Food Storage
What Foods Can You Dehydrate?
You can dehydrate a huge range of foods — most fruits (apples, bananas, berries, grapes), many vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, onions, carrots, mushrooms), fresh herbs, and lean meat turned into jerky. For beginners, fruits and herbs are the easiest and most forgiving. Vegetables often keep better if blanched first, and meat needs careful, tested methods for safety. The main things to avoid are high-fat foods like avocados, dairy, and fatty meats, since the fat goes rancid. If it's lean and not too watery, chances are you can dry it.
Key Takeaways
- Easiest: herbs and fruit — little prep, hard to get wrong.
- Vegetables dry well, and many keep better if blanched first.
- Meat (jerky) is possible but needs tested, safe methods.
- Avoid high-fat foods — avocado, dairy, fatty meat go rancid.
- Done = fully dry, with no soft or moist spots left.
Fruits (the easiest place to start)
Fruit is beginner-friendly, naturally sweet when dried, and makes great snacks:
- Apples — sliced into rings or chips, a classic first project.
- Bananas — for chewy slices or crisp chips.
- Berries — strawberries, blueberries; blueberries dry faster if the skins are checked (briefly dipped in boiling water).
- Grapes — become raisins.
- Peaches, pears, mangoes, pineapple — all dry well in slices.
Vegetables
Vegetables dry down small and rehydrate into soups, stews, and sauces. Many keep their color and nutrients better if blanched first:
- Tomatoes — sun-dried-style tomatoes are a favorite.
- Peppers — sweet or hot; hot peppers can be ground into powder.
- Onions & garlic — dry and grind into your own seasoning.
- Carrots, celery, corn, peas, green beans — great for soup mixes (usually blanched).
- Mushrooms — dry beautifully and rehydrate with deep flavor.
- Leafy greens — for crumbling into dishes or making powders.
Herbs (the simplest of all)
Herbs are the easiest thing to dehydrate and often need no special equipment — just a warm, dry, airy spot. Basil, oregano, thyme, mint, parsley, rosemary, and sage all air-dry or dehydrate quickly. If you grow chamomile or other medicinal herbs, drying is how you preserve the harvest for tea.
Meat (advanced — handle with care)
Lean meat can be dried into jerky, and it's rewarding — but meat carries real safety considerations. Safe jerky depends on reaching proper temperatures to handle harmful bacteria, so this is one to do with tested procedures from a food-safety authority, not by improvising. Use lean cuts and trim fat, since fat is what spoils.
A resource worth knowing about
Dehydrating is one of many methods in The Lost Super Foods, a reference of more than 120 forgotten survival foods and long-term storage techniques — with step-by-step instructions, drying details, and shelf-life notes. If you want the exact methods and safety specifics for building a pantry that lasts without refrigeration, it goes well beyond this list.
See what's inside the book →Heads-up: that's an affiliate link. If you buy through it we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
What Foods Should You NOT Dehydrate?
A few foods don't dry safely or well at home. Avoid high-fat foods — avocados, olives, most dairy, and fatty cuts of meat — because fat turns rancid and drastically shortens shelf life. Eggs and very watery or oily items are also poor candidates for safe home drying. The simple filter: lean, low-fat, and not swimming in water. When in doubt, check tested guidance before drying something unfamiliar.
How Do You Know When It's Done?
Regardless of the food, the finish line is the same: it should be completely dry, with no soft, moist, or sticky spots. Fruit is usually leathery or crisp, vegetables brittle, herbs papery. Let everything cool fully, then store airtight in a cool, dark place — see our full guide to how to dehydrate food at home for methods and storage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What foods can you dehydrate?
Most fruits, many vegetables, fresh herbs, and lean meat (jerky). Fruits and herbs are easiest; vegetables often blanch first; meat needs tested methods.
What foods should you not dehydrate?
High-fat foods like avocado, dairy, and fatty meat (they go rancid), plus eggs and very watery items. Stick to lean, low-fat foods.
How long does it take to dehydrate food?
It varies — herbs a few hours, fruit several hours to a day, jerky several hours. It's done when fully dry with no moist spots.
Do you have to blanch vegetables before dehydrating?
Many vegetables keep color and nutrients better if blanched first, though not all need it. Fruits and herbs generally don't.
The Bottom Line
The list of foods you can dehydrate is long and generous: nearly all fruits, most vegetables, every soft herb, and lean meat for jerky. Start with herbs and fruit while you get a feel for it, blanch vegetables for the best results, treat meat with proper care, and steer clear of fatty foods. Dry it thoroughly, store it airtight, and a single afternoon's work becomes months of shelf-stable food.
See also: how to dehydrate food at home and food preservation before refrigerators.
Disclaimer: Independent educational content, general information only — not professional food-safety advice. Drying food, especially meat, carries real risks if done incorrectly. Always follow current, tested food-safety guidelines. Contains affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.