Are you obsessed with potato chips? Have a little bit of a sweet tooth? If you answered yes to either of these questions (or both like me!) you’ll see why you NEED a food dehydrator. Food dehydrators are great because they allow you to make healthy treats that are just as delicious, if not more, than store bought snacks. The dehydrator recipes below are quick to put together and will leave you wondering how you ever lived without this fun tool! It would be such a good time to share these amazingly tasty recipes. Don’t miss out on your chance to get more views by sharing them. Buy youtube views now and see the results instantly.
What’s great about a food dehydrator is that most of the time spent on these recipes is “cook” time. For most recipes you’ll simply be slicing up fruits, veggies, or meat, adding a few spices, and leaving them to dry in your dehydrator. It takes 10-15 minutes of prep to create these treats and the result is well-worth the dry time.
FRUIT RECIPES
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Caramel Green Apple Chips. Photo via Make the Best of Everything.
Caramel Apple Chips – Looking for a healthy way to satisfy your sweet tooth? Then this is the perfect recipe! To make this sweet treat start by slicing green apples into thin rounds. Use a pastry brush to spread a thin layer of caramel onto the apple slices. Last, spread on food dehydrator trays and cook at 135 degrees for around 14 hours. Recipe from Make the Best of Everything.
Fruit Leather – Take ordinary fruit, some honey, and a little Psyllium (a form of fiber) to create delicious and healthy fruit leather! Just puree the ingredients, spread evenly onto teflex sheets and “cook” in the food dehydrator for around 3 hours at 115 degrees. Recipe from reader Samantha.
Dehydrated Cinnamon Apples – First, peel and slice apples. Put into a big Ziploc bag with enough cinnamon to coat (about 2 tablespoons) and then shake the bag until well coated. Next, load the apples onto the dehydrator trays and cook for around 8 hours at 135 degrees. Yum! Recipe from Are We Crazy, Or What? They recommend using this VICTORIO apple and potato peeler to make the process even quicker.
Easy Pineapple Chips. Photo via A Lazy Girl.
Apple Peel Potpourri – Technically this isn’t a recipe because you don’t eat potpourri, but it’s a great way to reuse the apple peels from the above recipe. What’s better than no waste? Anyway, to make this apple peel potpourri simply take your apple peels and dehydrate them. Next, combine 1 cinnamon stick broken into several pieces, 3 ginger slivers and 1 teaspoon of whole cloves.Add enough dried peels and cores to make 1 full cup. Simmer when ready to make your house smell like fall! Recipe from Little House Living.
Dehydrated Watermelon – This is a fun and different recipe. Use a serrated knife to slice your watermelon into thin slices. Place watermelon on dehydrator trays and allow it to drain over the sink. Cook in a dehydrator at 135 degrees for 8-10 hours. At the 6 hour mark flip so both sides have a chance to dry. Woo-Lah! Watermelon Candy! Recipe from Mom With A Prep.
Easy Pineapple Chips – This recipe uses canned pineapple and it’s SUPER easy! Just lay the pineapple slices on the trays of your food dehydrator, cook at 135 degrees for about 12 hours (or until dry and chewy)…and eat! Using canned pineapple keeps you from needing to do any chopping or cooking which makes this recipe perfect for on the go moms still trying to be healthy. Recipe from A Lazy Girl.
DIY Skittles – This Recipe is a little more complex because it involves a TON of different fruits. Here is an example of how to make one skittle flavor. To make orange “Skittles” combine 2 cups cooked orange sweet potato, 1 cup chopped raw carrots, 2 peeled and seeded oranges, and 1/4 cup coconut butter in a blender. Then puree until smooth. Make little blobs onto your food dehydrator trays. Cook in a food dehydrator at 130 degrees for about four hours then flip and continue to cook until you’re happy with the crispness. Recipe from Joyful Abode.
Natural Fruit Sprinkles. Photo via Rawified.
Fruit Powder – You may be thinking, “What do I use fruit powder for?” Well, there are actually a TON of uses. Add to frosting to create a fruity flavor or provide natural coloring, sprinkle on oatmeal, or rub on meat. Yum! To make this fun treat simply use any fruit you like and dehydrate. Different fruits take different times to dehydrate. Go here to learn how to dehydrate a variety of different fruits. Once the fruit is dehydrated, freeze overnight. The next day, blend the fruit until it turns into a powder. You’ll need a high strength blender such as this Vitamix or Nutri-Bullet. Recipe from Cupcake Project.
Natural Fruit Sprinkles – First crumble the raspberries and then combine with the zest of 2 oranges, zest of 2 lemons and zest of 2 limes. Mix everything together, and dehydrate for 6 to 8 hours at 118 degrees until the raspberries are completely dehydrated (no moisture left!). Pour into a spice grinder or high-strength blender until you have sprinkle sized pieces…and you’re done! Recipe from Rawified!
MEAT RECIPES
Brown Sugar Candied Bacon Jerky – For every pound of bacon, mix in one cup of brown sugar making sure to distribute sugar so bacon is evenly coated. Then place on trays in the dehydrator and cook at 160 degrees. Check every 12 hours…flipping at the 24 hour mark. This takes about 2-3 days to cook and will have your house smelling like yummy bacon all day long. LOL! Recipe from Well Preserved.
Candied Bacon. Photo via Kitchen Heals Soul.
Beef Jerky – To make beef jerky you basically just dehydrate your meat! If you are running out of time, there are various available jerky you could choose from online just like wild boar jerky but if you want to try doing it your own, follow these steps. First trim fat off your meat and then freeze for 1-2 hours to make cutting easier. Then, cut beef between 1/8 – 1/ 4 inch thick slices and place in a food dehydrator. Cook following your machine’s instructions for jerky. (There was a wide difference in cook times depending on the machine SO it’s important to consult your own model.) Add flavor with different brines/marinades. Here are a few of our favorites:
Teriyaki Beef Jerky – For this recipe you’ll need Worchestire sauce, teriyaki sauce, liquid smoke and a bunch of spices (garlic powder, red pepper flakes, onion powder and more!). While this has more ingredients (get the full list here) it’s still quick to whip up.First, trim off as much fast as possible then cut beef between 1/8 – 1/ 4 inch thick slices. Then combine the sauce ingredients and allow meat to marinade overnight. Cook in a food dehydrator following the instructions for jerky on your model. Recipe from Allrecipes.com.
Mexican Lime Jerky – In a mini food processor, puree 1 seeded and halved jalapeño along with 1/4 cup of the lime juice. Then, pour puree into a large bowl. Stir in 1 quart light Mexican beer (Corona), 1/2 cup soy sauce, and one unseeded halved jalapeño and 3/4 cup of lime juice. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours and then cook according to your dehydrator instructions. Recipe from Food and Wine.
Salmon Jerky – I’ve never heard of fish jerky BUT it sounds delicious and it’s REALLY healthy. To make this start by freezing the salmon for 30 minutes. Then, cut into thin strips and remove skin. Create a brine with: ½ cup raw apple cider vinegar, 1 tbs. organic lemon juice, 2 tbs. coconut aminos, 1 tbs. paprika, ½ tbs. onion powder, ½ tbs. garlic powder, 1 ½ tsp sea salt and 1 cup of filtered water. Add the salmon pieces to the brine and allow to sit for 12 hours. Remove from brine and cook in a food dehydrator at 145 for 3-4 hours. Recipe from My Gutsy.
VEGETABLE RECIPES
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Salt & Pepper Zucchini Chips – This recipe is VERY easy! All you need is 1 lb (about 4 cups) thin sliced Zucchini, ¼ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, ½ tsp olive oil, and 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar. If you have one you’ll want to use a mandoline to get these chips nice and thin! Once the zucchini has been cut thin just whisk salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar. Then coat zucchini slices. Arrange on dehydrator trays and cook at 135 degrees for 5-6 hours or until nice and crisp. Yum! Recipe from Frugal Living Mom!
Eggplant Jerky – To make this jerky you start by slicing one large eggplant into long strips. Then, whisk together, 1/2 cup olive oil, 4 tbs. balsamic vinegar, 2 tbs. pure maple syrup, and 1/2 tsp. paprika. Place eggplant in marinade and refrigerate for 2 hours. Place strips on dehydrator trays, sprinkle with a small amount of salt, and cook at 115 degrees for 12-18 hours. Recipe from Everyone Eats Right.
Pumpkin Leather. Photo via Common Sense Homesteading.
Chedda Onions – Take 3 lbs. of onions and cut into 1/4 or 1/2 inch strips. In a blender combine 1/2 tsp. red pepper, 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast, 1 tbs. lemon juice, 1 tbs. olive oil, 1 tbs. tahini, 1/2 garlic clove, and 1 cup sunflower seeds (soaked 3-6 hours). Then, puree until smooth and pour over onions. Dehydrate for 24 hours at 145 degrees. Cheesy onions with no cheese!
Pumpkin Leather – For this recipe you start by simply combining the following ingredients: 2 cups (one 16-ounce can) pumpkin, 1 cup canned evaporated milk or coconut milk, 2 cups applesauce, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup dried shredded coconut, unsweetened, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. ground allspice and 2 tbs. finely chopped dried cranberries or raisins. Spread mixture on well oiled fruit leather sheets in dehydrator and dry 8 to 24 hours at around 135 F. Done! Recipe from Common Sense Homesteading.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes. Photo via Prairie Homestead.
Green Bean Chips – Take 5 pounds of green beans and blanch (quick boil…between 2-4 minutes depending on size of bean). Next, pour 1/3 cup oil onto green beans and sprinkle with 4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tsp onion powder. Place on dehydrator trays and cook for 6 hours (at least) at 135 degrees. Recipe from Whole New Mom.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes – I grow TONS of tomatoes in the summer and being able to dehydrate them means that none go to waste. Wash tomatoes and cut them into 1/4 inch round slices. Place tomato slices on dehydrator trays and sprinkle with dried oregano and basil (optional). Cook in a food dehydrator at 145 degrees for 8-10 hours. Recipe from the Prairie Homestead.
Beet Chips – To make beet chips you’ll want to start by thoroughly washing the beets. Then, cut the tops off and cut into thin slices. Next, flavor with 1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 tsp. sea salt, and 1/4 tsp of your personal favorite spice. Lastly, place on dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 130-140 degrees for 10-12 hours. Recipe from It’s a Love Love Thing.
I’m a little obsessed with all of the recipes (I can’t decide which to try first!) but I really love the idea of all of these healthy chips. Imagine eating them with salsa or guacamole. Yum!