Here’s how to dry bay leaves so you can store them to use all year round in your favourite cooking recipes.

Bay leaves are one of the most common fresh herbs to be used in cooking. Instead of buying them at the grocery store, it is easy to dry them yourself at home.

They add a delicious subtle flavor when added to soups, stews and even pasta dishes and sauces.

The taste and aroma of these glossy green leaves pairs perfectly with herbs such as oregano and thyme or spices like black pepper, cumin, or cardamom.

Did you know you can easily dry your own bay leaves at home? There’s no need to buy the expensive package of dried bay leaves at the grocery store.

Bay leaves come from the bay laurel which is an evergreen shrub. If you have a bay laurel hedge or even just one shrub in your garden, you can harvest and dry your own leaves.

When we lived on the BC coast, we grew our own Laurel hedge for a privacy fence. It would be lovely if we could grow bay laurel here in the Cariboo but the Winters are far too cold for this plant which likes a more temperate climate.

How to Dry Bay Leaves for Long-Term Storage

We’re fortunate that one of our Valley friends also has a house down on the Coast. And in their yard there, is a bay laurel tree. They often share their supply of harvested bay laurel leaves from their bay trees and we appreciate the gift. 

I’ve got several branches of fresh bay leaves in my kitchen and I would love to share with you how we air dry bay leaves for using all year round. The fragrant leaf has pointy ends and a leathery feel.

But first, a couple of common questions about growing, pruning and picking bay leaves.

How to Grow Bay Leaves?

Bay leaves are laurel leaves, they are the same. You can buy a small laurel shrub or larger laurel tree at the garden nursery or buy a laurel plant online and plant it outside in your yard.

If you live in a cold climate, you can plant one or two bay laurel trees pots and bring them in for the winter. You can learn more about how to grow laurel here.

When to Pick Bay Leaves?

The ideal time to pick bay leaves is in the late summer, but you can harvest bay leaves year round.

How to Harvest Bay Leaves Without Killing the Plant?

There are a few different ways to harvest bay leaves. You can remove individual leaves by cutting them at the base of their stem.

This is a good harvest method if you have a small bay laurel bush. Instead of cutting a branch from a plant that is too small, just cut off a leaf here and there from different branches.

If your laurel is well established and big, you can cut branches. Just be sure to cut them back to right above a lower leaf. If your laurel needs a good pruning, this is the perfect time to remove branches and then dry the leaves.

Preparing Bay Leaves for Drying

There are several different methods of drying bay leaves and other herbs, including drying them in the microwave or the oven.

You could also freeze the leaves instead of making dried herbs. Freeze leaves on a large baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or other appropriate plastic bag and store in the deepest part of the freezer.

Air Drying Bay Leaves

We always dry our leaves using air drying; that is, drying in open air. We find it the quickest and easiest way to deal with the leaves and it doesn’t require special equipment, so that is the focus of the instructions in this article.

Once you have picked the laurel leaves, you can get them ready for air drying. Cut the leaves from the stem of the branch.

 I like to do this right over a shallow open weave basket. This is what we use for air drying the bay leaves. You could also keep them in a mesh bag.

If the leaves have dust on then, rinse the leaves in cold water, then drain in a colander. Then lay them on a single layer of paper towel to air dry or you can dry them with a clean towel.

Use several baskets so that the leaves end up in a single layer if you possibly can. This will help the leaves to dry by not trapping any moisture between the leaves.

You can use a tray, shallow ceramic bowls or a baking sheet instead of the baskets if you like. Set your drying baskets out of the way but in the open air in a dry place. A darker spot is better than a brightly lit one, but it won’t matter much in the end.

Once a day, run your fingers through the dried leaves to fluff them up and expose all the leaves to the air. Let them dry for roughly 10 days to two weeks.

How to Store Dried Bay Leaves

After they are completely dry, transfer them into a glass mason jar, add a seal and a ring. Store bay leaves in an airtight container out of direct sunlight and in a dry location.

Tuck a jar or two in the pantry – their subtle flavour makes a wonderful addition to all kinds of soups and stews. A bonus is they are good for your health – some of the benefits of bay leaves include helping with improving digestion and reducing bad cholesterol levels.

Note: When you add a bay leaf or two to a recipe, always remember to remove the bay leaf before serving. They are not meant to be eaten whole and can be a choking hazard.

How to Use Bay Leaves

• Add them to your favorite pasta sauce for some extra flavor.
• Use your bay leaves to add a slightly floral flavor to rice dishes, chicken soup, or sauces like tomato sauce or marinades.
• Bay leaves are also great to add to curry. Start with a single bay leaf and add more if you want additional flavor.

Now you know how to dry bay leaves, so fill a few jars for year round use in the kitchen!

Originally published 2016, updated July 2024

Once you learn how to dry chives, you’ll find it easy to always keep some on hand for cooking!

When you properly dry chives for long-term storage you’ll find that you’ll have lots of dried chives to use in cooking all year long. There are several ways to dry chives, and I’ll share these different methods of drying herbs below.

This will hopefully help you to include chives in recipes and meals for many years to come. Want more articles about preserving food? Check out all of our Preserving Food posts here.

This commonly used herb is easy to grow. Chives are easily grown by seed – so plant some and you’ll be harvesting the leaves in as little as 2 months!

Chives grow pretty fast and in large amounts that you may become overrun! But that’s OK, because…

They are also one of the prettiest blooming herbs, in my opinion. Chive blossoms become pretty purple balls of flowers sitting atop each stalk of chive – gorgeous! Don’t be afraid to snip a lot of the chive leaves – it won’t be long until more leaves are popping up.

Once your herb chive plants are at least six inches tall you may harvest the chives. Once harvested, you can use any of the following methods to dry your chives.

How to Dry Chives

I’ve got four ways to dry chives that I want to pass along to you. But first, here’s the information you need on how to harvest fresh chives straight from your herb garden or flower bed.

How to Harvest Chives

You can use a sharp kitchen knife to harvest chives, but really, the easiest way is to cut the leaves with good kitchen herb scissors. Gather a small handful of chive stems, grasping the leaves near the base of the plant.

Cut with kitchen scissors and place in a basket. If you can, tie each bundle after cutting with a rubber band or piece of string, so each bunch stays together.

This will save lots of time later when cutting leaves into small pieces.

How to Air Dry Fresh Chives

Air-drying chives is very easy. To do this, just chop or slice your chives and keep them in a shallow bowl, without a lid. Try to keep your chives in a single layer (for air circulation) as this will help them dry fast.

At least once a day, run your hands through the chives, stirring them and mixing them. Return them to a single layer each time, allowing them to dry further.

Dry the chives until they crumble in your hand. Be sure that all the moisture is out of them! Then, pour them into a small airtight mason jar and add the seal and ring.

This method also works to preserve other herbs such as rosemary, thyme, parsley and lovage.

Dry Chives by Hanging

After harvesting your chives, clean them in the sink and remove any dead or withered chives. Pat the bundle of chives until they are completely dry. You can use paper towels or clean hand towel to do this.

Gather your chives in a loose bundle. Secure the ends using twine tied just loose enough that it doesn’t crush the chives. Trim the ends off the chives, if you want the bundles to be even.

Hang the chives in bundles to dry in open air.

How to Air Dry Chives in a Paper Bag

Hang the chives upside down in the paper bag. Pull the top of the bag together and wrap twine to keep the paper bag closed. Store the paper bag with upside-down chives in a cool, dry space. Drying time will be about two weeks.

Tip:  Cut small holes throughout the paper bag to let some air flow thru, a big help when you’re drying herbs.

A super easy way to do this is to use a 3 hole punch, if you have one.

You’ll know the chives are dried when they’re brittle to the touch. Be sure to peek on the chives every few days to ensure no mold is growing on them.

Once the chives have fully dried, crumble them on parchment paper then place them inside a mason jar for long-term storage.

How to Dry Chives in a Dehydrator

Once harvested, rinse the chives under cool water removing any withered or dead chives. Pat the chives dry with a paper towel or clean hand towel until all moisture is gone. Cut the chives into ¼ inch pieces using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife.

Spread your ¼ inch pieces of chives in a single layer on the dehydrator tray, inside the food dehydrator, covering with a screen if your dehydrator came with one. You can also use parchment paper. This helps keep the chives from blowing around.

Heat the chives for about one hour at a temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Check the chives during the process to make sure they don’t burn. The chives are completely dried when they crumble in your hand.

Take the dehydrated chives and place them in a mason jar and close the jar for long-term storage.

Drying Chives in the Oven

Harvest your chives and clean them under cool water in the sink. Remove any withered or damaged chive pieces. Remove all moisture by patting the chives dry with a paper towel or clean hand towel.

Preheat your oven to the lowest temperature. The preferred temperature is 185 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave the oven door open just a bit, if you need to lower the temperature. Using a knife or herb scissors cut the chives into ¼ inch pieces.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the ¼ inch pieces of chives on the sheet in a single layer. Heat the chives in the oven for one to two hours. Be sure to peek at the chives during the process to ensure they don’t burn.

The chives are done drying when you can pick them up and they crumble in your hand. Put the parchment paper into a funnel shape and slide the dry chives into a mason jar for long-term storage.

How to Store Dried Chives

Now that you know all the best way to dry chives, think about how to keep them for long-term storage. You can use plastic bags like Ziplocks, or a small airtight container of your choosing.

We always use mason jars to store herbs long term. The jars are reusable and easy to store on the pantry shelf. They’re also pretty on display on the kitchen counter!

Be sure to store your dried chives wherever your other herbs and spices are stored. Preferably not right beside the oven as this may be too warm a spot. Rather, tuck them into a shallow dark cupboard so they are handy but protected from direct sunlight and heat. Any cool dry place will do!

Use dried chives in soups, stews, potato dishes, dips and sauces. They’re also great to be used as a garnish, to make your own chive butter, as an accompaniment to salads and eggs, or as a mix-in for sour cream.

Read More

• Want to see how to freeze chives? Do it just like I do with my Basil and Parsley! Just store in a freezer bag. Frozen chives seem to keep their flavor better than dried.
• Everything you want to know about growing herbs indoors!
• Adorable home made waterproof plant markers are perfect for in your herb garden!
• Dozens of helpful herbal hints are right here.

Once you know how to dry herbs, it will be easy to harvest and store your own.

originally published 2021; last update July 2024.