Dehydrating Tomatoes and Tomato Powder

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Today it’s all about how to make tomato powder and how to use it. It takes up very little space on the pantry shelves and yet we can make so many things with it. Here again, it’s all about cooking from scratch.

What Is Tomato Powder?

It’s basically fresh sweet tomatoes dehydrated with the peelings and then pulsated or ground into a very fine powder. You can make it so much cheaper than buying it from the store. The powder is so versatile to use as you make so many tomato-based food items.

How To Make Tomato Powder

How To Make Tomato Powder

Dehydrate Your Tomatoes

Step One

Wash and core (stem) the tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes about 1/4 inch thick and place the slices on the dehydrator racks. I DO NOT PEEL them.

Tomato Powder

Step Two

I set the temperature at 155 degrees per my Excalibur Dehydrator instructions. Please check your dehydrator for correct temperatures.

It took about 5 hours to dehydrate today. The time will depend on the humidity of the room you are dehydrating them in, and of course, the temperature setting used in your dehydrator.

How To Condition Your Fruit or Vegetables

If you live where it is HUMID: “To condition the fruit, take the dried fruit that has cooled and pack it loosely in plastic or glass jars. Seal the containers and let them stand for 7 to 10 days. The excess moisture in some pieces will be absorbed by the drier pieces. Shake the jars daily to separate the pieces and check the moisture condensation.” https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/pack_store.html

I live in the DRY DESERT: I set my fruit and vegetables on my countertop for 5-7 days. Ten days is even better to make sure everything is dry before using your FoodSaver unit.

How To Make Tomato Powder

Step Three

You can use a Magic Bullet or a blender to make the powder. It’s very easy to use either one. It’s good to use the pulse button and grind a little at a time.

Read More of My Articles  Easiest Vegetables To Grow

You can store the excess dehydrated tomatoes in jars and blend the amount of tomato powder you will use during the next month or so. It takes up very little space on my pantry shelves.

How To Make Tomato Powder

How To Dehydrate Tomatoes

5 from 2 votes
Tomato Powder
How To Dehydrate Tomatoes by FSM
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
5 hrs
Total Time
5 hrs 30 mins
 
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 people
Ingredients
  • 1-6 tomatoes (No chemicals or preservatives. Just fresh tomatoes.)
Instructions
  1. Wash and core (stem) the tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes about ¼ inch thick and place on the dehydrator racks. I DO NOT PEEL them. I set the temperature at 155 degrees per my Excalibur Dehydrator instructions. Please check your dehydrator for correct temperatures. The time will always depend on the humidity where you are drying yours. You can use the dried tomato slices for making paste, puree or just to season what you are cooking. I dry them until they are a little flexible but not brittle. Today they took about 5 hours. These are great to use in soups, spaghetti sauces, or to eat as a snack!

How Do I Store Tomato Powder?

Tomato Powder

You can use airtight containers as shown above, or pint-sized mason jars with Ball White Lids. Either way, it’s so easy to make and store for later.

Please do not use your FoodSaver accessories tube to remove the air from the powder. It will damage your FoodSaver by sucking the powder up the tube into the machine.

What is Conditioning?

After the food is dehydrated, place your finished product on trays for 5-7 days. Ten days is even better. Here’s the deal, we need every area of the tomatoes to be dry or you may see mold in your jars after sealing. If you see mold, discard the entire jar, it is not safe to eat.

Conditioning

How do I Store the Dehydrated Tomatoes?

I use my FoodSaver and seal the jars. I do not use oxygen absorbers because I will eat these within a year. Then I start the process again next year.

FoodSaver

Can I Use Cherry Tomatoes?

Yes, you can dehydrate cherry tomatoes by cutting them in half and drying them with the cut side up. The advantage of using cherry tomatoes is the fact they typically are much sweeter to taste. Therefore the tomato powder is much sweeter.

Read More of My Articles  Dehydrating Mushrooms

Which Tomatoes Are Best To Use?

Any tomato will work but try and use only Non-GMO varieties. The more we purchase good seeds that are Heirloom Seeds the better off we will be. We can save seeds and replant them as needed. This is where I buy all of my garden seeds: SeedsNow

What Are The Easiest Tomatoes To Grow?

If you are a beginner gardener, you may want to select cherry tomatoes. They are very easy to grow and produce a large harvest. Here are some tips on growing tomatoes.

What Is The Shelf Life?

As a Master Canner – Preserver I can safely save it so it will be good for one year. Please keep the tomato powder in airtight containers.

Are Tomatoes Healthy?

Tomatoes are a great source of the antioxidant lycopene. It has been linked to many health benefits, such as a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. They are high in Vitamin C, Potassium, Folate, and of course, Vitamin K.

How Can I Use Tomato Powder?

  • Soups or stews
  • Spaghetti sauce
  • Chili
  • Sloppy Joes
  • Bisque
  • Juice
  • Paste
  • Tomato Sauce
  • Ketchup
  • Pizza sauce

Make Your Own Tomato Sauce

15-ounce can: 2/3 cup tomato powder and 1-3/4 cups water

Fresh Juice

64-ounce bottle: 8 cups water and 1 cup powder

You Can Make Paste

6-ounce can: 6 tablespoons powder and 1/2 cup water

Final Word

Please let me know if you have made tomato powder and how you used it. I love hearing from you. Tomatoes are so easy to dehydrate and then use to make our own powder.

It’s all about cooking from scratch and growing our own food. Thanks again for being prepared for the unexpected. May God bless this world, Linda

Here are the other Dehydrating Posts I have done:

14 thoughts on “Dehydrating Tomatoes and Tomato Powder

  • January 21, 2020 at 1:38 pm
    Permalink

    Yes! Tomatoes,you can never have enough tomatoes! Another great “powdered” article. I also dehydrate my own tomatoes using regular and roma’s. When I dehydrated the last one’s I used my fresh grown basil and oregano. After slicing I sprinkled with sea salt,oregano and basil then dried them.Oh did they turn out great! We ate them like candy but, could have been powered. That would have been great in a stir fry or sprinkled on a burger! Already seasoned! YUM (Stay safe and God Bless)

    Reply
    • January 21, 2020 at 2:02 pm
      Permalink

      Hi Bill, oh my gosh, now I have got to try sea salt, oregano, and basil on mine this summer. Yay, I love hearing new ideas!! We eat the plain ones like candy. I love your comment! Linda

      Reply
  • January 21, 2020 at 7:11 pm
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    I experimented with seasoning tomato powder and water with a little garlic salt and onion salt. It tasted amazingly like V8 juice.

    Reply
    • January 21, 2020 at 8:36 pm
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      Hi Peggy, oh my that sounds yummy! I have got to try making this drink, ice-cold is the best! Linda

      Reply
  • October 11, 2020 at 4:34 pm
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    I have never before heard of tomato powder. I just recently started making my own seasonings. I just on a lark googled tomato powder and found out about it. We are now going to dehydrate some tomatoes and try it. I think it would be wonderful in Spanish rice.

    Reply
    • October 11, 2020 at 4:45 pm
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      Hi Janet, oh if you dehydrate tomatoes they are so sweet and delicious. Not Roma, they are not that flavorful in my opinion. My family likes to snack on dehydrated tomatoes. The tomato powder is an added bonus. It would make wonderful Spanish rice! Yum! Linda

      Reply
  • December 26, 2020 at 5:52 pm
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    This sounds like fun! Will drying the seeds make the powder bitter?

    Reply
    • December 26, 2020 at 6:04 pm
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      Hi Trish, my tomatoes are so sweet, my family eats the dehydrated tomatoes like candy! I guess it would depend on the tomatoes. Linda

      Reply
  • June 19, 2021 at 9:34 am
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    5 stars
    I love making tomato powder

    Reply
    • June 19, 2021 at 10:19 am
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      Hi Tiffany, yay, I love hearing this! I’m loading my dehydrator today for more dehydrated tomatoes and tomato powder! Linda

      Reply
  • June 19, 2021 at 3:24 pm
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    5 stars
    Linda….I wanted to let you know I tried this recipe 🙂 Omg! This is the best! I had a bunch of fresh tomatoes in my garden that I didn’t know what to do with that I didn’t want to waste. This recipe was perfect! I dehydrated a bunch. My favorite is to use it in soups! Thank you!❤️

    Reply
    • June 19, 2021 at 3:28 pm
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      Hi Camille, thank you for the 5 stars! Oh, I love hearing your garden is doing well! Mark and I love to snack on sweet dehydrated tomatoes!! Have fun dehydrating, Linda

      Reply
  • September 6, 2021 at 2:53 pm
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    Doing tomatoes is great!! I have done a lot of them this year along with drying pears. Takes up less room and with the Covid restrictions we are having in our area again, it is the best way to preserve them. I did do some sauce and stewed tomatoes, too. I can’t teach any of my classes on canning right now, either. I have a feeling this is going to go on for a lot longer than people realize.

    Reply
    • September 6, 2021 at 6:51 pm
      Permalink

      Hi Cheryl, I agree I do not see any end in sight either. Oh, I love canning, it’s so relaxing and gratifying seeing those jars lined up. Nowadays I’m doing more dehydrating than anything else, because of the canning lid shortage. Stay well, stay safe. Linda

      Reply

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