How to Store Thyme for the Freshest Flavor

Thyme is one of the easy ones. It’s a hearty herb, the kind America’s Test Kitchen says to keep dry, not damp,¹ and it’s one of the herbs that holds up reasonably well dried, in dishes that cook a while with plenty of liquid. You can keep it in the fridge for a short time, dry it, or freeze whole sprigs, and once they’re frozen the leaves strip right off. Just be wary of the storage times you’ll see quoted, from “several weeks” in the fridge to “three months” in a glass of water. We couldn’t trace any of them to a source.

At a glance

Method	How	How long	Notes
Refrigerator	In its packaging or a bag; sources differ on damp towels¹²	“A few days” is the only figure we found³	Longer figures are untraced
Freezer	Sprigs on the stem, in freezer wrap or an airtight container⁴	3 to 6 months for best quality³⁴	Strip the leaves once frozen
Ice cubes	Chopped leaves covered with water, broth or oil³	Same as above	For soups, stews and sauces⁵
Dried	Hang in bundles, or dehydrator at 95–115°F for 1 to 4 hours⁴⁶	3 months to a year, depending on the source (table below)	Keep leaves whole until use⁷

Fresh thyme in the refrigerator

Ohio State University Extension says harvested fresh herbs keep only a few days in the fridge.³ That’s a general figure, not one measured on thyme, and it’s the only one we found. You’ll also hear that thyme lasts several weeks in a closed container, or three months or more standing in water. No source we found backs up either.

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

Source	Method for thyme
America’s Test Kitchen, 2016²	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 reasons that hearty herbs absorb moisture through their leaves, so they should stay dry. Neither article says how long the herbs lasted, so the disagreement stands. Neither one says to stand thyme in a glass of water, either. ATK’s 2016 article gives that method for herbs like tarragon, mint and dill, not thyme.²

Freezing thyme

Sprigs on the stem. South Dakota State University Extension says you can freeze thyme on its stems: put a few sprigs in freezer wrap or an airtight freezer container.⁴ Once they’re frozen, the leaves strip right off. Some guides say freezing leaves thyme’s texture and flavor untouched. We found no study of frozen thyme either way.

Ice cubes. Chop the leaves, pack them into ice cube trays, cover with water, broth or oil, and freeze.³ South Dakota State adds that oil cubes go into the freezer right away, since herbs in oil should never sit at room temperature.⁴ Herb cubes suit soups, stews, sauces and other cooked dishes.

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

Drying thyme

Thyme dries well. Ohio State lists it among the best herbs for drying, and America’s Test Kitchen found dried thyme held up reasonably well in recipes cooked more than 20 minutes with plenty of liquid.⁸ It’s on ATK’s short list of herbs worth keeping dried.⁹

Air drying. Tie sturdy herbs like thyme into small bundles and hang them somewhere with low humidity and good airflow. A brown paper bag with holes punched in it keeps off dust and catches falling leaves. South Dakota State and Illinois Extension both say five to ten days.⁴⁵ Penn State doesn’t recommend drying herbs in the sun.

Dehydrator. Preheat to 95 to 115°F, or up to 125°F in humid areas. Drying takes 1 to 4 hours, so check now and then.⁶ Ohio State gives the same range and time.

Microwave. America’s Test Kitchen’s quick method microwaves the leaves for 30 to 40 seconds.⁹ Ohio State says 1 to 2 minutes on high for a cup of herbs, moving them around every 30 seconds.³ Neither gives a time for thyme specifically.

Oven. Sources disagree:

Source	Oven drying
South Dakota State University Extension⁴	180°F or lower
National Center for Home Food Preservation⁶	A “very cool oven”; an electric oven’s light or a gas pilot light gives enough heat overnight
University of Illinois Extension, 2025⁵	Not recommended

One study speaks to the temperature question. In 1997, thyme and sage dried at 60°C (140°F) lost a significant share of their extracted volatiles, while gentler methods didn’t. Yet the same study found thyme’s headspace aroma compounds were highest in the herb dried at 60°C.¹⁰ So heat changes thyme’s aroma; it doesn’t simply strip it away.

When it’s done. The leaves should be brittle and crumble at a touch, and stems should snap when bent.

Storing dried thyme

Keep dried thyme in an airtight container somewhere cool, dry and dark. Penn State prefers storing herbs whole, so strip the leaves from the stems but don’t crush them until you cook. Air, light, moisture and heat all speed up the loss of flavor and color.

Source	Scope	Figure
Penn State Extension⁷	Most dried herbs	Keep well for one year
Ohio State University Extension³	Dried herbs	Up to a year for best quality
University of Illinois Extension⁵	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 Extension⁴	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, so we haven’t averaged them. They’re about quality, not safety. Your nose is the real test: rub a pinch between your fingers, and if the smell 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

Colorado State University Extension lists thyme among herbs for flavored vinegar. Its method: heat commercial vinegar to just below boiling, add 3 to 4 sprigs per pint, and let it stand somewhere cool and dark for at least 10 days. Strain it, then refrigerate for up to six to eight months, or keep it somewhere cool and dark (65°F or below) for up to three months.¹³

Not yet measured

How long fresh thyme lasts in the fridge 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, not 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
“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
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
Emily Swihart, “Preserving garden-grown herbs”, University of Illinois Extension, 2025. extension.illinois.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
“Herbs”, National Center for Home Food Preservation (from So Easy to Preserve, 6th ed., 2014). nchfp.uga.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³
Stacy Reed, “Preserving Herbs by Drying”, Penn State Extension, 2024. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩²
“Science: Substituting Dried Herbs for Fresh”, America’s Test Kitchen. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩
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 ↩
Anna Martin, “Add a Little Spice to Your Life! Part II”, University of California Cooperative Extension, 2002. ucanr.edu · Reference work ↩
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