Dehydrated Strawberries

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Dehydrated strawberries are the reason I purchased my Nesco dehydrator back in 2005!

I had purchased some dried strawberries from Costco as I love snacking on dried fruit. Unfortunately, those dried strawberries were coated in sugar and too sweet. I was brushing and rinsing the sugar off before I could eat them (and this was before I became a dietitian!).

At that point, I wanted to make my own dehydrated strawberries and other dried fruit. I had already been thinking about getting a dehydrator so I bought my dehydrator.

Ironically, strawberries aren’t something I dehydrate as often as some other fruits. When I do dehydrate and snack on them, I’m reminded how good my own dehydrated strawberries are. You too can make your own delicious dehydrated strawberries! Read on.

What do you need to do to prepare strawberries for dehydrating?

Just prior to using, rinse the strawberries with water and remove any visible dirt. Strawberries tend to be fragile so always wash just before using them because they could mold quicker if they are washed and stored.
Remove any strawberries that are soft or have bruised spots. These are not good for dehydrating.
Hull the strawberries or just cut off the tops.
Slice the strawberries into 1/4 to 3/8-inch pieces. Remember, they will shrink some when dehydrating so don’t slice too thin.
Place cut strawberry slices on a dehydrator tray.

On the left are strawberries in a colander that are slightly damp from rinsing. On the right are whole strawberries, hulled strawberries, and sliced strawberries on a cutting board with a knife next to them. The strawberries are being prepared to be dehydrated.

Pro tip: Put your strawberry tops in some white wine vinegar in a mason jar. Cover it and let it sit for about 2 weeks. The red from the strawberry tops will start to turn white as the flavor seeps into the vinegar. Strain the tops out and you’ll have a lightly flavored strawberry vinegar!

Strawberry tops soaking in white wine vinegar to make strawberry vinegar. The bottle of the white white vinegar is on the right and slightly behind the strawberry tops in the vinegar.

How long will it take to dehydrate strawberries?

Dehydrate at a temperature of 130 to 135 degrees F. It will take about 6-10 hours to dehydrate depending on the size of the slices.

What else can affect the dehydration time?

Size: larger slices of strawberries will take longer to dehydrate than smaller slices; similarly, strawberry halves will take longer than slices.
Spacing: crowding your strawberries or stacking them limits the air flow.
Humidity: the higher the humidity, the longer it will take to dehydratie strawberries.
Temperature: a lower dehydrating temperature will take longer than a higher temperature

How do you know if they are dried enough?

Touch the dehydrating strawberries see if they feel dried or still feel damp. It is best to touch some of the larger or higher pieces to determine if they are dry.

You may want to take a strawberry or two out of the dehydrator and let it sit on the counter to cool for about 10 minutes. If the pieces still feel wet after cooling off, the strawberries need to dehydrate longer.

On the left is sliced strawberries on a round dehydrator tray. On the right is dehydrated strawberries on a round dehydrator tray.

How should you store the dehydrated strawberries?

Dehydrated strawberries should be stored in a cool, dry and dark area. They can take on moisture if stored in high humidity.

Dehydrated strawberries should last for about six months, depending on storage conditions. As time goes on, they may oxidize and lose some of the bright color. You may not notice a flavor difference immediately. Eventually the flavor will be affected by the oxidization.