How to Dehydrate Asparagus

Dehydrate asparagus spears to preserve this beautiful green veggie all year long and transform it into a green powder or green salt to use in your recipes!

It’s fairly hot here in the Southwest right now, but make no mistake – when the weather does cool down, it’ll be time to plant more asparagus. 

Asparagus is in season here in the spring, and during that time you can find it for $.99 – $1.50/lb in supermarkets across town. This is the best time to grab it, hoard it and find ways to preserve it so you can enjoy it through the summer.

If you can’t find asparagus on sale in your area for an affordable price, or if it’s out of season, you can definitely pick up frozen asparagus to achieve the same results.

How to Dehydrate Asparagus

Asparagus is fairly easy to dehydrate – in a matter of minutes, you can have it prepared and spread out on dehydrator trays. The best time to dehydrate the spears is a few hours prior to going to sleep.

Then, allow the spears to sit on dehydrator trays while you catch your beauty sleep at night. Once the morning rolls up and you plant your feet on the floor, your asparagus will likely be done and ready for long-term storage.

To dehydrate:

1. Wash the asparagus; trim the rough ends – set them aside.
2. Cut the stalks into 1-2″ pieces. Don’t worry about being precise.
3. Prepare a stockpot of boiling water on the stovetop.  Blanch the cut asparagus pieces for 4 minutes – start the timer from the time they start boiling (not when you dunk them in there).
4. Immediately remove after 4 minutes and plunge them into a pot of ice water to stop the cooking process.
5. Lay the pieces on your dehydrator trays with ample space between. 
6. Dehydrate at 130 degrees F for 6-10 hours*

*Different parts of the spear will dehydrate at different speeds/rates.

• The tips are the fastest to dry, at 6-8 hours.
• Asparagus stalks will traditionally take 8-10 hours.
• Lastly, the ends, while tougher, may take 10-12 hours.

They are dry when you don’t see any moisture – or, when you can squeeze the piece between your fingers without the sight of moisture.

How to Use Dehydrated Asparagus

Dehydrated asparagus can be stored in canning jars with a tight-fitting lid or, in a FoodSaver bag. 

You’ll want to ensure that your pieces are completely dry – keep them in a cool, dark place. When you need to re-hydrate, or to use in recipes, you can opt between any of the following:

Rehydrate to use in eggs, frittata, soup or casseroles:  Cover the dehydrated pieces in hot water. Soak for up to 20 minutes. Dump the water, or use in your recipe. The tough ends may take longer to re-hydrate than the more delicate tips.

Grind to Green Powder:  Add the dehydrated asparagus tips to your VitaMix or other high-powered blender, or spice grinder and pulse to a fine, green powder. Sprinkle the powder in your soups, on eggs, recipes, etc. You can also use the powder to make your own veggie salt by combining 2 parts powder with 1 part salt.

What dehydrator works best?

I’ve used several dehydrators and they all work relatively well. Use what you can afford at the time – lower cost dehydrators may require you to rotate the trays frequently.

• Excalibur Dehydrator
• Magic Mill Dehydrator
• Elite Gourmet Dehydrator
• Hamilton Beach Dehydrator (this is what I currently use)

Ready to dehydrate? Then let’s do it!

Other Asparagus Recipes:

Looking for other ways to preserve asparagus? Look no further:

• Pickled Asparagus Spears
• Easy Quick-Pickled Asparagus Recipe
• Panko Roasted Asparagus Recipe