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Drying Your Bumper Crop Basil #pinterestchallenge

Our Pinterest Challenge was to upcycle things this month and I decided I wanted to upcycle my fresh basil to oven-dried basil!  We had a bumper crop of it come along and I knew we would not use it all before it went bad. In fact, it had just started to flower, so I needed to get it done.


Leaves of fresh basil on a cooking sheet ready to go into the oven



How to Oven-Dry Basil






-drying basil is super simple and such a great way to preserve your fresh herb.  To get started you want to pre-heat your oven on the lowest temp possible.  For me, my oven was 170 degrees.

Then I went outside with my kitchen shears and cut all the basil I wanted to dry.  I took it to the sink and did a quick rinse and then patted it dry on a layer of paper towels.  I like to get as much moisture off as possible so that it dries more quickly in the oven.  

Next, I remove the leaves from the stems and lay them on a single layer on my cookie sheet. I used my cooling rack to lift them from the cookie sheet which means I don't have to turn them and the drying time is shorter.  I place the sheets of fresh basil in the oven and set the timer for 45 minutes.  

After the 45 minutes are up, I check the leaves to see if they are crunchy.  If they are bendable, they are not ready!  If they need more time, I usually do it in 10-minute intervals. Once the leaves are fully dried, I let them cool. I place them in an air-tight container, without crushing the leaves.  Why?  Because uncrushed leaves retain more of the essential oils and that is what flavors your food. I crunch them before I use them.




What I Use Oven-Dried Basil For


  • Pizza Sauce:  Add a bit of dried basil to jarred sauce for a more homemade flavor
  • Infused Olive Oil-to a 10oz bottle of olive oil, add 1 T dried basil leaves. 
  • Focaccia-Make your bread using the infused olive oil above. 
  • Herbal Tea-Infuse hot water with a teaspoon of dried basil, add in honey and lemon for additional flavor.  Good for headaches, tooth pain and boost immunities.
  • Grilled Veggies-Sprinkle on grilled veggies brushed with olive oil.
This is quite easy to do and takes a little time and makes a small quantity, but the results are worth it!

Would you like to comment?

  1. This is the perfect recipe for me. My garden has a bumper crop of basil.

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  2. How cool. I cannot grow anything, so I am always fascinated by what people grow.

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  3. This post is really informative, I can’t wait to give this a try.

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  4. This is such a great idea! I never thought of drying it myself and I Have so much basil in our garden this year.

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  5. Chef Dennis12:42 AM

    Oven dried basil sounds really good to use with some of my recipes. Thanks for sharing this.

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  6. Richelle Escat1:43 AM

    I'll definitely try this. It sounds so good with pizzas.

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  7. Scarlett Brooklyn3:08 AM

    This would be perfect to put in any tomato dishes. Can't wait to try.

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    1. That’s right! Anything with a tomato basil should love the basil!

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  8. I dry a lot of our own herbs and spices and am learning to grown and process more. Basil is a new favorite!

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  9. It's definitely a good to have basil all year round. I love to froze it.

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  10. I love the smell of basil. It's nice that I can dry the leaves right inside the house.

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  11. We've only dried (and powdered) garlic, haven't tried drying basil. Thank you for the tips!

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  12. I didn't know there's an ongoing dry basil pinterest challenge, this is a good idea!

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  13. I've never done this before. Sounds pretty simple too. I'll have to try it out.

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  14. I'm so please you shared this. My basil often goes to waste.

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  15. What a great way to save basil. I find that a lot of herbs go to waste and it is nice to have a method for drying it.

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  16. I like this I have basil plant I need to try this it is really saving for the winter.

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  17. Mmmmm! I have wanted to grow basil but have never gotten past the seedling stage. I need some tips. Congrats on your bumper crop and on this beautifully dried basil.

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