The uses for dehydrated strawberries are endless – we 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 dehydrate strawberries in your oven or dehydrator. Once you know how, you can use the dried fruit all year long!
Reasons to Make Dehydrated Strawberries
- 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.
- They’re really versatile (and delicious!)
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 in around the stem. Then, move it in a circular motion.to remove the hull.
Frequently Asked Questions
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 strawberries 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.
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, a delicious apple strawberry crisp. You can even crush them into batter for strawberry shortcake biscuits. Or you can just snack on them as they are!
How to Dehydrate Strawberries in the Oven
- Wash, dry, hull, 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!
- Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or on oven-safe, grid-style wire racks.
The racks work best for allowing the heat of the oven to hit the berries from all angles.
Dehydrating Berries in the Dehydrator
Drying strawberries in a dehydrator starts the same way as the oven dried method:
- Wash, dry, hull, and slice the fruit.
- Then, arrange the sliced fruit on the dehydrator tray, taking care to leave space between the slices to promote airflow while they dehydrate. Otherwise, you might end up with some mushy edges!
How to Rehydrate Dried Strawberries
After learning how to dehydrate strawberries in 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 dehydrated strawberries overnight in cold water to bring them back to life.
Storage Instructions
Let the dehydrated fruit cool completely before storing.
Mold is the number one enemy of dried strawberries – or any dried fruit! Not only does it keep them from being totally crisp, but it can also ruin all of your efforts.
If you store dehydrated strawberries before they’ve completely cooled off, the condensation in your storage container will promote mold and bacteria growth.
And if you ever see any mold in your dehydrated strawberries, you’ll need to toss the batch completely.
The best storage method varies depending on how quickly you plan on eating the dried fruit.
If they will be eaten within a few weeks, then store them in a baggie or sealed container at room temperature.
If you plan on long-term storage, then first store them at room temperature for a week to check for excess moisture. Shake the container frequently to keep the fruit from sticking. And if signs of moisture pop up (condensation, sweating fruit, etc.), go ahead and dry them for a bit longer.
After this conditioning process, you can then store them in an airtight container or vacuum seal them for up to 1 year in a cool, dark place such as your pantry.
To Dehydrate Fresh Fruit, Renae Recommends
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Dehydrated Strawberries (In Oven or Dehydrator)
Ingredients
- 1 quart fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Wash and dry the quart of strawberries well. Hull the strawberries, the slice into ¼ to ⅜-inch thick slices, either crosswise or top-to-bottom (for full length slices).
- 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.
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