How To Dry Thyme - The Kitchen Herbs

Methods for drying thyme

Thyme, like most delicate herbs, is best dried naturally, without using artificial heat. This helps to retain the natural oils better, as excess heat will cause to oils to evaporate.

Trying to dry herbs by raising the temperature to high during the drying process (for example in the oven or microwave) may dry them quicker, but will lead to the natural oils that give the herb its flavor being lost.

If you have a dehydrator, then this can be used for drying thyme, set to a low temperature.

If you don’t have a dehydrator, air drying will be the best approach. There are two basic methods:

1. Dry thyme sprigs between sheets of paper or parchment
2. Dry by hanging bunches of thyme

How to dry fresh thyme

First, prepare the thyme

Harvest the thyme, then inspect it and remove and damaged or discolored stems/leaves.

Then rinse the thyme sprigs clean to remove any surface dust or dirt. Pat them dry on a paper towel or a clean dish towel, to remove any excess moisture.

1. How to dry thyme on paper

Parchment paper is ideal for drying herbs the type of paper you use is important, coated baking papers or waxed papers will not work.

All you need to do is cut the thyme into small sprigs, then them in a single layer between two sheets of parchment, and leave them undisturbed until the leaves have dried out.

It is important that the air can circulate while the thyme is drying, so don’t cover it with anything other than the parchment paper.

When the thyme has been spread on the drying paper, it needs to be placed in a warmish dry location until the water is gone from the leaves.

2. Drying Thyme by hanging bunches

If you have a lot of thyme to dry, then hanging it in bunches may be a better technique to use.

All you need to do is cut the thyme, and tie it into small bunches with twine. Then hang the bunches upside down in a warm place where they won’t be disturbed.

Cover them with a paper bag to keep the dust off while they are drying.

You will probably find that it takes a little longer to dry the thyme using this method, but if you have more than one tray’s worth of thyme to dry, then using the method above isn’t really practical for most of us.

How to store dried thyme

Once the thyme is dried, you can use a knife to carefully dislodge each thyme leaf from the stems. Do this over a large bowl or a baking sheet so you can easily collect the dry thyme leaves.

Store the dried thyme leaves in an airtight container in a cool dry place. For more info, check out our article on the best way to store dried herbs.

How to Dry Thyme: Step-by-step guide

How to Dry Thyme

Equipment

• Scissors, shears or a knife
• Large tray or baking sheet and baking parchment or paper towels OR
• Garden twine or string

Materials

• 1 bunch fresh thyme

Instructions

• Harvest Thyme and Prepare
• Harvest the thyme – cut bunches from the thyme plant when the leaves are mature (darker green).
• Wash the thyme thoroughly. Gently shake off excess water and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Technique 1: Dry Thyme on Paper
• Prepare the drying surface – line a large tray, baking sheet, or other flat surface with parchment paper or paper towels.
• Cut the bunch of thyme into sprigs, they spread the sprigs out in a single layer on the prepared drying surface.
• Place another layer of parchment or paper towels over the thyme stalks.
• Place the tray in a warm dry area where it will not be disturbed, and leave thyme to dry.
• Technique 2: Dry Bunches of Thyme
• Tie thyme into small bunches – take a small handful of thyme stalks and loop the twine tightly around the bunch a few times and secure with a knot.
• Hang the bunches of thyme in a warm dry area where they will not be disturbed, and leave to dry completely.
• Collect and store dried thyme
• It will take a few days for the thyme to dry – after 4 days start to check daily to see when the leaves have lost all their moisture. When they are ready they will feel crunchy rather than bend.
• When the thyme leaves have completely dried out remove from the parchment, remove from the stems by shaking and use a knife to gently scrape the stems. The leaves should fall off easily.
• Store dried thyme leaves in an air tight jar or pot.