Name: Drying/Dehydrating Foods
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: Fresh fruits (as needed); Fresh vegetables (as needed); Fresh herbs (as needed)

This post may contain affiliate links, see Disclosure.

Drying/Dehydrating Foods

Jump to Recipe Pin

For additional mix recipes, please choose from one of our convenient categories

How to Dehydrate Foods at Home

1. Food Drying Basics
2. Equipment and Methods for Drying
3. Dry your own Chili Peppers
4. Drying Fruits
5. Dried Food Recipes
6. Dehydrating Fruits Table: Excellent informative source showing the drying times of all your favorite fruits
7. Drying Herbs
8. Drying Meats
9. Drying Vegetables
10. Dehydrating Vegetable Table: Drying times needed for all your favorite vegetables, as well as how to prepare them
11. How to Add Herbs in Food
12. Storing and Using Dried Foods

A-M-D

HTML

Meta Description:

Meta Keywords:

Assorted dried foods arranged on dehydrator trays and stored in airtight mason jars

Drying/Dehydrating Foods

Melissa 'Liss' Burnell

(Click on the stars to vote!)

Print Save PDF

This practical guide explains how to dry fruits, vegetables, herbs, and other foods at home for longer pantry storage. Estimated cost is $75.13 total for basic starter equipment and jars, with about $9.39 per 1-jar setup equivalent, though your actual cost per batch will vary widely by the food you dry.

servings

Dessert

American

$75.13

Ingredients

▢ Fresh fruits as needed
▢ Fresh vegetables as needed
▢ Fresh herbs as needed

Equipment

Food Dehydrator

Sharp Knife

Cutting Board

Airtight storage jars

Instructions

Wash and sort the food, discarding anything bruised, moldy, or damaged.
Peel, core, trim, or seed as needed, then cut the food into even slices or pieces.
Arrange the food in a single layer on dehydrator trays or racks.
Dry using the method that fits the ingredient, rotating trays if needed.
Check for doneness and continue drying until the food is properly dry or leathery.
Cool completely before packing into airtight containers.
Store in a cool, dark, dry place and check periodically for moisture.

Recipe Size Alteration

💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.

Notes

Prep time is an estimate for a basic small batch and will vary by the food being dried.
Cook time is listed as 0 minutes because drying time varies widely by ingredient and method and is not active cooking time.
For best quality, estimate about 1 year for dried fruit and about 6 months for dried vegetables in airtight cool storage.
Condition dried fruit for 7 to 10 days in a jar, shaking daily, before long-term storage.