Skip to Content

How to Dry Mint Leaves for Tea

Drying mint leaves for tea is a perfect way to store it until and through the winter.  When your ready place the leaves at the bottom of a cup or in a tea ball and add hot water to bring it back to life.

dried mint leaves in a white bowl on a counter

I started making mint leaves for tea shortly after moving to Israel.

My first time tasting good mint tea was when I spend a Rosh Hashanah lunch with an Israeli couple. 

After the meal fresh mint leaves were set on the table alongside a pot of hot water and demerara sugar.

I’d never seen any tea made with fresh leaves before, and I admit I was surprised, but after the first sip I was hooked!

As the weather cooled I started buying fresh mint from the grocery store and making the tea regularly.  

One day, I washed the mint and left it on the counter to dry before storing it in the fridge. However, I got busy and forgot it sitting in the sunlight for a couple of days.  

When I noticed the mint again it had dried completely.

At first I was worried I had ruined them.  

Then I thought of loose tea and decided to try them hoping the flavorful oils were still there. 

I was happy to find that they tasted just as good tea made from fresh mint.

After that I took to drying mint regularly and storing it to have on hand. 

This became especially nice after my family moved to Israel after me and started growing mint in their yard. 

It turns out mint is extremely easy to grow and I take trimmings regularly to dry for tea or to make mint extract.

These tea leaves can be used alone or combined with other ingredients to make tea blends. It can also be used to make Moroccan tea.

What is mint exactly?

Mint is a family of many plants that includes much more than just what we call mint teas. In fact, the whole mint family includes over 7000 plants.

Peppermint and spearmint, two of the most popular mint teas, both belong to mentha genus, and both contain menthol which gives that cool feeling.

However, some other herbs, such as sage or lemon balm, also belong to the mint family but don’t contain menthol.

Mentha

Mentha genus contains 25 different plants, all of them with a specific minty scent and flavor.

The most popular ones,  peppermint and spearmint, are widely used for making tea.

However, others like filed mint or water mint may also be included in different mint blends.

Types of Mint to Grow and Use

While peppermint and spearmint are the most popular, there are literally hundreds of mint plant varieties and far too many to name here.

However, a number of these mint types are commonly used in tea.

Peppermint

Peppermint tea is the most consumed herbal tea in the world.

it is a crossbreed of spearmint and water mint and peppermint oil may have anywhere between 33-60% of menthol.

This is also the main ingredient of Moroccan Mint tea, so it is no surprise that Morocco is the largest producer of peppermint in the world – 92.7% of the total world production.

Spearmint

Spearmint is less sharp and more sweet.

This is because the menthol content is much lower than in peppermint and some spearmint plants it may lack it completely.

Other types of mint

Field mint, water mint, chocolate mint, apple mint, and more.

Lemon Balm and Sage

Both lemon balm and sage also belong to a mint family.

While the flavor of lemon balm may seem slightly similar to regular mint teas, sage does not.

How to dry mint in the oven

You can dry mint by baking it at 170°F or 75°C for two or three hours.  

Adjusting for a Convection Oven

Convection ovens blow the hot air around, producing around 25 to 30 percent more heat.

Since convection ovens produce more heat, you need either lowering the temperature or shortening the cooking time to compensate.

When recipes specify temperatures and cooking times, it’s for conventional ovens, unless specified otherwise.

A simple rule to follow is to lower the temperature by 25ºF or 14ºC when baking cookies and pies, and 50ºF or 28ºC when roasting meat and poultry. Some convection ovens offer separate settings for baking and for roasting.

You can also leave the temperature the same and instead, shorten the cooking time by 25 percent. For example, if your recipe calls for 60 minutes in the oven, check the food after 45 minutes instead.

However, keep in mind, some convection ovens actually make a heat adjustment for you. That is, if you set a convection oven for 350ºF, it might actually set itself to 325ºF to compensate. So, check your manual before making adjustments.

Mint Tea Leaves Tip:

Don’t let the leaves sit in water.  It will degrade their flavor.  So will over cooking them if you choose to bake it in the oven.

Yield: 1 to 2 cups

How to Dry Mint Leaves for Tea

dried mint leaves in a white bowl on a counter

Tea made with mint leaves is popular in Israel. I dry mine so I always have some on hand.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Dry Time 2 days
Total Time 2 days 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch mint

Instructions

  1. If you are using mint from a garden, check for cocoons. Wash well and remove leaves from stem.
  2. Place the leaves on a baking sheet in front of a window. Let sit for a couple of days until dried completely.
  3. Store in an airtight container in a dark place.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Barb

Friday 27th of October 2023

Thank you for sharing and I wanted to add that Bonnie Plants also has Chocolate mint. I love it but it is hard to find. I just happened to see their truck making a delivery and the driver found one for me. Fast forward to this year. My friend took me to a fantastic greenhouse and I bought a chocolate mint plant and she bought mint also. As I was leaving for home, she handed me my plant. My grandaughter said grandma, try my mint tea. She used dried leaves from my plant in the Keurig cup and it was delicious. I thought you was always used fresh leaves a bit crushed. I was ready for chocolate when I tasted spearmint. So either my friend made the switch or the garden center had the wrong label. I loved sharing tea with her as a bonding experience.

ElissaBeth

Wednesday 6th of December 2023

I'm really glad you and your friend enjoyed the tea and that you were able to use it as a bonding experience :) Thank you for sharing your story with me

Monday 25th of October 2021

why not leave the leaves on the stem for drying?

ElissaBeth

Tuesday 26th of October 2021

You can, but most people do not like leaving the stems on for tea and it makes it harder to store.

michelle

Monday 24th of August 2020

I just bought a mint plant for this purpose. Thank you for the simple directions.Be Blessed.

ElissaBeth

Monday 24th of August 2020

You're welcome, I'm happy to help :)

Melanie

Monday 11th of May 2020

Thanks for the tips.

ElissaBeth

Tuesday 12th of May 2020

Happy to help :)

Skip to Recipe