How to Dry Lavender: Harvest, Hang-Drying and More

Drying lavender takes little more than string and a dark, airy room. Cut it on the stem as the flowers start to open, bunch it, and hang it upside down somewhere dark, dry and airy, the way growers dry it to sell as bundles or loose buds.¹ If it’s going into food, it also matters which lavender you’re drying, since some kinds are high in camphor. And go easy in the kitchen: the Herb Society of America says dried buds are three times more concentrated than fresh blooms.²

At a glance

Question	Short answer
When to cut	As the flowers start to open, when the spikes smell strongest (Illinois Extension).³ New Mexico State says when the lower third of the spike has opened.⁴
How to dry	Hang bunches upside down in a dark, dry, well-ventilated room.
Bunch size	Sources disagree (see below).
Dehydrator	95 to 115°F (35 to 46°C), up to 125°F in humid areas, 1 to 4 hours, per general herb guidance.⁵
Oven	Penn State: generally not recommended for herbs; if used, no hotter than 180°F (82°C), door open.⁶
Sun	Not recommended for herbs.⁵⁷
Done when	Flowers crumble easily; strip them from the stems by hand.
For cooking	Lavandula angustifolia is the Herb Society of America’s pick; use sparingly.²³

When to cut

Source	Harvest stage
Illinois Extension³	Just as the flowers start to open, when the spikes have the strongest scent
New Mexico State University⁴	When the lower third of the flower spike has opened
University of Kentucky¹	Lavender grown for essential oil is cut when the flowers are less open than lavender cut for fresh or dried flowers

The first two both point to early bloom, not full bloom. New Mexico State says to cut in the morning and leave the stems on. The general herb advice is to rinse in cool water, shake off the excess, and dry only leaves and stems that aren’t bruised or dirty.

Hang-drying in bunches

Bundle the stems. New Mexico State ties them with string or rubber bands.
Hang them upside down somewhere dark, dry and well ventilated. Air drying needs dry air that moves, Penn State says, and the herbs should hang away from the sink, stove or dishwasher.
Wait until they’re completely dry, then strip the flowers off the stems by hand. Penn State’s test for herbs: crispy, and crumbling easily between your fingers.

The sources split on two details:

Detail	Illinois Extension	New Mexico State University
Bunch size	Small bunches³	30 to 75 stems per bundle⁴
Room temperature	Cool³	Relatively warm⁴

They agree on dark, dry and airy. For a home harvest, start with modest bunches, which are easier to check. Neither source gives a drying time for lavender. Illinois Extension says air drying herbs in general can take up to a month.⁸

Darkness matters for the finished buds too. Penn State says to keep dried herbs away from air, heat and light.

Other methods

These come from general herb guidance. None of the sources names lavender.

Dehydrator. The National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) gives 95 to 115°F (35 to 46°C), up to 125°F (52°C) in humid areas, for 1 to 4 hours, in a single layer.⁵ Penn State gives 95 to 110°F and says the stems shouldn’t touch on the trays.⁶ You’ll often see 95 to 120°F for up to five hours, which runs a little past both.

Oven. Penn State generally doesn’t recommend the oven. If you use it, set it as low as it goes, no higher than 180°F (82°C), for 3 to 4 hours with the door open.⁶ Illinois Extension calls 90 to 110°F ideal, also for 3 to 4 hours.⁸ Quick methods of 10 minutes a side at 180 to 200°F don’t have a named source behind them.

Microwave. Penn State: one layer between microwave-safe paper towels, high for 2 to 3 minutes per cup, starting with 1 minute and mixing every 30 seconds.⁶ Illinois: 1 to 3 minutes on high, checking every 30 seconds.⁸ Penn State warns that a microwave rated 1,000 watts or more may heat too fast, and that with too little inside, the paper towels can catch fire.⁶

Sun. The NCHFP and Penn State both advise against sun drying herbs. The NCHFP says they lose flavor and color.⁵⁷

Storing dried lavender

Keep the buds in airtight containers somewhere cool, dry and dark, away from the stove and sink. Most dried herbs keep well for up to a year, Penn State says, and whole herbs hold their oils and flavor longer than crushed ones.⁶ That’s a figure for herbs in general. We didn’t find a shelf life measured on lavender. See how to store lavender.

Drying lavender to cook with

Pick the right plant. The Herb Society of America calls true or English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, the most delightful species to cook with. Lavandins and Spanish lavender, it notes, are high in cineole and camphor.² Your garden lavender could be any of these, so check the label or the plant. The lavender profile lists the cultivars the Herb Society recommends.

Use less dried than fresh. The Herb Society says dried lavender buds are three times more concentrated than fresh blooms.² That’s their figure, and we couldn’t check it against a measurement. Illinois Extension says to use lavender sparingly in cooking, because a little goes a long way.

Safety. NCCIH says lavender is likely safe in the amounts typically used in food.⁹ Lavender grown for crafts or landscaping may have been treated with garden products that aren’t meant for food. We don’t have a source for that, but it’s worth keeping in mind before you cook with ornamental plants.

For recipes and amounts, see cooking with lavender. Ran out? See lavender substitutes.

Not yet measured

Lavender-specific drying times for any method.
Shelf life of home-dried culinary lavender.
Whether the dried-to-fresh strength ratio holds across cultivars.

Matt Ernst, Lavender, University of Kentucky Center for Crop Diversification, 2017. publications.mgcafe.uky.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩²
Paola Legarre, Lavender in the Kitchen, The Herb Society of America blog, 2025. blog.herbsociety.org · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
Herb Gardening: Lavender, University of Illinois Extension. extension.illinois.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵
Aromatic Lavender Livens Herb and Flower Gardens, Melon Patch, New Mexico State University, 2005. melonpatch.nmsu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
Drying Herbs, National Center for Home Food Preservation. nchfp.uga.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
Zepp, Hirneisen and LaBorde, Let’s Preserve: Drying Herbs, Penn State Extension, 2023. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶
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
Lavender, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. nccih.nih.gov · Regulator ↩

How to Dry Lavender for Cooking: When to Cut, How to Hang, and Other Methods