Herb-Seasoned Dehydrated Tomatoes

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Drying ripe tomatoes concentrates their sweetness and gives them a flexible, savoury texture for pasta, salads and cooked sauces. Halve the tomatoes, remove loose seeds and spread them in a single layer on dehydrator trays. A little salt, sugar, oregano and black pepper provide the seasoning in this batch. Start checking after eight hours, but continue drying whenever thicker pieces still feel damp; the endpoint matters more than the timer. Cool the pieces before packing them, then freeze them in sealed containers for later meals. This version avoids the original article’s long-term garlic-and-oil jar method and does not claim that the dried tomatoes are suitable for pantry storage.

Recipe card

Herb-Seasoned Dehydrated Tomatoes

Tomato halves dried with salt, sugar and oregano in a food dehydrator.

Prep 25 minCook 720 minTotal 745 minYield One dried batch from 2 kg tomatoes

Equipment: Mixing bowl, measuring tools and suitable cooking equipment

Ingredients

Main ingredients

2 kg ripe tomatoes 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp dried oregano 0.5 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare tomatoes

   Wash and dry ripe tomatoes. Cut into 6–8 mm (¼–⅓ inch) slices or sections no wider than 2 cm (¾ inch), remove watery seed pockets and arrange in one layer on dehydrator trays.

2. Season

   Sprinkle the cut faces with measured salt, sugar, dried oregano and black pepper. Do not add fresh garlic or oil during drying.

3. Dry thoroughly

   Dry at about 60°C (140°F), checking from 8 hours onward. Rotate trays if needed and continue beyond 12 hours when required until the thickest pieces are fully leathery or crisp with no remaining damp or juicy areas. Time depends on size and machine; the texture, not the clock, decides.

4. Cool and store

   Cool completely, pack in moisture-resistant freezer containers, label and freeze. For a fresh oil-dressed serving, combine thawed tomatoes with oil just before eating rather than packing them with garlic in oil for pantry storage.

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How to tell when it is ready

Thickest pieces are fully leathery or crisp with no residual moisture; continue drying if any part still feels wet.

Tips

• Cut the tomatoes evenly for more uniform drying.
• Rotate dehydrator trays if one level dries faster.
• Continue beyond 12 hours if any thick piece is still damp.
• Freeze after cooling instead of making garlic-and-oil pantry jars.

Troubleshooting

• Cut the tomatoes evenly for more uniform drying.
• Follow the method’s visible texture or temperature cue rather than a fixed clock when ingredients vary.

Serving suggestions

• Chop into a cooked pasta sauce.
• Add to pizza before baking.
• Stir into a vegetable soup.
• Scatter thawed pieces over a salad just before eating.

Storage

Freeze the fully dried, cooled tomatoes in sealed containers. Never treat a home-prepared mixture of tomatoes, fresh garlic and oil as shelf stable.

Food safety

A dehydrator time is only a guide; the tomatoes must be completely dried. Fresh garlic and herbs in oil require refrigeration and use within 4 days or freezing.

Serve herb-seasoned dehydrated tomatoes when the final step’s doneness and storage cues have been met.