Stemming dill is simple: pinch where a smaller frond meets the main stalk and slide your fingers down, or just pull the feathery fronds off by hand. Unlike more delicate herbs, dill is forgiving. You don’t need to be gentle or worry about bruising the leaves.
Wash and Dry First
Before you start pulling fronds, give your dill a quick rinse under cool water to remove any grit. Then dry it thoroughly with a clean paper towel or a salad spinner. This step matters more than it seems. Wet dill clumps together, making it harder to separate the fronds cleanly. Dry dill is easier to handle, and if you plan to chop or store it afterward, removing surface moisture keeps it from wilting prematurely.
How to Remove the Fronds
Hold the main stem near its base with one hand. With your other hand, pinch a smaller side stem where it branches off and pull it away. The feathery fronds will come off in clusters. You can also run your fingers from the top of the stem downward, stripping the fronds as you go, similar to how you’d strip thyme or rosemary.
Dill fronds are wispy and resilient, so there’s no need to treat them carefully. Pinch, pull, and toss them into a pile. If a few tiny stem pieces come along, that’s fine. Once you have a mound of fronds, gather them together and rock a sharp knife through them to get the size you want. A lot of recipes call for loosely packed tablespoons of chopped dill, so keeping the pieces relatively uniform helps with measuring.
Which Stems to Keep, Which to Toss
Not all dill stems need to be discarded. The thin, tender stems closest to the fronds are perfectly edible and can be chopped right along with the leaves. They have the same flavor, just a slightly firmer texture. Only the thicker, woodier main stalk needs to be separated out, since it’s too tough to eat in most dishes.
A good rule of thumb: if the stem bends easily without snapping, chop it up with the fronds. If it’s rigid and fibrous, set it aside for other uses.
What to Do With Leftover Stems
Those thick stems still carry plenty of dill flavor, so throwing them away is a waste. Think of them like bay leaves. Drop them into soups, stews, or the water when you’re boiling potatoes, then fish them out before serving. They’re also excellent stuffed inside a whole fish before grilling or roasting.
Dill stems are a natural fit for pickling. Toss a few into a jar of quick refrigerator pickles with cucumbers, carrots, or green beans. They infuse the brine with that classic dill flavor without any extra effort. You can also finely chop the juicier stems and whisk them into a simple vinaigrette. Let the dressing rest for at least an hour so the flavor has time to develop.
If you’re making stock, add dill stems to the pot along with your other aromatics. Fresh, juicy stems work best for this. Once the stems start to look dried out or yellowed, their flavor fades and they’re ready for the compost bin.
Stemming Dried Dill
If you’re working with dried dill on the stem, the process is even easier. The fronds become brittle once dehydrated, so you can simply run your fingers down the stem and the dried leaves will crumble right off. Hold the stem over a bowl to catch everything. You can also place dried dill sprigs in a bag and gently crush them, then pick out the bare stems afterward. Store the crumbled dill in an airtight container away from heat and light.