What you can dehydrate on a vegan diet
A dehydrator suits plant-based eating well, because most fruit, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, cooked beans, lentils, and grains dry successfully. Common uses fall into three groups: snacks, pantry ingredients, and lightweight meals for hiking or travel.
Drying basics for plant-based foods
A few habits make every recipe below safer and more reliable.
- Cut evenly. Pieces of the same thickness dry at the same rate. About 1/4 inch is a common starting point for vegetables and fruit slices; thinner for chips.
- Mind the temperature. Raw-food recipes often use around 115°F, which is gentle on flavor but slows drying. The National Center for Home Food Preservation generally recommends about 140°F for vegetables and about 135°F for fruit. If you plan to store food for a long time, follow a tested source rather than a low-temperature recipe.
- Cook beans and lentils first. Dry beans must be fully cooked before dehydrating. Raw or undercooked kidney beans in particular can make you ill, so boil them thoroughly according to package directions.
- Dry until done. Vegetables should be brittle or crisp. Fruit should be leathery and pliable with no moist spots when torn open.
- Cool before packing. Warm food packed in a jar will sweat and may mold.
Snacks
Fruit slices and leather. Slice apples, bananas, mangoes, or strawberries about 1/4 inch thick, or puree fruit and spread it thinly on a lined tray for leather. Dry until leathery with no sticky centers. Lemon juice can reduce browning on apples and bananas.
Kale chips. Tear washed, fully dry kale into pieces and toss with a little oil and seasoning. A common vegan seasoning is a paste of soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, and spices. Dry in a single layer until crisp. Because cashew coatings contain moisture and fat, eat these within a few days and keep them airtight.
Eggplant “bacon.” Slice eggplant thinly, marinate in a mix of tamari, maple syrup, and smoked paprika or liquid smoke, then dry until chewy or crisp. Marinated items hold moisture, so store them in the refrigerator or freezer and use them quickly instead of keeping them on the pantry shelf.
Veggie chips. Thin zucchini, beets, sweet potato, and carrot slices dry into crunchy chips. See our recipe for dried zucchini.
Pantry ingredients
- Tomatoes. Halved or sliced Roma tomatoes dry to a chewy, concentrated texture. Use them in sauces, grain bowls, or soaked for pesto. For other ways to keep tomatoes, see freezing cherry tomatoes and preserving cherry tomatoes.
- Carrots, onions, bell peppers, and celery. Dried vegetables are convenient for soups. For carrots, see how to dehydrate carrots in the oven.
- Mushrooms. They add umami to broths, risotto, and gravies. See our dried black trumpet mushroom recipes.
- Vegetable powder. Grind completely brittle dried vegetables into a seasoning powder.
- Fruit. Dried berries, such as mulberries, are useful in baking and trail mix; see recipes using dried mulberries.
Just-add-water meals
Beans, lentils, TVP (textured vegetable protein), tofu, rice, couscous, and quinoa are staples for plant-based backpacking meals. Cooked and dried, they rehydrate quickly in hot water.
Popular combinations include:
- Lentil chili or lentil curry with rice
- Beans and rice with Cajun-style seasoning
- TVP chili or “taco” filling
- Quinoa and bean salad with a no-cook dressing
- Couscous with dried vegetables and spices
Cooked beans and rice together form a combination long valued for complete protein, which is useful for vegan hikers, though a varied diet generally covers needs.
Sample recipe: dehydrated beans and rice
This is a general method rather than a tested recipe. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Cook 1 cup of rice until tender, and cook a can’s worth (about 1 1/2 cups) of small beans such as black or cannellini beans until soft. Rinse canned beans.
- In a pan, soften chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic in a little oil. Add smoked paprika, cumin, and a pinch of cayenne.
- Combine with the rice and beans, plus a spoonful of tomato paste.
- Spread thinly on lined dehydrator trays. Dry at about 135 to 145°F, stirring and breaking up clumps, until the pieces are hard and no moist spots remain. This can take many hours.
- Cool completely, then pack in airtight containers.
- To eat, cover with boiling water, stir, cover, and let sit until tender. Add more water if needed.
Skip oil where you can: fat can go rancid in dried meals. Because homemade meals lack commercial processing, plan to eat them within a few weeks, or freeze them for longer storage.
Storing and rehydrating
Store dried food in airtight jars or bags in a cool, dark place. Check for moisture, off smells, or mold, and discard anything that looks suspicious. For longer storage, refrigerate or freeze. Rehydrate in hot water for most savory meals, or soak fruit in cold water or juice. If you are comparing dehydrating to other methods, see dehydrated or freeze dried.