Using a dehydrator is so much fun! It’s like a science experiment to watch all the fruits and veggies shrink. It’s great for kids too, because it’s not going to burn you.
Dehydrating foods at a low temperature also preserves nutrients that can be killed when using heat.
Here are some fun and yummy dehydrator ideas! If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can use the oven at its lowest setting.
Drying fruits:
- Blueberries
- Strawberries, sliced
- Watermelon, sliced (my new favorite!)
- Mango, sliced
- Apples, cored and sliced
- Pineapple, cored and sliced (so much better than store-bought dried pineapple!)
- Cherries, pitted and halved
Veggie chips:
Add a tiny bit of extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss before dehydrating. You can also add nutritional yeast to add a nutty, cheesy flavor!
- Beets, sliced thin with a mandolin
- Zucchini, sliced thin with a knife
- Kale, torn into bite-sized pieces
Fruit Rolls:
You can do a whole bunch of different flavors using fruit combinations and spices! Here is our favorite.
- 8 oz washed strawberries, including green tops (for extra greens!)
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1 T honey
Throw it all into a blender and blend until smooth. Try to blend until the seeds are broken down, if your blender will do it.
Spread onto parchment paper on a baking sheet. Let it dehydrate in the oven for a few hours, until it’s no longer soft but still pliable. Cut into strips and enjoy!
Lots of dried fruits and veggies
Watermelon Chips
Fruit Rolls
Apple Chips
Kale Chips
Zucchini Chips
Goofing around
- Beets, sliced thin with a mandolin
- Zucchini, sliced thin with a knife
- Kale, torn into bite-sized pieces
- Slice your veggies thin.
- Toss with a tiny bit of extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (not too much!)
- Place in a dehydrator and let it dry out until crispy. Amount of time depends on the vegetable and thickness. It may take a few hours or overnight. Be patient, it's worth it!
- Blueberries
- Strawberries, sliced
- Watermelon, sliced (my new favorite!)
- Mango, sliced
- Apples, cored and sliced
- Pineapple, cored and sliced (so much better than store-bought dried pineapple!)
- Cherries, pitted and halved
- Place them in a dehydrator or in your oven at the lowest temperature setting.
- The amount of time it takes to dry will depend on the type of fruit and the thickness, but it will take several hours or more, so make them ahead of time!
- Store them in air-tight jars in the fridge.
- Approximately 4 big handfuls of washed Kale, leaves stripped from its stalk, and torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1-2 Tablespoons Grape seed oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea Salt (you can add more after it’s done if you want it more salty)
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lower the oven temperature, the better, since the nutrients aren’t baked off…you just have to leave it in the oven longer. If you have a dehydrator, that is even better!
- Combine ingredients and toss to coat. Spread evenly, in one layer on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-20 minutes until leaves are crisp. Check at 12 minutes and check every 2 minutes. Make sure they are very crisp, but not brown. (Brown kale chips are bitter!)
- 8 oz washed strawberries, including green tops (for extra greens!)
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1 T honey
- Throw it all into a blender and blend until smooth. Try to blend until the seeds are broken down, if your blender will do it.
- Spread onto parchment paper on a baking sheet. Let it dehydrate in the oven for a few hours, until it’s no longer soft but still pliable. Cut into strips and enjoy!