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 at the store, and are so easy to grow (and regrow), you might think that scallions aren't worth dehydrating. But for stocking your pantry, having home dehydrated green onion stalks is infinitely better than the store-bought version you get at the store that is lifeless and tasteless. It's a vegetable I choose to add to my pantry for use during the winter, and to save me from a trip to the store if I've forgotten to purchase some for our homemade ramen.
While most grocers only sell dried chives on the spice aisle, dried green onions can extend the flavor range of your home spice selection. Chives are cute, but they don't hold the same flavor punch that green onions do.
Quick Dehydrating Instructions
Dehydrate Green Onions at 125F / 52C for 3-5 hours. But read further on why I do it differently!
How to Dehydrate Scallions
aka Green Onions
1. Preheat Dehydrator to 95F / 35C
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 green onion 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.*
*Books and charts list green onions at 125F 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 Scallions or Green Onions
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 Scallion Powder or Green Onion Powder
Toss in the white portion of your scallions (green onions) 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 it's nutritional value or usability, so learn how to keep your powders dry!
If you'd like a printable version of this recipe, download your Dehydrating Worksheet for Green Onions here:
Get Free Printable Worksheets
If you are already a member of The Purposeful Pantry Library, grab your worksheets here.
Candy says
We dehydrate onions all the time. We do them outside because of the aroma can get intense. We always do potatoes next to help get rid of the onion odor
Darcy says
These are pretty pungent the first hour or so, but then aren't too bad - not like full onions. We don't dehydrate outside because of the humidity levels.
Lisa Lombardo says
Hi Darcy,
I have dehydrated onions but not the green onions...great idea! I have some seedlings started under lights for my garden this spring. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Darcy says
Hopefully you'll have some dried storage soon after 😉
AnnMarie Lewellyn says
I have dehydrated bulbing onions in the past but didn't think it would work for green onions! Thanks for the tips! Love the idea of making onion salt from these!
Darcy says
Works great! And the powder is a nice little change from regular onion powder!
Lisa M. Blacker says
Regarding your suggestion, "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."
It's important to wash the produce before cutting so you don't risk contaminating the interior with the bacteria from the exterior. If you cut into a dirty fruit or veg, the dirt is on the knife and carries through the food. You risk salmonella and other contaminents.
Darcy says
You are correct, Lisa. And the comes from my natural tendency to strip the onion first, then cut into the fresh flesh not the outside, which then isn't an issue, but I'll be more clear in my comment.