How to Dry Chives: Methods, Temperatures and Storage

Chives can be dried, but they are one of the herbs that keep least of their character when you do it. University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension says the leaves lose a lot of their flavor when dried,¹ and University of Illinois Extension says dried chives discolor and quickly absorb moisture.² America’s Test Kitchen lists chives among the herbs that are better fresh.³ Both extension services offer freezing as the alternative.²¹ If you still want a jar of dried chives, the methods below come from extension guidance for leafy herbs, since none of the sources we found gives chive-specific temperatures or times.

At a glance

Question	Short answer
Dry or freeze?	Both work; drying costs a lot of flavor.¹ Freezing is offered by both extension services.²¹
Fresh chives keep	Up to a week in the refrigerator.¹
Dehydrator	95 to 115°F (35 to 46°C), up to 125°F in humid areas, 1 to 4 hours (NCHFP).⁴ Penn State says 95 to 110°F.⁵
Oven	Penn State: generally not recommended; if used, no hotter than 180°F (82°C), door open, 3 to 4 hours.⁵
Microwave	Small amounts; sources disagree on time (table below).
Sun	Not recommended.⁴⁶
Done when	Crispy and crumbles easily between your fingers.⁵
Storage	Airtight, vapor-proof container in a cool, dark place, because dried chives pick up moisture.²⁵

Before you start

Pick healthy leaves and rinse them in cool water, shake off the excess, and discard any that are bruised or damaged.⁴ Illinois Extension suggests cutting leaves about an inch above the soil.² Whether to dry them whole or snipped is a matter of how you plan to use them; we found no source that tests one against the other.

Method 1: A food dehydrator

Spread the chives in a single layer on the trays.⁴ Published temperatures are for leafy herbs in general:

Source	Temperature	Time
National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP)⁴	95 to 115°F (35 to 46°C); up to 125°F (52°C) in humid areas	1 to 4 hours; check periodically
Penn State Extension⁵	95 to 110°F (35 to 43°C)	not given
Illinois Extension⁷	follow the owner’s manual	not given

Herbs are done when they crumble and stems break when bent.⁴

Method 2: Air drying

Penn State says air drying works only when humidity is low and air circulation is good.⁵ The NCHFP’s advice for hanging herbs is to keep bunches small, because large amounts will mold.⁴ Illinois Extension describes two ways: bunches hung in a warm, dry, ventilated spot out of the sun, or herbs spread one layer deep on trays in the same kind of place.⁷ Illinois says air drying can take up to a month.⁷ We found no chive-specific time.

Method 3: The oven

Penn State says oven drying is generally not recommended. If you use it, set the lowest temperature, no higher than 180°F (82°C), and dry for 3 to 4 hours with the door open.⁵ Illinois Extension calls 90 to 110°F ideal, also for 3 to 4 hours, if your oven can hold it.⁷ A common shortcut of about 20 minutes at 200°F has no named source behind it.

Method 4: The microwave

The NCHFP calls the microwave a fast way to dry herbs when only small amounts are involved.⁴ The sources that give times disagree:

Source	Method
Penn State Extension⁵	Single layer between microwave-safe paper towels; high for 2 to 3 minutes per cup; start with 1 minute and mix every 30 seconds
Illinois Extension⁷	Between two paper towels on high for 1 to 3 minutes; check every 30 seconds and turn the herbs
America’s Test Kitchen³	30 to 40 seconds

Start short and check often. Penn State warns that a microwave rated 1,000 watts or more may heat too fast, and that with too little herb in the oven the paper towels can catch fire.⁵

Why not the sun

Sun drying is a common suggestion for chives, but both the NCHFP and Penn State advise against it for herbs; the NCHFP says herbs lose flavor and color that way.⁴⁶

Storing dried chives

Because dried chives absorb moisture quickly,² the container matters more than usual. Penn State recommends airtight, vapor-proof containers, which keep dried herbs from taking up moisture from the air, stored in a cool, dry, dark place away from the stove and sink.⁵ Penn State says most dried herbs keep well for up to a year, and Illinois says most keep their flavor for about a year;⁵⁷ ATK suggests up to 3 months for herbs dried in the microwave.³ None of these figures was measured on chives. By common practice, if dried chives smell of little or nothing, replace them.

Freezing instead

Both extension services say chives can be frozen.²¹ Illinois Extension calls freezing perhaps the easiest way to keep herbs, though frozen herbs don’t work as a garnish.⁷ It suggests freezing generous pinches of herbs in ice cube trays filled with water.⁷

Using dried chives

Given how much flavor drying removes,¹ dried chives may need more than the general herb conversion suggests; that is our judgment, not a measured figure, so taste as you go. See chives for the conversion and chives substitute if you need fresh flavor and have none. For softening dried leaves before use, see how to rehydrate herbs.

Not yet measured

Chive-specific drying temperatures or times from any named source.
How whole and snipped chives compare when dried.
Shelf life of home-dried chives, measured on chives.
How commercial freeze-dried chives compare with air-dried or dehydrator-dried chives.

Susan Mahr, Chives, Allium schoenoprasum, University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension, 2026. hort.extension.wisc.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷
Herb Gardening: Chives, University of Illinois Extension. extension.illinois.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷
Danielle Lapierre, When You Should Actually Use Dried Herbs, America’s Test Kitchen, 2022. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³
Drying Herbs, National Center for Home Food Preservation. nchfp.uga.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹
Zepp, Hirneisen and LaBorde, Let’s Preserve: Drying Herbs, Penn State Extension, 2023. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹
Stacy Reed, Preserving Herbs by Drying, Penn State Extension, 2024. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩²
Herb Gardening: Preserving, University of Illinois Extension. extension.illinois.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

How to Dry Chives, and Why Freezing Often Works Better