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Home » Preserving » How to Make Sun Dried Tomatoes

How to Make Sun Dried Tomatoes

by Mike Hultquist · Nov 24, 2015 · 63 Comments

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Make your own "sun dried" tomatoes at home with a dehydrator and enjoy them any time of year in so many recipes.

Sun Dried Tomatoes made with a Dehydrator.

Right next to our gorgeous chili peppers we grew in the garden this year, we also grew a SLEW of just-as-gorgeous tomatoes. We grow them every year, but this year we picked up some fabulous heirloom tomato plants during a visit to Asheville, NC, and gave them a try. Talk about flavor.

Heirlooms are BY FAR my favorite types of tomatoes, and luckily there is a large variety to choose from. Weirdly, they produced quite late in our season, so we had to pick a number of green tomatoes off the plants just before frost struck us. We had a large batch, but let them sit on the kitchen counter with apples to help them ripen. And ripen they did! Neat trick, the apples.

If you bury an apple in your tomato bowl, it will speed along the process. And you want to cut the tomatoes off the plant so you are not severing the stem from the tomato. This helps them last longer which is needed for the ripening process.

So, the question remains. What to do with all these tomatoes? We've made plenty of sauces and froze a lot, but another way to consider preserving your outstanding tomato harvest is to make sun dried tomatoes at home. But wait? It isn't very sunny! And it's cold outside! How can we do this?

You do this, my friends, with a dehydrator. I've posted information on how to dehydrate chili peppers, and the same principal works for tomatoes. The process is simple. First, you need a dehydrator.

Here is a link to the one I own - It's an affiliate link, FYI: Nesco Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator FD-75A. I LOVE this dehydrator. AND! You need some tomatoes, olive oil, and a few other ingredients. The recipe is listed below, but here are some photos to help you out.

How to Make Sun Dried Tomatoes (in a Dehydrator)

First things first. Clean and dry your tomatoes, then slice them into fairly thin slices, about a quarter inch thick or less. Some recipes call for coring them out, even peeling them, blanching them first, but we don't think so. We're making it easy, and to be honest, the resulting tomatoes come out great this way. Try it. You'll see.

Sun drying tomatoes with a dehydrator.

Lay out your tomatoes like so. Give them room to dry. Sprinkle the tomatoes with a bit of salt, pepper, dried basil and/or dried oregano. Cover, and turn on the dehydrator. You'll want a temperature of 140 degrees, the same for dehydrating chili peppers.

A difference here, though, is that you don't necessarily want your tomatoes to dry out completely. You want them to be somewhat pliable, so keep your dehydrating time at about 6-8 hours. You'll need to check on them to make sure they are dried out enough, but not TOO dry.

Ours were done at the 6 hour mark, but again, be sure to keep an eye on them after about 6 hours or so. If you flip them half way through it will help prevent them from sticking to the dehydrator  tray. Plus it allows you to season the other side if you'd like more seasoning.

Once dried, remove them and layer them in a jar with fresh basil leaves, rosemary sprigs, and a bit more salt, pepper, dried basil and dried oregano. Like so.

A jar to make sun dried tomatoes.

Once you've got your tomatoes nicely layered, cover them in olive oil. You can press down on the tomatoes and contents of the jar to compress them, making room for more tomatoes. Just be sure the ingredients are all submerged in oil.

Just like this...

Making Sun Dried Tomatoes with a Dehydrator.

Doesn't it look delicious? Oh yes! Cover tightly with a lid and refrigerate. They should last 4 days this way in the refrigerator, or several months in the freezer. Perfect for so many recipes!

Sun Dried Tomatoes made with a Dehydrator.
Print

How to Make Sun Dried Tomatoes - with a Dehydrator - Recipe Steps

Make your own "sun dried" tomatoes at home with a dehydrator and enjoy them any time of year in so many recipes.
Save Recipe Saved!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dehydrator, tomatoes
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours hours
Total Time: 6 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
Calories: 55kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 10
Tap or hover to scale
4.59 from 12 votes
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Ingredients

  • 2-3 pounds fresh tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Basil leaves - 10-12 should do
  • 2-3 rosemary sprigs
  • 2 cups olive oil - as needed

Instructions

  • Clean and dry the tomatoes. Slice them into fairly thin slices, about a quarter inch thick or less.
  • Lay out your tomatoes on dehydrator racks. Do not overlap.
  • Sprinkle the tomatoes with a bit of salt, pepper, dried basil and/or dried oregano. Cover, and turn on the dehydrator at 140 degrees.
  • Dry for 6-8 hours, but check them after 6 hours to ensure they do not over dry. You want them to be slightly pliable. Flip them once about half way through the process.
  • Remove the tomatoes and layer them in a jar with fresh basil leaves, rosemary sprigs, and a bit more salt, pepper, dried basil and dried oregano.
  • Cover them in oil and store in the refrigerator in tightly capped jars. Should last 4 days.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 55kcal   Carbohydrates: 3g   Fat: 4g   Sodium: 4mg   Potassium: 215mg   Fiber: 1g   Sugar: 2g   Vitamin A: 755IU   Vitamin C: 12.5mg   Calcium: 14mg   Iron: 0.4mg
Sun Dried Tomatoes made with a Dehydrator.
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

Here is a link to the one I own - It's an affiliate link, FYI: Nesco Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator FD-75ASave

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Robert willis says

    August 02, 2024 at 2:27 pm

    5 stars
    I made this last sept, and ate it all year still using on pizza's and it is august. Just wondering why you say will last 4 days? And you are not only one same way with fridge pickles and peppers. They last til next years crop , why is this just to be safe or what ? Thanks great recipe love it .

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      August 04, 2024 at 9:01 am

      Robert, it's because of the oil. It will likely last longer, especially in the refrigerator, but you'll want to keep an eye on it. Enjoy!!

      Reply
  2. Lizzie says

    July 24, 2023 at 8:14 pm

    If I canned these, would they keep for longer? Can’t wait to try this recipe!!!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      July 25, 2023 at 6:36 am

      Lizzie, it's not recommended to can foods with oil. You might look into saving them in water, then pressure canning, or pickling.

      Reply
  3. Amy says

    July 19, 2023 at 1:21 pm

    In your photo the basil leaves and rosemary sprigs look fresh (not dried) yet your recipe calls for dried basil, rosemary etc?

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      July 19, 2023 at 1:25 pm

      Amy, use the dried herbs (if desired) to sprinkle on the tomatoes before dehydrating. Then, you can add fresh basil and thyme to the oil in the jar.

      Reply
    • Kristen says

      August 21, 2023 at 6:44 am

      The recipe calls for fresh basil and rosemary to put into the jars after the tomatoes are dried.

      Reply
    • Jessi says

      October 07, 2023 at 8:46 pm

      5 stars
      I made these and dried them a bit longer like you would dehydrate anything else completely and they were delicious with the seasoning just like that. without the oil, I stored them in a zip lock and they lasted until we ate them all!! (about a month but probably could be longer in an airtight container). Thanks so much for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        June 20, 2024 at 11:39 am

        Thank you for the tip. I was looking for a way to make them last longer. I will start dehydrating today.

        Reply
  4. JEN says

    June 18, 2023 at 8:29 pm

    5 stars
    I love this recipe. It’s simple and looks delicious and I love the way you said “like so.” you are down-to-earth I like that.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      June 18, 2023 at 9:18 pm

      Thanks, Jen!

      Reply
  5. Jody says

    March 16, 2023 at 2:04 pm

    5 stars
    I love the recipe, but you mentioned that this can also be frozen to last longer. Do you freeze them in the oil or without oil? I am interested to know. Thank you for publishing the recipe.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      March 16, 2023 at 2:09 pm

      Jody, you can freeze them without the oil. Enjoy!

      Reply
  6. Ellie says

    February 18, 2023 at 8:58 pm

    Is it okay to freeze these in jars?

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      February 19, 2023 at 8:18 am

      Ellie, I've never frozen these, but don't see why you couldn't. They're already dried out, though.

      Reply
    • Beth Davis says

      November 27, 2023 at 4:48 pm

      They typically tell you not to freeze canned goods because it messes up the texture. I would think that ziplock freezer bags would be better?

      Reply
  7. Vickie says

    December 16, 2022 at 7:47 pm

    3 stars
    I made the recipe for the sun dried tomatoes and they are great. Since I did not eat them all so I put them in the refrigerator as suggested not a good idea by the next morning the oil had solidified. So in the trash they went.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      December 17, 2022 at 7:35 am

      Vickie, you just wasted good tomatoes. It is normal for the oil to congeal in the fridge. It goes back to normal consistency when you take them out. FYI.

      Reply
    • Kay says

      December 20, 2022 at 4:09 pm

      5 stars
      Happy Holidays Vickie! I co-sign with others responding to u...

      Yes, u did waste all that effort u put in, to then throw it all out (because the olive oil solidified with the cold fridge temperature). Vickie, this is VERY normal--as with ANY food containing oil, that gets refrigerated.

      After u reheat/cook ur refrigerated food containing oil, it all comes back together cooking nicely-- and it will taste awesome!

      Reply
    • Beth Davis says

      November 27, 2023 at 4:51 pm

      5 stars
      This comment makes me want to cry. I thought everyone knew oil would solidify in the refrigerator. Sadly, she only gave 3 stars when it was her mistake.

      Reply
  8. Pat says

    October 08, 2022 at 2:03 pm

    You say "cover" and turn the dehydrator on. What do you cover them with, foil or parchment paper or what?
    I am trying this with cherry tomatoes as we speak but I missed the "cover" before I started.

    Reply
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