If you’ve ever wanted to make dried strawberries at home, this guide on how to dehydrate strawberries will show you the best method for long-lasting, naturally sweet treats. 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 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!
This is a fantastic way to preserve their freshness, especially when they are in peak season. The process removes moisture while concentrating their sweetness, making them a great ingredient for oatmeal, muffins, parfaits, and even ice cream. Storing dried strawberries in glass jars or mason jars helps maintain their crispness and flavor for months.
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Why We Love This Dries 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. You can rehydrate it to use in fresh fruit desserts or use them as-is, to things like copycat Subway 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 Our Recipe
- Dehydrator
- Dehydrator rack
- Sharp knife
- Baking sheet (for oven method)
- Glass jars or mason jars
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.
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 strawberry apple crisp. You can even crush them into batter for strawberry shortcake self rising 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 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.
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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.
Serving Suggestions
There are endless ways to enjoy this! Add them to trail mixes, 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 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.
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 (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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