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    Home » Plant Preservation

    Published: Feb 23, 2022 · Modified: May 3, 2024 by Kristen Wood · This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. ·

    Drying Herbs in an Air Fryer (Quick Dehydration Method)

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    Drying Herbs in an Air Fryer (Quick Dehydration Methods)

    Drying herbs is an easy way to preserve them, but it’s also time-consuming! These quick methods of dehydrating herbs and drying herbs in an air fryer are much faster. Let's learn all about this fun how-to here!

    jars of air fryer dried herbs

    Can You Dry Herbs in an Air Fryer?

    Yes! Drying herbs in an air fryer can be a wonderful and easy way to preserve plants from your herb garden for future use.

    Dehydrating Herbs in an Air Fryer

    Fresh herbs do not have a long shelf life, so drying and dehydrating can be a wonderful way to extend their shelf life and preserve them for future use. Sure you can use a dehydrator, your oven, sunlight or even the microwave or freezer to do so. However, using your air fryer is an excellent way to prepare dried herbs! But how do you go about it? Here is a little rundown on how to go about drying and dehydrating medicinal herbs in an air fryer. 

    What Herbs Could You Do This With?

    Here are some of the herbs that you might want to consider drying/dehydrating in your air fryer!

    Culinary herbs like:

    • Basil
    • Oregano
    • Thyme
    • Rosemary
    • Tarragon
    • Mint
    • Parsley

    Medicinal herbs like:

    • Chamomile
    • Tulsi
    • Yarrow
    • Mullein
    • Calendula
    • Echinacea
    • Valerian

    As you can see, air-frying herbs can be great for preparing your own spice blends for your favorite recipes, tea blends, or other medicinal and culinary herb preparations.

    ​Air Frying Herbs

    Air frying herbs is an easy best option for drying and dehydrating herbs. It is a very simple process to use your air fryer for drying and dehydrating purposes. Depending on your air fryer, you may already have a built-in dehydrator function. But for people who haven’t got that function, you can still take advantage of this simple process to air fry your herbs.

    How to Dry Herbs in an Air Fryer

    Let’s talk about drying herbs. 

    1. Firstly, you will need to set your air fryer temperature to 350F. Make sure that you wash the herbs that you will be using. Once you have washed them, pat them dry them with a paper towel or dish towel to remove as much excess moisture as possible, then prepare them for air drying. Remove any parts of the plants like stalks, stems, leaves, buds or skins that you do not want to preserve. 
    2. Place the herbs in a single layer in the air fryer basket or tray. Place a metal rack over the herbs to prevent them from flying about. Alternatively, you can tie the herbs with twine before placing them into the the air fryer basket.
    3. Air fry for 3-4 minutes, or until visibly dry. It really is as quick as that. Once they are done, remove them from your air fryer and place them in a large bowl or on a sheet of parchment paper to cool completely. Then store them whole or crushed in air-tight containers of your choosing.

    How to Dehydrate Herbs in an Air Fryer

    Let’s talk about dehydrating herbs.

    1. Dehydrating herbs is a little different than drying them. Dehydrating is all about drying herbs at a low temperature. You will need to set the temperature of your air fryer to 130F.
    2. Just as you would with drying your herbs, make sure that they are clean and dry before placing them into your air fryer. Spread them evenly before covering them with a rack (or tie them with twine).
    3. Then start your air fryer. It may take anywhere from 1-3 hours, depending on the number of herbs and density of the plant material. Check the herbs every half an hour or so, by seeing if they crumble easily in your hands. If they do, then they are ready!
    freshly dehydrated herbs.

    Dried Herbs Storage

    Once the herbs are done with the drying or dehydrating process, you can store them whole or crushed (it's entirely up to you!). It all depends on how you plan on using them. However, make sure you always use an airtight container to keep them preserved for as long as possible. I like to use glass Mason jars or secure them in a paper bag.

    Why not give it a try yourself? I think you'll find this is an easy way to preserve that herb harvest or any fresh herbs you purchase from the grocery store or nursery.

    You Might Also Like

    How to Harvest Herbs

    drying herbs in an air fryer (quick dehydration method)
    Print Pin
    4.99 from 50 votes

    Drying Herbs in an Air Fryer

    How to dry and dehydrate herbs in an air fryer.
    Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
    Total Time: 10 minutes mins
    Author: Kristen Wood
    Cost: $0

    Equipment

    • Air Fryer

    Materials

    • fresh herbs culinary or medicinal

    Instructions

    Air Fryer Drying Method

    • Wash the fresh herbs and pat dry.
    • Place the clean herbs in a single layer in the air fryer basket or tray. Place a metal rack on top to prevent them from flying around or alternatively, tie them with twine before placing into the air fryer.
    • Air fry at 350°F for 3-4 minutes or until visibly dry and the plant material crumbles easily in your hands.
    • Carefully place the dried plants in a large bowl or on a sheet of parchment paper until cooled completely before storing.

    Air Fryer Dehydrating Method

    • Wash the fresh herbs and pat dry.
    • Place the clean herbs in a single layer in the air fryer basket or tray. Place a metal rack on top to prevent them from flying around or alternatively, tie them with twine before placing into the air fryer.
    • Air fry at 130°F for 1-3 hours, checking every half hour or so. It is ready when the plant material crumbles in your hands easily.
    • Carefully place the dried plants in a large bowl or on a sheet of parchment paper until cooled completely before storing.

    Notes

    Please see the full post above for lots of valuable information!
    Also see: What to do with Dried Lavender.
    You might also like: Palo Santo vs Sage.

    More Plant Preservation

    • Dried rose petals scattered on a white surface alongside small glass bottles with cork stoppers evoke endless possibilities for what to do with dried rose petals. Craft fragrant potpourri, create soothing bath soaks, or infuse oils for a touch of floral elegance in your home.
      What to Do With Dried Rose Petals
    • How to Dry Rosemary
    • How to Dry Lavender
    • How to Dry Herbs

    About Kristen Wood

    Kristen is a plant lover, gardener, certified functional nutritional expert, cookbook author, writer, and photographer. Her work has been featured in many online and print publications including Willow & Sage Magazine, Forbes, NBC, New York Daily News, Healthline, MSN, Elle, Yoga Journal, and many more. She is also a syndicated writer for The Associated Press.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tara says

      June 26, 2022 at 8:30 pm

      5 stars
      Drying them definitely is so much faster in the air fryer! Such a fantastic way to prevent the waste of leftover herbs during the summer.

      Reply
    2. Allyssa says

      July 04, 2022 at 2:50 am

      5 stars
      Highly recommended! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious!

      Reply
    3. Claire says

      July 04, 2022 at 4:38 am

      5 stars
      when I read this post I had one of those "Why didn't I think of that" moments. I used to dry my herbs in a plate warming drawer but our new house doesn't have one and I have been so disappointed not to be able to store my bumper crop.
      No longer!!!
      the herbs dried out perfectly! Thank you

      Reply
    4. Shelby says

      July 04, 2022 at 10:37 am

      5 stars
      I love this idea! I've always used an oven which takes forever to me, this is a great way to keep the oven off this summer while still getting herbs ready for the fall, thank you!

      Reply
    5. Megs says

      July 04, 2022 at 6:41 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you so much for all your tips. We have a huge garden of herbs and I am always looking for new ways to preserve.

      Reply
    6. Kim says

      July 05, 2022 at 12:31 pm

      5 stars
      This was so helpful! The only thing that I was able to grow this spring was herbs and I had no idea how to dry them, so thank you!

      Reply
    7. Glenda says

      July 05, 2022 at 4:16 pm

      5 stars
      So smart!!! This was the simplest that drying herbs has ever been for me. Thank you for all the tips and info!

      Reply
    8. Jo Misrack says

      November 18, 2022 at 6:49 pm

      5 stars
      Tnks so much . How long do these herbs last when dried? This worked really well!

      Reply
      • Kristen says

        November 28, 2022 at 2:57 pm

        Wonderful! From my experience, dried herbs kept in a cool, dark, dry place can keep for a few years before beginning to lose some potency. If they still look and smell good, they are likely just fine! I hope this helps.

        Reply
    9. Nancy G says

      September 07, 2024 at 6:46 am

      My air fryer only goes down to 170' . Should I just do a shorter amount of time or will it burn?

      Reply
      • Kristen Wood says

        October 20, 2024 at 1:51 pm

        170 is sufficient, just keep a close eye, as it will be a slightly quicker process at this temp!

        Reply
    4.99 from 50 votes (42 ratings without comment)

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    About Kristen Wood

    Kristen is a plant lover, gardener, certified functional nutritional expert, cookbook author, writer, and photographer. Her work has been featured in many online and print publications including Willow & Sage Magazine, Forbes, NBC, New York Daily News, Healthline, MSN, Elle, Yoga Journal, and many more. She is also a syndicated writer for The Associated Press.

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