How to Make Dill Salt (Dill Flavored Salt)
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If you love the refreshing, herby flavor of dill weed, you’ll adore this dill salt! By infusing natural sea salt or kosher salt with fresh dill, every crystal of salt will take on that bright dill flavor, making it the perfect condiment to season veggie dips or sprinkle on your French fries!
As avid dill lovers, we’ve pretty much tried everything dill pickle flavored: potato chips, French fries, sunflower seeds, popcorn, etc. We love those zesty flavors and love to add dill to pretty much anything! After growing a nice harvest of fresh dill this year, I decided to preserve it using one of my favorite methods so I could enjoy that dill flavor all year long.
Since my green onion salt is such a lovely treat, I was sure this dill sea salt would be just as great!
Feeling overloaded with dill? Learn how to dry dill to add to your favorite recipes or make this summery lemon dill hummus!
Why you’ll love this dill salt
What is dill salt?
Feeling a little confused about what exactly this dill salt recipe makes? This is an herb-infused salt. It’s a very simple, age-old process. Back in the day, you’d pulverize fresh herbs with salt in a mortar and pestle, then let the herby salt blend air dry to use it later.
There are two things going on here: you’re preserving with salt, which is a great way to avoid bacteria and mold, and you’re also dehydrating the fresh herb. This means you’re creating a seasoning that can last a long time and be used in a variety of ways!
I like to sprinkle this dill salt over toasted bread, use it to scramble eggs, or add it to my potato salads for extra dill flavor. Because it already contains salt, you can flavor and season your favorite recipes at the same time!
Note: This recipe is not for a dill pickle salt. I love those too and this recipe does have a bit of a pickle flavor from the dill, but it doesn’t have any of the tanginess of white vinegar or any onions or garlic.
Equipment
Although this recipe can be made in a variety of ways, I like to keep it easy. After washing and drying the dill to remove any pollen or insects, I add the salt and the dill to my food processor and blend until they form a paste. Then, you want to spread the wet salt either onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a lined dehydrator tray. To make it easy, I used the silicone mat that fits my Excalibur dehydrator tray.
You’ll also need a jar or other airtight container to store the salt for later.
Ingredients
- Salt: I highly recommend using good-quality salt for this recipe. I like to use kosher salt for all of my cooking, but this recipe is also fantastic with sea salt.
- Fresh dill: You’ll need about a cup of packed fresh dillweed. Be sure to wash and rinse the dill thoroughly, as dill is known for attracting insects, like aphids.
How to Make Dill Salt
- Add the salt and dill to the bowl of your food processor or blender. Pulse or blend until the ingredients come together as a paste.
- Pour the salt mixture onto a lined tray on your dehydrator or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place your oven at the lowest temperature or set your dehydrator to 105 degrees F. Let the salt dry gradually until it cakes together and has no more moisture. (In a dehydrator, mine took 4 hours at 105 degrees. In an oven, it’ll likely take closer to 2 hours.
- Remove from heat and allow the salt mixture to cool to room temperature.
- Fold the edges of the parchment paper or silicone mat together and press your hands along the side to break apart any clumps.
- Pour the salt into a jar and seal.
Despite its nonstick reputation, silicone tends to cause tiny particles of salt or herbs to stick. It’s actually easier to use parchment paper, which will let the dill salt flow straight down into the jar.
Storing
Keep your dill salt in an airtight bottle or jar for approximately one year. Since the herbs are dry and mixed with salt, they can last indefinitely. However, the herbs will lose their flavor and potency after approximately one year.
How to Use Dill Salt
This is the best seasoning for any dill lovers! It’s a great way to add a bit of dill flavor to any recipe.
- Sprinkle over scrambled eggs
- Mix into egg salads or potato salad
- Add as the perfect rub for white fish, like cod or halibut
- Stir into cream cheese to enjoy on a bagel with lox
- Season French fries or roasted veggies
- Sprinkle over steamed broccoli or asparagus
This infused salt makes a great gift! Store it in little jars, add a nice label, and give it away for the holidays or as a housewarming gift.
Tips & Variations
- If you’re a pickle addict, you can tweak this garlic salt to make your own dill pickle salt by adding a little citric acid or white vinegar powder plus a little garlic powder and onion powder.
- Feel free to adjust the ratio of dill to salt. I used half as much salt as I did fresh dill, so there’s a pretty strong dill flavor in a tiny bit of salt. If you make a strong salt like this, you can always dilute it with more salt after it cools.
- The amount of time it takes to dry this salt varies depending on whether you use an oven or a dehydrator and the temperature and moisture in your house. It’s best to focus on how the salt feels (it should clump together and feel very dry), not how long it’s been in the oven.
- Since most ovens cannot get to 105 degrees like a dehydrator, it can be helpful to prop the oven door ajar with a wooden spoon. This lets some of the heat escape so your dill salt is drying at a lower temperature.
- If you use coarse salt, you may want to add it to a grinder to break it into finer grains for serving.
FAQs
If you’re lucky enough to have fresh dill in your garden, there are many ways to save some for later! – I like to dehydrate fresh dill and dill seed to use as spices.
– You can also mix the fresh dill with salt and dehydrate it for a delicious seasoning salt.
– For the pickle lovers, you can store fresh dill in a mild, white vinegar to make an infusion for salad dressings.
– For long term storage, blend fresh dill in olive oil then freeze it in an ice cube tray. Add a cube to your next tray of roasted potatoes or fresh pasta for pickle flavor any time.
The answer really depends on your preference. I find sea salt and kosher salt to be pretty interchangeable for preservation projects.
The main difference is that kosher salt has anti-caking agents, which allow it to flow freely. Sea salt can clump when exposed to moisture and can come in a variety of grain sizes. Coarse sea salt may be too large to use as a finishing salt and would be best stored in salt grinder.
Since kosher salt has a smaller flake size, it’s a perfect in-between size for seasoning any dish, although it can be a little large to use as a finishing salt. I don’t recommend using table salt as it is far too salty, which makes it easy to oversalt things without getting enough dill flavor.
Absolutely! Salt is a great way to preserve fresh dill. I like to blend the salt and dill together and then gently dry them to make a dill-flavored salt that can be used in a variety of recipes.
If you infuse salt with fresh herbs then dry the mixture in the oven, dehydrator, or even the sun, you’ll want to store the fully dried salt in an airtight container.
If you live in a really humid environment, it can be helpful to add a silica gel packet to the salt to keep it from clumping, but I find mine tends to last a long time and stay free-flowing when stored in a mason jar.
Since the herbs are fully dried, and the salt is a preservative, this dill salt will last for at least a year. The flavor will start to change and weaken over time, but the salt will last for a long time.
Related Recipes
For more fun food preservation projects, try these homegrown recipes!
- Drying Green Onions
- Lavender Sugar
- Sour Cream and Chive Dip
- Chive Blossom Butter
- Lemon Dill Hummus
- Dehydrating Garlic Scapes
Dill Salt
Equipment
- 1 dehydrator optional
- 1 Baking sheet optional
- 1 airtight jar
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh dill, washed, dried, and packed
- 1/2 cup kosher salt or sea salt
Instructions
- Add the salt and dill to the bowl of your food processor or blender. Pulse or blend until the ingredients come together as a paste.
- Pour the salt mixture onto a lined tray on your dehydrator or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place your oven at the lowest temperature or set your dehydrator to 105 degrees F. Let the salt dry gradually until it cakes together and has no more moisture.
- Remove from heat and allow the salt mixture to cool to room temperature.
- Fold the edges of the parchment paper or silicone mat together and press your hands along the side to break apart any clumps.
- Pour the salt into a jar and seal.
Notes
- If using a dehydrator, your dill salt will be done in 3-4 hours. In an oven on the lowest setting, it will take closer to two hours.
- Despite its nonstick reputation, silicone tends to cause tiny particles of salt or herbs to stick. It’s actually easier to use parchment paper, which will let the dill salt flow straight down into the jar.
- If you’re a pickle addict, you can tweak this garlic salt to make your own dill pickle salt by adding a little citric acid or white vinegar powder plus a little garlic powder and onion powder.
- Feel free to adjust the ratio of dill to salt. I used half as much salt as I did fresh dill, so there’s a pretty strong dill flavor in a tiny bit of salt. If you make a strong salt like this, you can always dilute it with more salt after it cools.
- The amount of time it takes to dry this salt varies depending on whether you use an oven or a dehydrator and the temperature and moisture in your house. It’s best to focus on how the salt feels (it should clump together and feel very dry), not how long it’s been in the oven.
- Since most ovens cannot get to 105 degrees like a dehydrator, it can be helpful to prop the oven door ajar with a wooden spoon. This lets some of the heat escape so your dill salt is drying at a lower temperature.
- If you use a coarse salt, you may want to add it to a grinder to break it into finer grains for serving.
Could you use already dried dill to make dill salt?
Hi, Megan! Thanks for your question. You can use dried dill, but the proportions will likely need to be different. This recipe specifically infuses the dill flavor into the salt during the drying process. The dried dill won’t be quite as potent and it would be more like a spice blend, if that makes sense.
Your shaker would contain two ingredients (salt and dried dill) that are not integrated whereas the dill salt in this recipe binds the dill to the salt.
Love this salt! Making more today. I also made sage, basil, and cilantro salt! Got some cute jars and gave as gifts!
Cindy, So glad you enjoyed this recipe and were inspired to try different varieties! Do you have a favorite of the different types you made? I’d love to know!