How to Dehydrate Tomatoes

Let's learn how to dehydrate tomatoes!

Tomato Trio: on the vine, in a bowl, and sundried

Whether you grow your own or prefer to buy from grocery stores or roadside vegetable stands, after you've seen just how easy it is to dehydrate tomatoes, you'll wonder why on earth you didn't start sooner!

Just Like Sun Dried!

After you learn how to dehydrate tomatoes, you'll end up with delicious sun-dried tomatoes.

After the how-to instructions further down the page, see how you can add oil to make them taste as good as the ones you buy in jars at the grocery store!




Tomato Nutrition Info.

Did you know this: While you dehydrate tomatoes, their Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, and Niacin, along with Folate, and Choline, content increases!

Tomatoes are a fantastic source of Vitamin A, followed by Vitamin C, and Choline. Trace vitamins are Niacin, and Vitamin E, along with Thiamine, Betaine, Pantothenic Acid, Folate, and Vitamin K.

Minerals to be found in tomatoes are Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, and Calcium. There are trace amounts of Iron, Zinc, Manganese, and Copper.

Tomatoes contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.

Here's How to Dehydrate Tomatoes

Let's get busy and learn how to dehydrate tomatoes!

tomato sliced in halfPhoto by Permission Camtasia 2018 for Susan Gast / Easy Food Dehydrating
  1. Wash and slice the tomatoes into 3/8" slices. You may first dip them into boiling water to make skin removal easier if you wish to skin them. For cherry tomatoes, cut in half, no skinning is required.
  2. Arrange the tomatoes on your food dehydrator trays, making sure the tomato slices don't overlap—or if using the cherry tomato halves, place them cut side up to prevent dripping to the lower trays.
  3. Turn on your food dehydrator and set the temperature between 125°F and 135°F (or per your food dehydrator's instructions).
  • Tomatoes will be leathery or brittle when fully dried.
  • Drying time for tomatoes: between 5-12 hours.
  • Please remember to rotate your trays for even drying.

Dehydrated Tomatoes are Great for Pizza...

fresh pizza on a pizza paddlePhoto by Permission / Camtasia

When you've finished dehydrating your tomatoes, you'll find they are great to use in many recipes and are excellent for sauces and puréeing.

Try this great tomato sauce by Chef John, over at Allrecipes.

Make them into a powder in your blender and add water to make a paste (or add more water to make a sauce)!

This way, you can store the tomato sauce for use later, maybe as a pizza or as spaghetti sauce!

...and for Making Tasty Tomato Sauce!

Tomato Sauce cooking in a panTomato Sauce by Chef John at Allrecipes

When made into a sauce, consider pouring the sauce onto the special roll-up sheets and make a 'tomato roll up/leather.' 

For more on "leathers" check out this "dehydrating fruit rolls" page.




Sweet Tomato Soup Memories...

Memories: As a young girl of eight or nine, I used to walk barefoot down our tree-lined avenue where Mum and Dad's bungalow was, to visit my friend, Gillian, down the road. I always looked forward to seeing Gillian.

Her mum used to serve us hot, delicious tomato soup for lunch! It's just one of those things that you'll always recall. It was over 50 years ago... how time flies.

Dehydrated Tomatoes Have a Stronger Taste!

Dehydrated tomatoes in a bowl

NOTE:

When dehydrating tomatoes, like sun-dried tomatoes, look out for them imparting a stronger 'tomato' taste in your recipes.

Consider packing your dehydrated tomatoes in a light extra-virgin olive oil too and add some herbs and garlic to help it along.

You've just created your own version of 'store-bought,' and wasn't it fun?

This just in from "Mj" regarding her dehydrated tomatoes:

I also was wondering if you ever turn tomatoes into powder. I dehydrate whole tomatoes sliced (skins and seeds included) and then put it through my grinder.

I found it is a cheater's way of thickening tomato juice for soup and sauces, and I find that not cooking my juice down to a sauce and just adding a little tomato powder has tenfold the flavor.

Last year for holiday gifts I made friends a jar of "All Michigan Vegetable Soup" and the big question from everyone was "Where did the awesome tomato flavor come from?" — I told them it was my little secret!

This just in from "Mj" regarding her dehydrated tomatoes:

I also was wondering if you ever turn tomatoes into powder. I dehydrate whole tomatoes sliced (skins and seeds included) and then put it through my grinder.

I found it is a cheater's way of thickening tomato juice for soup and sauces, and I find that not cooking my juice down to a sauce and just adding a little tomato powder has tenfold the flavor.

Last year for holiday gifts I made friends a jar of "All Michigan Vegetable Soup" and the big question from everyone was "Where did the awesome tomato flavor come from?" — I told them it was my little secret!

Thanks for taking the time today to stop by to learn how to dehydrate tomatoes. If you have a question, please drop me an email here.


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Susan Gast, owner of Easy Food Dehydrating plus ePubTechReviews.com, and SusanGast.com

Susan Gast began Easy Food Dehydrating in December 2010.

Read Susan's story of what sparked her interest in all things related to "food dehydrating."

She is featured on the Mother Earth News blog, and on Solo Build It! (SBI!) who hosts this site. Read her first SBI! interview and her second SBI! interview.

Since 1980, Susan's involvement in publishing - in one form or another - led her to create ePubTechReviews which reviews a variety of products related to the publishing industry - if you're at all interested in AI and self-publishing. The website is also hosted by Solo Build It!

Susan also runs her namesake site SusanGast.com on Solo Build It! that showcases the books she has written since 2012.

Do you want to send Susan a quick message? Visit her contact page here. She'd love to hear from you!