Easy Homemade Dried Tomatoes (Not Sun-Dried)

9.12.25
by: Jill@321Oak
Pennsylvania, USA

Easy and Tasty! Homemade Dried Tomatoes

Here's a quick one today, folks: dried tomatoes. I love them for so many reasons.

• They're incredibly tasty just as they are. I snack on these like they're crackers.
• Store them in olive oil, and you get a classic for Italian food that can be used in all kinds of dishes, from pasta to salads to pizza!
• Store them in a vacuum-sealed jar with a moisture absorber and an oxygen absorber, and I think they'll last basically forever.
• Store them in a jar in your fridge, and they'll also last for an incredibly long time. I just found some in the back of my top shelf from last year, and they were still crunchy and perfect.
• Grind them into powder and use it for a quick blast of tomato flavor in any sauce or soup. Also, this is the primary ingredient in my favorite backpacking pasta dishes.

How to Dehydrate Tomatoes

1. Wash and dry your tomatoes.
2. Slice the bigger ones; cut cherries in half.
3. Spread in your dehydrator; optional – sprinkle with a little salt.
4. Dry for 12–24 hours. If your dehydrator has an adjustable temperature, it should be about 135 °F.
5. When they're done, try to get them in a jar and stored away before they're all eaten. (I failed that step on this batch.)

Other Tomato Drying Methods

You can, of course, use other drying methods for these:

• In the sun: For actual sun-dried tomatoes, choose a hot, sunny day and spread them out on a drying rack or cloth outdoors.
• In the oven: Use silicone mats or parchment paper, spread the tomatoes out on large baking sheets, and set the oven as low as it will go. If it's higher than about 140 °F, leave the oven cracked a little.
• Tip: Always label jars with the date so you know how long they've been stored.

Bonus Tip

This is probably obvious to everyone else, but I didn't think of it at first. When you're done washing your dehydrator racks, or silicone mats like these... don't leave them on the counter to dry—put them in the machine and turn it on for a few minutes!

• Looking for more ways to preserve tomatoes? Check out Processing Tomatoes at Home - From Picking to Powder and Simple Tomatoes Recipe (Juice, Sauce or Paste).

Equipment list

• Dehydrators:
  • I have an older model, but this is the current 10 tray Excalibur dehydrator.
  • I also have the smaller 4 tray model here.
  • and a much older model that is similar to this budget friendly round dehydrator
• Mats:
  • I have the flat and rimmed silicone mats - which are awesome for sauces and fruit leather.
  • I also have these round ones for my older dehydrator.

Feel free to reach out anytime if you have questions or comments about my content!

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