How To Dry Mint Leaves for Tea In The Oven

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Let’s talk about how to dry mint leaves for tea in the oven, so you can enjoy the delicious taste of mint tea even when the mint season has passed.

Whether you have an abundance of fresh mint growing in your garden, or you bought too much mint at the supermarket, drying mint leaves is a fantastic way to preserve their flavour and aroma and avoid food waste. Plus it’s a great way to avoid the plastic found in many teabags, and is cheaper than buying prepackaged tea.

I love making my own mint tea, so I’ve put together this handy guide on drying mint leaves for tea in the oven, to ensure your homemade brew is as tasty as possible.

How to Dry Mint Leaves for Tea In The Oven

homemade peppermint tea

Some people hang their herbs up to dry. However, with a lack of space and a lack of a warm dry space, I prefer to dry mine in the oven. If you’re in a similar predicament here’s how to dry mint leaves for tea in the oven.

If also have a printable version of this recipe, should you prefer. Click on the link to jump straight to it.

Ingredients

  • Fresh mint leaves
  • Clean dry jar

Method

  • Preheat your oven to 80°C / 176°F
  • Pick the peppermint stalks (I cut just below the last leaf) and place them in a colander.
  • Give the colander a good shake to remove any bugs, and then give the stalks a wash under cold running water.
freshly picked mint leaves for tea
  • Gently dry the leaves using a tea towel and remove any discoloured leaves.
  • Spread the stalks out on a baking tray and bake in the oven for around 1.5 hours – keeping an eye on them to ensure the leaves don’t burn.
drying peppermint leaves in the oven
  • You can tell the leaves are fully dried out when the leaves become very crisp and brittle. When they are sufficiently dry, remove the baking tray from the oven and gently remove the leaves from the stalks. You can them put the leaves in a clean dry airtight jar, and then compost the stalks.
dried peppermint leaves

Top Tips

Your mint will store for at least 12 months if kept in an airtight jar and stored in a cool dark cupboard.

Rather than cutting up the whole of my mint plant, I’ve been cutting an oven dish worth of leaves every week or two. This allows for new growth so as to keep me in fresh mint leaves for tea over the summer. It also helps me slowly build up a nice stock of dried mint for wintertime.

How to Make Mint Tea With The Dried Leaves

To make mint tea, I add one to two teaspoons of dried mint leaves to either a strainer, infuser, teapot or reusable teabag (whatever you’ve got, basically). I then add boiling water and allow the mint leaves to infuse for a few minutes before drinking.

Printable Version

How To Dry Mint Leaves for Tea

Learn how to dry mint leaves to make delicious mint tea with
Print Recipe
how to dry mint leaves for tea
Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time:1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • Fresh mint leaves
  • Clean dry jar

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 80°C
  • Pick the peppermint stalks (I cut just below the last leaf) and place in a colander.
  • Give the colander a good shake to remove any beasties, and then give the stalks a wash under cold running water.
  • Gently dry the leaves using a tea towel and remove any discoloured leaves.
  • Spread the stalks out on a baking tray and bake in the oven for around 1.5 hours – keeping an eye on them to ensure the leaves don’t burn.
  • You can tell the leaves are fully dried out when the leaves become very crisp and brittle. When they are sufficiently dry remove from the oven and gently remove the leaves from the stalks, placing the leaves in a clean dry airtight jar.  I then compost the stalks.
Servings: 1 people

Enjoy!

PS: if you have lemon balm growing in your garden, then here’s how you can make lemon balm tea too!

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7 Comments

    1. Hi Jane, I’d always recommend letting it dry out for the full time, or thereabouts, just to ensure all the moisture is out. Your mint should be ok, but just check for any mould or signs of spoil before use, if you are planning on storing it into the autumn or winter.

  1. I’m big on herbal teas and have had a similar experience with mint in both Marrakesh and my back garden too – great piece thanks for sharing.

  2. Brilliant, I’ve got a massive moroccan mint bush I’ve been wondering what to do with. I have a mint wine recipe which is great, but after Elderflower Champagne and Mint Wine, I’ve been feeling a bit guilty and think I should steer to something teetotal ;)

    1. Oh, those do sound really good (I haven’t heard of mint wine before so I’m off to have a look online right now!), but yes, you can’t get more tee-total than tea! ;)