TL;DR
- The Dried Ghast was added in the Chase the Skies update (Java 1.21.6 / Bedrock 1.21.90), released on June 17, 2025.
- The crafting recipe is: 8 Ghast Tears surrounding 1 Soul Sand in a 3×3 Crafting Table. (Note: early snapshots used a Bone Block — the final recipe uses Soul Sand.)
- Ghast Tears drop from Ghasts in the Nether — 0 to 1 per kill, up to 4 with Looting III.
- Killing a Ghast by deflecting its own fireball back at it also drops the rare “Tears” music disc — a bonus reward added in 1.21.6.
- Soul Sand is found in huge quantities in the Soul Sand Valley biome in the Nether.
- You only need 1 Soul Sand block per recipe, so it is the easy ingredient.
- Ghast Tears are the hard part — plan to kill at least 8 to 16 Ghasts on average without Looting.
- Once crafted, place the Dried Ghast in water to begin growing it into a Happy Ghast.
The Dried Ghast is the starting block for getting Minecraft’s first rideable flying mob — the Happy Ghast. You can find Dried Ghasts naturally near Nether Fossils in the Soul Sand Valley, or barter for them from Piglins. But if you want a reliable, on-demand way to get as many Dried Ghasts as you want, crafting them yourself is the answer.
The crafting recipe arrived in the Chase the Skies update alongside the Happy Ghast itself. During the snapshot period the center ingredient was briefly a Bone Block, but Mojang changed it to Soul Sand in snapshot 25w18a — and that is the recipe that shipped in the final release. This guide covers the current recipe, exactly how to get each ingredient, the fastest ways to farm Ghast Tears, and what to do with your Dried Ghast once it is crafted.
The Dried Ghast Crafting Recipe
Open a Crafting Table and arrange the ingredients in a 3×3 grid like this:
- Row 1: Ghast Tear — Ghast Tear — Ghast Tear
- Row 2: Ghast Tear — Soul Sand — Ghast Tear
- Row 3: Ghast Tear — Ghast Tear — Ghast Tear
In simple terms: Soul Sand goes in the center slot. Ghast Tears fill all 8 surrounding slots. This produces 1 Dried Ghast block. The pattern must be exact — it does not work in a 2×2 grid or out of order. Soul Soil cannot substitute for Soul Sand; they are separate blocks.
Total materials needed per Dried Ghast:
- 8 Ghast Tears
- 1 Soul Sand block
What Is the Dried Ghast?
The Dried Ghast is a small grey block with a sad frowning face. It is completely harmless and cannot move or attack. Think of it as a dormant ghast egg — Mojang describes it as “either the shrivelled up remains of an old ghast or some kind of ghast egg or something else entirely.”
On its own it just sits there looking miserable. But place it in water and something remarkable happens: it slowly rehydrates, its expression changes from sad to neutral to happy, and after roughly 20 minutes (the timing is slightly randomized) it transforms into a Ghastling, a baby Happy Ghast. That Ghastling then grows into a full adult Happy Ghast that you can ride with up to three friends.
Two small but useful details added in 1.21.6: placing a Dried Ghast on Soul Sand or Soul Soil causes it to emit faint cracking ambient sounds even before it touches water. And once you do submerge it, the block now emits a sculk vibration (frequency 11) each time its hydration state changes — meaning nearby sculk sensors will react to its progress.
For the full guide on what to do after crafting, check our complete Happy Ghast guide covering every step from Dried Ghast to flying mount.
Ingredient 1 — How to Get Ghast Tears
Ghast Tears are the hard ingredient. You need 8 of them per Dried Ghast, and they only come from one source: killing Ghasts in the Nether.
What Are Ghast Tears?
Ghast Tears are small teardrop-shaped items dropped by Ghasts when they die. Before the Chase the Skies update they were mainly used to brew Potions of Regeneration and craft End Crystals. Now they are also the core ingredient for crafting Dried Ghasts, making them more valuable and more in demand than ever.
Where to Find Ghasts
Ghasts spawn in the Nether in the following biomes:
- Soul Sand Valley — the best biome for Ghast hunting by far. Ghasts spawn in groups of 4 here in Java Edition and are extremely common. This is also where you will find Soul Sand, so you can farm both ingredients in the same biome in one trip.
- Nether Wastes — the default open Nether biome. Ghasts spawn here too, in groups of 4 on Java Edition.
- Basalt Deltas — Ghasts spawn here but only individually, making it a slower hunting ground.
Ghasts do not spawn in Nether Fortresses, Crimson Forests, or Warped Forests. Stick to Soul Sand Valleys and Nether Wastes for the most efficient hunts. Our guide on how to get to the Nether in Minecraft covers everything you need to prepare before heading in.
Ghast Tear Drop Rate
Each Ghast you kill drops 0 to 1 Ghast Tear by default. This means you will not always get a tear on every kill. On average, without any Looting enchantment, you will need to kill roughly 8 to 16 Ghasts to collect 8 Ghast Tears for a single Dried Ghast craft.
The Looting enchantment on your sword dramatically improves this. Here is how Looting affects the drop:
- No Looting: 0 to 1 Ghast Tear per kill
- Looting I: 0 to 2 Ghast Tears per kill
- Looting II: 0 to 3 Ghast Tears per kill
- Looting III: 0 to 4 Ghast Tears per kill
With Looting III you can collect up to 4 tears from a single Ghast, meaning you could theoretically get all 8 tears from just 2 kills. Always use a Looting III sword when hunting Ghasts if you want to collect tears efficiently. Check our enchanting table guide if you need help getting Looting on your sword.
Looting also works when you deflect a Ghast’s fireball back at it using an enchanted weapon. So even if you kill the Ghast by reflecting its own attack, you still benefit from the Looting enchantment for the tear drop.
Bonus: Earn the “Tears” Music Disc While Hunting
New in Chase the Skies (1.21.6): when you kill a Ghast by deflecting its own fireball back at it, it now has a chance to drop the “Tears” music disc — a hauntingly atmospheric electronic track composed by Amos Roddy that features remixed Ghast sounds. This is the only way to obtain the disc, so if you are farming Ghast Tears by the fireball-deflection method, keep an eye out for the disc dropping alongside the tears. Make sure it lands on solid ground and not in lava, as it can burn up like any item.
How to Kill Ghasts Safely
Ghasts are large, float high in the air, and shoot explosive fireballs every few seconds. Here are the safest and most effective methods to kill them:
Method 1 — Reflect the Fireball
This is the most satisfying and resource-efficient method — and it also earns you a shot at the “Tears” music disc. When a Ghast fires a fireball at you, wait until it gets close and hit it with a sword, shovel, axe, or even your fist. Timing the hit correctly sends the fireball straight back at the Ghast and kills it in one shot. This method uses no arrows and if your weapon has Looting the tear drop rate still applies.
Ghasts fire one fireball every 3 seconds. The fireball travels slowly enough to track. Stand your ground, watch the fireball path, and hit it as it approaches. It takes a few attempts to get the timing right but once you have it, it is the fastest and cheapest way to kill Ghasts — and the only method that can drop the Tears disc.
Method 2 — Use a Bow
A Bow with Power enchantment deals solid damage to Ghasts from a safe distance. Ghasts have only 10 health points so a Power III or Power IV Bow can kill one in one or two shots. The downside is that arrows drop down when the tear falls, which can land in lava. Ghast Tears destroyed by lava are lost permanently.
To get Looting’s tear drop bonus when using a Bow, switch to your Looting sword in your hotbar right before the arrow hits the Ghast. This bow-switch technique applies the Looting bonus to the kill. If you want to stock up on arrows for Ghast hunting, our XP mob farm guide can help you set up a skeleton farm that produces arrows automatically.
Method 3 — Fight in a Safe Area
The biggest danger when hunting Ghasts is that Ghast Tears (and now the Tears music disc) land in lava and burn up before you can collect them. Always fight Ghasts over solid ground where possible. The Soul Sand Valley biome has large flat areas of soul sand and soul soil that make excellent hunting grounds — the ground is solid and drops can be collected safely.
Avoid fighting over lava lakes or near lava waterfalls. If a Ghast is floating above lava, try to lead it toward solid ground before finishing it off. Bring a Shield to block incoming fireballs you cannot deflect in time.
How Many Ghasts Do You Need to Kill?
Here is a practical estimate based on average drop rates:
- Without Looting: Expect to kill 8 to 16 Ghasts for 8 tears
- With Looting I: Expect to kill 5 to 10 Ghasts for 8 tears
- With Looting II: Expect to kill 4 to 8 Ghasts for 8 tears
- With Looting III: Expect to kill 2 to 6 Ghasts for 8 tears
These are averages. RNG can be kinder or harsher on any given run. Bring enough food, armor, and patience. Soul Sand Valleys have Skeletons as well as Ghasts, so watch your back while you hunt.
What If You Want Multiple Dried Ghasts?
If you want to raise several Happy Ghasts and need large numbers of Ghast Tears quickly, the most efficient long-term solution is a Ghast farm. Ghast farms use spawn platforms in the Soul Sand Valley biome to funnel Ghasts into a killing area. Soul Sand Valley is the ideal location because Ghasts spawn there overwhelmingly more often than in other biomes. The farm produces a steady supply of both Ghast Tears and Gunpowder.
Building a Ghast farm is a more advanced project. If you prefer a simpler approach, the Soul Sand Valley on foot with a Looting III sword is perfectly viable for farming 8 to 16 tears per session.
Ingredient 2 — How to Get Soul Sand
Soul Sand is the easy ingredient. You only need 1 block per Dried Ghast craft, and it is one of the most common blocks in the Nether once you know where to look.
What Does Soul Sand Look Like?
Soul Sand is a brownish-grey block with faint face-like patterns on its top surface. It looks similar to a dirt block but slightly darker and unsettling. It is shorter than a full block — you sink slightly into it when you walk on it, which slows your movement speed unless you wear boots with the Soul Speed enchantment.
Soul Sand and Soul Soil both make up the ground of the Soul Sand Valley biome. Soul Soil is a slightly different block — darker brown without the face texture — but both are very common there. Note that the Dried Ghast crafting recipe specifically requires Soul Sand, not Soul Soil. They are separate blocks and cannot be swapped.
Where to Find Soul Sand
Soul Sand generates in two main places in the Nether:
Soul Sand Valley Biome
This is where you find Soul Sand in enormous quantities. The entire ground of the Soul Sand Valley is made of soul sand and soul soil, stretching across huge open areas. You can mine as much as you need in seconds. Conveniently, this is also the best biome to hunt Ghasts, so you can collect both ingredients in a single trip to the same biome.
The Soul Sand Valley is easy to recognize. Look for an open Nether biome with grey-blue ground, blue soul fire flames burning on the surface, white Nether Fossil bone structures sticking up from the ground, and Ghasts floating overhead. The blue mist and eerie sounds make it one of the most atmospheric biomes in the game.
Nether Wastes
Soul Sand also generates below Y-level 34 in Nether Wastes biomes, near the shores of lava seas in four-block-deep layers. This is harder to access than Soul Sand Valley surface deposits but works if that is the biome you land in first.
Nether Fortress
Small amounts of Soul Sand generate naturally in the Nether Wart rooms inside Nether Fortresses. You need this Soul Sand in place to grow Nether Wart, so do not mine it all — but you can grab a block or two if you are already visiting a Fortress. Our potion brewing guide explains why Nether Wart and Soul Sand matter for the entire potions system.
How to Mine Soul Sand
Mine Soul Sand with any tool or by hand. A Shovel mines it the fastest — it breaks almost instantly with an iron or diamond shovel. No special enchantments needed. It always drops itself when mined.
One important safety reminder: Soul Sand is slightly lower than a full block in height. When you are standing on Soul Sand next to a lava pool, you are technically lower than the lava surface level, which can set you on fire. Always be aware of lava levels when mining Soul Sand near lava shores.
Step-by-Step: Crafting the Dried Ghast
Step 1 — Enter the Nether
Build a Nether Portal using 10 or more Obsidian blocks and light it with a Flint and Steel. Step through and you are in the Nether. If you have not built a portal yet, our Nether portal guide covers the full setup.
Step 2 — Find the Soul Sand Valley
Explore the Nether until you find a Soul Sand Valley. Look for the blue soul fire, grey-blue ground, and large open spaces with bone fossil structures. Ghasts will be floating around. If you are struggling to find one, try using the command /locate biome minecraft:soul_sand_valley with cheats enabled — it will give you the coordinates of the nearest Soul Sand Valley.
Step 3 — Check Nether Fossils for a Free Dried Ghast
Before you start mining, take a moment to scout the Nether Fossil structures nearby. Each one has a 1-in-3 chance (~33%) of spawning a Dried Ghast block right next to it. If you are lucky, you might skip the entire crafting process for your first one. Note that Mojang also adjusted the placement frequency of Nether Fossils in Bedrock Edition 1.21.90 to more closely match Java Edition, so they should now feel similarly common on both platforms.
Step 4 — Collect 1 Soul Sand Block
Mine one Soul Sand block from the ground of the Soul Sand Valley. Use a Shovel for speed. Done — your Soul Sand is sorted in seconds.
Step 5 — Kill Ghasts for 8 Tears
Now hunt Ghasts in the same biome. Have your Looting III sword ready and fight them over solid ground to keep the tear drops safe from lava. Kill as many as needed until you have 8 Ghast Tears in your inventory. Use the fireball deflection method when possible to save arrows — and to give yourself a shot at the Tears music disc as a bonus.
Watch out for Skeletons in the Soul Sand Valley — they spawn there and will shoot at you while you are focused on Ghasts. Keep moving and deal with them quickly or build a shelter to shoot Ghasts from safety.
Step 6 — Return to the Overworld and Craft
Head back through your Nether Portal to the Overworld. Open a Crafting Table and place your ingredients:
- Soul Sand in the center slot
- Ghast Tears in all 8 surrounding slots
The Dried Ghast appears in the output slot. Move it to your inventory. You now have a Dried Ghast ready to rehydrate.
What to Do with Your Dried Ghast
Once you have crafted your Dried Ghast, the next step is rehydrating it into a Ghastling and eventually a Happy Ghast. Here is a quick summary of what comes next:
Place It in Water
Put the Dried Ghast block somewhere solid and cover it with water using Water Buckets. Green particles appear immediately when it is properly waterlogged. The rehydration process goes through three distinct visible stages — the block’s face expression shifts from sad to neutral to smiling as it hydrates. The total time is approximately 20 minutes on average, but the exact timing is slightly randomized due to how random ticks work. Do not remove the water or break the block during this process — doing so resets the hydration progress immediately.
Wait for the Ghastling
After the rehydration process completes, the Dried Ghast transforms into a Ghastling — a small baby Happy Ghast that floats around the area. Feed it Snowballs to speed up its growth into an adult. Each Snowball reduces the remaining growth time by 10%.
Grow It into a Happy Ghast
The Ghastling takes another roughly 20 minutes to mature into a full adult Happy Ghast. Once it is fully grown, craft a Harness — available in 16 colors based on the Wool you use (3 Leather + 2 Glass + 1 Wool) — and equip it on the Happy Ghast to start riding. The Harness can be re-dyed if you want to change the color later. Up to 4 players can ride at once.
Good news for saddle collectors: saddles are now craftable in 1.21.6 using 3 Leather and 1 Iron Ingot, so you no longer need to rely on dungeon loot to gear up your Happy Ghast for riding.
For the complete walkthrough of everything after this point, see our full Happy Ghast guide.
Should You Craft or Find a Dried Ghast?
The crafting recipe is one of three ways to get a Dried Ghast. Here is how they compare so you can decide which is right for your situation:
Find It at a Nether Fossil (Easiest for New Players)
Dried Ghasts have a 33% spawn chance next to Nether Fossils in the Soul Sand Valley. If you are already in that biome looking for Soul Sand, keep an eye on the Nether Fossil structures — you may find a Dried Ghast for free without having to fight a single Ghast. This is the easiest method if RNG is on your side, and it requires no crafting ingredients at all. Since 1.21.90, Nether Fossil placement in Bedrock Edition also aligns more closely with Java Edition, making fossils easier to find on both platforms.
Craft It (Best for Getting Multiple)
Crafting is the most reliable and scalable method. Once you have a Looting III sword and know the Soul Sand Valley well, you can farm Ghast Tears consistently and craft as many Dried Ghasts as you want. Since Happy Ghasts cannot be bred and each one needs its own Dried Ghast, crafting is the most practical long-term solution for building a small fleet.
Barter with Piglins (Least Reliable)
Piglins have a roughly 2.13% chance (10/469) to give a Dried Ghast when you throw them a Gold Ingot. On average that means about 47–50 Gold Ingots per Dried Ghast. This is the least efficient method unless you have a Gold Farm producing surplus ingots. Only use this method if you happen to be doing Piglin bartering for other reasons anyway.
Other Uses for Ghast Tears
While you are farming Ghast Tears for Dried Ghast crafting, keep in mind they have two other important uses in Minecraft:
Potions of Regeneration
Ghast Tears are the brewing ingredient for Potions of Regeneration. These are among the most useful combat potions in the game, restoring health over time. If you are farming Ghast Tears for Dried Ghasts, any extras are excellent to save for your potions supply. Check our complete potion brewing guide for the full recipes.
End Crystals
End Crystals require 1 Ghast Tear each and are used to re-summon the Ender Dragon for a rematch or to heal the Dragon during the fight. If you plan to fight the Ender Dragon multiple times, having a stock of Ghast Tears lets you craft End Crystals whenever you need them. See our Ender Dragon guide for the full strategy.
Dried Ghast Quick Reference
Crafting Recipe
- Center slot: 1 Soul Sand (not Soul Soil)
- All 8 surrounding slots: 1 Ghast Tear each (8 total)
- Result: 1 Dried Ghast block
- Added in: Java 1.21.6 / Bedrock 1.21.90 (Chase the Skies, June 17, 2025)
Getting Ghast Tears
- Kill Ghasts in the Soul Sand Valley or Nether Wastes
- Drop rate: 0 to 1 per kill (up to 4 with Looting III)
- Reflect fireballs with an enchanted weapon — Looting still applies, and you may also drop the Tears music disc
- Hunt over solid ground to prevent tears (and the disc) from landing in lava
- Average kills needed without Looting: 8 to 16 per 8 tears
Getting Soul Sand
- Mine it from the ground of the Soul Sand Valley biome
- Also found below Y-34 in Nether Wastes and in Nether Fortress Nether Wart rooms
- Use a Shovel for fastest mining
- Only need 1 block per recipe — not Soul Soil
After Crafting
- Place Dried Ghast in water — rehydrates over ~20 minutes (slightly randomized) into a Ghastling
- The block emits sculk vibration frequency 11 at each hydration stage change
- Feed Ghastling Snowballs to speed up growth (10% per snowball)
- Ghastling grows into Happy Ghast after another ~20 minutes
- Craft a Harness (3 Leather + 2 Glass + 1 Wool, available in 16 colors, re-dyeable) to ride it
- Saddles are now craftable in 1.21.6 with 3 Leather + 1 Iron Ingot
Final Thoughts
The Dried Ghast crafting recipe is not complicated — it is just one block surrounded by eight items in a ring pattern. The challenge is gathering the Ghast Tears, which requires time and a solid strategy in the Nether. With a Looting III sword and a good hunting area in the Soul Sand Valley, getting 8 tears per session is completely manageable — and the fireball deflection method gives you a shot at the Tears music disc along the way.
Plan your Nether trip to accomplish multiple goals at once. Find Soul Sand while you hunt Ghasts. Check every Nether Fossil you pass for a free Dried Ghast. Collect extra Ghast Tears for potions and End Crystals. By the time you head home you can have everything you need for multiple Dried Ghasts in a single run.
Once you have your Dried Ghast in hand, the fun really starts. Submerge it in water, feed the Ghastling Snowballs, and in roughly 40 minutes you will have your own flying mount soaring above your base. If you are ready to take that next step, our full Happy Ghast guide walks you through every stage from rehydration to riding.
For more tips on surviving and thriving in the Nether before you start hunting Ghasts, check out our Netherite armor guide to gear up properly, and our Shield crafting guide to protect yourself from those fireballs while you hunt.
