Dehydrate Mirepoix and Make Mirepoix Powder

Dehydrate mirepoix and save yourself a ton of prep time in the kitchen. Making a bulk mirepoix mix for the pantry can save you time, but using this twist can take your flavor profile up a notch!

Mirepoix (meer-pwah as this Texas girl likes to say it), is the base aromatic blend for hundreds of dishes.

The typical ratio is 2:1:1 onions to celery to carrots. But you can do the mixture however you like for your own meals.

And it's based on what you happen to have a the time. If you don't have enough onions, then use what you've got.

But the awesome thing about creating this dehydrated mirepoix mixture is that you cut it once, use the fresh you need for that night, dehydrate the rest, and you won't have to prep again!

How to Dehydrate Mirepoix

Equipment Needed:

• Dehydrator
• Knife, food processor or vegetable chopper

Ingredients

The ratio for mirepoix is 2:1:1 of the following ingredients

• Onions
• Carrots
• Celery

1. Prepare your onions, celery and carrots

Because they may dehydrate at different rates, it's best to keep them separated.

Cut them into similarly sized pieces for more consistent drying time.

I don't own a food processor, so I use this Fullstar Onion Chopper (Amazon) to make things a little more even and go more quickly when I'm doing bulk prep.

Of course, you can certainly use a food processor to do a rough small chop of all of your vegetables together, especially if your plan is going straight to powder.

It is best to blanch the carrots and celery first as they rehydrate better from blanched. Blanching the onions just 30 seconds can help cut down on the intense smell, too.

You can see more specific information on each vegetable if you need more direction:

• Dehydrate onions.
• Dehydrate celery.
• Dehydrate carrots.

3. Place onto dehydrator racks separately.

4. Dry at 125°F / 52°C

Dry for approximately 8-12 hours until fully dry. They will be hard, non-pliable and crunch, respectively. Make sure to pull them out to let them cool before testing.

Onions will dry much faster than the celery and carrots, so keep checking and make sure all parts are dried.

If you are wondering why my onions are so dark, skip down a few paragraphs to see the secret ingredient. But don't miss out on the next step, it's vital for all dehydrating

5. Condition

If you plan on using these whole, condition dehydrated foods first before putting back into storage. You can choose to keep them separate and just use as you need it or mix them into one larger container.

If you are going straight to powder, and are definitely sure that all of your pieces are dry, you can go straight to the powdering phase and do powder conditioning after.

6. Store in an airtight container

Store in an airtight container to keep your dried mirepoix as 'fresh' as can be in a cool, dark place. You can mix it up or you can keep the ingredients separated.

The Secret Ingredient

Just in case you didn't recognize the twist in my caramelized mirepoix, here it is -- caramelized onions. Typically, you'd use fresh. But we love this twist and the flavor it brings!

Just throw them in a slow cooker and allow them to cook for 4-6 hrs until soft, drain any liquid, and throw them onto the dehydrator trays with your celery and carrots.

READ MORE: How to Dehydrate Caramelized Onions + Make Onion POwder + DIY Onion Soup Mix

How to Use Mirepoix Mix

• ¼ C dehydrated celery
• ¼ C dehydrated carrots
• ½ C dehydrated onion

Rehydrate in a container of boiling water that covers the content for about 30 minutes until everything is soft again. Warm in the skillet until cooked through and continue on with your recipe.

How to Make Mirepoix Powder

If, like my crew, you don't necessarily like the texture of cooked celery or onions, mirepoix power just might be the solution for you!

It's as easy as preparing your products above, then tossing into your blender to mix completely.

Drying Your Power

When grinding powers, the friction causes heat, which draws moisture. So throwing your powders back into your dehydrator for an hour or two can dry them before you put them into storage.

While you can put them back into your dehydrator using coffee filters, covered liquid trays or a bowl with a fruit leather sheet over the top, there's a better way.

1. Heat your oven to 170°F/60°C until warm, then turn off.
2. Place your powder on a cookie sheet and place in the oven.
3. Allow to dry for about 20 min.
4. Remove and allow to cool then store.

TIP>> 5 Ways to keep your powders from clumping and stay dry.

How to use Mirepoix Powder

Using mirepoix power can add a ton of flavor to just about any dish. Start with 2 teaspoons to flavor, and then adjust from there.

• Use Mirepoix Powder to flavor soups and stews without the texture. It's perfect if you are creating cream of 'something' soups.
• Use it to add to soup in a jar recipes
• Use it to add to rice seasoning
• Use it to create savory pasta dish or even to flavor your homemade pasta
• Add some mushroom powder to it to create a meaty flavor seasoning mix.

Want to visualize the process? Leisa from SuttonsDaze made this video, in partnership with this post, for creating and dehydrating regular mirepoix. Volumes change as caramelized onions have less mass than dried raw onions, but the process is the same, otherwise.

DIY Bulk Mirepoix Powder

To me, creating from scratch and creating the powder, in the end, is easiest. Not many of us keep carrot power in bulk in our pantries.

However, if you have the bulk, you can do it in large quantities from your powders, and maybe even for gift giving!

• 1 C carrot powder
• 1 C celery power
• 2 C onion powder

Separate into smaller gift-giving jars for a tasty gift basket! Or just keep it all for yourself!

Frequently Asked Questions:

What dehydrator should I use?

One that you’ll actually use is the answer!

I love my Excalibur Dehydrator. It does a ton of food and is a hard worker. However, it does take up a ton of counter space, which is at a premium for many.

But any machine that has temperature controls and allows you to dehydrate is great to use.

Can I cook mirepoix in bulk and then dehydrate it?

You can definitely dehydrate mirepoix AFTER you've cooked it. It works the same way as blanching does if you were doing the individual ingredients traditionally.

Simply cook your mirepoix in a large skillet or stockpot with a small bit of water or vegetable stock to brown.

Then follow the dehydrating instructions above. Your time will be decreased by a couple of hours.

What if I wanted to use bell peppers instead?

You certainly can, and you'd be creating the Holy Trinity - celery, onions, bell peppers, much loved in Cajun cooking. It is a 1:1:1 ratio and easily done just like mirepoix.

📖 Recipe