Tips For Dehydrating (2024)

On This Page

• Preparing fruits and vegetables to dehydrate
• How to blanch vegetables
• How to determine dryness
• How to make fruit rolls
• How to store dehydrated food
• Best practices for dehydrating

Preserving your fruit, vegetables, meats and more

Preserve the fresh fruits and vegetables from your harvest with a home food dehydrator. Create healthy and flavorful jerky, fruit rolls, kale, banana and apple chips, or preserve your garden’s abundance of basil, sage, rosemary, and other herbs. Whether you’re a hunter, camper, gardener, or someone who simply enjoys the fresh flavors of the season without additives and preservatives to help you dehydrate food like a pro.

Preparing fruits and vegetables to dehydrate 

For best flavor, select fruits and vegetables that are in season, and discard any fruit or vegetables that have bruises or mold.

• Preparing. To ensure even drying, be sure to cut food at the same thickness, size, and shape.
• Pretreating. Pretreating fruit with lemon juice or other protectors will help to maintain natural colors and prevent oxidation.
• Blanching. Blanching (or cooking on high heat for a short time) will stop enzyme action on vegetables and help them maintain their colors andflavors.
• Dehydrating Herbs. See our Dehydrating Fresh Herbs page for tips and best practices.

How to blanch vegetables

Blanching is recommended for some vegetables to prevent color and flavor loss during drying and storage. Blanching whole fruits breaks the skin and shortens drying times.

How to determine dryness

Many factors influence drying time, including moisture content, type and amount of food, shape and regularity of food slices, air temperature, humidity, and your personal preference in texture.

• Dry fruits at 135°F and vegetables at 125°F. 
• Drying charts are a guideline. Drying times and temperatures vary for different types of foods; start checking food at the minimum recommended time referenced on the chart. If the food is not listed, pick a similar food. 
• Combine any remaining food to upper trays for ease of checking doneness. 
• Check all trays for doneness at the minimum recommended time. 
• All fruits should be able to bend and be slightly soft but not tacky, except for apples and bananas which should be crisp. 
• All vegetables should be crisp and easily broken.

How to make fruit rolls

Fruit rolls can be made with peeled and pitted pureed fresh fruits; canned fruit that has been well-drained and pureed; defrosted frozen fruit, drained and pureed; or with store-bought applesauce. Fruits that are higher in pectin (apples, apricots, blueberries, grapes, peaches, pears, pineapples, and plums) will make a fruit roll with a nice leatherlike texture. When using a low-pectin fruit (grapefruits, lemons, limes, oranges, raspberries, and strawberries), combine with a higher-pectin fruit for an easy peelable fruit roll. Applesauce is a favorite addition.

• Lightly spray the fruit roll sheet with nonstick cooking spray or lightly grease with vegetable oil before adding your pureed fruit. 
• Evenly spread about 3/4 cup to 1 cup (177 ml to 237 ml) puree on the prepared fruit roll sheet about 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) thick. 
• Add the fruit roll sheet to one of the top two trays for drying. 
• Fruit rolls should be checked for doneness starting at 4 hours. 
• Fruit rolls will be slightly tacky when dried. 
• Always remove the fruit roll from the sheet after cooling for 15 minutes. The fruit roll should be slightly warm to easily remove from the fruit roll sheet. 
• Once rolled up, cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

How to store dehydrated food

Properly dried foods need to be stored in a clean, dry, airtight container, such as resealable plastic bags, vacuum-sealed bags, plastic containers, or glass canning jars with a tight-fitting lid, to keep foods from rehydrating.

• Cool dehydrated foods completely before packaging. 
• Store all packages in a cool, dry place. 
• Place packaged foods in the freezer for a longer storing time. 
• It is a good practice to check dehydrated foods frequently. Dehydrate again if you see fruits and vegetables getting soft or if they have condensation on them. Drying time for additional drying will be much shorter so monitor often. 
• Always check the condition of your food prior to consumption. When in doubt, throw it out. 

Shelf Life

• Dried fruits stored at 60°F (16°C) may keep up to 1 year.
• Vegetables stored at 60°F (16°C) may keep up to 6 months. 
• Fruit rolls stored at room temperature may keep up to 1 month. 
• Jerky may be stored for up to 2 months in an airtight container at room temperature. Storing in higher temperature locations will shorten the storing time.

Best practices for dehydrating

Avoid Cutting Food Pieces Too Small
Foods will shrink to approximately ¼ - ½ of their original size and weight during the dehydration process, so pieces should not be cut too small or too thin. For instance, one pound of raw meat will yield approximately ⅓ lb (0.2 kg) to ½ lb (0.2 kg) of jerky.

Remove Excess Moisture 
To decrease drying time, pat jerky strips, fruits, and veggies dry with a paper towel, or use a pretreatment process or product. Be mindful of how much liquid you add to your jerky marinade. Rather than using juice for fruit leather, make jam first, then dehydrate.

Do Not Overfill Trays
Avoid overlapping foods and overfilling the trays. Lay foods flat on the dehydrating trays.

Remember The 6 Hour Rule 
Check dryness after 6 hours, then check every 2 hours until crisp, pliable or leathery depending on the product.

Make Sure Food Is Dry 
Check foods to make sure they are completely dry before removing. Open or cut down the middle of a few samples to check internal dryness. If the food is still moist, dehydrate longer.

Keep a Journal 
Keep a journal to help improve drying techniques. Record the food name, temperature, drying time, original weight, end weight, and ingredients used.

Label Food 
Be sure to label foods with the name and date of drying. A vacuum sealer with a built-in date stamping function is a great tool for this task. Package the food when cool. If it's still warm when you seal it, it will sweat, then mold quickly. Foods can be kept longer if stored in a cool, dark, dry place. The ideal storage temperature is 60°F (16°C) or lower.

Vacuum Seal Dried Food
Vacuum sealing is ideal for keeping dried foods. Even when storing in airtight metal or glass containers, it's best to vacuum seal first. Use Zipper Seal Vacuum Bags so that you have the option of storing both short and long term. These bags are perfect for taking snacks on the trail.