How to Dry Stevia

Stevia is a naturally sweet herb that can add flavour to your cooking and beverages. The leaves of this perennial herb make a natural sweetener that doesn’t raise blood pressure or insulin levels and contains a variety of antioxidants that are quite beneficial for you. Commercial stevia can contain extra toxins that are picked up as it is processed. When you learn how to grow and dry stevia yourself, you end up with a more pure product.

How to Dry Stevia

Stevia can be grown from seed or from cuttings. Once it is ready to harvest, the leaves can be used fresh or they can be dried. Once dried, the leaves will last a long time and can be added to many dishes. 

Hang Drying

An easy way to dry stevia is to cut long stems off the plant and bundle them together with twine. Then hang these bunches upside down on a herb drying rack in a cool, dark place that is out of direct sunlight. These leaves will be ready when there is no moisture left. 

Sun Drying

The leaves of the plant can also be individually removed from the stems and spread on a screen outdoors that allows for plenty of air circulation. After a day or two in the sun drying, the leaves should be ready to store.

In the Dehydrator

Another way to dry stevia leaves is to use a food dehydrator or an oven. To do this, remove the leaves from the stems and wash and dry them. Place the leaves on your dehydraters racks or on lined oven trays, making sure they are not touching. Use a low setting of around 35˚C to 50˚C (95-120˚F) and dry until there is no moisture left. 

Drying stevia at a low temperature in the dehydrator tends to leave you with dried stevia that has a lovely, brighter green colour. Other methods of drying can cause the stevia to loose its colour as it dries.

Storing Dried Stevia

Once the stevia leaves are dried, carefully remove them if they are still on the stems and store them in glass jars or grind them into a powder.

Whole stevia leaves can be stored for up to 12 months in airtight containers. Just remember that humidity will play a part in their shelf life.

To grind the leaves into a fine powder, use a food processor or a coffee grinder and then store the powder in an airtight container.

Dehydrate other Fruits and Vegetables

• Apples
• Bananas
• Lemons
• Mulberries
• Oranges
• Garlic
• Celery
• Strawberries
• Calendula
• Basil
• Pumpkin
• Tomatoes

Conditioning Dried Stevia

Once the stevia has been full dehydrated, it will need to be conditioned to be kept without going off.

Fill a jar about two-thirds full and seal the lid. Over the next week or so, shake the jar a couple of times a day.

If you start to see mould, they will need to be thrown out. If you see moisture, they are not dried enough, and need to be placed back into the dehydrator. 

Once they have been conditioned, the jars can be fulled completely and stored in a cool, dark place. If they do start to have a strong smell or you can see moisture in the jars, it is time to dehydrate another batch of stevia.

Using Dried Stevia

Dried, powdered stevia can be used as a substitute for sugar, though it is not a true substitute. 

The issue with dried stevia is that is won’t caramelise or dissolve. Instead, it just floats to the top. Though, this doesn’t matter when using in baking as the dried stevia is dispersed throughout.

Consider it more of a flavouring such as vanilla essence, then a true sugar substitute.

Some people will notice a slight earthy, after-taste, while others won’t.

Dried stevia leaves can also be used to make stevia extract and stevia syrup.

To use:

• 1 cup of sugar = 1 teaspoon of dried stevia powder or 1 teaspoon of stevia extract
• 1 tablespoon of sugar = ¼ teaspoon of stevia powder or around 7 drops of stevia extract
• 1 teaspoon of sugar = just a pinch of stevia powder or 3 drops of stevia extract

The above amounts are just a guide and can be adjusted to suit your tastes.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the food and drug administration. The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on this website.