How To Dehydrate Cherry Tomatoes
Juicy bursts of flavor meet delightful crunch! These dried cherry tomatoes result in a savory snack or versatile ingredient that adds a burst of intense tomato goodness to your recipes!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs cherry tomatoes fresh
Instructions
Prepare Cherry Tomatoes:
- Remove any stems or leaves and wash tomatoes under cool running water, making sure to remove any dirt or soil from the tomatoes. Remove any over-ripe tomatoes as they should not be dehydrated, and set aside any tomatoes that aren't quite ripe and allow them to ripen further before dehydrating.
- Slice the cherry tomatoes in half then place them on the dehydrator tray in a single layer, skin side down. It only takes a second to ensure they are skin side down, but makes a large difference in drying time.
Dehydrate The Tomatoes:
- Place filled trays into the dehydrator and dry at 135f for 12-14 hours.
- Check tomatoes every hour or so near the end of the drying time for doneness. Tomatoes are dry when they are leathery, but still flexible.
Store + Condition:
- Once the tomatoes are completely dried, allow the racks to cool in the dehydrator for 30-45 minutes before transferring to an airtight, long-term storage container. This allows the heat to dissipate and reduces the chances of condensation forming in your storage container.
- Once the dried cherry tomato pieces are in storage containers, shake the jar each day or so for a 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 tomatoes 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.
Notes
storage
Dehydrated tomatoes, when properly stored in an airtight container, preferably glass jar, in a climate controlled location will maintain its 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.converting fresh to dried
The conversion from fresh to dried tomatoes is going to be different for each size of cherry tomato used. I usually find that 2 lbs fresh cherry tomatoes = 2 cups halved dried tomatoes. My favorite way to determine the conversion is to fill the top rack of my dehydrator with a pre-determined measurement, for example 4 cups whole cherry tomatoes, halved, and then measure the resulting volume after dehydrating and divide by 4. Then I write the conversion for that batch on a strip of painters tape and stick it to the side of my jar.rehydrating dried tomatoes
The steps to rehydrate dried tomatoes are the same as most dehydrated foods - add an equal amount of dehydrated tomato and water - by volume - and allow to soak. The dried tomatoes can be reconstituted using hot water or cold water, hot water will begin cooking the tomatoes while cool water will take longer to rehydrate. Avoid soaking for longer than 2 hours - it can get a little gross! If you're adding dehydrated tomatoes to soups and stews, just toss them into the boiling pot. The soup will do all the work for you! You'll know the tomato pieces are rehydrated when they are nearly the same size as they were before going into the dehydrator.