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You are here: Home / Food / 40 Uses for a Dehydrator

by Stacy  98 Comments

40 Uses for a Dehydrator

Some of you have caught on to the fact that I own a dehydrator. You’ve emailed to ask me what kind it is and what I recommend – you’ve also asked me, “What am I supposed to do with it?” Today I’m going to look at that for ya…and at the end, Cultures For Health is going to let me GIVE AWAY one just like mine to one of you. 🙂 I love blessing y’all.

Before getting a dehydrator, I read around to see what I would like…that’s customary when Barry and I decide on a large appliance purchase…it quickly became apparent to me that Excalibur was a top notch model that gave great results. And if I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it right. I had already attempted to use a small, round dinky dehydrator Barry had – but it didn’t get the job done…so, we tried to sell it (no one wanted it, so to Freecycle it went!) and then started looking around for one to buy.

I was very blessed to be able to find a USED 9-Tray Excalibur Dehydrator: the top of the line. It got fabulous reviews and people seemed very pleased with it. An older single lady had purchased it, realized it was too large for her needs and wanted to downsize. Bingo for me! I’m telling y’all…watching Craigslist and asking around are excellent ways to find appliances.

40 Uses for a Dehydrator

This appliance will cost you about $250 brand new – but let me tell you…if you’re into food preservation, this is an excellent appliance to add to your arsenal. It’s rather large, so I have a station set up in my basement canning area. I do my dehydrating there and it works great – it’s also where I mill grain…and where I go if I need to have a fit and not let anyone else see me. Now that I’ve used mine for a while, I am sure if I had not found one used, I would have saved and purchased it new.

It’s not loud, it’s very efficient, and it makes drying things a BREEZE. The traditional dehydrating method of using your oven can give you a bit of a fit, but the Excalibur does all the work for you. You prep the food, put it in there, turn it on and leave. It’ll turn off when the timer goes off and you just come back later to dried food. Amazingly awesome. Plus it’s super easy to clean. The only thing that would make it better is if I could just put dirty dishes in there and come back and they were clean.

So far all I’ve used my dehydrator for is: zucchini chips (awesome!), drying nuts, making crackers, and incubating yogurt…because I have a tendency to forget mine is in the oven and turn it on and set diapers on fire. But today I’m going to give you a list of tons of ways you can use it…and I’m going to start using some of those ways myself, considering it’s almost harvest time around these parts!

40 Uses for a Dehydrator

40 Uses For Your Dehydrator

  1. Making Crispy Nuts and Seeds
  2. Drying Sprouted Flour
  3. Incubating Homemade Yogurt
  4. Making jerkey
  5. Proofing Sourdough Bread
  6. Homemade Fruit Leather
  7. Making Tempeh
  8. Drying Granola
  9. Dehydrating Summer Squash
  10. Making your own Prunes
  11. Drying berries
  12. Dehydrating kefir grains
  13. Preserving Pears and Apples
  14. Making Dried Pineapple
  15. Drying Herbs
  16. Drying Flowers
  17. Dry paper mache or other craft items that need to fully dry
  18. Make Applesauce Cinnamon Ornaments
  19. Making Fire Starters40 Uses for a Dehydrator
  20. Potpourri
  21. Make Paper
  22. Drying Tomatoes
  23. Dehydrate Mushrooms
  24. Make Long Term Baby Food
  25. Make Zucchini Raisins
  26. Dry Cherries
  27. Make Raw Kale Chips
  28. Make Dehydrated Brownies
  29. Make Oatmeal Cookies
  30. Dry Zucchini Chips
  31. Make Crackers
  32. Dry Celery
  33. Make Almond Cheese
  34. Make Cocoa Mint Macaroons
  35. Dehydrate Broth
  36. Make Yogurt Drops
  37. Make Faux-Cheetos
  38. Make Eggplant “Bacon”
  39. Make PB and Banana Graham Crackers

So, there ya go. Anything to add? 🙂

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About Stacy

Stacy is a Homemaking and Business Mom Mentor, the author of two cookbooks, creator of multiple e-courses, seasoned life coach, and comedian extraordinaire. Her first priority is her husband and her children - family first. She presses on each day because her calling is to teach, train, and mentor other ladies to have their dreams. She believes if it’s not easy, you won’t do it – because she’s lived it. She’ll bring YOU the awesome so that you can get your home back into control and watch your business soar. For tips and easy strategies, you can follow her on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the content above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I may receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Comment Policy: I love reading your thoughts and input on what you read here. I'm sure we'll disagree sometimes and that's okay! In those cases, do what's right for you and yours. As with any form of communication, only post comments that move the discussion in a positive direction.

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Comments

  1. Tom Steel says

    September 24, 2022 at 11:47 am

    I used my Nesco with the thin solid insert’s to dry out desiccant’s. Pink to blue in less than an hour.

    Reply
  2. sara says

    February 11, 2022 at 1:12 am

    T. I never thanks for sharing these Uses for a Dehydrator, seems so amazing .I never thought about these uses , its like WOW!!!!

    Reply
  3. Ajay says

    December 24, 2021 at 5:36 am

    Thanks for sharing about 40 Uses for a Dehydrator, these can be very useful for us.

    Reply
  4. Sophie says

    December 14, 2021 at 2:35 am

    The perfect stuff is to make Make Oatmeal Cookies and will love to try this. thank you for sharing this.

    Reply
  5. Ryaannace says

    November 12, 2021 at 12:39 am

    Thanks for sharing these used of dehydrators , will definitely gonna apply these. Thanks for sharing this one

    Reply
  6. Rishika says

    November 11, 2021 at 2:21 am

    Love this “40 Uses for a Dehydrator” , thanks for sharing this one.

    Reply
  7. Sachin rawat says

    October 4, 2021 at 6:11 am

    Thanks for sharing these uses of dehydrated food products .

    Reply
  8. Sachin says

    October 1, 2021 at 5:28 am

    I already using some of the dehydrators as for flour , herbs etc . Thanks for sharing this kind of uses

    Reply
  9. e says

    August 29, 2021 at 7:30 pm

    you said 40 things but only listed 39. I feel like my hopes and expectations have been dehydrated 🙂

    Reply
  10. Maxine W says

    November 13, 2020 at 12:08 pm

    My husband uses ours to restore old reel to reel tapes…it’s a miracle!!!

    Reply
    • staceface1981 says

      February 16, 2021 at 11:58 am

      I am so sorry – this message JUST posted today 2/16/21. Wow! I didn’t know that was a thing!

      Reply
    • Roma says

      April 24, 2021 at 3:26 pm

      Do you broken ones or stretched?

      Reply
  11. Tom Lay says

    August 28, 2020 at 8:09 pm

    Do you know anything about drying corn cobs to be used for crafting ?

    Reply
    • staceface1981 says

      February 16, 2021 at 11:58 am

      I am so sorry – this message JUST posted today 2/16/21. I do not – my dad always just left them out in the sun. Ha ha!

      Reply
  12. Mike Sanders says

    May 4, 2020 at 11:19 am

    I like what you said about dehydrating your own food so that you can preserve food in bulk. My sister has been telling me about how she wants to get some food storage ready in the coming weeks. I’ll share this information with her so that she can look into her options for dehydrators that can help her with this.

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      May 7, 2020 at 8:57 am

      I’m glad it was helpful!!!

      Reply
  13. Krissy T says

    September 12, 2019 at 11:42 am

    My daughter and I checked a food dehydrator out from the library, yes, they have that at our library here. We can’t wait to try it out and see how it goes. I needed this post for inspiration, thanks.

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      September 12, 2019 at 2:56 pm

      Well, that’s an AMAZING library perk!!!!!

      Reply
  14. Kathryn Bell says

    February 18, 2019 at 5:04 am

    That’s a shame, your almond cheese link doesn’t work:(((

    Reply
    • Julie Chittock says

      February 21, 2019 at 7:55 pm

      Bummer! Looks like that blog has been shut down. I’m trying to track down the recipe for you and will let you know if/when I find it! Thanks,
      Julie, HH Team

      Reply
      • Patricia Pilote says

        May 25, 2020 at 4:11 am

        i would love to see that recipe for almond cheese! Do you have a link> Thanks Patricia

        Reply
        • Stacy says

          May 25, 2020 at 10:16 am

          Here is one you might look at: https://responsibleeatingandliving.com/almond-mozzarella-cheese/

          Reply
  15. Elsie Reid says

    January 20, 2019 at 6:56 pm

    can I dehydrated scoby I have some in my fridge what I makes smooths

    Reply
    • Julie Chittock says

      January 25, 2019 at 8:55 am

      Sure! We don’t have any posts about it here on the HH blog, but I’m sure you could google it and find lots of information.
      Thanks Elsie!
      Julie, Humorous Homemaking Team

      Reply
  16. Amanda says

    December 11, 2017 at 10:22 am

    Using mine right now to dry sweet potato slices for dog treats!

    Reply
    • Julie Chittock says

      December 13, 2017 at 7:45 am

      That’s a creative idea! Good for you and thanks for the comment 🙂
      Julie, HH Team

      Reply
  17. Lynn says

    May 10, 2017 at 3:00 pm

    Hi Stacy! i did read several reviews about the Excalibur dehydrator. All of the reviews were just what you said, top of the line. Which model do you have.. thank you!

    Reply
    • Julie Chittock says

      May 13, 2017 at 11:03 am

      Hi Lynn! I use the 9-tray Economy Excalibur Dehydrator. It’s an older version so I’m not exactly sure about model #’s but I think that’s enough information to point you in a right direction!
      — Julie, HH Team

      Reply
  18. Katelyn says

    January 31, 2017 at 1:12 am

    DRIED OKRA = AMAZING

    Reply
  19. Christine says

    March 17, 2016 at 10:46 pm

    Being new to dehydrating foods, what are the options for correctly storing dehydrated foods? ie: avoiding mold or spoilage? How long will dehydrated foods last? Is this considered a way of food preservation? Is there any risk of candida with drying fruits? Which is better? canning vs. dehydration?

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      March 25, 2016 at 10:18 am

      Hi Christine, I would recommend checking out the Bread Beckers website for more information on dehydrating. 🙂
      http://www.breadbeckers.com/store/pc/Dehydration-c220.htm

      Reply
  20. Shelly says

    January 28, 2016 at 12:49 pm

    I have an Excalibur dehydrator and it’s great. I often get fruit on sale at our discount grocery and Iove how easy it is to dehydrate it and use it later. Also great for our surplus garden produce too. I’m going to try using the dehydrator the next time I need to make homemade dairy free yogurt and see how it works. Thanks for sharing my link to drying cherries.

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      January 28, 2016 at 1:13 pm

      Thanks for providing the information!

      Reply
  21. Robert Breeden says

    July 21, 2015 at 6:32 pm

    I have a dehydrator and love it! I’m thinking about trying to figure out a way to switch the fan off for a curing box for my summer sausage. Any ideas?

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      July 22, 2015 at 4:39 pm

      I would check Pinterest and see if anyone else has done it.

      Reply
  22. Jenn says

    April 15, 2014 at 7:40 pm

    These are all amazing ideas! Can I add this article to my blog post please? Amazing stuff! bakodepot.blogspot.com

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      April 21, 2014 at 10:57 am

      Sure, as long as you link back. 🙂 Thanks!

      Reply
  23. Dan says

    March 19, 2014 at 2:24 am

    You just sparked the idea that it would make an excellent Natto. Thanks! I needed this.

    Reply
  24. Nancy A. says

    February 16, 2014 at 6:19 am

    I like to cut tortillias into eight pieces, lay on the screen and dehydrate. You then tortillia chips! They are so good and crispy and you put any kind of seasoning on them. I just like them plain.

    Reply
  25. Ogreletmama says

    September 17, 2013 at 8:13 pm

    Sorry for not searching first!! I should have known you’d beaten me to the punch; weeks ago too! Thanks for the advice and ideas….

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      September 17, 2013 at 9:30 pm

      🙂 Nah….I’m behind on my posting ideas. Ha!

      Reply
  26. orsoshesays says

    September 6, 2013 at 11:15 pm

    This is great! Thanks for linking it up at the party on ‘Or so she says…’! I’m actually featuring it this weekend. I would love for you to link back, if you haven’t. And, see you tomorrow with more of your great ideas! ~ Mariel

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      September 7, 2013 at 6:25 am

      I always try to link back. 🙂 Thanks for hosting!

      Reply
  27. Anne @ Domesblissity says

    September 4, 2013 at 5:54 am

    Hi Stacy! What a wonderful post. I wish I knew half of these before I gave away my dehydrator. I just have to share this with my followers. I’m featuring this at tomorrow’s Thriving on Thursdays. Thanks for linking up.

    Anne xx

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      September 5, 2013 at 9:28 pm

      Thank you!!! I’m honored. 🙂

      Reply
  28. Nicole says

    August 30, 2013 at 6:26 pm

    What a great collection of ideas! Thanks for linking up with Let’s Get Real! Hope our readers stop by to see this!

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 30, 2013 at 9:56 pm

      I do too! LOL

      Reply
  29. Dawn says

    August 23, 2013 at 1:41 pm

    I would LOVE to try out a dehydrator. Especially for the crackers

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 23, 2013 at 2:53 pm

      They make AWESOME crackers!

      Reply
  30. dholman says

    August 23, 2013 at 12:43 pm

    This would be awesome to use with my blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries not to mention the rest of the fruit and veggies around here.

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 23, 2013 at 9:20 pm

      I love dried fruit!

      Reply
  31. Jill L says

    August 22, 2013 at 9:24 am

    I was wondering, with the dehydrator, they sell plastic sheets to use with it for more “liquidy” things. Do you use these, or could you use parchment paper instead?

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 23, 2013 at 7:47 am

      I have the sheets and I’ve used parchment paper. The sheets are WAY better. 🙂

      Reply
      • Jill L says

        August 23, 2013 at 9:15 am

        Which ones would you recommend, the premium or the ultra non stick?

        Reply
        • Stacy says

          August 23, 2013 at 9:23 pm

          Whatever your budget allows. LOL

          Reply
        • Sharon A. says

          October 25, 2021 at 9:22 pm

          Jill – the Paraflexx sheets for the Excalibur are the very best you’ll find. I got a great deal on 6 of them on Amazon. You don’t want teflon or anything with teflon in it for your food. These are silicone and are wonderful!!

          Reply
  32. Stacy says

    August 21, 2013 at 10:46 pm

    🙂 Keep an eye peeled for an awesome deal on a used one!

    Reply
  33. Stacy says

    August 21, 2013 at 10:45 pm

    I guess I’m in for it eventually. LOL

    Reply
  34. Stacy says

    August 21, 2013 at 10:43 pm

    Keep an eye peeled on Craig’s List! 🙂 I love buying used.

    Reply
  35. Holly Koppel says

    August 21, 2013 at 12:03 pm

    Awesome! I’ve been thinking of getting one these for my mother-in-law who has a very extensive herb garden, but the price tag always makes me a little nervous.

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 21, 2013 at 10:40 pm

      And then she can bring you nice little goodies – I think that’s a great arrangement. 😉

      Reply
  36. Lindsay says

    August 20, 2013 at 11:14 pm

    Thanks for the opportunity 🙂 A dehydrator has been on my wish list for sometime! I would love to make some yummy jerky and tasty fruits

    Reply
  37. Barbara Powers says

    August 20, 2013 at 10:34 pm

    I was thrilled to find a raw “bacon” recipe tonight! Score!

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 20, 2013 at 10:40 pm

      Bacon….I heart bacon.

      Reply
  38. Stacy says

    August 20, 2013 at 5:05 pm

    Yep! Nori Wraps….Crispy Nuts…Flax Crackers. Yummy.

    Reply
  39. Heidi P says

    August 20, 2013 at 4:37 pm

    You know . . . they already make a machine that you can put dirty dishes in and they come back clean. It’s called a dishwasher, but you keep having Barry remove them 😉

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 20, 2013 at 5:04 pm

      I’m the dishwasher around these parts….until my kids are big enough. LOL LOL

      Reply
  40. Rebecca says

    August 20, 2013 at 2:47 pm

    I’ve never tried a dehydrator but my THM book calls for one in a few of the recipes. This looks great!

    Reply
  41. Cheryl HeartnSoulmom says

    August 20, 2013 at 2:47 pm

    I have dreamed of owning one of these, in my lifetime.

    Reply
  42. DougRobin Cason says

    August 19, 2013 at 11:51 pm

    I would just love to win one of those. I have 3 teenagers and a 7 yr old. Good health quick snacks are a must at our house.

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 20, 2013 at 6:46 am

      Yes, it sounds like it. 🙂 I hear that teenagers can really eat!

      Reply
      • DougRobin Cason says

        August 20, 2013 at 12:24 pm

        Yes they can specially the two boys. lol

        Reply
  43. HB Redbird says

    August 19, 2013 at 11:39 pm

    I am totally bookmarking this page … even without the giveaway, I am SO needing this right now!

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 20, 2013 at 6:46 am

      They’re so much fun to play with AND useful!

      Reply
  44. Patty Schieler says

    August 19, 2013 at 6:07 pm

    Hi Stacy ~ I have the same model and I LOVE it! I also had a station set up for dehydrating in my garage. Just an FYI–I used to set a timer and hope I was home when it went off, but then I started using one of the little automatic appliance timers on the plug-in thingy and it works great–I got the idea from using the same thing on my Crock Pot since I didn’t have one with a timer and I had a full time job at the time and never knew when I was getting home from work. The timer works really well with the dehydrator as well. My latest creation in the dehydrator is yummy kale crackers that are made with soaked almonds, nutritional yeast, lots of chopped up kale and a few other spices. they are my THM go to for something S and crunchy! BTW–I just love THM Tuesdays–wouldn’t miss them for the world! You are terrific!

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 20, 2013 at 6:49 am

      I got one after Christmas for my crock…but I’ve never used it. LOL

      Reply
  45. Missy Homemaker says

    August 19, 2013 at 3:30 pm

    I would LOVE to have a better dehydrator. We use ours to make jerky and dry bananas and other fruit mostly.

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 20, 2013 at 6:49 am

      I haven’t ventured into jerky yet…for some reason, it kinda scares me – even though I LOVE to eat it!

      Reply
  46. Darlene D says

    August 19, 2013 at 3:01 pm

    This would certainly help with the plethora of tomatoes coming in now. And for next spring when we go strawberry picking. I got one of the dinky round ones from Freecycle and have to agree that it is frustrating. Hmm, I wonder if is the same one you gave away making it’s way around southern VA? 🙂

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 20, 2013 at 6:50 am

      LOL LOL LOL Oh dear – that really made me laugh!

      Reply
  47. Earlene says

    August 19, 2013 at 2:59 pm

    Hey Stacy,
    I bought some nutritional yeast and forgot why, so now I have this can. What do I use it for?????

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 20, 2013 at 6:50 am

      All sorts of stuff! It’s good in soup, on eggs, on pizza, in salads, on chicken…anything you’d use cheese for. 🙂

      Reply
      • Barbara Powers says

        August 20, 2013 at 10:37 pm

        Out fav.use for NY is sprinkling onto our popcorn… Tastes like cheese corn. 🙂

        Reply
        • Stacy says

          August 20, 2013 at 10:40 pm

          Good one! Quite tasty. 🙂

          Reply
  48. Dawn Aanderud-Cosby says

    August 19, 2013 at 2:45 pm

    What if you don’t have instagram?

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 20, 2013 at 6:51 am

      That just means you won’t be able to use that entry method.

      Reply
  49. Chelle Barnaby says

    August 19, 2013 at 12:56 pm

    What? No scoby jerky…lol…:)

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 19, 2013 at 2:30 pm

      No…that one didn’t make the cut. 🙂

      Reply
  50. Angie R says

    August 19, 2013 at 11:48 am

    You forgot #41 Make banana Bread Walnuts (http://naturallysavvy.com/Eat/raw-banana-bread-walnuts) and then go eat them with a little breakfast salad of chopped dates, bananas and oranges. Scoop of cottage cheese optional. You’re welcome.

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 19, 2013 at 2:31 pm

      Wow.

      Reply
  51. Michelle says

    August 19, 2013 at 9:44 am

    Dude. LOVE my Excalibur! I especially love the non-stick sheets- but I bought an off-brand on Amazon rather than the official Excalibur ones. We make lots of fruit leather on those sheets- sooooo easy! My favorite fruit leather tip- blend fruits together with pears. Pears make it more pliable and chewy. For example, apricots make a crisp, tough leather, but if you blend in pears, you get a sweeter, more flexible and thicker leather. For fruits that tend to brown while drying (like banana, apple, etc.) add a few mulberries or other berry to make the leather prettier. Before I knew this, I had people stopping me in the street to tell me my three year old was eating a huge dry leaf or a paper bag, when in reality she was chewing on a not-so-pretty but oh-so-yummy fruit leather!

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 19, 2013 at 2:31 pm

      I have those too….I think they might also be including those in the giveaway – but I’m not 100% sure.

      Reply
  52. Beth says

    August 19, 2013 at 9:37 am

    I’d like to win that basement room! I grind my grain in the front yard to avoid the mess and who knows what the neighbors think is going on . . .

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 19, 2013 at 2:32 pm

      If the neighbors don’t think you’re kooky, you’re doing something wrong.

      Reply
  53. htboland says

    August 19, 2013 at 8:57 am

    Awesome giveaway! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 19, 2013 at 2:33 pm

      Woot!

      Reply
  54. Sandy says

    August 19, 2013 at 8:19 am

    I have wanted one of these for a year!!! Thank you for such an informative post for when I am able to get one. Thanks for the giveaway.

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 19, 2013 at 2:33 pm

      Maybe you’ll win!

      Reply


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