PRESERVE: How to Dehydrate Tomatoes
- Why should you dehydrate tomatoes?
- How does dehydrating work?
- How to use dehydrated tomatoes
- Kitchen equipment needed
- How to dehydrate fresh tomatoes
- Pantry storage tips & shelf-life
- How to Dry Tomatoes
Why should you dehydrate tomatoes?
If you have a dehydrator, making your own dried tomatoes is one of the easiest ways to preserve your fresh vine-ripe produce. They’re delicious on their own as a snack, or added to green or pasta salads, and an incredibly useful ingredient. When your garden is overflowing with fresh tomatoes and you can’t eat them fast enough, it’s time to start dehydrating them!
It only takes a few minutes of prep time, then you let your food dryer do its thing. You can even use your oven, though this method is less efficient, slower, and takes a bit more babysitting to make sure it doesn’t burn. It works though, if you don’t have a dehydrator yet or room to store one!
You retain a lot more nutrients than canning, and it’s less labor-intensive. No pots of water steaming up your summer kitchen (the tomatoes themselves will add humidity to your house, but you can also run your dehydrator in a garage or on a covered porch if you have one!).
While dehydrated tomatoes are different than the oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes you can buy in stores, they’re delicious and so handy in your pantry or even as a savory snack.
These dried tomatoes in your pantry are ready for you to snack on them, or to toss them in a pot of soup, garnish a dish, or quickly re-hydrate them in some boiling water or warm olive oil to add to salads and pastas.
How does dehydrating work?
When you remove most of the water from fresh tomatoes, it inhibits spoilage microbes and reduces enzyme activity. This preserves the tomatoes so that they’re shelf-stable for up to six years.
A whole lot of the mass in fresh vegetables and fruits is water, so when you dehydrate your fresh tomatoes, you can store a lot of flavor and veggie-goodness in a very small amount of space.
Fresh tomatoes are more than 90-94% water, and when you remove most of it (properly dried tomatoes have about a 10% moisture content), you can fit a whole bunch in a small space after drying them!
Compare that to the number of jars and the shelf storage space you’d need for the same amount of canned tomatoes, and you can see why drying is such an efficient way to put up your garden bounty!
For dried tomatoes, you can expect about a 10:1 yield. For every pound of fresh tomatoes, you’ll end up with about one cup of dried tomatoes.
This space-saving is especially handy if you are trying to keep a deep working pantry in a small space, or if you want to make your own lightweight instant meals for backcountry adventures like hiking, camping, and hunting trips, or for emergency preparedness. Yes, you can buy commercially dehydrated vegetables for these meals, but it’s a LOT cheaper to do your own at home.
How to use dehydrated tomatoes
- Eat them as is for a crispy, tart, and tangy snack or add to savory trail mixes with nuts, pretzels, and pita or rye chips!
- Rehydrate with boiling water or broth before using, or toss directly in simmering soups and stews.
- Rehydrate your dried tomatoes and substitute for fresh or sun-dried tomatoes in pasta and side dishes.
- You can also make your own oil-marinated dried tomatoes, but these need to be refrigerated and used within a week or two (oil-packed jarred veggies can be a big botulism risk, so they’re best used shortly after they are prepared).
- “Cold-soak” to rehydrate while backpacking or other times when you might need to save fuel in a limited power situation (emergencies, etc). Soak the peas in cold potable water for 8-12 hours before cooking. If you’re backpacking, reusable silicone stasher-type bags or lightweight plastic screw-top containers are popular for this.
- Add a tablespoon to ramen packets (simmer for five to ten minutes before adding the noodles if you are cooking them on a stovetop, or add directly to your ramen before adding hot water for cup-noodles, although they may be a bit chewy if you didn’t rehydrate them first).
- Add to baked or stove top rice pilaf or seasoned rice meals (like rice-a-roni or similar packets). Add a bit of extra water if you did not rehydrate your tomatoes first (best with baked brown rice pilaf or other dishes that have a long cooking time).
- Use it in homemade or packet-sauce curries and stir-fries.
- Use your dried tomatoes to add umami and a tomato-tang in instant pot, crock pot, or dutch oven meat braises or bean dishes. No need to rehydrate first for this, but make sure you have a bit of extra liquid to account for the water the peas will absorb.
- Use a blender or food processor to make tomato powder from dried tomatoes. This tomato powder rehydrates quickly in recipes, or you can use it as-is to add rich, tangy sweet flavor to sauces, pasta salads, salad dressings, and baked goods, or to sprinkle on finished dishes as a garnish.
- Make your own dried soup, sauce, and risotto mixes for meal-in-a-jar gifts, emergency preparedness, or healthy homemade convenience meals or DIY backpacking and camping meals!
Kitchen equipment needed
Food dehydrator or oven and trays:
This is easiest to do with a food dehydrator, though you can also use an oven on a very low setting with the door propped slightly open.
I use an inexpensive Nesco Pro round food dehydrator, but you can use whatever you have. Temperature control is nice to have, but not essential for doing basic dehydrated vegetables.
I like to use silicone mesh tray liners on my food dehydrator trays, which keeps the tomato bits from sticking or falling through the trays. They will shrink a whole lot as they dry.
These non-stick liners are especially helpful for drying tomato slices. If you are drying halved cherry tomatoes, start them cut-side up, and they will be less likely to stick to the trays. You can also turn them inside-out once they are half-dried, and they will dehydrate faster.
The oven method is less consistent, and more energy intensive, and definitely something you’d only want to do in cold weather (when you can benefit from the additional heat and humidity in your kitchen). I use plain sheet trays like these aluminum half-sheet pans when oven drying. You can line your pans with parchment or silicone sheets for easier clean-up, or not… it’s up to you!
How to dehydrate fresh tomatoes
prepare tomatoes:
- Wash your tomatoes, rinsing well in clean water to remove any field dirt or residue.
- Trim the stem end to remove the stem and any woody core.
- You may want to blanch and skin the tomatoes, especially if they will be rehydrated and used in cooked recipes. For snacking, you can leave the skin on. You can leave the skin on cherry or grape tomatoes, or small roma-type or San Marzano tomatoes. Larger slicing-type tomatoes should be peeled.
- To blanch the tomatoes, cut a small X in the base of the tomato. Dunk in a pot of boiling water for a few seconds, or until the skins begin to loosen. Use an ice bath or cold water to stop the cooking rapidly after blanching.
- Using a sharp knife or mandoline, thinly slice your tomatoes into 1/4-1/2″ thick slices. Thinner slices will dry faster. Make sure they’re consistent. Slice paste-type tomatoes thinner and the more watery slicing tomatoes thicker.
- You can also cut them into uniform 1/2″ dice, or thin wedges or strips. Cherry or grape tomatoes should be cut in half, or into wedges.
- You can do different shapes in a single dehydrator batch, but try to keep one shape per tray as they may dry at different rates.
dehydrate:
- Spread the tomatoes out in an even single layer on your dehydrator trays (or sheet pans, if you are oven drying).
- I like to use silicone mesh liners in my dehydrator trays, which keeps the tomatoes from sticking to the trays or falling through them. The pieces will shrink a lot, especially diced vegetables!
- Most dehydrators will finish drying tomatoes in 5-10 hours at 135-145 deg F.
- If you are oven-drying, set you oven to the lowest temperature (usually 150 deg F) and prop the door open (best only done in winter, and not very efficient). Oven dehydrating takes about twice as long, about 16-20 hours, though this will depend on your oven and the humidity.
- Your batch size and how closely you space the tomato slices will affect the drying time, so adjust as needed.
- Dehydration times will also vary with the power and air-movement of your dehydrator.
- Check your dehydrator manual for guidelines if you have one, but know that these are usually optimistic estimates unless you live in the desert! The ambient humidity in the air will influence the drying time a lot. The more humid the air is, the longer the tomatoes will take to dry.
- It’s better to over-dry than under-dry, especially with veggies that you will be re-hydrating before use.
- However, check your dried tomatoes frequently towards the end of their drying time, as the sugars in them can scorch and burn if you dry them too long or at too high heat. You may want to turn your dehydrator down towards the end so that they don’t burn.
- Dry them until they are completely dry all the way through. They will be shriveled and a fraction of their beginning size, but should still have a nice bright red-orange color.
condition:
- This is a good practice with all home dehydrated foods, and will help prevent mold in storage and equalizes moisture content in your dried foods for more consistent quality.
- Place your freshly dehydrated food into a clear glass jar with a tightly fitting lid.
- Do not overfill the jar. You want the jar less than 2/3rd full, with room to shake and move the produce around. Split into several jars if necessary.
- Leave the dried tomatoes in the jar for several days or up to a week, shaking the jar periodically and checking for condensation and clumping that indicate uneven drying.
- If you see condensation in the jar, immediately return to the dryer or oven.
package & store:
- After conditioning, divide your dehydrated tomatoes into storage containers and seal.
- You can pack in glass jars (new or reused) with tightly fitting lids, airtight plastic containers, and vacuum or mylar bags.
- Glass jars and mylar bags are best for long-term storage (plastic is porous and will let oxygen in over time, even with a vacuum seal or moisture absorber packets).
- Some people like to freeze-treat their home dried foods for additional protection against pests or spoilage. This is not the same as freeze-drying, but may extend shelf-life. If you have room in your freezer, you can store your dried foods there. Make sure the bag is sealed and airtight, or you may create problems with condensation when you remove the bags from the freezer.
Pantry storage tips & shelf-life
Once you are sure that your dried tomatoes are conditioned and absolutely dry, you can store them in glass jars or mylar bags, or airtight plastic containers. Store your dried foods somewhere cool and dry, and out of direct sunlight. Poor storage conditions will shorten the useful life of your dried foods.
Properly stored dried tomatoes can last up to six years with good quality and nutritional value. After that, the flavor and nutrients will decline, though they will still be safe to eat if properly stored.
Over time, the dried tomatoes will oxidize and darken, losing their bright red color, especially if they’re not vacuum sealed or packed with O2 absorbers, but there are still safe to eat as long as they are free from mold or other signs of spoilage.
Discard any dried foods that show evidence of mold (toss the entire container, as spores spread and are not always visible in the rest of the food). This is a good reason to store your dried foods in smaller containers when possible, so that you can use a little at a time without exposing your whole batch to air and moisture. It will also contain problems so that you don’t have to throw out a whole batch if only one bag or jar was affected.
For longer term storage, vacuum seal your jars of containers, or use an oxygen absorber in the bags of dried tomatoes. You can also freeze vacuum sealed bags to preserve freshness, but be careful of condensation when you remove the bags from the freezer. Let them warm to room temperature before opening.
How to Dry Tomatoes
Equipment
- food dehydrator (you can also use your oven but this is less efficient)
Ingredients
- fresh tomatoes Roma, San Marzano, or other paste type tomatoes, or grape/cherry tomatoes are best, though any fresh tomato can be dried.
Instructions
prepare tomatoes:
- Wash your tomatoes, rinsing well in clean water to remove any field dirt or residue.
- Trim the stem end to remove the stem and any woody core.
- You may want to blanch and skin the tomatoes, especially if they will be rehydrated and used in cooked recipes. For snacking, you can leave the skin on. You can leave the skin on cherry or grape tomatoes, or small roma-type or San Marzano tomatoes. Larger slicing-type tomatoes should be peeled.
- To blanch the tomatoes, cut a small X in the base of the tomato. Dunk in a pot of boiling water for a few seconds, or until the skins begin to loosen. Use an ice bath or cold water to stop the cooking rapidly after blanching.
- Using a sharp knife or mandoline, thinly slice your tomatoes into 1/4-1/2″ thick slices. Thinner slices will dry faster. Make sure they’re consistent. Slice paste-type tomatoes thinner and the more watery slicing tomatoes thicker.
- You can also cut them into uniform 1/2″ dice, or thin wedges or strips. Cherry or grape tomatoes should be cut in half, or into wedges.
- You can do different shapes in a single dehydrator batch, but try to keep one shape per tray as they may dry at different rates.
dehydrate tomatoes:
- Spread the tomatoes out in an even single layer on your dehydrator trays (or sheet pans, if you are oven drying).
- I like to use silicone mesh liners in my dehydrator trays, which keeps the tomatoes from sticking to the trays or falling through them. The pieces will shrink a lot, especially diced vegetables!
- Most dehydrators will finish drying tomatoes in 5-10 hours at 135-145 deg F.
- If you are oven-drying, set you oven to the lowest temperature (usually 150 deg F) and prop the door open (best only done in winter, and not very efficient). Oven dehydrating takes about twice as long, about 8-20 hours, though this will depend on your oven and the humidity where you are.
- Your batch size and how closely the slices are spaced will affect the drying time, so adjust as needed. Dehydration times will also vary with the power of your dehydrator… check your dehydrator manual for guidelines if you have one, but know that these are usually optimistic estimates unless you live in the desert!
- It's better to over-dry than under-dry, especially with veggies that you will be re-hydrating before use.
- However, check your dried tomatoes frequently towards the end of their drying time, as the sugars in them can scorch and burn if they are dried too long or at too high heat. You may want to turn your dehydrator down towards the end so that they don’t burn.
- Dry them until they are completely dry all the way through. They will be shriveled and a fraction of their beginning size, but should still have a nice bright red-orange color.
condition dried tomatoes:
- This is a good practice with all home dehydrated foods, and will help prevent mold in storage and equalizes moisture content in your dried foods for more consistent quality.
- Place your freshly dehydrated food into a clear glass jar with a tightly fitting lid.
- Do not overfill the jar. You want the jar less than 2/3rd full, with room to shake and move the produce around. Split into several jars if necessary.
- Leave the dried tomatoes in the jar for several days or up to a week, shaking the jar periodically and checking for condensation and clumping that indicate uneven drying.
- If you see condensation in the jar, immediately return to the dryer or oven.
package & store:
- After conditioning, divide your dehydrated tomatoes into storage containers and seal.
- You can pack in glass jars (new or reused) with tightly fitting lids, airtight plastic containers, and vacuum or mylar bags.
- Glass jars and mylar bags are best for long-term storage (plastic is porous and will let oxygen in over time, even with a vacuum seal or moisture absorber packets).
- Some people like to freeze-treat their home dried foods for additional protection against pests or spoilage. This is not the same as freeze-drying, but may extend shelf-life. If you have room in your freezer, you can store your dried foods there. Make sure the bag is sealed and airtight, or you may create problems with condensation when you remove the bags from the freezer.
More pantry staples and food preservation recipes:
- How to Dehydrate Peas
- How to Dehydrate Celery & Make Homemade Celery Salt
- Meyer Lemon Salt: How to Make Homemade Citrus-Infused Salts
- How to Make Salted Lemon Pickles
- How to Make Chicago-Style Giardiniera
- Canning Roasted Tomato Salsa Ranchera
- Canning Roasted Tomato & Ancho Salsa Roja
- Sesame Seed Flax Crackers (gluten free!)
- How to Make Butter-Swim Biscuit Mix for Fresh Biscuits in a Flash!