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How to Make Dehydrated Tomato Chips

Dehydrated Tomato Chips are a nutritious snack that is so easy to make in your dehydrator. Use the best of the season tomatoes, a little seasoning, and have chips that will make your mouth water!

Dried tomato chips spilling onto a table from a jar, fresh tomatoes in the background.

Whether you are using garden-fresh or from the grocery store, dehydrating tomato chips is an effective way to make tomatoes last all year, and give yourself a tasty snack to enjoy any time!

Whether using garden-fresh or from the grocery store, dehydrating tomato chips is an effective way to make tomatoes last all year and give yourself a tasty snack to enjoy any time!

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These crunchy, tart, intense chips can be seasoned with various spices, but an Italian blend is my favorite! There are so many ways to season vegetable chips – explore your spice cabinet!

How to Make Dehydrated Tomato Chips

Ingredients:

Instructions for drying

  1. Slice tomatoes 1/4″ to 1/2″ (6mm to 12mm)
    • A thinner slice gets you a crispier chip, but also lends itself to sticking.
    • A thicker slice is a more intense flavor, and has more of a fruit leather feel to it.
  2. Dry in dehydrator at 125F/52C for 8-12 hours
    • Tomatoes are a fruit, botanically, so you can increase the temperature to 135-140F to get a faster dry.
  3. Flip after 5 hours
    • Flipping the tomato slices after five hours will help reduce the risk of the tomato slices sticking to your trays.
  4. Test for Dryness
    • Allow your samples to cool for five minutes
    • They should snap easily when completely dry.
  5. Condition
  6. Store in an airtight container

Using mesh or fruit leather sheets is helpful if you use stainless steel trays, as sticking is very problematic there. These are my favorite Cosori mesh sheets, and these are my favorite mesh sheets Excalibur (affiliate links).

Fresh tomatoes on a Cosori dehydrator tray before, and the dried chip after

Oven Directions:

Follow the steps for preparation.

  1. Set oven to lowest temperature (preferably 170F or below if possible)
  2. use parchment paper on a cooling rack
  3. Place onto a cookie sheet
  4. Dry for 3-5 hours until crisp – keep a sharp eye as they can burn

Follow the instructions for dryness and storage above.

How to Use Dried Tomato Chips

Giving the visitor ideas on how they can change this recipe to better suit their dinner guests, or their cultural cuisine, is a great way to increase the chances they make the recipe

  • As a Snack – just snack on them – they are a
  • Add to Pizza or Quiche – These make a beautiful addition to the top of a pizza or quiche – and are pretty tasty, too!
  • In sandwiches or burgers – If you’ve never had a tomato and grilled cheese sandwich, it’s time to try one! But instead of a big juicy slice of tomato, layer a few of these chips in for a super-intense flavor!
  • As a garnish – a few on top of a bowl of tomato soup, in a salad, or a fancy display of a pasta dish with tomato sauce, these beautiful slices will elevate a usually ordinary meal.
  • Create an amazing sandwich spread with this recipe for Garlicky Tomato & Herb Spread
Galicky Tomato Herb sandwich spread with dehydrated tomatoes and fresh tomatoes on a white wooden surface

Storage

Store dried tomato chips in an airtight container for 12-18 months. It’s best to use a moisture absorber, especially if getting in and out of the jar to use.

Tomato powder is best stored in an airtight container with a moisture absorber for up to six months.

Making Tomato Powder from Chips

Whether you season the tomato chips or not, you can make tomato powder from dehydrated tomato chips.

The only thing keeping you from it is if you used oil on your slices.

Directions:

  1. Break up fully dried tomato chips into the grinder of your choice. I really love the Cosori Coffee Grinder from Amazon, but any will do.
  2. Pulse 5 or 6 times before moving to a constant grind for up to 30 seconds at a time (or per your grinder’s directions)
  3. Place powder on a lined cookie sheet. Put into a warmed but turned-off oven for 15-20 minutes to condition the tomato powder
  4. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Dehydrating Tomato Chip FAQs

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retains heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

What kind of dehydrator works best?

The one that you’ll use! I use a Cosiri Dehydrator, an Excalibur Dehydrator, and a Nesco dehydrator. But any dehydrator you have available to you will work!

Best tomatoes to make the best tomato chips?

Any tomato will work. The larger, meatier tomatoes will work better than those that tend to be more watery.

Can I make tomato powder from tomato chips?

Yes – whether you

Dehydrating Basics & Journal book and ebook mockup
Dried tomato chips spilling onto a table from a jar, fresh tomatoes in the background

Dehydrated Tomato Chips

Dehydrated Tomato Chips are a nutritious snack that is so easy to make in your dehydrator. Use best of the season tomatoes, a little seasoning, and have chips that will make your mouth water!
5 from 3 votes
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Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Drying Time: 12 hours
Total Time: 12 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 1
Calories: 27kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Wash and remove blossom end
  • Slice in 1/4 to 1/2" slices (6mm to 12mm)
  • Season with favorite seasoning
  • Dry at 125F/52C for 10-14 hours
  • Test for dryness (snaps when cooled)
  • Condition
  • Store in an airtight container for up to a year

Video

Darcy’s Tips

Oven Directions:
  1. Set oven to lowest temperature (preferably 170F or below if possible)
  2. use parchment paper on a cooling rack
  3. Place onto a cookie sheet
  4. Dry for 3-5 hours until crips – keep a sharp eye as they can burn
Tomato Powder – Use regular tomato powder with the additional seasonings, or your dehydrated tomato chips with the additional garlic.
Additional Uses:
  • Add to ranch dressing for a fun kick
  • Add to sour cream for a veggie dip or topping on tomato soup or chili
  • Add to cream cheese for bagels
Nutrient information for dehydrated foods is based on fresh. Use 1/4 of the servicing size for the same nutrient information. Thus 1 Cup of fresh fruit has the same sugars as 1/4 dried.

Nutrition

Calories: 27kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 353mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1241IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Nutritional information is an estimation only. Nutrient information for dehydrated foods is based on fresh. Use 1/4 of the servicing size for the same nutrient information. Thus 1 Cup of fresh fruit has the same sugars as 1/4 dried.

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26 Comments

  1. Darcy,
    I dehydrated some tomato 🍲 slices and it was like chewing rubber. They went in the trash. What went wrong?

  2. Hello, I chose to use the oven method. I don’t have a dehydrator. 3 to 5 hours at 170F will not do the job. I left them in the oven for 10 hours and they were still very pliable and gooey. On the second day, I turned the oven to convection mode and raised the temperature to 185F and checked for doneness every hour. After another 4 hours, I was able to loosen the slices from the parchment and turn them over. I have sampled and the taste is exactly what I would expect. IMO the times in the recipe are not accurate. I am going on 20 hours now and just getting to a crispy state.

    1. Times should never be valued as being reliable. Times even with dehydrators are merely a general window when something might be done. You have to always check your own food – and it’s dry when it’s dry. It depends on how thick you sliced something, the moisture level in it to start, how your machine is evacuating humidity, etc. NEVER go by the times – go by if your food is dry or not.

  3. Avatar for Beth BYRD Beth BYRD says:

    If I put the chips in olive oil, is it like sun dried tomatoes you can get in the store?

  4. Hello, can you explain what you mean “condition them” please? Thank you

  5. Can I slice the tomatoes, freeze, and pull out later to dehydrate?

    1. They won’t work as well because the tomatoes lose a lot of their body once frozen, and will release a lot of moisture as they thaw. I’d flash freeze them instead of just tossing them in a solid lump, then store, and then thaw separated, and give it a try. You can always powder them if they don’t work well!

      1. Thank you!

    2. Avatar for Anita Sass Anita Sass says:

      I did that and they were fine. I just broke them up and put them into a dish. Super great! Anita

  6. Do you know of any place you can buy moisture absorbers in store ? Goodness the shipping costs as much as the product .

  7. When I make the tomato slices will vacuum sealing with an absorber, the in a Mylar bag kept in the fridge extend the storage life? I’m looking for long term storage.
    Would that work for the tomato paste and powder?

    1. Unfortunately, tomatoes just don’t hold up as long as other foods do, no matter what. Using a vacuum sealer and an O2 absorber are double-duty – no sense in doing both. In a mylar bag, most don’t vacuum seal anyway – you just use it to heat seal with the O2 absorber inside. Most tomatoes just last a year or so – your mileage may vary, but don’t expect them to last 3-5 years or more – you’d really need to look at freeze dried products for that. Powders have a reliable shelf life of about a year or less – and then begin to lose their potency, depending on the food. Mushroom powder lasts a long time, but many fruit powders don’t. So again, while your mileage may vary, look at tomato products being on the shorter end of the storage spectrum.

  8. Avatar for Gail Goodall Gail Goodall says:

    I’m wondering about using on burgers, do you rehydrate them or use as is? Thank you!

  9. 5 stars
    This is the BEST EVER!!! I made a test batch to see if we would like these. When John comes and tells me he really likes these we have a winner! The taste is amazing! The BEST part of this is we will have some delicious tomatoes to put on our salads this winter when they are so expensive and tasteless. I have done 20 trays so far! Thanks for a great idea!!!

  10. Avatar for Deborah Couture Deborah Couture says:

    5 stars
    Have my first try at tomatoes going since yesterday, but when I checked them earlier today they were still pliable and sticky. Will let them go til they are good and dry. My question, I am using just regular tomatoes, not Roma or Cherry, is there an easy way to slice? Some of my slices were thicker than others. I could not get them to slice on the mandolin, could be they are pretty ripe. Can I freeze them whole and slice them frozen? Just curious. Thanks for all you do!!

  11. Am I able to make tomato powder from tomato chips? Or do I have to cook down tomatoes into a paste and then do the leather dehydrating? I like the idea of tomato powder but want to do it with my garden produce rather than from a can of paste.

  12. Avatar for Della Humphrey Della Humphrey says:

    5 stars
    The recipe is great! Me….not so much. My attempt took forever. The slices seemed to “snap”. I put them in a jar and turned them every day. I noticed one was sticking to the bottom of my jar so I dumped them all into a bowl. They are all flexible now. No sign of mold. I put them back in the jar and into the refrigerator. I will try again. I used a sheet under the slices…the one you use for making fruit leather. Maybe I should not have done that. It might have affected air flow. I am rather old to be just starting this but I love the idea of those delicious tomato slices with seasonings.

    1. You putting them in a bowl in the fridge introduces all sorts of moisture. An airtight container is all you need – if they snapped, you condition, then store in an airtight container. Sticking a little is one thing, not coming off is another. You can just put them back into the dehydrator to dry, and store again.

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