Dehydrating Vegetables for Snacks

The Best Vegetables & How To Dehydrate them For Your Snacks

Dehydrating Vegetables for Snacks here we go – I hope you will enjoy making these as much as I did!Dried fruits and veggies aren’t simply for backpacking or hikers.Take a spin through the healthy treats area of any grocery store, and plainly, veggie chips and fruit leathers are on the racks and here to remain. And they’re not simply for snacking! Serve zucchini chips with grilled sausage for a crispy side meal even picky eaters will enjoy. Really once you master the basics you can make your dishes really exciting. Dehydrated or dried vegetables not only add to the taste – but they can give a really nice crunch to a dish or salad. Plus they look great! This is a really exciting subject – great for detoxing from those unhealthy snacks. So read on and learn how to dehydrate vegetables for your snacks!

Dehydrating vegetables for Chips and snacks.

Select peak-season produce. Some people think dehydrating is a way to consume anything that’s bruised, damaged or has seen better days. However in truth, drying focuses flavor, so start with prime produce.  You will be rewarded for dehydrating prime or organic vegetables for snacks. The result will be great tasting treats that are healthy and nutritious for all the family.

What foods can be dehydrated?

When you buy dehydrated food or other snacks, you do not always know what’s in it. There are many additives and preservatives put in processed foods. These preservatives extend the shelf life of the food.

Sugar is typically included to dehydrated foods; however, when you make it yourself in your food dehydrator or oven you are in control of what is and is not added.

Rather, you can merely dry your own fresh components and have a treat for the road. It can be tough to find healthy food that you can take on the go. Aside from bananas, there isn’t much that is easy to eat and won’t make a mess. It is also particularly hazardous to eat while you’re attempting to drive. But dehydrated vegetables for snacks – eat up!

It’s fantastic for kids’ lunches at school or a midday treat for you at work, too.

In the U.S. alone, we in some way waste $165 billion worth of food every year.

With a dehydrator, your sack of apples or box of peppers that you forgot about becomes a great snack and not wasted. – So here we have recipes for you to follow on vegetables, for example how to dehydrate peppers, the recipe and how long. It is easy, healthy and delicious.

Top 10 best vegetables to dehydrate

1. Tomatoes

Dried tomatoes are great for pasta or pizza night.

Top the tomatoes, remove the cores, is usually best. Slice approximately ¼ inch thick.

With cherry tomatoes cut them in half.

If you have a food dehydrator -dehydrate according to the manufacturer’s instructions, or in the oven at 180 – 200°F for 4 to 6 hours. Test them after 3 hours.

2. Sweet Potatoes

They will not be as crispy as deep-fried chips, but they will be a lot more healthy. In fact dried sweet potatoes will be crave-worthy.

Peel sweet potatoes, slice approximately  ¼ inch thick. Then blanch in boiling water for several minutes, followed by shocking them in an ice bath (this stops the cooking).

If you have a food dehydrator – dehydrate according to the manufacturer’s instructions, or in the oven at 180°F for 4 to 6 hours.

3. Zucchini

Dehydrating these vegetables for snacks can save a bumper crop from going to waste. Trim the tops and bottoms, and slice approximately ⅛ inch thick.

If you have a food dehydrator – dehydrate according to the manufacturer’s instructions, or in the oven at 200°F for 5 to 7 hours.

4. Peppers

How to dry Peppers in a Dehydrator – well it is very similar, except with peppers you can use different colored varieties, the result is a confetti of colors.

First remove the ribs and seeds and slice approximately ¼ inch thick or chop roughly if you are going to add them to soup.

How long to dehydrate peppers? 

Either according to the manufacturer’s instructions of your dehydrator, or the recipe is in the oven at 16-180°F for 4 to 6 hours.

PRO TIP:  Dried peppers are fun for soup mixes – sprinkle them on the top and watch the color pop!

5. Sugar Snap Peas

Better for you than french fries. These dehydrated peas make a sweet snack.

First trim and remove the tops and strings.  Blanch in boiling water for no more than 2-3 minutes, and shock in an ice bath.

If you have a food dehydrator – dehydrate according to the manufacturer’s instructions, or in the oven at 200°F for 4 to 6 hours.

6. Beet Jerky !!

Who would have thought – the humble beet is can make a tasty treat.

Peel and cut the beets into small wedges approximately 1/4 inch thick. Blanch in boiling water for no more than 1-2 minutes.

Now here is the trick –  according to taste – add salt (½ teaspoon), chilli flakes (pinch)  and garlic flakes (½ teaspoon) (or finely chopped real ones). Use 1 tablespoon organic olive oil and some juice from a ½ lime or lemon.

Toss all this together in a large glass bowl (not metal) – and then dehydrate in your oven for approximately  3-4 hours at 180-200 F.

Test after 2 hours is the beet chewy yet, you do not want to over dry them.

7. Carrots

Scrub carrots in cold water. Cut the tops off. Chop into small chunks… about 1/4 inch thick – or slice into strips also about ¼ inch thick 

Blanch carrots for no more than 3 to 4 minutes.  Then simply plunge into ice water to stop the cooking.

Dehydrate according to the manufacturer’s instructions, or in the oven at 200°F for 3 to 4 hours. With Carrots – check after 2 hours for crispy, but not over dry.

8. Corn

This is one of my favourite snacks:

Peel and strip the corn of strings. Blanch for 1-2 minutes. Then stop the cooking process by plunging into cold water. Slice off the corn with a sharp knife.

Dehydrate according to the manufacturer’s instructions, or in the oven at 120°F for 3 to 4 hours. – check after 2 hours for crispy, but not over dry.

9. Mushrooms

Dehydrating mushrooms will not only retain but even gain flavor especially in a food dehydrator. I recommend a food dehydrator for mushrooms as they are quite fragile and dehydrating them gently is important. 

First, clean the mushrooms. Try to get all the dirt off the mushrooms with a soft brush.

Slice the mushrooms into pieces that are approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. 

Dry the sliced mushrooms at 110 F until the pieces are dry (3-5 hours)  or follow specific instructions that come with your dehydrator.

Let the dried mushrooms cool completely before storing them.

10. A Food Alternative to Potato Chips: Munchy, Crunchy, and Healthy!

Not only are veggie chips good for you, they’re also gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, dairy free, nut-free, and egg-free –this is very hard to come by in a snack food!

Slice your choice of vegetables, pumpkin can be added – follow the above recipes for other vegetables already covered. Slice them all the same thickness approximately ¼ inch. Toss in a little olive oil, and salt, garlic, chilli depending on your taste.

Dehydrate at about 140-180 F (preserves some enzymes) for 3-5 hours. (The thickness makes a difference here – so check after 2 hours and then every hour that they are not over dried.

Summary: Dehydrating Vegetables For Snacks

Really you will see from this that almost any vegetable can be dehydrated, it is just a matter of how to prepare and how long for the dehydrating.

Inexpensive, scrumptious, and ideal for on-the-go fuel. Whether you are looking to load a week’s worth of food for camping or just a day snack, dehydrating your own foods has amazing advantages. 

Try it,  dehydrating food is worth it, and these few recipes can spice up snacks and at the same time they are good for you with no additives.

Next week we do a review on fruits like the best apples to dehydrate. Lastly, we are now busy looking at food dehydrators and we will also write about the best ones.