How to Dry Parsley In the Oven

I love using fresh herbs when I cook. But there are also times when you need some dried herbs on hand and ready to go.

Dried herbs are really convenient, but they can be expensive. The next time you’re in the grocery store, check out the prices for those little glass jars they sell.

I’m about to show you how to save some money and have a little fun while doing it. Let’s learn how to make dried parsley.

Dry parsley is one of the dry herbs that I use most often. It’s convenient and sometimes it just makes sense. For a quick sauce or adding to bread crumbs for chicken cutlets, dry parsley does the trick.

I don’t know about you, but I always have way too much fresh parsley on hand. When you go to the grocery store you’re usually forced to buy way more fresh parsley than you actually need.

Even if you have a parsley plant in a pot or in the garden, it produces much more than you can use.

For that reason alone, parsley is a great herb to learn how to dry. It’s a great way to eliminate unnecessary waste and preserve those pretty little tender leaves.

There are a few different ways for drying herbs that work well.

You can use a food dehydrator, but you really don’t need to buy any special equipment to make dehydrated parsley.

You can try air drying your parley. Just tie it up in small bundles and hang it in a dry place.

You can also try sun drying your parsley. This makes sense in the Summer when your herb garden is bursting at the seams and you want something fun to do.

I like doing things the easy way, so my preferred method for drying my own parsley is in the oven.

When I go to the supermarket and buy a bunch of parsley for a recipe, I always have lots of parsley leftover. An easy way to save it for future use is to extend the shelf life by drying it in the oven.

Here are some easy steps

The drying process in the oven is really easy. The hot air is fast and efficient.

1. First, make sure your parsley is clean. Wash it with water and then dry it thoroughly. To dry it off, you can run it through a salad spinner or lay it out on paper towels which will absorb most of the water.
2. Next, preheat your oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Some ovens have the lowest setting at 180 degrees. If that is the case with your oven, it’s fine.
3. Get a baking sheet or cookie sheet and place parsley down. There is no need to remove the stems from the leaves. Anyway, it’s important not to overlap the parsley in the baking tray. A single layer of parsley will get you the best results.
4. Put the parsley in the oven for about 20 minutes. Even though the oven is set on the lowest temperature setting it’s important to keep a close eye on it. You don’t want it to burn. (After 20 minutes, if the parsley doesn’t seem completely dry, leave it in the oven for another 5 minutes.) Continue checking the parsley. It will be ready when the parsley leaves and stems easily crumble in your hands.
5. Crumble the dried parsley with your hands and store it in an airtight container.

Dried Parsley FAQs

Q: How should I store my dried parsley?
A: Keep it in an airtight container and put it in your spice cabinet or other dry dark place where you store herbs. I like using small glass jars or mason jars if I have a lot of dried parsley to store.

Q: How can I use my dried parsley?
A: Add it to bread crumbs with salt and pepper before you make chicken cutlets. Add it to your ricotta mixture when you make a lasagna. You can also add some to a good quality olive oil with crushed red pepper and drizzle it on pizza crust. Parsley is a versatile herb that can be used in most recipes.

Q: What are some good recipes that I can use with my dried parsley?
A: Some easy recipes for your dried parsley are meatballs, spaghetti with garlic and oil and shrimp scampi.

Pro Tip: When you see a recipe that calls for fresh parsley and you only have dried parsley on hand, don’t panic…it’s no big deal. Most fresh herbs can be used interchangeably with their dry counterparts and it won’t change the recipe too much.

A good rule of thumb is to use a teaspoon of the dried herb for every tablespoon called for in the recipe. For example, if a recipe calls for a tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley and you only have dried parsley, use a teaspoon of the dried parsley.