Unlock the full potential of your dehydrator with The Ultimate Guide to Dehydrator Recipes! This comprehensive ebook is your go-to resource for crafting delicious, healthy, and long-lasting snacks and meals. Perfect for beginners and experienced dehydrating enthusiasts alike, this guide provides everything you need to know to boost your kitchen game.
There’s a new food movement happening — the dehydrated food movement. Preparing dehydrated meal recipes is super easy if you remember just a few simple rules. You can save money and create tasty and healthy meals for the whole family.
Are you ready to be a hero in the kitchen?
Keep reading to learn how to make great food dehydrator recipes that you can make tonight.
Dehydrated meals can be a real game changer, and there are many advantages to making my own. I love how lightweight my meals are and how I can make them to suite my taste buds.
Another benefit of making my own meals is that I can add exactly what I want and need in them. If I’m trying to keep my carbs low, I can make sure my meals are low in carbs. If I need gluten free options, I can make sure my meals are gluten free. I can add or subtract ingredients based on my personal nutritional needs.
Dehydrating meals allows me to make many of my favorite everyday meals to take on the trail. It’s nice to have flavors of home with me when I’m backpacking.
Getting Started Dehydrating
My food dehydrator has been a game changer for backpacking and wild camping. It makes it so much easier to prepare lightweight meals and it’s a big time saver.
I’ve found that Excalibur and BioChef are two good brands to look at. They seem to be well made and easy to use. Brands like those are a good place to start for dehydrating.
I’ve also added a simple vacuum sealer and biodegradable food bags to my routine. This is for storing my dehydrated meals and I love that they are biodegradable.
I’ve made everything from soups to chili to sauces for dehydrating. I love making my own dehydrated meals and can add or subtract what I want from them. I can make them spicy or not spicy, add or substatute ingredients, the list goes on.
I love that I can dehydrate both individual ingredients and complete meals.
So many meals dehydrate well, especially vegetarian and grain based meals. These types of meals seem to hold up well to dehydrating and rehydrate nicely on the trail.
Meat can be dehydrated too. I find that leaner meats work better and last longer. I like to mince or shred meat when dehydrating it. This way it dries evenly and rehydrates quickly.
Another protein rich option is to use canned meats like spam. I slice it into thin strips and dehydrate it. It’s a great addition to instant noodles or other backpacking meals.
Flavor
Lots of the best DIY food dehydrator recipes are similar to regular recipes except for the added flavor. One of the effects of dehydrating a food can be a sort of concentration. When the physical water is removed, the rest of the material is concentrated.
The effect of this can be that using dehydrated ingredients can have a slightly stronger flavor — especially by weight. A pound of fresh tomatoes simply contains less tomato, than a pound of dehydrated tomatoes. The difference is in the removed moisture.
This means you can generally use less dehydrated product than fresh. If a recipe calls for a teaspoon of fresh herbs, and you only have dehydrated herbs, consider using a half a teaspoon and taste test it. You may not need the full amount.
Texture
The texture of a food describes how it feels in the mouth, not the taste of the flavor. The basic effect of a dehydrator is to make things tougher, crunchier, harder, or thicker. This is great for cooks and chefs who want to make their foods interesting.
You could create new types of foods, or spruce up old recipes with new textures. Some great dehydrator recipes are the original recipe with a new texture added to the food, making it a new experience for the eater.
Try dehydrating any kind of green or herb, and use it in pasta. Fresh dehydrated spinach is a crunchy spinach! Spinach crunchies as a garnish to any kind of pasta… you’re going to impress your guests.
Moisture
This one should be kind of obvious, but let’s go through it anyway. Dehydrated, mean “water taken out”. The water is taken out of foods in the best dehydrator recipes.
So if you’re making a recipe that calls for dehydrated foods, two things need to be considered. First of all, how will the materials react to water? Some things re-hydrate very quickly, some things will hardly re-hydrate at all.
If you add a lot of dehydrated ingredients, they will absorb fluid. This will have the effect of “thickening” your recipe. No problem, just add more oil or water to your recipes if you use dehydrated ingredients.
The more fiber is in the food product, the quicker it will re-hydrate. So a dehydrated orange will re-hydrate a lot faster than a piece of beef jerky. In fact, a desiccated meat product, like beef jerky, might not re-hydrate at all.
You should test a small piece of your product to see how it reacts with the addition of water and a little heat. Test it, and taste it. Different things react to water differently.
One of the simplest meals to make is to dehydrate cooked pasta. I add some olive oil and dehydrated mushrooms to it and it’s a great meal. It’s a great option because it’s hearty and feels like a real meal.
I love to chop my dehydrated meals in a food processor and add seasonings to them. This way when I rehydrate them, everything mixes together well and it’s a nice consistency. This is a great option after a long day on the trail when I just want a hot meal.
Another option to add some crunch to your meals is to pack tortilla chips. They’re lightweight and a great addition to meals. I like to crush them up and add them to my meals for some crunch. It’s all about making meals enjoyable.
Making Special Dietary Restrictions
When I make my own dehydrated meals I can make sure to add all the ingredients I need to meet my special dietary requirements.
For instance, if I’m trying to keep my carbs low, I can make sure and make high fat dehydrated dinners to keep me in ketosis. I can add or subtract ingredients based on what my body needs. It’s all about finding a balanced meal that not only meets my dietary requirements but also fills me up and gives me energy.
Another benefit is that I can make gluten free and grain free meals. This is so important for me and anyone with dietary restrictions. When I make my own meals I know I’m getting a healthy meal and I’m not starving on the trail. It’s all about taking care of my dietary needs and enjoying my meals.
Rehydrating on the Trail
Rehydrating dehydrated meals is simple! I just pour boiling water over them and let them sit for 5-15 minutes. This allows the food to absorb the water and rehydrate. Then I’m ready to chow down!
Another option is to add powdered or pureed soups to a mug and pour hot water in. Stir it up and it’s a warm and comforting meal. Perfect for cold nights when I want something hot and filling.
When rehydrating meals, I always use hot water. This helps the meal rehydrate evenly and quickly. If I have a portable stove or camping setup with me, I can boil water and cook my meals if I want to. Having the option to cook or boil water is nice and makes meal time much easier.
How Long Does Dehydrated Food Last & Storage
Dehydrated food lasts depending on how it’s stored, what it’s stored in and what type of food it is.
Most dehydrated fruits and veggies last anywhere from 6-12 months. This is great because I can make a batch and enjoy them for months to come.
To keep dehydrated meals fresh, storage is important. I like to use airtight containers or Mylar resealable bags. These keep moisture and air out, the main contributors to food going bad. It’s also great for backpacking because they are lightweight and I can compress them to save space.
Dehydrated Meal Recipes
You can save money by making ingredients go further. You can make food taste better by concentrating flavors, and you can totally change the texture profile of foods by altering the moisture content.
What are you waiting for? Isn’t it time to get your own home dehydrator? Check out our blog for dehydrated meal recipes, and more info on getting your own personal unit.
FAQ
What Meals Can You Dehydrate?
Dehydrating meals is a fantastic way to preserve food, making it lightweight and convenient for backpacking trips or quick homemade dehydrated meals. You can dehydrate a variety of meals and ingredients, such as soups and stews like minestrone, chili, or tortilla soup, which rehydrate well. Pasta dishes, including cooked pasta with sauce, can be dehydrated and enhanced with dehydrated mushrooms and a splash of olive oil for a delicious trail meal. Rice and grain dishes, like risotto or quinoa porridge, are perfect for dehydration as they rehydrate quickly while maintaining their flavor and texture. Vegetable and protein combos, including dehydrated veggies like carrots and spinach paired with lean meats or canned meats like spam, create balanced meals. Breakfast options such as dehydrated oatmeal or apple cinnamon quinoa porridge provide a hearty start to the day when rehydrated with hot water. Additionally, you can dehydrate fruits for snacks or make crunchy tortilla chips to accompany your meals. With the right preparation and a reliable food dehydrator, the possibilities for creating your own meals are endless, allowing you to experiment with different recipes to find your favorite dehydrated backpacking meals!
DannyContent Writer
Hey there, since 2016, my mission has been to provide you with the information and guides you need to make food dehydrating simple and fun. Whether you're a newbie or a seasoned pro, my site offers helpful guides, reviews, and recipes to enhance your dehydrating experience. I take pride in only recommending products I believe in, ensuring my readers' trust. As an affiliate of various programs, including Amazon Associates, your support helps me continue providing quality content. Thanks for stopping by, and happy dehydrating!
