From chips and jerky to yogurt and fruit leather, these recipes are delicious and fun! Dehydrated food is surprisingly flavorful and super versatile! It’s great for snacking, adding to other dishes, and even preserving extra food. The best part? Dehydrated food retains its nutritional value. That means you get great-tasting, healthy snacks at a fraction of the cost of pre-made. I think you’ll really like this list of dehydrator recipes. Can you guess which is my favorite?
Dehydrator Recipes for Fruit, Veggies, Meat & More
1. DIY Fruit Leathers
Fruit leather was one of my favorite snacks as a kid (still is, to be honest). It’s sweet, chewy, and surprisingly easy to make at home. After all, some recipes are loaded with sugar. So if all you need is pureed fruit, a dehydrator, and a bit of time, why wouldn’t you make them yourself? This recipe offers three flavor combos: strawberry-rhubarb, blueberry-chia-banana, and raspberry-peach. But feel free to be creative and use whatever fruits speak to you! For example, I think mango and passion fruit would work really well!
2. Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Sun-dried tomatoes have been a culinary delight since around 700BC. And with the dehydrator, the process is a whole lot easier. This recipe is great because it’s simple and includes many tips and tricks. That way, you’ll get perfect results. And your dried tomatoes will taste WAY better than store-bought. Throw them in salads, serve them with chicken, or use them to top homemade pizzas. You really can’t go wrong.
3. Homemade Yogurt
Making yogurt at home might seem intimidating, but it’s pretty straightforward! This yogurt is creamy, tangy, and full of probiotics. And yes, you really do make it in the dehydrator! Good quality yogurt can be expensive to buy regularly, so this should save you quite a bit of money. Plus, it’s easy to modify to your liking. Half a gallon of milk and two tablespoons of yogurt will yield two quarts of new yogurt. And you can keep multiplying from there! Fermentation is cool, huh?
4. Dried Peppers
Add some spice to your life with these delicious dried peppers! Whether you like them really spicy or kind of mild, there’s a dried pepper here for you. These are great to use in recipes that need a little flavor boost, and you can even rehydrate them to add to sauces. I like to grind them up and use them on my tacos – with lots of heat, please!
5. Banana Chips
Banana chips are a fantastic snack. They’re sweet, crunchy, and full of concentrated banana flavor. They’re also super easy to make in the dehydrator! These banana bites are incredible in oatmeal, in trail mix, or just for munching. You can even use them to make dessert nachos!
6. Dried Orange Slices
These pretty little slices of citrus taste like candy. Seasoned with cinnamon, ginger, and coconut sugar, they’re sweet, tart, and deeee-lectable. These are amazing in sangria or as a garnish for any citrusy beverage. Use them as stunning, edible decorations for tarts, cakes, and ice cream, or chop them up and use them in fruit cake. The possibilities are endless.
7. Dehydrated Spiced Cauliflower Popcorn
Spicy, crunchy, and totally addictive – that’s what this spiced cauliflower popcorn is. You definitely need to try this out for your next movie night. This popcorn substitute is super easy to prepare, but it does take time. So, you’ll want to organize everything the night before you want it. Or start making it early that morning, of course. It’s also totally customizable. This recipe is spicy (use those dehydrated peppers from earlier). But, since cauliflower has a very mild flavor, you could use any spices you like. Garlic parmesan would be delicious. So would sweet curry or Tajin.
8. Dry Vegetable Soup Mix
This mix is fantastic to have on hand when you want a healthy, homemade meal fast. Delicious, healthy, and rehydrates beautifully, it’s full of flavorful veggies and tasty pasta. Unlike store-bought mixes, you’ll know where every ingredient came from… because you put it there. It’s fantastic for camping or giving as a gift!
9. Crispy Green Bean Chips
These babies are super crunchy, wonderfully salty, and unbelievably tasty. Plus, they have WAY more nutritional value than a pretzel stick. They’re customizable, too, so feel free to use whatever seasonings you like. I think garlic and red pepper flakes would be delicious.
10. Keto Crispy Zucchini Chips
Who needs potato chips when you have these zucchini chips? They’re thin, perfectly crisp, and highly addictive. But you don’t have to feel guilty if you eat all of them in one sitting. Wink-wink!
11. Beef Jerky
Once you try these, you’ll never want to have store-bought jerky again. They’re chewy, meaty, smoky, and ah-mazing! This recipe delivers traditional, delicious beef jerky that’s savory and not too sweet. However, you can change up the marinade as you please. Use teriyaki sauce for an Asian-inspired jerky, or go with lime, cumin, chili powder, and garlic for a Southwestern vibe.
12. Salmon Jerky
This healthy snack is full of flavor! It’s smoky and salty and perfect for some quick protein on the go. Unfortunately, it also requires a lot of time – approximately 27 hours. Thankfully, it’s mostly passive time because it takes a while to marinate and then dehydrate. So you only need to check on it. I promise it’s worth every minute, and I guarantee your friends and family will love it…if there’s any left to share, that is.
13. Watermelon Candy Fruit Strips
I love watermelon but hate watermelon-flavored candy. Luckily, this all-natural fruity recipe is here to change all that. Fruit works well in the dehydrator because its flavor intensifies as the water disappears. So, this healthy candy actually tastes like watermelon – with no impossible-to-pronounce ingredients in sight. These strips are naturally sweet, chewy, and seriously good.
14. Homemade Snap Peas Chips
These tasty chips are a SNAP to make! All you need are snap peas (fresh or frozen), oil, and your favorite seasonings. They’re delicious and a cost-effective way to snack well.
15. Dehydrated Pumpkin Pie Leather Roll-Ups
These leather roll-ups are ideal for traipsing through a pumpkin patch or apple orchard, and kids and adults alike will love them. Made with a mix of pumpkin puree, apple puree, and traditional pumpkin pie spices, they’re naturally sweet and taste just like pie. This recipe is more labor-intensive as you’ll have to roast pumpkins and stew your own apples. But when you’re done, you’ll have one helluva fall treat.
16. Homemade Raisins
If you love raisins, try making them at home! They’re delicious, naturally sweet, and terrific in oatmeal, trail mix, or baked goods.
17. Homemade Healthy Apple Chips
I love apples, but I’m picky about their texture. I can’t stand mealy apples! For me, they have to sound like an iceberg is breaking when you bite into it. Thankfully, these apple chips fit the bill. Apple chips are a fantastic way to use apples that aren’t perfectly crisp. Or if you have an abundance of apples (hell,o apple picking). They’re sweet, crispy, and delicious. Add some spices like cardamom or cinnamon, and they’re even better!
18. Homemade Seasoned Crispy Kale Chips
If you think you don’t like kale, I bet these crispy kale chips will change your mind. They’re super crunchy and very satisfying. You can season them however you like, so you can’t go wrong with the flavor!
19. Dehydrated Sweet Potato Chips
Sweet, crispy, and delicious, these sweet potato chips are a healthy snack everyone will love. This recipe uses very simple seasonings, but you can use whatever you like! I love chili powder and sweet potato together, and I bet Tajin would be amazing.
20. Dehydrated Strawberries
This straightforward recipe teaches you how to make the best dried strawberries ever. And all you need are strawberries! Dried strawberries are crunchy, sweet, slightly tangy, and absolutely delicious. You can use them in baked goods, eat them plain or on top of cereal, or crush them up and add them to smoothies or even cookie dough. However you eat them, they’re delightful!
21. Dehydrated Mango
Dried mango is one of my favorite snacks. Ever! It’s chewy and full of tropical mango flavor. Plus, it’s a treat that’s healthy and sweet. I love snacking on them plain. However, you could certainly add your favorite seasonings. Mango is another thing that’s enhanced with zesty Tajin!
22. Pear Chips
Like apple chips, pear chips are sweet, crispy, and delectable. Fresh pears have a lovely floral flavor. When they’re dried, that flavor intensifies, and it’s so lovely. I like to cut them into strips and use them as cupcake toppers.
23. Dehydrated Blueberries
Bursting with color and flavor, dehydrated blueberries are one of my favorite treats. They are delicious and crazy-versatile. You can use them in trail mixes, oatmeal, yogurt, or baked goods. By themselves, they are chewy little pops of intense blueberry. They keep all of their antioxidants, so you can feel good while snacking.
24. Fruit Powders
Fruit powder is a highly underrated culinary tool. They add color and flavor to your dishes and are fantastic in baked goods. Fruit powder can flavor batters, frostings, icings, and spreads. You can also add it to yogurt, smoothies, oatmeal, or bread dough. They’re also really great for flavoring pancakes. By the way, this is my favorite recipe on the list. I use fruit powders for everything!
25. Chipotle Deer Jerky
Make the most of hunting season by making this delicious deer jerky. Venison is a high-quality source of lean protein, and jerky is a fabulous, on-the-go way to enjoy venison. This recipe creates spicy, flavorful, delicious venison jerky. The secret is to marinate the meat in adobo sauce (chipotle) for 48 hours. The result is insanely delicious.
26. Dehydrated Carrots Veggie Chips
These crispy little carrots are so tasty. And they’re healthy to boot! They have the same comforting feeling as eating oily, salty potato chips. But you won’t feel sick if you eat an entire batch in one sitting.
27. Mediterranean Eggplant Chips
For many, eggplant is a ‘love it or hate it’ kind of vegetable. I usually lean towards the ‘hate it’ side because I don’t love the texture. But not with these chips! They’re so crispy and flavorful. They look and feel like they’ve been deep-fried, restaurant-style, but they’re much healthier and just as delicious.
28. Salt and Vinegar Cucumber Chips
Salt and vinegar chips are an umami bomb. They’re salty, savory, and sour. This delicious cucumber version has all of that flavor goodness at a fraction of the calories. They’re crispy, light, and super yummy!
29. Dehydrated Dill Pickles
If you love pickles on everything, you’ll love these dehydrated dill pickles. First, they’re amazing on their own. They’re the dilly, vinegary and briny chips of my dreams. Buuuuut… this recipe takes it further by turning those crispy pickles into a seasoning powder. Now, you can flavor everything with pickle goodness!
30. Chicken Jerky
This delicious chicken jerky will fill you up while you’re on the go! It’s meaty, chewy, and very flavorful. The chicken is marinated in a tasty sauce of garlic, chili, Worstercershire, soy, liquid smoke, and honey. The result is the best chicken jerky you’ll ever have! Click on a star to rate it!
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