If you’ve grown sage but not quite timed it right to use your fresh leaves, or even if you’ve just read a recipe and are looking to substitute dried sage for fresh sage, then I’ve got your back. Today I’ll cover using sage, and using dried sage versus fresh sage. I’ll go through the similarities and differences between dried sage leaves vs fresh sage leaves.
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First I’ll cover a few methods for drying fresh sage leaves. Then, I’ll go more in-depth about the differences between fresh and dry sage – from taste to appearance, price, and availability. I’ll also touch on health benefits, and using the herb in cooking. Finally, I’ll explain how you can substitute one for the other in your cooking and the best way of doing this. Ready?
How to Dry Fresh Sage
I’ve got a whole other article – over here – on all the different ways of drying fresh sage. It will help you to preserve this gloriously fragrant herb for longer, but the long and short of it is that the best and most effective way (in my opinion) to dry sage is in a dehydrator.
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You can, however, also dry sage
- In the Microwave
- In the oven
- In the air (although good luck with that in the current climate!)
Why Dry Sage?
Drying out or dehydrating your sage leaves not only allows you to keep the herb longer, but it’ll also retain its flavour. And the very process of harvesting leaves from your sage plant means that it will grow more leaves and you’ll get more sage. It’s a win-win situation.
Enough of that, let’s get into what the difference is between fresh and dry sage when you’re using it.
Dried Sage vs. fresh Sage
Fresh sage leaves are what they sound like, these leaves are whole and fresh right off the sage plant. You can buy fresh sage, usually as cut leaves from some supermarkets. It’s generally harder to find sage plants in supermarkets, but you’ll find them in the herb section of garden centres – or my guide to growing sage is here.
Dried sage leaves are simply those same fresh leaves that have been dehydrated. You can easily use a dried sage leaf for recipes, but there are some differences that you’ll need to take into account. Dried sage leaves tend to be much more brittle than fresh sage leaves.
Differences between Fresh Sage vs Dried Sage
There are several differences between fresh and dried sage. Let’s start with the taste difference.
The taste difference between dried sage and fresh sage
Fresh sage leaves are known for their pine and citrus flavours. They have the strongest flavour when harvested from the plant right before the flowers bloom. When sage leaves are dried, the leaves retain this flavour and tend to have a stronger taste.
Yes, that’s right, they get stronger. And that’s really unusual in herbs, which tend to lose their flavour when dried. When dried sage locks in the flavour. However, there’s a wee bit of a downside, it can taste a little bitter when dried.
The appearance difference between dried sage and fresh sage
Fresh sage has oval leaves that look wrinkled or rough. They’re usually a wash-out green colour, often looking like it’s mixed with grey or white. They can be quite big, often up to 10 centimetres long. (Mine have never been that big, they’re about 2/3s that length this year).
When sage leaves dry they shrink, as the moisture is taken out. As a result, the leaves shrivel and will crumble at your touch. They’re much more brittle than a fresh leaf.
The difference in price between fresh sage and dried sage
Dried sage tends to be available at most supermarkets where they have a dried herbs and spices section, but they’ll usually have ground sage more often than dried sage. Fresh sage tends to be available at fewer supermarkets and depending on where your supermarket sources it from, it may be available all year round. Sage plants in garden centres tend to be available in the Spring and early summer only.
Fresh sage is more expensive than dried sage. It has a limited shelf life and I have not met a supermarket yet that is particularly good at looking after its live plants!
Fresh sage leaves that have been harvested have a shelf life of about 10 – 14 days, but (and it’s a VERY big but) if it’s kept in the fridge and if it’s not been shoved to the frozen part of the fridge or crushed in transit. However, that’s better than if it’s kept at room temperature, where it will only last for about three days, less if it’s warmer, and even less if you don’t put the stalks in water.
Dried leaves? They’re cheaper (considerably so) and if you store them properly, they’ll retain their flavour and effectiveness for about a year. (I’ve covered how to store sage here)
On the other hand, you can buy dried leaves for a cheaper price and, if stored properly, the dried leaves will keep for up to a year.
The cheapest way to use sage is to grow your own, harvest what you need and use it, and dry extra during your harvest for use during the rest of the year (which, as I said above, will promote additional growth, and give you more sage..)
The health benefits of dried sage versus fresh sage
There’s a lot to love about this herb. Not only does it taste good, but there are many different nutritional benefits to it. As a herb, sage is
- High in vitamin K
- Contains antioxidants
- Promotes oral health
- Low in fat, calories, and sugar
- Contains many other vitamins and minerals (such as magnesium, zinc, and copper)
You’ll get the best of these benefits from sage if you eat it fresh. While dried sage retains some of the nutrients, you will lose some of them as you remove the moisture from the leaves.
Cooking with Fresh Sage versus Cooking with Dried Sage
You can cook (and bake) with both fresh sage leaves or dried sage leaves. However, the flavour profile of both is slightly different. Dried sage leaves have a more potent flavour than fresh leaves. It will be stronger, so you’ll use slightly less of them. If you’re using sage leaves as a garnish for dishes, (crispy shallow fried sage leaves make a lovely garnish for pasta and salads), then you need to use fresh leaves for this.
Should you use fresh sage or dried sage?
If you’ve only got dried sage, then there’s no option, and they will, it’s true, add a more robust flavour to your recipes. You’ll get more nutritional benefits from sage if you use fresh leaves. I tend to use a mixture of the two. If I have sage leaves that I can harvest, then I’ll use them. And I do try and harvest a few extra each time, dry them and save them for later. And yes, I also have shop-bought dried sage in the cupboard too.
FAQs about Using Dried Sage versus Fresh Sage
Got questions about using fresh sage versus dried? Or want to know more about how to use fresh sage or dried sage and we haven’t answered your questions? Check out our frequently asked questions about using sage below, or ask us yours in the comments.
Can You Substitute Dried Sage For Fresh Sage?
The short answer is yes. You can substitute dried sage for fresh and vice versa. However, the two have a difference in taste. So, you’ll need to keep this in mind when substituting. Dry sage has a stronger flavour than fresh. So, you’ll need to be mindful of how much you put in, depending on how strong you want the flavour to be.
When you’re cooking with fresh sage you’ll add it later in the recipe and that will help with a stronger taste. Add dried sage earlier in the recipe to mellow out the stronger flavour profile.
How Much Fresh Sage Equals Dried Sage?
A general rule of thumb is that the fresh sage to dried sage conversion is about seven fresh sage leaves equal to two teaspoons of dried sage. From there, it’s simple maths. For example, if a recipe calls for one teaspoon of dried sage leaves and you only have fresh ones on hand, you can add three to four fresh leaves.
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Final Words on Using Fresh Sage versus Dried Sage
There are pros and cons to using both fresh sage leaves and dried sage leaves. However, you can use either in your cooking. The biggest decision on which to use to my mind is availability. If you’ve got fresh sage, then use it. If you haven’t then use dried sage, unless the recipe specifically calls for fresh sage (you can’t use dried sage as a pretty garnish for instance). You’ll get more health benefits from fresh sage than you will from dried sage too.
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