To assess the effects of a two-step temperature method (TTM) on dehydration parameters, color deterioration of dried samples, and specific energy consumption (SEC), spearmint leaves were dried using infrared (IR) undergoing the TTM. Moreover, 14 mathematical models were compared based on the adjusted correlation coefficient, reduced chi-square, and root mean square error to estimate drying curves. Changes in the color of the dried product at two-step temperatures of 70to60C, 60to50C, and 50to40C led to decreases of 2.69, .81, and 3.34 compared to fixed temperatures of 70, 60, and 50C, respectively. On the other hand, the specific energy consumption (SEC) increased by 5.43, 10.92, and 22 MJ.g1 H2O at 70to60C, 60to50C, and 50to40C compared to 70, 60, and 50C, respectively. To interpret the results from another point of view, three basic objectives of shortening drying time, reducing energy consumption, and raising the quality of the dried product are achieved in the TTM. For instance, the drying time and energy consumption are reduced at a two-step temperature of 70to60C compared to the fixed temperature of 60C, along with a decrease in the color change compared to the fixed temperature of 70C. The results indicated that Midilli et al. model resulted in the best fitness in explaining the IR drying behavior of spearmint leaves
