How to Dry Tomatoes in a Dehydrator
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Living in the South, sun-dried tomatoes aren’t much of an option for me. It’s just too humid outside for tomatoes to dry out properly. But that’s okay because I can make the same thing in my dehydrator. I made my first batch of the season yesterday, and thought I’d take you through the process.
How to Dry Tomatoes in a Dehydrator
Ingredients
Tomatoes (cherries and Romas work best)
Olive oil
Salt
Herbs (optional)
What You Do:
Step 1: Wash a bunch of tomatoes, and remove the stems. You can use any kind of tomato you want, but cherry and Roma tomatoes work especially well. If you decide to use larger tomatoes, you’ll also need to cut out the cores. Just slip a knife in close to the stem, and work all the way around, cutting about an inch deep. Then, grab a hold of the stem piece, and pull. The core should come with it.
Step 2: Cut your tomatoes to whatever size you want. Smaller pieces will dry faster, so you may want to cut them into slices or strips. I used cherry tomatoes, so I just cut mine in half. Once you’re done with all your cutting work, toss the tomatoes with a small amount of olive oil.
Step 3: Then, lay the tomatoes out on your dehydrator screens, leaving space between each piece for good air circulation, and salt everything. If you’d like to sprinkle your tomatoes with herbs, now’s the time to do that.
Step 4: Turn on your dehydrator, and let it go until the tomatoes feel dry and leathery to the touch. I’d give you drying times, but there are just too many variables to factor in – how wet the tomatoes are, how thick your slices are, even the weather. Just check on them throughout the day, and pull them when they’re dry.
Transfer your dried tomatoes to an air-tight container. Shake the jar a couple times a day for the first few days to make sure the remaining moisture gets evenly distributed between the tomatoes. Then, store it in a cool, dry place.
How to Dry Tomatoes in a Dehydrator
Follow these simple steps to dry tomatoes in your dehydrator. These taste just like sun-dried tomatoes.
- Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: Varies
Ingredients
- Tomatoes (cherries and Romas work best)
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Optional: Herbs
Instructions
Wash tomatoes, and remove stems. If you’re drying large tomatoes, remove the cores, too.
Slice the tomatoes to your desired size. Smaller pieces dry faster, so cut large tomatoes into slices or strips. Cut cherry tomatoes in half.
Toss the tomatoes with a bit of olive oil.
Arrange the tomatoes on your dehydrator trays. Leave space around each tomato, so they dry faster.
Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt. Add herbs, if you’d like.
Dry until they feel really leathery and dry to the touch.
Store in an air-tight container. Shake the container every day for the first week, so the remaining moisture is evenly distributed throughout the tomatoes. This is an important step that will prevent them from molding.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours (minimum, could take longer)
- Category: Ingredient
- Method: Drying/Dehydrating
- Cuisine: Global
Keywords: how to dry tomatoes in a dehydrator
In the market for a dehydrator? This is the one that I have. It’s a basic, no-frills model, but I’ve always been happy with it:
This is how I do mine also. They work great in all my tomato recipes.
umm- you forgot to say what temperature
Hi Cynthia,
My dehydrator doesn’t have a temperature control. That’s why I didn’t mention it. If yours does, 130-140 degrees Fahrenheit is the optimal temperature for drying tomatoes.
What fresh herbs would you suggest for dehydrating the tomatoes?
Hi Jane,
I dry my tomatoes on their own. This allows you to add whatever spices you’d like later, when you’re cooking with them.
I use dry oregano and basil leaves
Don’t the slices stick to the surface as they dry? Even with love oil?
Nope, I’ve never had an issue with them sticking.
I used Teflon sheets in my dehydrator and boy do they save time and cleanup is soooo easy! They work great for sticky things too…fruit in particular…and jerky too.
★★★★★
Worked great, I left them on a paper towel on the table a few days before putting in the jar to dry them a little more. Took about 5 hours, 2 shelves in the dehydrator, could have done another hour. How long can I store them in the jar?
★★★★★
Hi Beth, as long as you’ve done a good job getting the moisture out, they won’t spoil, but I recommend using them within a year for the best flavor and texture.