If you’ve ever wondered how to dehydrate strawberries at home, this guide will show you the best methods for long-lasting, naturally sweet treats. Often referred to as “nature’s candy”, Dehydrated strawberries make a healthy snack, perfect for adding to granola, trail mixes, smoothies, and more. Whether you’re using a dehydrator, oven, or air fryer, this step-by-step process ensures the perfect texture and flavor every time!
We love to add dried strawberries to cereal, yogurt, baked goods, and snacks. If you love the flavor of fresh berries, take the time to learn how to make dehydrated strawberries. Once you know how, you can use the dried fruit all year long!
This is a fantastic way to preserve their freshness, especially when they are in peak season. The process removes moisture while concentrating their sweetness. Storing these strawberries in glass jars or mason jars helps maintain their crispness and flavor for months.
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Why We Love This Dehydrated Strawberries Recipe
- Dehydrating helps extend the shelf life of food, making it easy to buy produce fresh and save it at peak ripeness for maximum health benefits.
- Dried fruits are a great, easy meal prep idea to save time, and to make meals when the fruit isn’t in season. You can rehydrate it to use in fresh fruit desserts or use them as-is, to things like copycat Strawberry cheesecake cookies.
- Dried foods are really versatile (and delicious!)
Once you learn how to dehydrate strawberries, you can use the same process for other foods. For example, learn how to dry mushrooms so that you don’t have to buy them fresh anymore.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Fresh strawberries: Look for ripe, peak-season berries for the best flavor.
Recipe Variations
- Strawberry chips: Slice it extra thin for a crunchier texture that mimics fruit chips.
- Chocolate-dipped: Once dried, dip them in melted chocolate for a sweet treat.
- Mixed fruit blend: Dehydrate strawberries, bananas, and apples together for a delicious homemade fruit mix.
- Cinnamon sugar: Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the strawberry slices before dehydrating for a unique twist.
Equipment Used in this Recipe
- Food dehydrator, oven or air fryer
- Heating/cooling racks
- Chef’s knife
- Strawberry huller (or straw)
- Cutting board
How to Prepare Fresh Fruit for Dehydrating
- Choose the best berries.
Look for large, ripe strawberries that are free of blemishes and impurities. Skip over any that have mushy sections, shriveled leaves, and/or an overly green, unripe top near the stem.
Large strawberries will give you the best-dehydrated strawberries for snacking and dried fruit chips. - Hull the strawberries before slicing.
The hull of a strawberry is the stem area, located just under the skin. To remove the stem without having to cut off the entire top, we like to use a grapefruit spoon.
Holding the spoon (or a small paring knife) pierce the berry and cut around the stem. Then, move it in a circular motion to remove the hull.
Once you have a stash of dehydrated berries, you can use them as-is, or dehydrate them to make all sorts of recipes!
Add them to heart shaped pancakes for Valentine’s Day or a delicious strawberry apple crisp. You can even crush them into batter for strawberry shortcake using our flour biscuits recipe or you can just snack on them as they are!
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
For the best strawberry chips, slice the berries thin and evenly using a sharp knife. Thicker slices result in chewy dried strawberries, while thinner slices make them crispier!
How to Make Dehydrated Strawberries in Oven
- Wash, dry, hull (remove center) and slice the berries before getting started. Keep your slices ¼ to ⅜ inches thick. Slice them either crosswise or top-to-bottom for full-length slices – the shape you choose is up to you!
- Set your oven to 135°F (some ovens go down to 125°F and this is an ideal temperature as well). Different ovens have varying minimum temperatures. If your oven’s minimum temperature is 140°F or above, keep an eye on the strawberries to avoid browning. You can also slightly prop your oven door open to allow some of the heated, moist air to escape.
- Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with heat safe, grid-style wire racks
The racks work best for allowing the heat of the oven to hit the berries from all angles. - The typical time is between 6-10 hours. Check them every 30-60 minutes after the 6 hour mark. They are done when the strawberries are leathery with no moisture.
Dehydrating Berries in the Dehydrator
- Wash, dry, hull, and slice the fruit.
- Then, arrange the sliced fruit on the dehydrator tray, making sure to leave space between the slices to promote airflow while they dehydrate. Otherwise, you might end up with some mushy edges!
- Set temperature for 125°-135°F, there is a large variation on time depending on your strawberries and the type of dehydrator you use. The typical time is between 6-10 hours. Check them often after the 6 hour mark. They are done when the strawberries are leathery with no moisture.
How to Dehydrate Strawberries in the Air Fryer
- Wash, dry, hull, and slice the fruit.
- Preheat your air fryer to its lowest setting (usually around 180° F)
- Arrange strawberries in the basket in a single layer, without touching or overlapping
- Check every 30 minutes, shake the basket, and ensure no overlapping.
- This process usually takes 2-4 hours deepening on the thickness of your slices and how juicy the strawberries were when picked.
How to Rehydrate Dried Strawberries
After learning how to make dehydrated strawberries in oven or a food dehydrator, you’ll need to know how to rehydrate them! Luckily, it’s even easier.
- Boil dehydrated berries for 10 to 20 minutes to rehydrate them. It really is that simple!
- While they could also sit in very hot, not quite boiling water from the microwave, this will take longer and leave the berries getting a bit too mushy for our tastes.
- It is also possible to soak the dried strawberries overnight in cold water to bring them back to life.
Making Strawberry Powder
Another perk of dehydrating strawberries is that you can easily make strawberry powder. Use this to flavor smoothies, protein powders, pancakes cookies, or even make strawberry milk! The possibilities are endless!
- Place dehydrated strawberries into a food processor
- Pulse the food processor until the texture is fine and powdery
- Sift through a thin mesh strainer and store in an airtight jar or container.
Serving Suggestions
There are endless ways to enjoy this! Add them to trail mix, granola, or yogurt parfaits for a sweet, chewy bite. Blend them into smoothies for a natural fruit boost, or crush them into a powder for flavoring oatmeal, muffins, quick breads, or ice cream. They also make a great topping for chocolate desserts, pancakes, and waffles. Want a simple snack? Eat them straight out of a jar for a healthy snack on the go!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, just as healthy as regular strawberries! They have fiber (to promote good digestion), calcium, and vitamin C. They may also help to lower bad cholesterol, and strawberries contain antioxidants that can help to reduce body inflammation.
It can take anywhere from 6 to 10 hours to dry in either the oven or dehydrator at 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Take time to check on the berries every half hour or so after the 6-hour mark.
The total drying time can vary depending on the thickness of the fruit, its water content, and even the type of oven or dehydrator you’re using.
Let the dried strawberries cool completely before storing to avoid mold caused by trapped moisture. If stored warm, condensation can develop and ruin the batch. For short-term storage, keep them in a sealed container at room temperature. For long-term storage, condition them first by leaving at room temp for a week, shaking the container daily to check for moisture. Once fully dry, store in an airtight or vacuum-sealed container in a cool, dark place for up to one year. Discard immediately if any mold appears.
Absolutely! Add them to muffins, quick breads, granola bars, or blend into a powder for a concentrated strawberry flavor.
Yes! Place strawberry slices on a baking sheet and bake at 200°F (93°C) for 2-3 hours, flipping halfway through.
More Tips and Hacks To Love…
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Dehydrated Strawberries
Equipment
- food dehydrator - or your air fryer or oven
- heating/cooling racks
- strawberry huller
- cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 quart fresh strawberries ripe
Instructions
- Wash and dry the quart of strawberries well. Hull the strawberries, then slice into ¼ to ⅜-inch thick slices, either crosswise or top-to-bottom (for full-length slices).
Dehydrator instructions
- Arrange slices in single layers on dehydrator trays, leaving some space between each to allow airflow. If dehydrating in oven, arrange slices onto oven-safe, grid-style wire racks.
- Dehydrate or dry in oven at 135°F /57°C for 6-10 hours, until dry. Let the dried strawberries cool completely before using and/or storing.
Oven Instructions
- Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with heat safe, grid-style wire racks. The racks work best for allowing the heat of the oven to hit the berries from all angles.
- Set your oven to 135°F (some ovens go down to 125°F and this is an ideal temperature as well). Different ovens have different minimum temperatures.TIP: You can also slightly prop your oven door open to allow some of the heated, moist air to escape.
Air Fryer Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to its lowest setting (usually around 180° F). Arrange strawberries in the basket in a single layer, without touching or overlapping
- Check every 30 minutes, shake the basket, and ensure no overlapping. This process usually takes 2-4 hours deepening on the thickness of your slices and how juicy the strawberries were when picked.
Notes
- For the best strawberry chips, slice the berries thin and evenly using a sharp knife. Thicker slices result in chewy dried strawberries, while thinner slices make them crispier!
- Place dehydrated strawberries into a food processor
- Pulse the food processor until the texture is fine and powdery
- Sift through a thin mesh strainer and store in an airtight jar or container.
- Strawberry chips – Slice it extra thin for a crunchier texture that mimics fruit chips.
- Chocolate-dipped – Once dried, dip them in melted chocolate for a sweet treat.
- Mixed fruit blend – Dehydrate strawberries, bananas, and apples together for a delicious homemade fruit mix.
- Cinnamon sugar – Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the strawberry slices before dehydrating for a unique twist.
- If strawberries will be consumed within a few weeks, store in a zip top bag or sealed container and keep at room temperature.
- Long-term storage: Loosely pack the dried strawberries in a clear, airtight container. Leave at room temperature for a week, checking daily for signs of moisture. Shake the container occasionally to keep the pieces from sticking together. If condensation appears, return the berries to the dehydrator and dry them again.
- If at any time, there are signs of mold, throw out the entire batch of dried fruit. After a week, store in an airtight container or vacuum seal for best results. Store dried strawberries in a cool, dark place for up to a year.
Nutrition
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