herbs

Fresh Basil to Dried Conversion: Ratio Chart (2026)

Fresh Basil to Dried Conversion: Ratio Chart (2026) One tablespoon of fresh basil equals 1 teaspoon of dried basil — the classic 3:1 fresh-to-dried ratio that holds for nearly every leafy herb. Drying removes about 92% of the water from fresh basil and concentrates the same essential oils into roughly one-third the spoon volume, so you always use less dried than fresh. To convert any amount in either direction without doing the arithmetic, run it through our Spice Conversion Calculator(/food/spice-conversion-calculator), which stores the spice-specific ratio for 18 herbs. Drying a packed grocery bag of fresh basil — about 8 ounces — typically yields barely two-thirds of an ounce of dried flakes, a 92% weight loss that catches most home dryers off guard the first time. The reverse mistake happens just as often at the stove: a tomato sauce calls for 2 tablespoons of fresh basil, and spooning in 2 tablespoons...