How to Dry and Save Coriander Seeds (So You Never Buy a Jar Again)

We grow a lot of cilantro and every year, I let most of the cilantro bolt during the summer. Some of the seeds fall and reseed but the rest I collect and dry and save coriander.

Here’s the good news: if you’ve ever grown cilantro, you’ve already grown coriander. They’re the same plant — cilantro is the leafy stage, coriander is what you get once it flowers and sets seed. Left to its own devices in the heat of summer, cilantro bolts fast, and instead of fighting that, you can just let it happen and harvest a spice you’d otherwise be buying in a jar.

Let the Plant Bolt on Purpose

Once cilantro starts sending up a tall flower stalk with delicate white or pale pink blooms, it’s bolting: a natural response to heat and long summer days. Rather than pulling the plant, let it keep going. The flowers will attract pollinators and beneficial insects, and within a few weeks they’ll be replaced by small green seed pods. The plant will lose most of it’s leaves and the coriander seeds will darken.

Know When to Harvest

Timing matters here. You want the seed pods to turn from green to a tan or light brown color, and they should feel dry and firm rather than soft. If you wait too long, the pods will shatter on their own and scatter seed all over your garden bed — which isn’t a disaster if you don’t mind volunteer cilantro next spring, but it does mean fewer seeds for your spice jar.

A simple test: snip a seed head and rub it between your fingers. If the round seeds pop free easily and feel hard, you’re ready to harvest.

Harvesting Without Losing Half Your Seeds

The easiest method is the “paper bag over the seed head” trick. Slip a paper bag over the entire seed cluster, secure it loosely around the stem with string or a twist tie, and cut the stalk below the bag. Hang it upside down in a warm, dry, well-ventilated spot: a garage, shed, or covered porch works well. As the pods finish drying, they’ll shatter naturally and the seeds will fall right into the bag instead of onto the ground.

If you only have a few seed heads, you can skip the bag and simply snip them directly into a shallow bowl or onto a paper plate.

Finish Drying and Clean the Seed

Even if seeds feel dry on the stalk, spread them out on a paper plate or screen for another week in a spot out of direct sunlight. This extra drying step matters: seeds that go into storage with any residual moisture are prone to mold. Once fully dry, rub the seed heads gently between your palms to separate the round coriander seeds from the papery chaff, then winnow by pouring the seeds between two bowls in front of a fan, letting the lighter chaff blow away.

Storing Your Coriander Seeds

Store the cleaned seeds in a labeled paper envelope or airtight glass jar, and keep them in a cool, dark cupboard. Seeds you’re saving to eat as a spice will stay fragrant for about a year; seeds you’re saving to replant will stay viable for three to five years if kept cool and dry. Either way, label with the variety and harvest date: future you will thank you.

This same basic dry-seed method works for a lot of other bolting herbs and flowers in the garden. If you want the fuller picture of what changes crop to crop, our complete guide to seed saving walks through the differences between dry and wet seed processing, and our pepper seed saving post is a good comparison if you’re saving from a few different crops this season.

FAQ

Can I use the same plant for both cilantro leaves and coriander seed? Yes, but not at the same time in the same amount. Once a plant bolts, leaf production slows and the flavor of the remaining leaves turns bitter, so most growers plant a dedicated patch to let go to seed while harvesting leaves from a separate planting.

Do I need to dry coriander seeds before planting them next year? Yes. Seeds should be fully dried before storage regardless of whether you’re saving them to eat or to replant: damp seeds mold in storage and lose viability.

How do I know if my coriander seeds are still good to plant? Do a quick germination test: place 10 seeds on a damp paper towel, fold it over, and keep it warm. If at least 7-8 sprout within a week or two, your germination rate is strong enough to plant as usual.

Can coriander cross-pollinate with other herbs in my garden? No. Coriander only cross-pollinates with other coriander/cilantro varieties, so it’s safe to grow near dill, fennel, or parsley without worrying about seed purity: though some gardeners still keep dill and fennel at a distance since their foliage can look similar to young cilantro.