How to Store Thyme for the Freshest Flavor

Thyme is one of the hearty herbs, the group America’s Test Kitchen says should be kept dry rather than damp,¹ and it is one of the herbs that holds up reasonably well dried.² You can keep it in the refrigerator for a short time, freeze whole sprigs, or dry it. The storage times you see quoted for thyme, from “several weeks” in the fridge to “three months” in a glass of water, could not be traced to any source.

At a glance

Method	How	How long	Notes
Refrigerator	In its packaging or a bag; sources differ on damp towels¹³	“A few days” is the only figure we found⁴	Longer figures are untraced
Freezer	Sprigs on the stem, in freezer wrap or an airtight container⁵	3 to 6 months for best quality⁴⁵	Strip the leaves once frozen (common practice)
Ice cubes	Chopped leaves covered with water, broth or oil⁴	Same as above	For soups, stews and sauces⁶
Dried	Hang in bundles, or dehydrator at 95–115°F for 1 to 4 hours⁵⁷	3 months to a year, depending on the source (table below)	Keep leaves whole until use⁸

Fresh thyme in the refrigerator

Ohio State University Extension says harvested fresh herbs keep only a few days in the refrigerator.⁴ That is a general figure, not a thyme measurement, and it is the only one we found. A common claim is that thyme lasts several weeks in a closed container, or three months or more standing in water. No source we found supports either.

America’s Test Kitchen has published two methods for thyme:

Source	Method for thyme
America’s Test Kitchen, 2016³	Wrap in damp paper towels and store in a zipper-lock bag in the crisper.
America’s Test Kitchen, 2019¹	Hearty herbs, thyme included: keep in the original packaging or an open zipper-lock bag, refrigerated.

The 2019 guide’s reasoning is that hearty herbs absorb moisture through their leaves, so they should be kept dry.¹ Neither article reports how long the herbs lasted, so the disagreement stands. Neither recommends standing thyme in a glass of water; ATK’s 2016 article gives that method for herbs such as tarragon, mint and dill, not thyme.³

Freezing thyme

Sprigs on the stem. South Dakota State University Extension says thyme can be frozen on its stems: put a few sprigs in freezer wrap or an airtight freezer container.⁵ Once frozen, the leaves strip off the stems easily, by common practice. A common claim is that freezing leaves thyme’s texture and flavor untouched. We found no study of frozen thyme to support or refute it.

Ice cubes. Chop the leaves, pack them into ice cube trays, cover them with water, broth or oil, and freeze.⁴ South Dakota State adds that cubes made with oil go into the freezer right away, since herbs in oil should never be kept at room temperature.⁵ Illinois Extension suggests herb cubes for soups, stews, sauces and other cooked dishes.⁶

How long. Ohio State recommends using frozen herbs within 3 to 6 months for best quality;⁴ South Dakota State says up to six months in an airtight container.⁵

Drying thyme

Thyme dries well. Ohio State lists it among the best herbs for drying,⁴ and America’s Test Kitchen found dried thyme held up reasonably well in recipes cooked more than 20 minutes with plenty of liquid.² ATK puts it on its short list of herbs worth keeping dried.⁹

Air drying. Tie sturdy herbs such as thyme into small bundles and hang them in a spot with low humidity and good air circulation.⁵⁶ A brown paper bag with ventilation holes keeps off dust and catches falling leaves.⁶ South Dakota State and Illinois Extension both give five to ten days.⁵⁶ Penn State says sun-drying herbs is not recommended.⁸

Dehydrator. Preheat to 95 to 115°F, or up to 125°F in humid areas. Drying takes 1 to 4 hours; check periodically.⁷ Ohio State gives the same range and time.⁴

Microwave. America’s Test Kitchen’s quick method microwaves the leaves for 30 to 40 seconds.⁹ Ohio State’s guide is 1 to 2 minutes on high for a cup of herbs, moving them every 30 seconds.⁴ Neither gives a thyme-specific time.

Oven. Sources disagree:

Source	Oven drying
South Dakota State University Extension⁵	180°F or lower
National Center for Home Food Preservation⁷	A “very cool oven”; an electric oven’s light or a gas pilot light gives enough heat overnight
University of Illinois Extension, 2025⁶	Not recommended

One study bears on the temperature question. In 1997, thyme and sage dried at 60°C (140°F) lost a significant share of their extracted volatiles, mainly non-oxygenated monoterpenes, while gentler methods did not.¹⁰ The same study found thyme’s headspace aroma compounds were actually highest in the herb dried at 60°C,¹⁰ so heat changes thyme’s aroma rather than simply stripping it.

When it is done. The leaves should be brittle and crumble when touched, and stems should snap when bent.⁷⁶

Storing dried thyme

Keep dried thyme in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place.⁷⁶ Penn State says storing herbs whole is preferred,⁸ so strip the leaves from the stems but leave them uncrushed until you cook. Air, light, moisture and heat all speed flavor and color loss.¹¹

Source	Scope	Figure
Penn State Extension⁸	Most dried herbs	Keep well for one year
Ohio State University Extension⁴	Dried herbs	Up to a year for best quality
University of Illinois Extension⁶	Dried herbs	Use within one year for best flavor
University of California Cooperative Extension¹¹	Ground spices and dried herbs	1 year
South Dakota State University Extension⁵	Dried herbs	Up to 3 months airtight; up to a year in the refrigerator or freezer
America’s Test Kitchen⁹	Herbs dried at home in the microwave	Up to 3 months airtight

None of these was measured on thyme, and they disagree; we have not averaged them. They describe quality, not safety. The test that matters is smell: rub a pinch between your fingers, and if the aroma is faint, the jar has faded.

Thyme in oil or vinegar

Thyme sprigs in oil carry the same botulism risk as any fresh herb in oil. Oregon State University Extension’s rule is to refrigerate herb-and-oil mixtures and use them within 4 days, or freeze them.¹²

Thyme is one of the herbs Colorado State University Extension lists for flavored vinegar. Its method: heat commercial vinegar to just below boiling, add 3 to 4 sprigs per pint, let it stand in a cool, dark place for at least 10 days, strain, then refrigerate for up to six to eight months or keep in a cool, dark place (65°F or below) for up to three months.¹³

Not yet measured

How long fresh thyme lasts in the refrigerator under either America’s Test Kitchen method.
Whether frozen thyme keeps its texture and flavor; we found no study.
A dried-thyme shelf life measured on thyme rather than herbs in general.

Thyme, cooking with thyme and thyme uses
Can you freeze thyme? and fresh thyme vs. dried
Thyme substitutes and too much thyme
English thyme vs. French thyme and lemon thyme
Dried herbs vs. fresh and do spices go bad?
How to store sage and how to store rosemary

Liz Bomze, “Our Guide to Fresh Herbs”, America’s Test Kitchen, 2019. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
“Science: Substituting Dried Herbs for Fresh”, America’s Test Kitchen. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩²
“How & Where to Buy, Use, and Store Fresh Herbs”, America’s Test Kitchen, 2016. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³
Shari Gallup, “Food Preservation: Preserving Herbs—Freezing and Drying”, Ohio State University Extension, 2026. ohioline.osu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰
Lambert, Erickson and Kleine, “Preserving Herbs”, South Dakota State University Extension, 2022. extension.sdstate.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰
Emily Swihart, “Preserving garden-grown herbs”, University of Illinois Extension, 2025. extension.illinois.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹
“Herbs”, National Center for Home Food Preservation (from So Easy to Preserve, 6th ed., 2014). nchfp.uga.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵
Stacy Reed, “Preserving Herbs by Drying”, Penn State Extension, 2024. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
Danielle Lapierre, “When You Should Actually Use Dried Herbs (and Which Ones to Avoid)”, America’s Test Kitchen, 2022. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³
Venskutonis, “Effect of drying on the volatile constituents of thyme and sage”, Food Chemistry, 1997 (abstract). agris.fao.org · Peer-reviewed ↩ ↩²
Anna Martin, “Add a Little Spice to Your Life! Part II”, University of California Cooperative Extension, 2002. ucanr.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩²
Raab and Woodburn, “Herbs and vegetables in oil” (SP 50-701), Oregon State University Extension Service, 2025. extension.oregonstate.edu · Reference work ↩
Grubb, Shackelton and Bunning, “Making Flavored Vinegar” (9.340), Colorado State University Extension, 2021. foodsmartcolorado.colostate.edu · Reference work ↩

How to Store Thyme: Fridge, Freezer and Drying Compared