Whether it was an overbuy for holiday baking, cocktail garnishes, or just a generous herb garden, you suddenly find yourself with a lot of mint. I’m going to show you how to dry mint in the microwave for a quick and easy method to save your leftover leaves!
Why You Want This Recipe
Dehydrating fresh mint is a great way to store it for later use in a variety of recipes. The microwave method is fast, almost foolproof, and your leaves stay green and, well, minty-looking.
Not only does it prevent waste from having to toss spoiled fresh leaves, but dried mint makes a great alternative to phony extracts, so I really enjoy having it on hand for flavor!
If you don’t have a microwave, or want another quick alternative, make sure to check out how to dry mint leaves in the air fryer as well.
Ingredients Needed for This Recipe
- About 20 fresh mint leaves (usually 3-4 stems)
Ingredient Tips & Substitutions
- Mint leaves. Honestly it doesn’t matter what type of mint you use for this. Peppermint and Spearmint are probably the two most common varieties, but if you’re growing a fancy mint for cocktails, it works totally fine as well!
- I do recommend washing and drying your mint ahead of time to prevent any contaminants in your dried herbs. Make sure you pat the leaves dry and let them sit for at least a few hours so there is no excess moisture on them before microwaving
How to Dry Mint in the Microwave: Instructions
- Start with clean, dry fresh mint
- Pluck the leaves off of the stems (very small leaves joined by thin stems can stay together)
- To a microwave safe plate, add a paper towel
- Lay the mint leaves over top of the paper towel in a single layer
- Cover your fresh mint with another paper towel
- Microwave on high for 1 minute, then check for doneness
- Add additional cooking time in 30-second increments until mint leaves appear dry and snap easily when touched
- Crush the leaves up finer if desired
- Store in an airtight container, bag, or spice jar
What to Use Microwave Dried Mint In
I enjoy using my mint dried in the microwave as a festive topper for microwave mulled wine, in this easy microwave peppermint bark, and as a seasoning in Indian cuisine, like the Tandoori Tofu in our best Indian air fryer recipes.
Recipe FAQs
Can You Dry Fresh Mint in the Microwave?
Yes, you can dry fresh mint in the microwave.
In fact, it’s one of the quickest methods for drying mint. This makes it easy to work through several batches if need be. It’s also a fairly foolproof method, so you don’t need to worry about messing it up.
How Do You Dry Mint Leaves Quickly?
The two ways to dry mint leaves quickly are the microwave and the air fryer. Both methods take less than 3 minutes, aside from if your air fryer needs to preheat.
Air drying mint naturally can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks (depending on how humid it is where you are located).
Using a dehydrator or oven drying mint falls somewhere in between, taking between 2-4 hours on average to complete.
Is It Worth Drying Mint?
While it’s true that dried mint is less potent than fresh, it’s definitely worth drying mint, particularly if it would have gone to waste otherwise.
Dried mint still has good flavor, and can be used in a variety of capacities when dried, such as:
• Ice cream flavoring
• Baking ingredient
• Cocktail garnish
• Combine with salt or sugar for a glass rim
• Latte topper (in lieu of cinnamon)
• Brewing tea
• Infusing simple syrup or liquors
• Sauces or chutney
So, as you can see, there are a lot of uses for dried mint, which makes it completely worth the few minutes it takes to dry it.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- On average, it takes me about 2 minutes in total in a 1000W microwave to fully dry fresh mint. However, your time may vary slightly based on your microwave wattage and the size of your mint leaves
- If you want to use the mint leaves as a garnish for food or a cocktail, or in tea, then I don’t recommend crushing them. However, if you plan to use your mint as an extract alternative in baking and ice cream making, then crushed or powdered mint is the way to go!
- The amount of fresh mint leaves in this recipe will net you around 1 tsp, assuming you’re going to crush them
- Try to tuck the ends of the paper towel under the edges of the plate in the microwave. It helps to keep the leaves from blowing around during cooking, which results in a more even drying overall
- Make sure to keep the leaves in a single layer (preferably without touching) and as flat as possible. Cook in batches if necessary (since it doesn’t take very long). This ensures more even drying and reduces wet spots
- Dried mint keeps for about 1 year as long as it’s stored in an airtight container and in a dark, cool place (like a spice drawer). It won’t hurt you to consume after that time, but it’ll be far less flavorful. It’s also better for potency to store whole and break as needed, but if you have space considerations to account for, crush away!
Other Microwave Dried Herb Recipes
Final Thoughts
Now that you know how easy it is to dry mint in the microwave you have a great plan for your mint plants at the end of the season. It’s a great method when you have lots of fresh mint on hand to save it for later.
There are so many great uses for dried mint as well – from cocktails to baked goods, you’ll be able to find all sorts of ways to enjoy it.
Dry Fresh Mint in the Microwave
Equipment
- Microwave
- Plate safe for microwave use
Ingredients
- 20 leaves Fresh mint (washed and dried if needed)
Instructions
- Pluck the mint leaves off of the stems (very small leaves joined by thin stems can stay together)
- To a microwave safe plate, add a paper towel
- Lay the mint leaves over top of the paper towel in a single layer
- Cover your fresh mint with another paper towel
- Microwave on high for 1 minute, then check for doneness
- Add additional cooking time in 30-second increments until mint leaves appear dry and snap easily when touched
- Crush the leaves up finer if desired (Optional)
- Store dried mint in an airtight container, bag, or spice jar
Notes
- Average drying time for fresh mint is about 1 ½ – 2 minutes in a 1000W microwave
- Dry in batches if necessary. If you overlap your mint leaves too much you’ll get wet pockets
- Tucking the ends of the paper towel under your plate keeps it from flying off and knocking your herbs around in the microwave
- This amount of fresh mint leaves should give you around 1 tsp dried mint (when/if crushed) depending on the size of your leaves
- Crush dried mint for use in baking, seasoning, or ice cream. Whole leaves are best for mint tea and garnishes
- Dried mint keeps for about 1 year if properly stored. After that, while still safe to consume, it will significantly lose potency
Nutrition
I enjoy trying new recipes, creating my own, and dabbling with new techniques all the time. My husband loves to protest when I make him my guinea pig, but it’s all for the love of food!
My cooking philosophy is that great tasting food doesn't have to be complicated or time consuming to make. I'm a home cook with over 20 years of experience feeding myself and others. I've learned from a variety of different people, things I've learned online, and some trial and error as well.
I enjoy cooking a variety of foods, from convenience to comfort foods, as well as international cuisine. You can rest assured that all of my recipes have been actually made, thoroughly tested, and most importantly: tasted! I want you to enjoy my food as much as I do!
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