How to Store Mint: Fridge, Freezer and Drying

Fresh mint is one of the delicate, soft-leaved herbs,¹ and it is one that cooks generally prefer fresh: America’s Test Kitchen lists it among the herbs that are better fresh than dried.² So storing mint mostly means keeping fresh sprigs alive in the refrigerator, then freezing or drying what you cannot use in time. Below is what named sources say about each, with their scope. Most of the day counts that circulate for mint (“two weeks”, “several weeks”) could not be traced to any source.

At a glance

Question	Short answer
Refrigerator method	Wrap in slightly damp paper towels, put in an open zipper-lock bag, refrigerate.³
Wash first?	Sources differ. The Government of Canada says store fresh herbs unwashed.⁴
How long in the fridge	Up to five days for fresh herbs in general, per the Government of Canada.⁴ Commercial cold storage at 0°C (32°F) can reach 3 weeks.⁵
Keep away from	Ethylene. UC Davis lists mint as very sensitive to it.⁵
Freezer	Mint freezes well, per Penn State.⁶ Frozen leaves go limp, so use them in cooking, not as garnish.⁶
Drying	Dry it quickly: mint is a high-moisture herb that molds if it dries slowly.⁷
Dried mint, how long	About 1 year to 1 to 3 years for dried herbs in general, depending on the source. None measured mint.
Mint in oil	Refrigerate and use within 4 days, or freeze.⁸

Keeping fresh mint in the refrigerator

America’s Test Kitchen sorts herbs into hearty and delicate. Delicate herbs take in and give off a lot of water, so they have to be kept moist or they wilt, but ATK warns that they should not touch liquid, because that encourages rot.³ Its method for delicate herbs is to wrap them in slightly damp paper towels, put them in an open zipper-lock bag, and refrigerate.³ In the same guide, a slim herb keeper with a vented lid kept herbs fresh longer than the other containers ATK tested.³

The Government of Canada’s food-safety advice is to store fresh herbs unwashed, trim the stalk ends, put them in a resealable plastic bag and keep them in the crisper for up to five days, then rinse them under cool running water when you use them.⁴ That is general advice for fresh herbs, not a mint test.

Standing mint in a glass of water. Keeping mint like cut flowers, stems in an inch of water with a bag over the top, is a popular tip. We found no named source that tested it for mint or gives a time for it. ATK’s caution about delicate herbs touching liquid is the closest sourced guidance, and it points the other way.³

Ethylene. UC Davis’s postharvest fact sheet on fresh culinary herbs lists mint among the herbs that are very sensitive to ethylene exposure,⁵ and gives the main symptoms as yellowing, stem curvature and leaves dropping off.⁵ The fact sheet is written for growers and shippers and does not give home advice. It does not say which foods to keep mint away from, so we will not guess at a list.

How long it lasts. These are the named figures we found:

Source	Scope	Figure
Government of Canada⁴	Fresh herbs in general, home crisper drawer	up to 5 days
UC Davis Postharvest Center⁵	Most fresh herbs in commercial storage, above 95% humidity	3 weeks at 0°C (32°F); 2 weeks at 5°C (41°F)

The two are not measuring the same thing. The UC Davis figures assume near-freezing, very humid commercial storage,⁵ while the Canadian figure is a food-safety rule of thumb for a home fridge.⁴ UC Davis also notes that the essential oils and aroma of herbs generally decrease during storage, so even mint that looks fine has lost some flavor.⁵

Freezing mint

Penn State Extension lists mint among the herbs that freeze well.⁶ Its methods:

Ice cubes. Chop the leaves. Half-fill an ice cube tray with water, put about a tablespoon of herbs in each section, freeze, then top up with water the next day once the cubes are solid.⁶ Store the finished cubes in a freezer bag.
Loose leaves. Strip the leaves from the stems, spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze, then move them to a freezer bag so you can take out only what you need.⁶
In oil. Mix about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of oil with 2 cups of chopped herbs and freeze in ice cube trays or small jars.⁶ Penn State is firm that oil should be added only if the herbs will be frozen, and that herbs in oil should never be kept at room temperature.⁶ Herbs frozen in oil keep their color better than herbs frozen on their own.⁶

Before freezing, Penn State says to rinse the herbs and pat or spin them dry without crushing them.⁶ Frozen herbs can be used in the same amounts as fresh, and should go into cooked dishes without thawing first.⁶ Freezing makes the water in the leaves expand, so the leaves are limp when thawed and generally do not make attractive garnishes.⁶ Penn State also notes that herbs give off odors that other foods in the freezer can absorb.⁶

How long frozen mint keeps its flavor has not been published that we could find. The “several months” often quoted has no traceable source.

Drying mint

Dry it fast. NCHFP and Penn State both put mint in the high-moisture group with basil, tarragon and lemon balm: these herbs will mold if they are not dried quickly.⁷⁹ NCHFP suggests drying mint leaves separately, off the stem, as a method that suits mint especially well.⁷ For air-drying, keep bunches small, since large amounts will mold, and hang them inside a paper bag with holes torn or punched in the sides.⁷

Dehydrator. Temperatures for herbs differ slightly between sources:

Source	Dehydrator setting	Time
NCHFP⁷	95°F to 115°F; as high as 125°F in humid areas	1 to 4 hours
Penn State⁹	95°F to 110°F	not given

Neither is a mint-specific setting. A commonly quoted setting of 90°F is below both ranges.

Microwave. Times vary by source, and none of them names mint:

Source	Method
Penn State⁹	Herbs in one layer between microwave-safe paper towels; start with 1 minute on high, mix every 30 seconds, check for dryness. About 2 to 3 minutes per cup.
America’s Test Kitchen, hearty herbs³	Single layer between two paper towels, 1 to 3 minutes on high, until leaves are brittle and fall off the stems.
America’s Test Kitchen, 2022²	Microwave for 30 to 40 seconds.

Penn State warns that the paper towels can catch fire if there is too little volume in the oven, and that a microwave rated at 1,000 watts or more may heat too fast for this method.⁹ Its list of herbs that dry well in some microwaves is parsley, basil and celery leaves; mint is not on it.⁹ Watch the herbs closely.

Oven. Penn State does not recommend oven drying, because even the lowest setting destroys much of the flavor. If you do it anyway, it says to stay at or below 180°F (82°C) for 3 to 4 hours with the oven door open.⁹

Done when. Leaves are crisp and crumble easily between your fingers.⁹ More detail is in how to dry mint.

Storing dried mint

Store dried mint in airtight containers in a cool, dry, dark place.⁷ Keep the leaves whole and crumble them when you cook: Penn State says whole herbs hold their oils and flavor longer.⁹ Air, light, moisture and heat all speed the loss of flavor and color in dried herbs.¹⁰

Source	What it covers	Figure
UC Cooperative Extension, 2002¹⁰	Ground spices and dried herbs, home storage	1 year
America’s Test Kitchen¹¹	Ground spices and dried herbs	1 year
Penn State Extension¹²	Most dried herbs	about 1 year
America’s Test Kitchen, 2022²	Herbs dried at home in the microwave, airtight	up to 3 months
McCormick¹³	Leafy herbs and most seasoning blends; a spice company’s own guidance	1 to 3 years

None of these was measured on mint, and they disagree; we have not averaged them. To check dried mint, crumble a little and smell it.¹¹

How much dried to use in place of fresh: America’s Test Kitchen found 1 part dried to 3 parts fresh came closest to matching flavor.¹⁴ But ATK also says delicate herbs like mint are much weaker in flavor once dried,² so dried mint is not a like-for-like swap in dishes that rely on fresh leaves.

Mint in oil

Herbs in oil can cause botulism. Oregon State University Extension explains that herbs are low-acid foods that can carry Clostridium botulinum, and that oil shuts out oxygen.⁸ For homemade mixtures of fresh herbs in oil it says refrigerate and use within 4 days, or freeze.⁸ Penn State gives 2 to 4 days in the refrigerator for oils made with fresh herbs.¹⁵ For oils made with dried herbs the two disagree: Oregon State says refrigerate and use within 4 days or freeze,⁸ while Penn State allows up to three months in the refrigerator.¹⁵ We have not picked between them; the Oregon State rule is the more cautious.

Not yet measured

How long fresh mint keeps in a home refrigerator, measured on mint.
Whether the jar-of-water method beats damp towels for mint.
How long frozen mint keeps its flavor.
A shelf life for dried mint specifically.

“Flavorful Herbs”, LSU AgCenter. lsuagcenter.com · Reference work ↩
Danielle Lapierre, “When You Should Actually Use Dried Herbs (and Which Ones to Avoid)”, America’s Test Kitchen, 2022. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
Liz Bomze, “Our Guide to Fresh Herbs”, America’s Test Kitchen, 2019. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶
“Food safety tips for fresh herbs”, Government of Canada (copy hosted by UC ANR). oc4h.ucanr.edu · Regulator ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵
Cantwell and Reid, “Herbs (Fresh Culinary)”, UC Davis Postharvest Research and Extension Center. postharvest.ucdavis.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷
Martha Zepp, “Freezing Herbs”, Penn State Extension, 2025. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²
“Herbs” (drying), National Center for Home Food Preservation, University of Georgia. nchfp.uga.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶
Raab and Woodburn, “Herbs and vegetables in oil” (SP 50-701), Oregon State University Extension Service, 2025. extension.oregonstate.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
Hirneisen, Zepp and LaBorde, “Let’s Preserve: Drying Herbs”, Penn State Extension, 2023. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸
Add a Little Spice to Your Life! Part II, University of California Cooperative Extension. ucanr.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩²
Keeping Spices and Dried Herbs Fresher Longer, America’s Test Kitchen. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩²
Stacy Reed, “Preserving Herbs by Drying”, Penn State Extension, 2024. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩
How Long Do Spices Last?, McCormick. mccormick.com · Merchant ↩
“Science: Substituting Dried Herbs for Fresh”, America’s Test Kitchen. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩
Martha Zepp, “How to Safely Make Infused Oils”, Penn State Extension (copy hosted by UC ANR). ccfruitandnuts.ucanr.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩²

How to Store Mint: Fridge, Freezer and Drying, With What Sources Actually Say