Dehydrating Beans (Green Beans, Fresh or Frozen)

Dehydrating beans, whether fresh or frozen, is easy to do and green beans are certainly most people's favorite veggie – you know, at Christmas time – the green bean casserole!

Green beans are great in homemade soups ... I love them year round!

Nothing tastes better than home-grown green beans, but for ease right now of getting some put away quickly, I used frozen green beans, straight from the bag – no prep necessary!

How easy is that?

De-clump Frozen Green Beans This Way

If your frozen beans are clumping, let them sit in the kitchen sink, unopened, for about an hour. Or you can simply drop the unopened bag on the kitchen counter-top a few times to loosen them.

This works for me! (You can even use canned green beans in a pinch!)

If you're lucky enough to be growing your own beans, then please follow the instructions found in steps 1 and 2, coming up.

Get Busy Dehydrating Beans
for a Super-Tasty Green Bean Casserole!

Green Bean Casserole photo and recipe from Epicurious

PHOTO BY CHELSEA KYLE, FOOD STYLING BY KAT BOYTSOVA

OK, I'm from the UK originally and we don't do green bean casserole. But after listening to hours and hours of begging and pleading from my hubby, I finally gave in. Glad I did!

It's worth dehydrating beans so you can make this easy green bean casserole recipe from Epicurious ANY time of the year.

Remember to re-hydrate your dehydrated beans first.

Oh My Goodness! Beans are Great For You ...

Green beans are high in vitamin A, Choline and vitamin C, followed by Folate and vitamin K. Green Beans rank high in these minerals: Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Fluoride, and Magnesium. Trace minerals are Iron, Selenium, and Zinc, Manganese, and Copper. There's also Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids in green beans.

Don't forget to check out our Recipes page where there's a couple of easy-to-make Vegetable Soup and Chicken & Vegetable Soup!

How to Dehydrate Green Beans

If using frozen green beans, ignore steps 1 and 2.

Gently wash fresh green beans. Trim off the ends.
Blanch in a small amount of boiling water for about 3 minutes.
Arrange the green beans on your dehydrator trays, making sure the beans don't overlap.
Turn on your food dehydrator and set the temperature between 125°F and 135°F (or per your food dehydrator's instructions). Drying time: between 6-8 hours.

Green beans will feel tough and brittle when dried.
Please remember to rotate your dehydrator trays for even drying.

This Just In All The Way From Alaska!

Arlene had noticed that a few posters wanted to know how to make the green bean snacks – and some had already tried dehydrating beans to that end without success. So, here's what Arlene told me:

"I have not gotten to the end of the FAQ pages yet, so you may have already covered this. Several posts asked about the green bean snacks that you can buy in the store.
I'm pretty sure these are freeze dried, not dehydrated. That's why they maintain the shape and crispness."

Arlene, I'm so glad you told us this - and "keep warm up there!"

Bake the Beans!

Karen posted this:

"Bake them at 425° for 10-15 minutes. Put your seasoning on them before you start to bake them. The same as the dehydrator make sure you do not overlap the beans. I hope this helps."

Thanks Karen!

Crispy Green Beans

And this just in from Farmgal Val:

"I read where to make the crispy kind of green bean snacks that are so popular, you have to coat them lightly with oil (coconut or olive) toss on your spices and dehydrate them. Haven't tried it yet."

Thanks Val!