So, you’ve gotten your first dehydrator and don’t know where to start? Or do you need to jump start your creative juices to find new things to dehydrate? I’ve got 101+ dehydrating recipes and techniques for you!
Dehydrating or drying of foods is a perfect way to preserve foods that are more easily stored than canned varieties, and lend themselves to be easily integrated into meals or packed for hiking/camping/emergency foods. You will find a variety of dried and dehydrated recipes here. While most call for a dehydrator, there are other options such as oven or air drying.
Use these foods to build a food storage inventory that allows you to build the basics of meals that don’t need to be cooked. In the case of an emergency, you’ve got ready made meals that can be reconstituted with some hot water that is heated from your fireplace, a rocket stove, a camp range or even a fire pit or grill in the backyard.
Tools You’ll Need to Dehydrate
- Oven – many foods can be dehydrated with an oven set at its lowest setting with the door propped open. Most of these ‘recipes’ call for a dehydrator, but many also give oven instructions as well. The oven takes a little less time because it’s hotter (thus keep the door propped open).
- Hook – many herbs don’t need anything more than being gathered and hung to dry.
- Dehydrator – I use both an Excalibur Dehydrator and a Nesco FD-80 (see the info at the end of the post). There are many varieties, just be sure to choose one that has temperature controls so that you can set the heat of the air.
- Knife or mandolin – cutting vegetables and fruit in equal sizes is important for even dehydrating. Some foods are easy with just a knife. But if you have a ton to do, or want really thin slices, a mandolin is a great tool to have (just please be sure to use the cutting guard!)
- Reference – my site, The National Center for Home Food Preservation and a great book like the Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook , or my dehydrating group on Facebook are all great references to keep handy!
Let’s get to it, shall we?
101+ Dehydrator recipes & tips for:
MEAT
Beef
Biltong
Chicken
Chicken Jerky
Fish
Fish Jerky
Ground Beef Jerky
Hamburger
Jerky
Lamb
Meat
Pork Jerky
Turkey
Venison Jerky
VEGETABLES
Asparagus
Beans
Beans (cooked)
Beets
Broccoli
Butternut Squash chips
Carrots
Carrots (shredded)
Celery
Chives
Cole slaw
Corn
Cucumbers
Edamame
Eggplant
Frozen Vegetables
Green beans
Green Onions
Greens
Jalapeno
Leek
Lettuce
Mixed veggies
Okra
Onion
Peas
Plums (prunes)
Potato
Potato (Hash Brown)
Potato (instant potato flakes)
Pumpkin
Pumpkin (canned & pureed)
Pumpkin 2
Pumpkin leather
Rhubarb
Scallions
Spaghetti Squash
Sweet Potato
Sweet Potato Chips
Swiss Chard
Tomato
Tomato, Grape
Tomato, Paste
Tomato Powder – creating tomato powder from skins to use in additions to food or make paste with
Tomato – Sun Dried
Turnips
Vegetables
Vegetable Chips (different than a snack..powerhouse packing food)
Vegetable Powder – great for using bits of things up, and then adding to food to boost flavor and nutrition
Fruit
Apples 1
Apples 2
Apples (Cinnamon)
Banana
Banana Strips
Blueberries
Cantaloupe/muskmelon
Cherries
Citrus
Coconut
Cranberries
Fruit Leather
Grapes (raisins)
Kiwi
Mango
Papaya
Pineapple
Pineapple 2
Raspberries
Strawberries
Watermelon
Herbs & Spices
Chili (Powder)
Garlic (Powder)
Ginger
Herbs
Herbs 2
Lavender
Onion (Powder)
Other
Bean Bark
Bread Crumbs
Broth
Cheese
Cottage Cheese
Eggs
Full meals
Gourds
Green Flours
Kimchi
Marshmallow
Milk
Mushroom
Mushroom Buillon cubes
Nuts
Oatmeal
Rice
Risotto
Soup Cubes
Sourdough Starter
Tea
Tomato Sauce leather
Whole Grains
SNACKS
* (these aren’t necessarily good for long-term storage because of the oils and such added to them, but they make great snacks!)
16 Chip Alternatives
Apple Jerky
Blueberry Cookies
Carrot Pulp Crackers
Carrot Straws (the oil is the only thing keeping these from being included in basic dehydration for long terms storage)
Chedda Onions
Chewy Crunchy Garlic Toast
Curried Baked Carrot Chips (these can also be dehydrated, though won’t be as crisp)
Flax Crackers (scroll down the page to get there)
Granola
Peach & Honey fruit rollups
Peanut Butter & Banana Graham crackers
Pizza-chini
Primitive Cracks with Wild Seeds
Pumpkin Leather
Pumpkin Seeds
Raw Granola Bars
Savory Quinoa Bread
Shamrock Kale Chips
Sour Cabbage Crisps (fermenting & drying)
Spicy Green Beans
Sun Dried Strawberry Fruit Leather
Sun-Dried Tomato & Cheezy Kale Chips
Tomato Basil & Flax Crackers
Yogurt Leather
NOTES
The Ulimate Dehydrating Cookbook
On using dehydrated vegetables
Rehydrating/reconstituting chart
Dehydrate2store’s video channel
Obviously there are many, many more that can be listed – and I’ll add to it over time for major ones that I’ve missed. I hope this helps!
HOW TO STORE DRIED DEHYDRATED PRODUCTS:
I used to store dehydrated products in glass mason jars. They were convenient, they looked pretty in my pantry …. and then there’s the time I dropped a jar full of mushroom powder. It was wasted. I couldn’t be sure that it was safe from glass shards, so it was tossed. That was a lot of mushroom work. So I’ve since come up with something better.
Because so much of what I do involves powders and tiny flakes, I don’t use my vacuum sealer on those items. But here’s what I do:
So when you begin storing your dehydrated products, think ahead how you’d like to store.
MY FAVORITE DEHYDRATING RESOURCES:
And if you’re wanting to know about foods you should not dehydrate? Check out this post for all the information.
And as an FYI – here is what I do all of my dehydrating with:
It works really wonderfully – I reviewed it here for you to read. Someday, I would like an Excalibur, but for now, my Nesco works awesomely!
An Update:
I have recently invested in an Excalibur Dehydrator ( I purchased mine from here with free shipping). I still love the Nesco, and always will because I think it’s a fantastic machine in the under $70 crowd. Probably the best. But I do love the Excalibur and will be reviewing it soon.
Another wonderful resource to have is The Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook:
While I love having so much available to me online, sometimes, I really do prefer a hard copy of a resource, not only for times without power, but sometimes I just like to peruse, take notes in the margins, put in bookmarks (see the tabs on the book? Lots and lots of great ideas), and only a good book will do. The Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook is definitely worth it. You can purchase it here or read a review of the book here.
Here’s more info you’ll find helpful:
Find more dehydrating recipes on my Dehydrating Pinterest Board:
FREE STARTER KIT
Enter your email and click submit to get your FREE Family Emergency Binder Starter kit. Take control of your family's preparedness today!
This is an AMAZING list! Thank you for putting it all in one place! I like the potato because it also gives meal in a jar recipes and I have been on the search for those. Again, THANK YOU!!
you’re welcome!!
Thanks so much for this. I found a dehydrator in a box never remembered getting it lol Will most certainly will use this
awesome – hope some of this helps!
Thank you for sharing the link to my blog.
thanks for the great info!
Thanks for including a link to my site — I’ve got more dehydrated goodies on the way!
OH MY! I love your site! thank you sooo much for sharing! What is the storage time for fruits and veggies thank you again!
Hi, Maggie – glad the info helped. Your storage time for dehydrated fruits and vegetables is determined by the kind of food, the type of environment they are stored in and how you store them. Humidity and air effect everything. Instead of typing it all – here’s a good link to check out the info: https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/information_center/storage_life_of_foods.htm
On Sun, Jun 30, 2013 at 8:27 PM, Mom With a Prep Blog – Helping Prepare
This is a wonderful list, thank you for putting it together. I arrived via Prairie Homestead Barn Hop! I’m looking forward to referencing several of your recipes, but I was hoping for a hot pepper recipe (hubbs brought home a grocery sack full of 6 different peppers, and I don’t know what to do!). Any suggestions?!
There is a jalapeno version in the list, which would work with any hot pepper.
Yes! Just got a food dehydrator (haven’t even taken it out of the box yet). Going to a farmers’ market today, and will be searching through here to see how to preserve some of what we pick up. 🙂
thanks for putting this all together. I has been years since I dehydrated.
Thank you so much for sharing http://www.onetomato-twotomato.com link to my dried strawberries on your blog!
You’re welcome!
is there a printed book available for sale for drying food?
Here is the one that I can recommend:
Mary Bell’s Complete Dehydrator Cookbook
Thank you so much for this article. I too also just purchased a dehydrator, but haven’t used it yet. Will be saving this for when my garden comes in.
This is an amazing list. Thanks for sharing these healthy and easy to prepare recipes. This will be extremely beneficial to health conscious households.
You da bomb, Jane! Loving me some dehydrated stuff!! Great resource you put together. Thank you!
Todd
I am looking for dehydrating Buttercup Squash?
Is it the same as the Butternut Squash?
Would like more information on the Buttercup Squash that has always been out favoirte!
Thank you Gloria
I’m sure it would work. I’ve never done that particular squash, but most squashes work the same way, so give it a try~
This is a good start. Thank you. We are building our cabin and dehydrating is on my list as soon as it’s finished and I have the room.
Your article very helpful, thanks so much
I have dehydrated raw thin sliced chicken for about 8 hours no seasoning. And it works great I call them chicken chips because that is what they seem like. And I have eaten then allot and have had no problems getting sick or anything.. They work great for traveling I do however keep them in the refrigerator or freezer just in case. My thought is the Alaskans dry with the sun so what is the difference.
Thanks for all your GREAT posts! I have found them to be very interesting, if not enlightening! Regarding your dehydrator, I just wanted you to know that my FIRST dehydrator was an Excalibur, and I was NOT impressed…lots of ‘cool spots’, and I had to rotate items WITHIN the trays to get everything dried uniformly…be careful what you wish for! Happy drying!
I’m sorry you had an issue with your particular machine. I’ve never had that issue with mine, but I will say that I’m as pleased with the Nesco FD-80 as I am with the Excalibur.
Just wanted to say thank you for providing such wonderful information. Truly your site is a blessing. I have serious food allergies and so I cook from scratch (and almost everything I eat is best served cooked). The problem has been that I’ve become very limited on being able to travel far from home because of limited access to cooking options. I miss traveling so much. With the help of your site, I may be able to go on a cruise again or even just spend more than a handful of hours on a day trip somewhere. Many, many thanks for sharing your wisdom! God bless.
Glad you found the information helpful!
Hi, I have a question. I recently dehydrated some onions, and I can not get the onion smell off the dehydrator trays. I have tried various combinations of vinegar, baking soda, lemon, and dish soap. I even made a paste with baking soda and lemon. I left it on over night and rinsed with vinegar. Nothing seems to work. Any suggestions?
Jennifer, my friend from Self Reliant School suggests dehydrating a bunch of potatoes to get rid of the onion smell. They’re good for removing saltiness from stews and soups, and also can also clean up the smell from your dehydrator in the same way!
This is just what I was looking for, omg! This is so appreciated I’m excited to get started. I just bought a dehydrator and a vacuum sealer. You are a wonderful person to do this….
Glad I could help get you started – let me know if you have questions!
Thank you for the wonderful list!
Does anyone know if/where I can purchase resealable bags such as the ones Mountain House and Backpacker’s Pantry come in? Preferably the ones like the Mountain House Pro-Paks (vacuum sealed). I want to start dehydrating meals for a thru hike and would like to keep the meals in bags that I can also cook in for an easier clean up on trail.
You can start with these, Lisa, http://amzn.to/2dwr9Hj
Though they will not be vacuum sealed in the same fashion that they come from the manufacturer, you can certain place an oxygen absorber for the initial storage until you use it later.
Hello Jane
Thanks for the awesome list. It’ll definitely help those of us who are lazy since you have packed everything on a page.