How to Dehydrate Scallions or Green Onions

Dehydrate scallions to add a punch of fresh flavor to your spice cabinet and up your onion powder game. Use this simple technique to dehydrate green onions and create a twist on traditional onion powder.

So, are they Scallions or Green Onions

Actually, they're both. They are a member of the allium family, with a similar pungent flavor as onions, though a little milder. They're used mostly as a garnish (white bulbous portion) to punch some fresh flavor into soups, or as a garnish (the green tops) on rice, salads, potatoes, etc., similar to how chives are used.

Because they are so inexpensive and are so easy to grow (and regrow), you might think that scallions aren't worth dehydrating. But having home dehydrated green onion stalks is infinitely better than the store-bought version you get at the store that is lifeless and tasteless.

While most grocers only sell dried chives on the spice aisle, dried scallions can extend the flavor range of your home spice selection. Chives are cute, but they don't hold the same flavor punch.

How to Dehydrate Scallions

Quick Dehydrating Instructions

Dehydrate Green Onions at 125°F / 52°C for 3-5 hours. But read further on why I do it differently!

1. Preheat Dehydrator to 95°F / 35°C

Always preheat your dehydrator when you begin to prep your produce, and dehydrate at the appropriate temperatures. Running at 160F  doesn’t make things dehydrate faster, it just promotes case hardening, which you don’t want! Have you ever tested the temperature on your dehydrator?

2. Cut off root ends.

Cutting off the root end before washing helps save you time and water to not clean something you are going to replant or compost later.

If you leave a bit more of the white bulb with a bit of the green leaves showing, you can actually re-grow these in your kitchen garden.

3. Wash and strip

You want to remove any debris that may be hanging out within the leaves, plus strip off the outer layer if it is already coming off.

4. Chop into small, uniform pieces.

You want uniformity to ensure equal dehydrating. I also choose to separate the onion at its natural separation point between the stem and the leaves.

The white bulbous portion of the scallion has a more pungent flavor than the milder leaves, so we use it differently in storage.

5. Separate white rings (optional).

Because the white portions of the scallion are denser but can be separated, separating them will allow all of your green onions to dehydrate at a similar pace. Leaving the white portions whole, will cause them to take longer to dry.

One option is to split the bulbous portion of your scallion. Another option is to use something to poke through and separate the layers (this is a reusable chopstick in the photo).

Again, this isn't necessary but can be helpful in dehydrating time.

6. Dry on dehydrator trays for 3-5 hrs at 95F.*

Here is the dehydrator I use.

*Books and charts list scallions at 125°F/52°C as a vegetable. I prefer to dry them a little slower and keep more of the nutritional value of them by drying at 95F, treating them more like an herb/green than a vegetable.

Scallions are done when they are fully dry, crinkle, and crush/break easily. Before testing, allow them to come to room temperature.

How to Rehydrate

Place onion pieces into a bowl with boiling water to allow them to steep and rehydrate.

Don't forget - use that broth! You can see it's turning green from the nutrients and chlorophyll of the scallions - so use that broth to put into whatever dish you're creating! If it's not a wet dish, you can freeze the broth in ice cube trays to use when you are making broth, other soups, into rice, etc.

Take it one step further...

You know that you can't read a dehydrating post from me and not get a portion about taking it to the next level - by using vegetable powders - right?

You can make onion powder from scallions! It may be a little different in color with the addition of the chlorophyll, but it makes an interesting twist to traditional onion powder. I can't tell you how much I love using dehydrated powders. Now...

How to Make Green Onion Powder

Toss in the white portion of your scallions and pulse into a powder. This method works best for small portions in a coffee grinder, but any blender will do. Blenders work best when at least half full, so if you're doing small amounts, a coffee grinder is preferable.

The difference between the bulbous end of the scallion and the green stems is the fiber content of the bulbous end. With more fiber and bulk, it produced more powder. You can easily combine all of these for a different flavor, too. I just separated them so that you could see the differences.

Our favorite way to use dehydrated scallions is into ramen bowls and soups. It adds a kick of onion flavor without a chunk of onion. My son loves making ramen (both store-bought and homemade), so he goes through it.

You can easily add this powder into your green powder or vegetable powder to add a little kick, or use it as a replacement for onion powder.  I hope you'll try it soon! This is definitely an easy beginner dehydrating project to try!

How to Store Green Onion Powder

You should always store your scallion powder in an airtight container. The last thing you want is your powder getting damp, losing its nutritional value or usability, so learn how to keep your powders dry!