herbs in one layer. The Wisconsin page says the leaves or stems should be spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet or shallow baking pan. The same page describes a cool-oven variant: “The cool oven method dries the leaves separately.” The NCHFP page adds a point about the leaves themselves: “Leaves dry flat and retain a good color.”

Stir the herbs during drying. The Wisconsin page says: “Stir the herbs periodically until they are thoroughly dry in 3 to 4 hours.” The Penn State page gives the same window: 3 to 4 hours at the lowest setting, with the door open. Check the pan at the start of the window and again toward the end, because the sources give a time range and not a fixed end point for each herb.

Some cooks dry herbs overnight instead. The NCHFP page says: “Dry in a very cool oven.” It adds: “The oven light of an electric range or the pilot light of a gas range furnishes enough heat for overnight drying.” The Penn State sheet is more cautious: “The oven light in some ovens may provide enough heat to dry herbs.” The word “some” matters, because the sheet does not promise that every oven light will do the job.

Check the herbs for dryness

The NCHFP page gives the test: “When the leaves are crispy dry and crumple easily between the fingers, they are ready to be packaged and stored.” That is the finish the oven should aim for. Leaves that do not yet meet the test are not ready for storage, and the sources do not describe a second test.

Once the leaves are dry, you can leave them whole or crumble them. The NCHFP page says: “Dried leaves may be left whole and crumpled as used, or coarsely crumpled before storage.” For seeds, the same page says husks can be removed “by rubbing the seeds between the hands and blowing away the chaff.”

Store the dried herbs

Store them in the right container. The NCHFP page says: “Place herbs in airtight containers and store in a cool, dry, dark area to protect color and fragrance.” Label each jar with the herb and the date, so that you can tell the batches apart. The pages do not state how long dried herbs keep, so the article gives no shelf life.

Use dried herbs with care, because they are stronger than fresh ones. The NCHFP page says: “Dried herbs are usually 3 to 4 times stronger than the fresh herbs.” It gives a substitution rule: “To substitute dried herbs in a recipe that calls for fresh herbs, use 1/4 to 1/3 of the amount listed in the recipe.” Start with the smaller amount and taste before you add more.

Frequently asked questions

What temperature works for drying herbs in the oven?

Use the lowest setting your oven will hold steadily. The sources differ on the number: the Illinois page gives 90 to 110°F as the ideal range, while the Wisconsin and Penn State pages allow up to 180°F. The NCHFP page says only to dry in a very cool oven.

How long does oven drying take?

The Wisconsin and Penn State pages both give 3 to 4 hours for leaves at the lowest setting with the door open. Overnight drying by the oven light or pilot light alone is a separate method, and the NCHFP page describes it on its own terms.

Why do oven-dried herbs lose flavor?

The Penn State sheet says heat destroys much of the flavor, oils and color, even at the lowest setting. The Illinois page says the same loss follows when the oven cannot be kept low enough. The sources measure neither loss, so the article cannot say how much flavor a batch will lose.

Which herbs suit the oven best?

The four pages do not name the best herbs for an oven. The NCHFP page says the sturdier herbs are easiest without a dehydrator, and it warns that tender herbs will mold if they are not dried quickly. Start with the sturdier herbs if you are new to the method.

Can herbs be dried in the microwave?

The NCHFP page says: “Microwave ovens are a fast way to dry herbs when only small quantities are to be prepared.” The Penn State sheet warns: “A microwave oven with a wattage rating of 1,000 or higher may heat too fast to use this method.” The Wisconsin page calls the microwave a last resort: “A microwave oven can be used as a last resort for drying, but the microwaves literally cook the herbs, producing very poor quality.” Follow the directions that come with your microwave.

How we chose

We limited the list to four pages that opened with HTTP 200 and that cover drying herbs: the Illinois Extension herbs preserving page, the University of Wisconsin Master Gardener drying herbs sheet, the Penn State Extension sheet, and the NCHFP herbs page. Each quoted sentence was checked against the fetched text. The NCHFP page supplies the harvest, rinsing, storage and dehydrator figures, and the three extension pages supply the oven figures.

A Purdue Extension copy of the Penn State sheet and a University of California Cooperative Extension PDF both opened. Their oven passages match the Penn State text, so they are not cited separately. A Rutgers drying handout returned text too fragmentary to check, so it is not cited either.

What we could not verify

The sources are good on method and thin on the details of an ordinary oven. The gaps below are the ones that matter most at the stove.

What the sources do not say

How accurate a home oven is at its lowest setting. None of the four pages gives a way to check the temperature.
Drying times for individual herbs. The pages give a general window of 3 to 4 hours, not a time for each herb.
How long dried herbs keep. The NCHFP page recommends airtight, cool, dry, dark storage, but it does not give a shelf life.
How much color and fragrance an oven batch keeps compared with a dehydrator batch. The pages say flavor and color are lost, but they do not measure how much.
Which herbs suit an oven best. The pages describe tender and sturdy herbs, not oven results by herb.
Whether the oven light or pilot light is hot enough in a given oven. The Penn State sheet says it may be in some ovens, and it does not say which ones.

Bottom line

Dry herbs in the oven at the lowest setting you can hold steadily, spread them in one layer, stir them, and stop when they crumble. Expect some loss of flavor, and use a dehydrator if you have one.

Sources

University of Illinois Extension, herbs preserving page: https://extension.illinois.edu/herbs/preserving (opened 2026-10-23, HTTP 200)
University of Wisconsin Master Gardener, Drying Herbs (PDF): https://mastergardener.extension.wisc.edu/files/2015/12/drying-herbs.pdf (opened 2026-10-23, HTTP 200)
Penn State Extension, Let’s Preserve: Drying Herbs: https://extension.psu.edu/lets-preserve-drying-herbs (opened 2026-10-23, HTTP 200)
National Center for Home Food Preservation, Herbs (drying recipes): https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/recipes/herbs/ (opened 2026-10-23, HTTP 200)