How to dry fresh herbs in your microwave in just 2 minutes

Did you know there’s a fast, easy way to dry your fresh herbs using the microwave? Then you can store them in a Mason jar and use them all winter!

Every summer, I plant a few key herbs that I use a lot in my cooking — like thyme, sage, parsley, basil, lemon verbena, mint, and rosemary.

By mid-summer, these plants are growing like crazy, and I’m pruning off the tops every few days! But I can’t use them fast enough.

Then I learned I could just dry them in my microwave in 2 minutes.

Ding ding!

I now teach this “drying herbs in microwave” technique to my ​CSA farm box members​ every year because they usually get an herb from us most weeks in their farm share.

You can watch the whole process in my 2-minute video on YouTube. (One of my most popular videos at over 36,000 views).

This was made in 2013. You’ll see my son Jed helping me. He was so young back then! How cute he is!

FYI: My boys did a lot of food prep with me when they were young. (This was my secret strategy to get them to like vegetables and good food. It worked).

Here’s the herb drying process in a nutshell:

1. Cut your fresh herbs and arrange them on a glass plate covered with a piece of paper towel. Be sure to space them out. Don’t overcrowd the plate. DO NOT USE RECYCLED PAPER TOWELS AS THEY MAY CONTAIN BITS OF METAL WHICH CAN CAUSE A FIRE IN YOUR MICROWAVE.
2. Cover the herbs with another layer of paper towel.
3. Cook on HIGH for 2 minutes. Stay nearby in case you smell burning.
4. Remove the plate. Careful, it’s hot. Use your fingers to rub the herb stem together over a glass bowl. The leaves will fall right off.
5. Store in Mason Jar.

I’d swap out glass plates every couple of times, just to give them a chance to cool off.

This “drying herbs in microwave” method works on most hearty herbs. I would not try it with dill or cilantro. I’ve had mixed results with basil and parsley.

You will save some good money doing this! Dried herbs from the store can get pricey real fast. Plus, you’ll feel good knowing where your food comes from!

A common question I get is: Does microwaving herbs affect the nutritional quality?

Microwaving herbs for drying purposes does not significantly reduce their nutrient value. Here’s why:

1. Quick Process: The microwave drying process is very quick (usually just a couple of minutes), which helps in retaining most of the nutrients. Prolonged exposure to heat can degrade nutrients, but the short duration in the microwave minimizes this effect.
2. Retention of Volatile Compounds: Microwaving is effective at preserving volatile compounds like essential oils, which are responsible for the aroma and some health benefits of herbs. These can be lost with other drying methods that take longer.
3. Minimal Water Loss: Microwaving removes moisture quickly without the prolonged exposure to heat, which helps in preserving water-soluble vitamins and antioxidants.

While there might be a slight loss of some sensitive nutrients, the overall nutritional profile of the herbs remains largely intact. This makes microwaving a convenient and effective method for drying herbs without significantly compromising their nutritional benefits.