Step by step instructions to help you learn how to dehydrate cherry tomatoes – a wonderful way to use tomatoes and preserve for long term storage!
Why would anyone dehydrate cherry tomatoes?
Here in Arizona, tomatoes grow wonderfully – but not during the summer months! During the summer, they tend to stop entirely, leaving you wondering why you even started gardening.
Once September/October rolls around, they start popping cherry tomatoes – and they literally do not stop until the next spring. Day after day, you’ll start picking them off your plant only to wake up and pick bucketloads the next day.
I might be exaggerating, but that’s definitely how I feel!
On a serious note, cherry tomatoes can be used for so many great, tasty treats:
Dehydrating, though, is one of my favorite ways to preserve foods for longer periods of time. Dehydrating cherry tomatoes is very simple – the time it takes is well worth the after product.
How to Dehydrate Cherry Tomatoes
To dehydrate cherry tomatoes, wash the tomatoes in a water bath with vinegar to remove dirt and debris. Next, slice each cherry tomato in half like the picture, above.
Place your cut tomatoes on the trays – cut side up. They can be close, but not touching. If they are touching, they will likely fuse together during the dehydrating process.
Once the trays are filled, turn your dehydrator on to 135 degrees. Be sure to rotate your trays for even drying (if needed). If you are in a humid area, they may take up to 24 hours to fully dry. In a normal climate, they may take anywhere from 8-16 hours.
When done, your cherry tomatoes will shrivel up and look completely different. They should feel leathery or crunchy. Try one – they’re delicious!
How to Store Dehydrated Cherry Tomatoes
When your cherry tomatoes are finished dehydrating, allow to cool for 5-15 minutes. Store in an air tight jar.
If you are storing for longer periods of time, add an oxygen absorber to keep your food dry, delicious and safe to eat.
The finished product is a beautiful and crispy cherry tomato, ready for cooking – add to dishes for extra flavor. Or, grind them down to a fine tomato powder to replace canned tomato paste.
To make tomato paste from dehydrated cherry tomatoes, mix 6 Tbsp tomato powder and 1/2 C. water to equal one, 6 oz can of paste. Experiment by dehydrating different tomatoes for different flavors.
Dehydrated Cherry Tomatoes
Equipment
- Dehydrator
Ingredients
- 1 lb cherry tomatoes or more
- 2 Tbsp vinegar
- 8 C water
Instructions
- To dehydrate cherry tomatoes, wash the tomatoes in a water bath with vinegar (2 Tbsp vinegar to 8 C. water) to remove dirt and debris. Next, slice each cherry tomato in half like the picture, above.
- Place your cut tomatoes on the trays - cut side up. They can be close, but not touching. If they are touching, they will likely fuse together during the dehydrating process.
- Once the trays are filled, turn your dehydrator on to 135 degrees. Be sure to rotate your trays for even drying (if needed). If you are in a humid area, they may take up to 24 hours to fully dry. In a normal climate, they may take anywhere from 8-16 hours.
- Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.
Did you like this recipe? If you did, PLEASE take a second to rate the recipe and leave a comment – I’d love to know how it turned out for you!
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