Dehydrating Strawberries- How To Preserve Your Harvest

Dehydrating strawberries is a wonderful way to preserve your strawberry harvest. There are a number of different methods which you can use, and we will take a look at a few easy ways to get the job done.

We absolutely love strawberries in our household. Every summer when the strawberry season rolls around, it seems like we just blink, and then it is gone again for another year.

We generally pick or buy our strawberries when they are in season. I absolutely love fresh strawberries in all their sweet goodness.

In years when there is a bumper crop, there are also ways to preserve some of the harvest. This will allow you to have your strawberries on hand, even after the season has finished.

Dehydrating strawberries is just one of a few methods to preserve these delicious berries.

Dehydrated strawberries are also known as strawberry chips, as they are dried out and flat in shape like chips. They are delicious snacks like chips, however so much more nutritious.

The wonderful thing about dehydrating strawberries is that they become easy to store.

With the water volume reduced in the berries, they take up much less volume on the storage shelves. Which is a big bonus if storage space is limited.

Are Dehydrated Strawberries Good?

Dehydrated strawberries are a great option for a dehydrated food choice, and a healthy dehydrated snack.

They are very tasty, and certainly maintain their sweet strawberry flavour.

They are also still packed with nutrition.

In the dehydrated form, the strawberries have had the juice and moisture content removed through the dehydration process. They have not been cooked or altered in any other way, so will have just about the same nutritional value.

Considering that they are in the dehydrated state, they are much smaller than they would be in the fresh state. So a piece of strawberry is a much smaller bite.

Dehydrated strawberries are very portable, as are all dehydrated fruit. They are light and packable, and a great snack to take with you on the go.

How To Dehydrate Strawberries

Before dehydrating the strawberries, let's review the tools that you may need, as well as the preparation of the strawberries before the dehydration process.

Make sure to choose ripe strawberries with a delicious strawberry flavor for best dehydrating results.

Tools You May Need:

• Air Fryer

• Dehydrator

• Baking Sheet

• Cutting Board

• Sharp Knife

• Large Bowl

• Colander

Preparing The Strawberries

• In a colander, rinse with cold water and drain the strawberries.

• Place the strawberries in a bowl to hold until prepared.

• Hull the strawberries, removing the green leafy top.

• For best results, slice the strawberries into thin even slices. This is key to evenly dehydrating the strawberry pieces, as thick slices and uneven pieces will require more time in the dehydrator of choice.

• The next step is setting the slices into the air fryer basket, dehydrator, or oven to start the dehydration process.

• We will be reviewing the process for each method individually.

The Dehydration Process

Dehydrating strawberries involves exposing them to warm temperatures and air over a period of time to slowly extract the water from the berries.

When the water content is removed, the berries will shrink in size and become dry.

The dried state allows the berries to be stored and preserved for much longer than in their fresh state.

Dehydration also helps to preserve the nutritional content in the fruit, so even when eaten in the dehydrated state the nutritional value will not be lost.

Different Methods For Dehydrating Strawberries

There are a number of different methods to dehydrate and dry strawberries. We'll look at a few that I use for dehydrating.

In this post we will look at dehydrating strawberries in:

• a food dehydrator

• the oven on it's lowest temperature setting

• and in the air fryer with a dehydrator setting

How To Dehydrate Strawberries In A Dehydrator

Let's have a look at how to dehydrate strawberries in a food dehydrator.

The thing that I love about the dehydrator method is that usually with most dehydrators there are multiple layers stacked upon each other.

This stacking allows you to increase the surface area on which to place your fruits and vegetables.

There is also a strong fan which continuously blows warm air in the dehydrator. This air is very effective in the dehydrating process.

The warm air is able to flow throughout the dehydrator between the multiple layers. This creates a nice even process for dehydrating the food.

The dehydrator is a great option for drying and dehydrating strawberries.

To Dehydrate Strawberries In The Dehydrator:

• Cut the strawberries with a sharp knife into thin and even pieces approximately ¼" thick.

• Place the sliced strawberries on the dehydrator racks in a single layer on each rack.

• Set the temperature of the dehydrator to 135°F, which is the vegetable and fresh fruit setting.

• Plug in the dehydrator, and allow the strawberries to dehydrate for four to six hours.

• Let the dryness of the strawberry pieces guide you on their completion. Remove from the dehydrator when the pieces are completely dry.

• You may find that sometimes the pieces are not all dried completely at the same time. Sometimes the end pieces tend to be a bit thicker and may need a bit of extra time.

• Remove the pieces that are done, and continue to dehydrate those that may need the extra time.

• Remove from the dehydrator when done, and allow to cool to room temperature.

• Store in an airtight container.

How Long Does It Take To Dehydrate Strawberries In A Dehydrator?

It will usually take at least four hours and possibly longer to dehydrate strawberries in the dehydrator.

I found that the first pieces were almost ready at four hours, but the end pieces took several more hours to dry out completely.

It's a good idea to check on your berries throughout the process, checking for dryness and doneness.

The thickness of the fruit, the juiciness of the berries, and even the humidity in the air can have an effect on dehydration time.

As well, not all dehydrators will have the same drying time, so it's important to get to know your own machine.

How To Dehydrate Strawberries In An Oven

Dehydrating strawberries in the oven is another good choice, as long as your oven temperature can be reduced to a fairly low temperature.

My oven can be set at 170°F at the lowest setting. I have used this temperature and the oven method to dehydrate herbs, such as drying mint leaves for tea.

I have also used the oven method to dehydrate banana chips and dry orange slices successfully.

The key is not to cook the fruit or berries, and to gradually dehydrate them over the course of several hours or more.

To Dehydrate Strawberries In The Oven:

• Cut the strawberry slices into even pieces for equal dehydrating time.

• Place on a single layer on a baking sheet, which has been lightly sprayed with a non stick spray.

• You can also place on a bakers rack over a cookie sheet to increase air flow to the strawberries.

• Set the oven temperature at the lowest temperature setting. Our oven can get down to 170°F, so this is the temperature I used.

• This temperature does not cook the strawberries, but rather slowly dehydrates them over the course of approximately six hours.

• You can flip the strawberries over halfway through the process, which will help with the drying.

• Although the oven temperature is a bit higher than the standard dehydrator temperature for fruits and vegetables, the oven does not have a fan like an air fryer or dehydrator.

• A fan can help to dehydrate fruit and berries more quickly, by blowing warm air.

• As a result, the oven actually takes a bit more time to dehydrate than the air fryer and dehydrator methods.

• If you have a confection oven, this will help to increase the air circulation. It will help to get the air to all sides of the berries as they are drying, increasing drying time.

• For a convention oven, make sure the berries are on a bakers rack for good air flow to all sides of the slices.

• When the strawberries are dry, remove from the oven and allow them to cool.

• Store in an airtight container.

How To Dehydrate Strawberries In An Air Fryer

If you have an air fryer with a dehydrate function, then you are all set to be able to dehydrate strawberries in the air fryer.

I often dehydrate fruit in the air fryer, and strawberries are just one healthy choice.

It is very important to use the dehydrate function or setting. If you do not have this setting on your air fryer, you will likely be cooking your strawberries rather than dehydrating them.

Cooking will not be removing the moisture completely from the strawberries and they will not store like dehydrated fruit.

As well, cooking can interfere with the nutritional value of the strawberries.

Another thing to consider when using the air fryer for dehydrating, is the surface area of the unit.

If you have multiple baskets and levels onto which you can place your sliced strawberry pieces, your air fryer will be a great dehydrating option.

Some air fryers are only one level. If this is the case you will likely have to make multiple batches.

This may not be efficient if you are dehydrating lots of strawberries, as each batch will likely take at least three hours to dehydrate.

It's helpful to know though, that even smaller air fryers can be set up with stainless steel dehydrator trays or shelves. These can often be purchased separately from your air fryer, unless you are lucky enough to have one included with your unit.

To Dehydrate Strawberries In The Air Fryer:

• Cut your strawberries into thin and even slices.

• Spray a little cooking spray on the air fryer basket.

• Place the strawberry slices in a single layer in the air fryer basket.

• Set the air fryer on the dehydrate setting, with the temperature at 135°F.

• You can often adjust the temperature to lower or increase as needed. The dehydrate setting on my air fryer is set at 130°F, so I just turn it up to 135°F to dehydrate fruits and vegetables.

• Depending on the thickness of your strawberry pieces, they will be dehydrated in three to six hours with the air fryer.

• Some thinner slices will be completely dry by three hours, and thicker slices, such as the ends, will likely take a bit longer.

• You can tell when they are dehydrated just from the feel. When they are completely dry there will be no softness felt when the pieces are squeezed.

• If some pieces are done and others need more time, just remove those that are done and continue to dehydrate the others.

• When all the pieces are done, remove from the air fryer and allow to cool.

• Store in an airtight container.

Are Dehydrated Strawberries Crunchy?

Dehydrated strawberries done in the air fryer and dehydrator are not crunchy.

They have more of a dry and leathery consistency, like a fruit leather only in strawberry pieces.

Strawberries dehydrated by freeze drying have more of a crunch consistency than those dehydrated with the methods as discussed.

How To Store Dehydrated Strawberries

Once completely dried, strawberries can be stored in an airtight container such as glass jars.

Other airtight storage containers will also work well.

Just make sure that all of the pieces are completely dried before storing them all together.

Otherwise, just a couple of half moist pieces can affect the storage of the other pieces in the container.

I love to use a mason jar, as they display so nicely with the dried fruit and berries. You can see immediately what you are reaching for at a glance, as you grab for a nutritious snack.

Make sure to label the jar with the date on which the strawberries were dehydrated. Use this date to determine the expiry date, for safety reasons.

Store the dehydrated berries in a dry and cool area and a dark place for longest shelf life.

How Long Do Dehydrated Strawberries Last?

Store for up to six months, although in our house the fruit and berries don't seem to last that long.

They tend to get eaten up pretty quickly, as they are a delicious snack.

Dehydrated strawberries will store very well as long as they have been well dried and then properly stored.

How To Use Dehydrated Strawberries

We love to eat dehydrated strawberries mixed with other dried fruits and nuts.

Just throw them in a snack container or baggie for a snack on the go.

You can also put them on top of yogurt, ice cream, sprinkle them on your cereal, or add them to your baking.

The list is limitless, and just dependent on your culinary skills and imagination.

They are a delicious and versatile dried berry and sweet treat.

Recipe Card

Conclusion

Strawberries have to be one of the easiest fruits to dehydrate.

Dehydrating strawberries is a great way to preserve fresh strawberries in season. The drying process is fairly easy, and is well worth the effort.

If you have a large harvest of these sweet berries in peak season, it's so easy to dehydrate a few to eat later, to have when the strawberry season is all done.

Dehydrated strawberries are a wonderful and portable nutritious healthy snack.

We love dehydrating strawberries, and have added these delicious berries to our pantry.

Dried strawberries are also easy to store, and last a long time.

Long after the season is done, we'll be enjoying these sweet strawberry treats. I would highly encourage everyone to make their own dehydrated strawberries to enjoy.

Have you ever tried dehydrating strawberries? Be sure to leave a comment below to share your experience!

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