Vegetable Powder: How To Make It and Use It

I really want you to make your own vegetable powder. It’s so easy to make and so much cheaper if we grow the vegetables in our own garden. Mark and I love to garden and dehydrate our own food.

When you dehydrate vegetables you can then make your vegetable powder. You may have a family member that does not like the texture of some vegetables, I get it. But you can still get the health benefits of those vegetables if you use the powder as an added ingredient in recipes.

If we make powder from our dehydrated veggies we can add the vitamins and nutrients of each vegetable to so many dishes we typically make every single day. Plus, if you include the family in prepping the vegetables to be dehydrated they will be more apt to continue the skill of dehydrating in their own families.

Keep in mind as we discuss the various vegetables, how to make the powder, and how to use the powder, that the nutrient information provided is based on quantities typically used in the recipe when the vegetable is raw or cooked, not after the dehydration or powder process.

With the water removed the products are much more concentrated, so you don’t use as much and the nutrients are more concentrated too.

Kitchen Items Needed

• Colander
• Excalibur Dehydrator or Nesco Dehydrator
• FoodSaver
• FoodSaver Lid Sealer w/Accessory Hose
• Mason quart-size or pint-size jars
• Magic Blender or High-Powered Blender

If during the dehydrating process the veggies aren’t totally dry, they can get mold on them. If you see mold, you must toss the entire container. It’s not worth getting sick over a jar of moldy vegetables or vegetable powder.

Vegetable Powder: How To Make It and Use It

Cucumber Powder

In case you missed this post, Dehydrating Cucumbers & Make Cucumber Powder

This recipe is for any amount of cucumbers that you want to dehydrate. It is very simple and easy to dehydrate cucumbers. Wash, dry, and slice your cucumbers and place them on your dehydrator racks.

No chemicals, no blanching, nothing to do but slice them. This is an easy way to use up excess cucumbers in your garden or your refrigerator. They are yummy to munch on or add to a fresh garden salad.

I set my Excalibur Dehydrator at 125 degrees. With the humidity today it took about 4 hours to dehydrate them. The dehydrating time will always depend on the humidity in the room where you are drying them.

Dry them until they are leathery. When you need some cucumber powder you use your blender to pulverize the dehydrated cucumbers.

Cucumber Health Benefits

There are a number of significant health benefits from eating cucumbers. One is the high nutrient content. I’ve listed below the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of various nutrients below:

• Vitamin C: 14% RDI
• Vitamin K: 62% RDI
• Magnesium: 10% RDI
• Potassium: 13% RDI
• Manganese: 12% RDI

Other health benefits include the high amount of antioxidants which have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer, heart, lung, and autoimmune disease. With the low calory count and high fiber content, cucumbers may aid in your efforts to lose weight. Studies have shown that cucumbers may also help to reduce blood sugar levels.

Other studies have shown cucumbers keep your skin healthy, they help relieve pain, aid in your efforts to manage stress, can reduce bad breath, and aid your digestive processes.

Once you start using cucumber powder as part of your regular meal preparation you’ll realize how easy it is to add to recipes. Just add it by the teaspoon or tablespoon and smile as you take advantage of those health benefits. Remember, don’t peel the cucumbers, that’s where most of the nutrients and fiber come from. Enjoy!

How can I use Cucumber Powder?

• Salad dressings
• Perfect for your morning smoothies
• They make a great soup add-on

Ginger Powder

In case you missed this post, Dehydrating Ginger and Make Ginger Powder

Buy larger pieces of ginger so they are easier to peel. Wash, the ginger and pat dry. I sliced my ginger root about 1/8 inch thick and I tried to cut them as evenly as I could. They are never going to be exactly perfect because the roots are all different sizes.

You can’t make a mistake, you just dry the larger ones a bit more if they are not totally dry. I have an Excalibur Dehydrator and I set it at 95 degrees and it took about 2 hours, give or take.

Mine has a timer and I set it for two hours, then I checked it. Well, I actually checked it after one hour to be sure it was drying as I had planned. Again, the time to dry will always depend on the humidity of the room.

The trick to knowing if the ginger is finished drying is to test the chunks of ginger. If they break easily they are ready to cool and set aside to make into powder.

If they break easily they are ready to cool and set aside to make into powder. I used my Magic Blender to grind my ginger root into powder. It was easy and turned out perfectly for my next drink or recipe. You could use your blender as well, either one will work.

Ginger Health Benefits

Here are just a few benefits of eating ginger:

As with other vegetables, ginger has very few calories with only 4.8 calories in one tablespoon. That same amount of ginger also provides 1.07 grams of carbohydrates, .12 grams of dietary fiber, .11 grams of protein, .05 grams of fat, and .1 grams of sugar.

Ginger contains a natural oil called gingerol. It has been used in alternative medicine circles to aid digestion, reduce nausea, and help fight the effects of the common cold and flu. It may help with your weight loss, osteoarthritis, lower blood sugar levels and heart risk factors.

Some women have experienced a reduction in menstrual during their periods, and others seem to have shown improved brain function. Try adding ginger to your recipes and savor the flavor and added benefits to your health.

How can I use Ginger Powder?

• Ginger can be used in so many drinks
• Baked treats like cookies on s
• Some meats, especially fish
• Daily smoothie

Green Onion Powder

In case you missed this post, How to Dehydrate Green Onions & Make Powder

Wash the green onions, and cut the root off, and discard. Remove any pieces of the green sections that appear at all damaged. We want to dehydrate only the best green onions and scallions. I set my Excalibur Dehydrator at 95 degrees.

Now you chop the green onions into small uniform pieces. They are about 3/8 inches in size. I actually kept the green onions and scallions separated. The green onion (white section) part is on the left.

It takes longer to dehydrate because the white part of the onion is thicker. The scallions are the long green part of the green onions. It took about 2-3 hours to dehydrate. The white sections took a lot longer to dehydrate.

When ready to make powder place some dehydrated green onions in your blender or magic machine to pulverize it into a fine powder.

Green Onion Health Benefits

Green onions have been a staple food for a long time. Much of that popularity is due to the added flavor they provide, but also to the known health benefits experienced.

They have been shown to be cholesterol-free, sodium-free, sugar-free, fat-free, and low-calorie addition to meal preparation. The equivalent amount of powder to a medium-sized onion contains 4.8 calories, 1.1 gram of carbs, .4 gram of fiber, 0 grams of fat, and .3 grams of protein.

Vitamin K is one of the main nutrient benefits of eating green onions and their powder. This vitamin helps to promote bone health and proper blood clotting.

As it relates to bone health, onions have been linked to a lower risk of osteoporosis as you age. Although some of us tend to experience a sore stomach from eating raw onions, others report it helps in overall digestion processes.

As a member of the Allium family of plants, it has also been shown to possibly help reduce the risk of some cancers.

How can I use Green Onion Powder?

• Use to garnish soups and salads
• Add to dips for added flavor
• Spice up tuna and chicken salad
• Great addition to taco and potato salads
• Also great in fajitas of all kinds

Kale Powder

In case you missed this post, Dehydrating Kale and Make Kale Powder

The first thing you do is wash the kale, and pat it dry. Then you remove the leaves from the rib of the kale. The rib section doesn’t blend up well, and the flavor is too strong and rooty for me to enjoy. It’s quite easy to just pull the leaves off the rib, or you can use a knife to cut away the leaves.

Now you place the leaves on the dehydrator rack spacing them so they do not touch one another. My Excalibur Dehydrator states the temperature should be set at 125 degrees.

Please check your dehydrator to confirm the temperature required for your unit. It took 2-3 hours to make it to the crisp stage. I’ll let it sit overnight and make kale powder tomorrow.

I never put my dehydrated food immediately in jars because I want to make sure it is totally dry. I filled my Vitamix blender and ground the dried leaves up really fine to make Kale powder.

Health Benefits of Kale Powder

We’ve been discussing a bunch of really healthy plants today. Of them all, many consider kale to be the most healthy, even referring to it by saying “kale is king.” It has been shown to be one of the most nutrient complete and dense that we eat.

Since it is part of the cruciferous group of plants like cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and collard greens, it has all the super nutrient properties of these other plants.

A single cup of raw kale, which is about 67 grams/2.4 ounces contains a number of valuable vitamins as follows:

• Vitamin A: 206% of the daily value
• Vitamin K: 684% of the daily value
• Vitamin C: 134% of the daily value

All this comes with only 33 calories, 6 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of protein. Although kale has very little fat, much of the fat it does have represents an omega-3 fatty acid.

Like many other green leafy plants, kale provides powerful antioxidants, including quercetin and kaempferol. These have been shown to benefit us through heart protection, lower blood pressure, anti-inflammatory effects, anti-viral effects, anti-depressant influences, and may also prove to have anti-cancer effects.

Kale also provides a number of beneficial minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and others. It also contains nutrients that have been shown to help protect your eyes, like lutein and zeaxanthin.

Although kales flavor isn’t one of my favorites, I’ve made a personal commitment to try to include more kale in my salads and other entrees that call for leafy greens.

I’m sure the cumulative benefits of all the nutrients will certainly bless me with better health as I deal with the challenging effects of getting older.

How Do I Use Kale Powder?

• Melt butter and mix with Kale Powder and sprinkle over popped popcorn
• Add to smoothies
• A great addition to soups or stews
• It’s a perfect addition when cooking rice
• Sprinkle over salads
• Add a sprinkle to cooked vegetables
• Mix in with mashed potatoes
• Meatloaf
• Scrambled eggs
• Quiches

Mushroom Powder

In case you missed this post, Mushroom Powder-How To Make It And Use It

The first step is to wash the mushrooms, or you can use a mushroom brush to clean them. I use a colander, that’s the easiest way for me to wash them. The second step is to slice the mushrooms about 3/8 inch thick.

I tried using a wire mushroom slicer and it was useless. I used this mushroom/egg slicer, to begin with, but the mushrooms were too large. So, I just used a sharp knife to slice them evenly. Now, you place the sliced mushrooms evenly across the dehydrator racks.

I have an Excalibur Dehydrator that I set at 125 degrees F. Mine has a timer, but it’s not necessary if you’re willing to check on the mushrooms from time to time. When I purchased mine I knew I needed a timer because I always have a million projects going on at once.

These took about 4 hours to dry to a leathery texture. The drying time will depend on the humidity of the room where you are drying yours and the temperature setting.

Now, you can use a blender or a Magic Bullet shown below to turn the dehydrated mushrooms into a powder. I just pulsated the mushrooms until they were pulverized.

Health Benefits of Mushroom Powder

Mark and I have enjoyed eating mushrooms for years. It is one of our favorite toppings for pizza, and I’ve made stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer for party items on most special holidays. I hadn’t really thought of them as being “healthy,” but they truly are.

One thing about mushrooms is that they contain all eight of what are considered “essential” amino acids, along with some fatty acids we need. Studies have shown that they also contain phytonutrients that help support immune functions and a more healthy heart.

Mushrooms come in a number of varieties, and each variety may provide its own set of health benefits, but most a full of antioxidants, source needed fiber, and include proteins we need.

Mushrooms have been part of the human diet for centuries since they help enhance brain function, support the necessary immunities, eases stress, helps boost energy, particularly with those heavily involved in athletics, lowers blood sugar levels. It has been said that mushrooms MAY help slow aging. If that’s the case, I better start eating even more.

How can I use Mushroom Powder?

• As mentioned, we use mushrooms as a pizza topping, but you can spread the mushroom powder to get similar flavor benefits
• Many people have been using mushroom powder in their coffee
• Add it as a flavor topping to salads
• Include it in soups, stews, and casseroles

Onion Powder

In case you missed this post, Dehydrating Onions and Make Onion Powder

Cut the ends off the onions, then slice the onions in half, remove the outer edge of the skins. Then slice and chop into desired pieces. Set your dehydrator on your dehydrator model’s suggested temperature.

My Excalibur Dehydrator states 155 degrees. It took about 10 hours to dehydrate these. The time will always depend on the humidity of the room you are using to dry your food. Dehydrate them until they are leathery.

Let them dry for another two weeks until totally dry before placing them in mason jars to seal by using use your FoodSaver. These will keep for one year in your pantry. Use the dehydrated onions to make onion powder.

Place a small amount of the dry onions in a blender to pulverize them into powder. Only make powder for the month you will use it because it will lose the strong onion flavor rather quickly.

Health Benefits of Onion Powder

Think about the health benefits of onions. I love the taste of onions, but I also love that there several health benefits! There are actually several health benefits from eating these, some of them I never even knew about.

• Can benefit the heart and make your heart healthy
• So many antioxidants
• Help boost digestive health
• Cancer-fighting compounds
• Onions can help control blood sugar.
• Onions can help boost done density

How Can I Use Onion Powder?

Basically the same as the dehydrated onions. But you can sneak the powder into food items for the picky eaters who do not like the feel of onions in their mouths.

• Sandwiches
• Casseroles
• Soups
• Stews
• Chili
• Spaghetti
• Sloppy Joes

Can I dehydrate these in my oven?

Yes, you can. Set your oven to the lowest temperature available. Place a ball of foil to keep the oven door ajar. You will need to check them every 15 minutes or so because they will dry very fast.

FoodSaver

I only use the FoodSaver with the accessory hose on my DEHYDRATED Fruits and Vegetables, NOT the powders. It will ruin your hose.

If you need fruit powder jars, these are very similar to mine: 16-Ounce Jars with Clamp

How To Condition Your Fruit & Vegetables

If you live where it is HUMID: “To condition the fruit and vegetables, take the dried fruit or vegetables that have 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.

Final Word

There is something so awesome when you have a garden or can buy fruits and vegetables from a Farmer’s Market. Nothing beats vegetables in season, they taste better and are not treated with chemicals when you grow your own. If we can grow our own food and then preserve it, life is so good and so much healthier. May God Bless this World, Linda