How To: Dehydrate Ginger

I sent Kevy to the grocery store with fresh ginger on the list. I needed to feed my hungry ginger bug.

In hindsight, I should have specified how much ginger I needed, but I got what I asked for, plus an extra pound or two!

Instead of letting the ginger slowly shrivel in the crisper it seemed like as good a time as any to dehydrate it! Not only does ginger dry beautifully, the process is so easy! Oh, and the resulting powder if you decide to grind is so flavorful and aromatic that you may never use store bought ginger powder again.

This guide to drying ginger is dedicated to getting what you asked for!

Jump to:

• Tips
• Key Ingredients
• How To Dehydrate Ginger
• Homemade Ginger Powder
• Batch + Storage Information
• Converting Fresh To Dried
• Using Dried Ginger
• Reducing Drying Time
• Recommended Equipment
• 📖 Printable Recipe

Key Ingredients

Fresh ginger root: To pick the freshest ginger root, you should always try to grab a piece from the bottom back of the pile, assuming your grocery store follows the first in – first out stocking method.

Give the ginger a good squeeze, it should be nice and firm. Give it the sniff test – fresh ginger should smell sharp and spicy. Break off a knob or finger of the root piece, it should pop off cleanly and not have a whole lot of fiber inside. If it’s really fibrous, that’s ok, it can just be a little harder to grind.

How To Dehydrate Ginger

Prepare Ginger:

1. Wash each piece of the root well. Assess the skin, if its tough and woody it should be peeled, and if its soft enough to scrape away with your fingernail it’s fine to leave. Some people use a sharp knife, others use a vegetable peeler, and some scrape with a spoon. I prefer to use my Euro peeler – it’s a rockstar on hard veg like ginger.
2. Slice the ginger into consistently thin sized pieces or finely dice. Ginger is difficult to cut consistently, but it can be helpful to use a mandolin or food processor for this part of the process. If you don’t have one, just do your best!

Dehydrate Ginger:

1. Spread ginger slices or mince into a single layer on dehydrator racks.
2. Dry at 100f for 5-6 hours, or until completely dry. To test for doneness, remove a piece of ginger from the dehydrator and allow it to cool to room temperature before bending it. If the ginger is brittle and snaps cleanly, it is completely dry, but if it bends without snapping or is still pliable it must be returned to the dehydrator and dried longer.

Store + Condition:

1. Once the ginger is completely dry, allow the racks to cool in the dehydrator for 30-45 minutes before transferring to long term storage containers. This allows the heat to dissipate and reduces the chances of condensation forming in your storage container.
2. While the dried ginger pieces are in their airtight storage containers, shake the jar each day or so for the first week and observe the container for signs of moisture.
   • If there are no signs of moisture, you’re good to go, place them in a cool dark place for long-term storage!
   • If there is evidence of moisture in the container, you must add the ginger back to the dehydrator and dry it longer. After they’ve been dried the second time, you’ll need to go through the conditioning process again.

Homemade Ginger Powder

I prefer to dry my ginger then condition it for a week to ensure it’s completely dried before I powder, but you can easily allow the ginger to cool completely and then jump straight into the grinding process.

1. Add the ginger pieces to a spice grinder or a high powered blender. I like to use my dry goods container for my Vitamix for this process!
2. Pluse the dried ginger in bursts until they are mostly broken down and then blend until completely smooth. It may be beneficial to work in batches, and to scrape down the sides of your grinder / blender occasionally, as the grinding process can create heat and cause clumping.
3. Pass the powder through a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl to ensure only powder is going into your spice jar and either return any chunky pieces to the grinder or transfer to their own jar for use in recipes that don’t require powdered ginger.
4. Set a funnel over your spice jar and pour the filtered ginger powder into your spice jar.

Batch + Storage Information

Batch: 

There is no limit to how much ginger you can dehydrate using this method, aside from your available dehydrator space!

Storage:

Dehydrated ginger, when properly stored in an airtight container, preferably glass jar, in a climate-controlled location will maintain their quality for at least 12 months. Aim to keep yours in a cool, dark location, away from light that can degrade the quality during long term storage.

If you make your own ginger powder, store it the same way you’d store bough ginger powder – in a cool, dark cupboard!

Converting Fresh To Dried

Dehydrating removes around 90% of the moisture in the ginger so the weight drops drastically, the ginger pieces themselves will also shrink in size.

The conversion from fresh to dried is going to be different for each batch, depending on slice/dice/grind. I usually find that 1/8 teaspoon dried ground ginger = 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger.

My favorite way to determine the conversion is to fill the top rack of my dehydrator with 2 cups of prepared minced or sliced ginger, and then measure the resulting volume after dehydrating and divide by 2. Then I write the conversion for that batch on a strip of painters tape and stick it to the side of my jar. That way, I always know how much of my favorite dried herbs to use for a given recipe.

More Great Dehydrating Recipes

Using Dried Ginger

Your dry ginger can be used similarly to fresh ginger. The texture won’t be quite the same, but the flavor and aroma is there.

Use your dehydrated ginger slices or mince to:

• Add to soups, stews, and sauces for a flavor boost without the mess.
• Use in ginger beers.
• Feed your ginger bug.
• Add to beef jerky marinade or other liquid marinades.
• Make a ginger tea by adding along with some honey, and dried lemons.
• Add to your fire cider.
• Spice up ferments, like mango habanero hot sauce!

Use your homemade ginger powder:

• In your old fashioned ginger snap cookies or any other favorite baking recipes.
• To enhance your homemade kombucha.
• As an addition to your dry rubs and seasoning mixes.

Trust me, it’s so tasty, you’ll be looking for reasons to use it!

Reducing Drying Time

When it comes to any dehydrated food, drying time is crucial. The longer the drying time, the less tender and flavorful the rehydrated items become.

It’s important to prepare your ginger in uniform pieces, whether that be slices, strips, mince, or grated. One of the easiest ways to ensure consistency is to use a chopper or food processor or a really sharp knife! This ensures that most of the pieces are sufficiently dried within the same timeframe.

Leaving space between the pieces on the trays is another way to help reduce drying time. Sounds simple, but it allows airflow around all sides of the ginger pieces, ensuring even drying.

Some hurdles are harder to overcome than consistent knife skills and spreading the bits. High humidity in your home or rainy days can drastically affect the drying time, expect your ginger to take much longer when the humidity is higher.

Recommended Equipment

Dehydrator: I have and love(!) TWO (!!) 9 rack Excalibur dehydrators. We use them to dehydrate citrus wheels, garlic, jalapenos, mushrooms, onions and even marshmallows, and much more. It’s got a 24-hour timer and very precise temperature controls so it’s great for dehydrating various foods.

Vitamix + Dry Grains Container: If you’re looking to grind up dried spices like ginger or garlic, a proper blender will undoubtably do the job better than most anything. I love to use my dry grains container for jobs like this!

📖 Printable Recipe

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