How to Dry or Dehydrate Cilantro

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Complete guide for how to dry or dehydrate cilantro! Use these methods to preserve your garden harvest of cilantro today!

How to dehydrate cilantro

1. Step 1: Wash your bushel of cilantro
2. Step 2: Dry your cilantro with a paper towel
3. Step 3: Remove the cilantro leaves from the stem
4. Step 4: spread the leaves out in a single layer on your dehydrator trays
5. Step 5: Set dehydrator temperature to 95 degrees Fahrenheit
6. Step 6: Set timer for 6-8 hours
7. Step 7: Store leaves in airtight container
8. Step 8: Or crush leaves into coriander powder and store in airtight container
9. Dehydrated cilantro will last for 1-3 years.

I don’t know about you, but whenever I grow cilantro I have the same problem every year. That problem is that I get a large amount of fresh cilantro in my herb garden and it starts to bolt pretty soon after the days start getting warmer.

Bolt is a term that means that the plant is going to seed and puts energy into growing the seed or flower so that the plant can re-seed itself for the next season. The problem with this is that the cilantro leaves start to taste different and not as good.

So then I am left with too much cilantro that I cannot consume. I want to prevent food waste so I pick all the cilantro and have found a great way to preserve cilantro by drying or dehydrating the cilantro. Good news right?

Now I can use my dehydrated cilantro long past the winter months. So next time your cilantro is prolific in its production you will be able to preserve your bounteous harvest! Don’t worry, if you aren’t growing cilantro right now, but still want to dehydrate cilantro, you can buy some cilantro at the grocery store and dry that as well.

Is cilantro good dehydrated?

Dehydrated cilantro is good. Often times you will hear it called coriander leaves or just coriander. Which is cilantro as a dry herb. It still has a strong flavor but a unique favor. Slightly different than when you have fresh cilantro.

So whenever you have a recipe that calls for coriander, that is dried or dehydrated cilantro that is ground up and put in a spice jar! If you cook with coriander often then dehydrating your own cilantro would be a great way to produce it yourself! And it is super easy too.

I will say that I actually dehydrate my cilantro and leave it as cilantro leaves in a jar as well as crush it. I like having the leaves to put in recipes that call for fresh cilantro, say for making salsa, or to add to our burrito bowls. It doesn’t have the exact same flavor, but it still works and is delicious.

I usually do this when I have forgot to pick up cilantro from the store and need to get cilantro quick. I love having quick access to my dehydrated cilantro all throughout the year. When you add it to a soup or a wet meal the cilantro should re hydrate and become similar to fresh cilantro.

How long does dehydrated cilantro last?

So, you have created this yummy, dried herb and are wondering how long it will last. If it is stored properly (which I will discuss later) then it could last a long time. Anywhere from 1-3 years in storage. Talk about long-term use. That being said, the longer the herb is stored, the less flavor it has. So keep that in mind when you are adding it to recipes. If your herb is three years old, it may not have the best flavor.

Can I use my oven to dehydrate cilantro?

Yes, the oven is a great option, especially for those who don’t have a dehydrator. Oven drying is a different drying process as the oven cannot get as low of a temperature as a dehydrator and it also doesn’t have a fan inside.

It is still possible, just varies based on what the lowest temperature of your oven is as many ovens vary in their lowest temperature. You will follow the “how to dehydrate” steps below, but instead of putting the cilantro on the oven rack, you will put it on cookie sheet or baking sheet. Make sure the leaves are in a single layer.

One sheet should be able to hold one large bundle of cilantro. Put the oven on it’s lowest temperature setting and cook for 1-3 hours. Check every thirty minutes for a crisp flaky cilantro leaf. Once it has reached that state, then pull them out and allow them to cool. If your leaves are starting to look burnt, take them out because your oven temperature is too high. Allow to dry on the counter for up to two days.

How to dehydrate cilantro

My favorite method for drying cilantro is by using a food dehydrator. There is less guess work when using a dehydrator and you aren’t at risk of burning your cilantro leaves. Start by washing your cilantro in cool water.

Shake off most of the water and finish drying the cilantro leaves with a paper towel. If you have a salad spinner, you can use that to get off the excess moisture and then pat dry with a paper towel. For the best results you will want to make sure that your leaves are dry before dehydrating them.

Wet leaves may take much longer to dry out. Once you have dry leaves, then spread them out on your dehydrator trays in a single layer. If some leaves overlap that is okay. I like to do a whole bunch of cilantro at a time making sure to fill my dehydrator to the max.

Slide all the trays back in and then you will set your dehydrator temperature to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Next set the timer for six hours. Check your leaves at six hours, if they aren’t completely crispy then add more time. This time may vary based on how wet your cilantro leaves are to start with.

How to store dehydrated cilantro

Once your cilantro is dehydrated you will want to put your dried cilantro in an air tight container or airtight jar for future use. For the best flavor, store your dried herbs in a dry place at room temperature. Make sure your dehydrated cilantro is NOT in direct sunlight.

A dark place is the ideal place for storing any kind of dried herbs. It is your personal preference, but some prefer to crush their leaves into powder form for adding them into recipes. I like to store some of my dehydrated cilantro as whole leaves and some as powder form. I like to have the option to use them whole or as a powder.

How to use dried cilantro

Cilantro is a versatile herb that can be used in many ways. Some of the different ways that I like to use dried cilantro are to either add to recipes or garnish soups. Having both crushed and whole leaves is the easy way to give you several options on what to use it for.

One of my favorite ways to use the crushed dried cilantro is to add it to our favorite Indian food recipe. We love to make Chicken Tikka Masala and it calls for coriander (dried cilantro). Sometimes I will add teaspoon here or there in soups that I think will be benefited by dried cilantro. Dried, crushed cilantro is probably the most common method that people use dehydrated cilantro.

I love using my whole dehydrated cilantro leaves as a emergency option for when I have forgot to buy cilantro at the store. We make tacos almost every week and I love making fresh salsa to put on our tacos. The problem is that I don’t always remember to buy fresh cilantro.

I will add the dried cilantro to my salsa when in a pinch. The taste isn’t exactly the same, but it does the job and honestly, my family doesn’t even notice the difference. I will also garnish some soups or chilies with dehydrated cilantro. The liquid in the soup will dehydrate the cilantro and it will be similar to fresh cilantro

Now that you have learned how to dehydrate cilantro, you should give it a try. Save this “how to” for later and share with your friends. This way of preserving cilantro is a game changer. I find drying cilantro to keep the flavor much better than if you were to freeze it.

Another dehydration recipe:

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