Dehydrator Strawberries

Name: Dehydrator Strawberries
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 10 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Strawberries

This DIY for making your own dehydrated strawberries at home is going to be your favorite new snack! They can also be used in drinks and baked goods.

Overhead view of bright red strawberry slices that have been dehydrated.

Strawberry season here in California is always a welcome sight. However, excitement for the season to begin quickly turns to feelings of being overwhelmed with the ample harvest!

Once we run out of baked goods and drinks to use the fresh berries in, we start looking for ways to preserve them for later use. The most simple way is our favorite – dehydrating the strawberries.

What you need to get started

Overhead view of a dehydrator tray filled with sliced and dehydrated strawberries

Strawberries – Perfectly ripe, fresh strawberries yield the best results. I do not recommend using strawberries that are already going soft or any that were previously frozen.
Dehydrator – There are all kinds of dehydrators out there and they cost everything from $50 – $500+. You can use any kind you have available to you. I have a budget friendly Nesco.

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How To Make

A collage of three photos. The first one shows fresh strawberries being rinsed, the second is a strawberry with its top cut off being sliced, and the third is fresh strawberry slices in a dehdyrator.

Wash your strawberries really well. Pat them dry with a paper towel or allow them to air dry.
Hull the strawberries by slicing off the tops, then cut the berries into 1/4″ slices.
Place the slices in your dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 135F for 8 hours.

Tips

A three photo collage showing a starwberry hulling tool pierce the top of a strawberry and pull out the stem.

Want them sweeter? Sprinkle the sliced strawberries with a light coating of sugar before dehydrating.
To quickly hull the strawberries without any excess waste, use an inexpensive strawberry huller.

Sliced vs Whole

A dehydrated tray is filled with bright red whole strawberries

Dehydrating whole strawberries will differ slightly from doing slices.

First, for whole strawberries I do not recommend using a stacked tray dehydrator like the one above. Even small strawberries are generally too big to fit on anything other than the top tray, so you can only do a few at a time. Instead, use something like the Excalibur, which allows you to remove trays so you can have a larger height clearance.

Whole ones take much longer than slices, anywhere from 16-24 hours depending on the size and moisture levels of the strawberries you are using.

Two rows of whole strawberries that have been dehydrated sit on a dehydrator tray

How to use

You can simply eat them as a snack, that’s why they’re sometimes called “strawberry chips”. But there are lots of other ways you can use them too!

Garnish cocktails
Decorate cake or cupcakes
Bake in cookies or muffins
Top oatmeal, cereal, or yogurt
Add to homemade trail mix
Blend into smoothies

How to store

Store the dried berries in a sterilized jar or vacuum seal them. Keep the jar or vacuum sealed bag in a cool, dark place where the temperature does not fluctuate much.

Dehydrated strawberry chips pouring out of a glass jar.

FAQs

Are dehydrated strawberries healthy?

Yes, they are healthy because they are simply strawberries with nothing else added.

Are dehydrated strawberries crunchy?

They are not crunchy like a potato chip, but the edges to have a little snap to them.

Are dehydrated strawberries the same as freeze dried?

No, dehydrated and freeze dried are two different things. To freeze dry strawberries you would need a very expensive machine. If that’s what you’re after it’s best just to purchase freeze dried strawberries.

Are dehydrated strawberries keto?

Yes, they can fit into a keto diet as long as you don’t add extra sugar.

When are dehydrated strawberries done?

When the strawberries have been properly dehydrated, they will be dry to the touch. Jar them for 24 hours, then open the jar and feel them. If they are damp put them back in dehydrator for a little while.

How long are dehydrated strawberries good for?

When stored properly, they can be good for years.

Can dehydrated strawberries go bad?

Yes, be sure to store them in an airtight container in a cool place, away from sunlight so that they don’t go bad.

What do dehydrated strawberries taste like?

They taste like a strawberry with 10xs the flavor!

More Dehydrator Recipes

Overhead view of a glass jar that's filled to the top with sliced dehydrated strawberries

Other Strawberry Recipes