The Ultimate Guide to Dehydrating Vegetables

Dehydrated vegetables are incredibly versatile pantry staples. They rehydrate beautifully in soups and stews, make crispy healthy snacks, and provide lightweight nutrition for camping trips. Unlike commercially dried vegetables, which often contain additives and preservatives, home-dried versions contain nothing but pure vegetable goodness.

Vegetables require slightly more preparation than fruits—most benefit from blanching before dehydration—but the results are well worth the extra effort. This guide covers everything you need to know to successfully dehydrate any vegetable from your garden or local market.

Why Blanching Matters for Vegetables

Most vegetables should be blanched before dehydrating. Blanching is a brief heat treatment—either in boiling water or steam—followed by immediate cooling in ice water. This process serves several important purposes:

• Stops enzyme activity: Enzymes cause continued ripening, colour changes, and flavour degradation. Blanching deactivates these enzymes, preserving quality.
• Preserves colour: Blanched vegetables retain their vibrant colours better than unblanched ones, which often turn brownish-grey.
• Maintains nutrition: By stopping enzyme activity, blanching helps preserve vitamins and other nutrients.
• Improves rehydration: Blanched vegetables rehydrate more completely and evenly.

Blanching Techniques

Water Blanching

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add vegetables in small batches—don't overcrowd, as this drops the water temperature too much. Start timing when the water returns to a boil. Remove vegetables and immediately plunge into ice water for the same length of time. Drain thoroughly before dehydrating.

Steam Blanching

Steam blanching uses less water and results in less nutrient loss. Place vegetables in a steamer basket over boiling water, cover, and time from when steam envelops the vegetables. Steam times are typically 50% longer than water blanching times. Cool immediately in ice water.

Vegetable-by-Vegetable Guide

Tomatoes

Tomatoes make excellent dried additions to pastas, sandwiches, and salads. Core tomatoes and slice 6-8mm thick. Cherry tomatoes can be halved. No blanching needed. Dry at 57°C for 8-14 hours until leathery but pliable. For sun-dried style, add salt lightly before drying.

Zucchini and Summer Squash

Perfect for making crispy vegetable chips. Slice 5-6mm thick. Steam blanch for 3 minutes or water blanch for 2 minutes. Season with salt, herbs, or spices if desired. Dry at 52-57°C for 6-12 hours until crispy.

Carrots

Peel and slice into 3mm coins or shred for faster drying. Water blanch for 3-4 minutes or steam blanch for 4-5 minutes. Dry at 52°C for 8-12 hours until brittle. Dried carrots rehydrate excellently for soups and stews.

Green Beans

Trim ends and cut into 25mm pieces or leave whole. Water blanch for 3 minutes or steam blanch for 4 minutes. Dry at 52°C for 8-14 hours until brittle enough to snap cleanly.

Capsicums (Bell Peppers)

Remove seeds and membranes, then slice into strips or dice. No blanching required. Dry at 52-57°C for 8-12 hours until crispy. Red and yellow peppers dry sweeter than green. Dried peppers are fantastic in soups, stews, and pasta dishes.

Onions

Peel and slice into 3-6mm rings or dice. No blanching needed. Dry at 52°C for 8-12 hours until crispy and papery. Note: onion drying produces strong odours—consider drying in a well-ventilated area or when you won't mind the smell.

Mushrooms

Clean with a damp cloth or soft brush—don't soak. Slice 6mm thick. No blanching needed. Dry at 52°C for 6-10 hours until crispy and leathery. Different varieties dry with varying intensities; shiitake and porcini develop particularly rich flavours when dried.

Corn

Blanch whole ears for 4-5 minutes, cool, then cut kernels from cob. Spread kernels in single layers. Dry at 52°C for 8-14 hours until hard and crunchy. Dried corn is delicious added to soups or rehydrated for various dishes.

Potatoes

Peel if desired and slice 3-6mm thick or shred for hash browns. Water blanch for 5-6 minutes or steam blanch for 6-8 minutes until nearly cooked through. Dry at 52°C for 8-14 hours until brittle. Shredded potatoes dry faster (6-10 hours).

Peas

Shell peas and water blanch for 3 minutes or steam blanch for 4 minutes. Dry at 52°C for 8-14 hours until hard and wrinkled. Shake trays occasionally to ensure even drying of the round peas.

Testing Vegetables for Dryness

Unlike fruits, which can have varying textures when properly dried, vegetables should be uniformly brittle when finished. The testing standard is simple: properly dried vegetables should be hard and brittle, breaking or shattering when bent rather than bending flexibly.

Let vegetables cool completely before testing—warm vegetables feel more pliable than they actually are. If any flexibility remains, continue drying. Under-dried vegetables will mould in storage.

Making Vegetable Powders

Thoroughly dried vegetables can be ground into powders for convenient seasoning and nutrition boosting. Tomato powder adds instant tomato flavour to sauces. Onion and garlic powders rival commercial versions. Mixed vegetable powder enriches soups and gravies.

To make powder, ensure vegetables are completely brittle (any remaining moisture clogs the grinder). Process in a blender, food processor, or spice grinder until fine. Sift to remove any larger pieces and re-grind if necessary. Store in airtight containers.

Rehydrating Dried Vegetables

One major advantage of home-dried vegetables is their excellent rehydration compared to commercially dried versions. Most vegetables rehydrate to near-fresh texture when properly prepared.

Hot Liquid Method

Place dried vegetables in a bowl and cover with hot water or broth. Soak for 15-30 minutes depending on vegetable size and thickness. Most vegetables are ready when they've roughly doubled in size and feel tender. Drain and use as you would fresh vegetables.

Direct Addition to Cooking

For soups, stews, and dishes with cooking liquid, add dried vegetables directly. They'll rehydrate during cooking. Add extra liquid to your recipe to compensate for what the vegetables will absorb—approximately one cup of liquid per half cup of dried vegetables.

Storage Guidelines

Properly dried and stored vegetables maintain quality for 6-12 months, though they remain safe indefinitely if kept dry.

• Store in airtight containers—glass jars, vacuum-sealed bags, or food-grade plastic containers
• Keep away from light, which degrades colour and nutrients
• Store in a cool location; heat accelerates quality loss
• Check for condensation in the first few days—any moisture indicates the vegetables need more drying

Creative Uses for Dried Vegetables

Beyond rehydrating for traditional cooking, dried vegetables have many creative applications:

• Vegetable chips: Zucchini, kale, and sweet potato make excellent crispy snacks
• Soup mixes: Combine dried vegetables in jars for quick soup starters—great gifts!
• Camping meals: Lightweight dried vegetables are perfect for backpacking
• Smoothie boosters: Add vegetable powders for extra nutrition
• Seasoning blends: Combine vegetable powders with herbs and spices

With these techniques, you can transform seasonal vegetable abundance into year-round pantry staples. Start with vegetables you use frequently in cooking, and you'll quickly appreciate the convenience and quality of home-dried vegetables.