A quick and easy way to turn your meals into a gourmet dish like you have it at your favorite restaurant. Learn how to make your own herb salt using only 2 ingredient in less than 5 minutes. This will soon be a staple in your kitchen to sprinkle over all your dishes.
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Why you will love this recipe
- Easy
- Perfect to preserve your harvest
- Gourmet touch for your kitchen
- Tasty
- Many variations possible
Flavored salts are a great way to give that extra gourmet flavor to all your favorite dishes. They are super easy to make and the perfect way to preserve your herb harvest every year. On top of that you can add any herbs and extra flavors to create your perfect salt.
If you like this recipe you should try this homemade compound butter with herbs. It is another great way to preserve your harvest,
Ingredients you will need
There are only 2 main ingredients that you will need for the base recipe:
- Salt: This recipe uses a flaky salt like sea salt or Himalaya salt. In the process the salt will get a bit finer due to the mixing in the food processor so table salt will not work.
- Variety of herbs: This recipe uses dried herbs. You can either buy dried herbs or dry them yourself: There is really no rule on what you can use, whatever you have on hand works. We always harvest our herbs in the garden and make a blend with what we grew that year. Below in the recipe card you will find a suggestion for an herb de Provance blend.
- Additional ingredients: There really are no limits when you are making your won herb salt. This is a very simple basic recipe but you can add many extras like lemon zest or garlic to your mix. If you do add fresh ones you will have to dry your salt in the oven before filling it into a spice jar or keep it in the fridge so it does not mold.
How to dry your herbs at home
Whether your herbs are fresh out of the garden or you got them at the store / farmers market you should always give them a wash first to make sure that all the dirt, contaminations from animals and the insects are gone.
Simply bundle up your herbs and tie them together very tightly with a string or some twine on the side where the cut ends are. When cutting the string/twine make sure to leave a long tail that you will use to hang up your herbs.
Next hang up your herbs protected from sunlight anywhere in your house. We usually hang them up in our laundry room. The most important part is just to protect them from direct sunlight.
All you have to do is wait for mother nature to do her magic. You want your herbs to be completely dry, meaning when you touch them they are nice and crispy and when you apply pressure they will crumble. Most herbs are ready after about a week.
When it is harvesting time simply remove the string / twine and started separating the leaves from the stems by sliding down the stem with your fingers starting at the cut end. Make sure to do this over a bowl or towel to catch all the leaves.
How to make homemade herb salt
Add all your ingredients to a food processor.
Give it a quick pulse of about 5 seconds to simply crush the herbs to release their flavor.
Add the mixture to an airtight jar or spice jar and store in a sunlight protected spot. Make sure to label your jars so you know what you put into your herb salt.
The longer you let your salt sit the better its flavor will be.
If you do use fresh ingredients like garlic or lemon zest please make sure you dry your salt in the oven at 50°C / 120°F for 30-60 minutes. Then let it cool completely. Once cooled break it apart with your hands and store.
You can also keep the salt in the fridge for a 2-3 weeks instead but we do recommend you drying it.
Storage / Shelf Life
Keep in an air-tight jar or spice jar protected from direct sunlight.
If using fresh ingredients and you do not dry the mixture then keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Serving suggestions
Use your salt as a finishing salt on your salads, meats, fries, eggs and more. It is also great as a rub for your proteins. There are endless possibilities!
Variations
Here are some ideas for different salt variations you can create
- Garlic Salt: Add fresh grated garlic or garlic powder
- Chili Salt: Add crushed fresh peppers to the finished mixture
- Vanilla Salt: Add dried vanilla powder or the seeds of vanilla beans
- Lemon Salt: Add fresh or dried lemon zest for a zesty salt. This works great with herbs
- Lavender: Add edible dried lavender buds
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can I use fresh herbs for herb salt?
A: You can absolutely do that. Simply replace the dried herbs with fresh ones and follow the recipe. It is recommended you then do the drying process for the salt.
Q: Can I make this recipe without a food processor?
A: Yes, simply use a knife to finely chop the herbs. If you have a petal and mortar then add the salt and chopped herbs to that and give it a quick mix to crush the salt slightly.
More recipes to try
📖 Recipe
Italian Blend Herb Salt
Equipment
- 1 Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 bundle Dried Basil
- 1 bundle Dried Rosemary
- 1 bundle Dried Oregano
- 1 bundle Dried Thyme
- 500 g Flaky Salt (sea salt or Himalaya Salt)
- Additional ingredients optional (see notes)
Instructions
- Add the salt and the dried herb leaves to a food processor.
- Pulse everything for about 5 seconds. You simply want to give it a quick mix to break up the herb leaves and get the flavor all over the salt. If you do prefer a finer salt mix tough you can pulse it longer.
- Pour the mixture into an air-tight jar or spice jar and store in a cool, sunlight protected spot.
When using fresh ingredients
- If you use fresh ingredients that are like garlic or lemon zest or if you use fresh herbs then you will have to dry the mixture in the oven before filling it into your spice jars.
- Preheat your oven to 50°C / 120°F and dry the salt for 30-60 minutes till everything is completely dry. Let cool and then store as mentioned in the recipe above.
Notes
US Customary conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
Your Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
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