How to Make and Use Vegetable Powder

Knowing how to make and use vegetable powder takes your dehydrating to the next level! Here is a quick and easy way to make them even more versatile! Vegetable powder!

Do you get so excited to dehydrate vegetables, then let them sit on a shelf, unsure of how to use them. Or maybe you realize that you don't even like them. Maybe you've got lots of small portions that just don't make sense keeping.

This tip will make ALL of your dehydrated vegetables so versatile to use, and you'll NEVER notice them! This works for dehydrated fresh vegetables, canned vegetables, and frozen vegetables.

According to the CDC, only 1 in 10 adults gets enough vegetables into their diets on a daily basis. The federal recommendation is at least 2-3 cups of vegetables per day, yet only 1 in 9 adults get that.

Seven of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States are from chronic diseases. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables daily can help reduce the risk of many leading causes of illness and death, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and obesity.

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p1116-fruit-vegetable-consumption.html

But what if you just really hate vegetables? Or you have texture issues that make eating vegetables hard for you? There are a lot of reasons, besides having trained our mouths to only like junk food. But here's how you can help boost the nutritional value of even your most nutrition-less meals.

What is Veggie Powder?

Vegetable powder is ground, dehydrated (dried) vegetables. Any vegetable. And the cool thing is you can mix them all up!

You can use

• Fresh Vegetables (this list is being updated as quickly as I can take pics!)
• Frozen Vegetables
• Canned Vegetables
• Freeze-dried vegetables (if you're trying to use up a bag or can before you open a new one)
• Vegetables from making stock

How to Make Vegetable Powder

Of course, go ahead and dehydrate your vegetables. Whatever you're using will be just fine. In my photo, it's a combination of corn, carrots, green beans, peas, potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower.  They were part of my last frozen veggie dehydrator run. I happen to use an Excalibur Dehydrator, but any dehydrator will do.

You can do single ingredient powders or just mix up all of the veggies and powder them. The mixture tends to take on a more neutral taste. If your ratio is heavy on a particular vegetable, it may begin to take on more of that particular flavor.

1. Pour Dehydrated Vegetables into a Blender

Whatever veggies you're using - you'll want to go ahead and grind them.

2. Powder

I pulse a few times, then set it to a sustained mode (I happen to use crush from my machine). This is to break up the pieces then run on a sustained cycle to pulverize the pieces.

Here is the result of 1 C of the dehydrated vegetables ground in my Ninja blender. You can see that there are a few larger bits on top from green beans and carrots.

You can, of course, use any blender that you have, depending on how much you are doing at one time. Something like a Vitamix or a bullet blender will do this pretty quickly and you won't have to grind again.

3. Strain and Grind Again

Strain out the powder into a bowl so I can take the larger bits and either use my blender again -- or --

I throw them into my coffee grinder. (NOTE, I no longer use this model because the dust kickup became a problem have since switched to the Kitchen Aid coffee grinder. Removable bowls are still a favorite feature because cleanup is a breeze.

But you can see how the larger bits of carrots and green beans are ground into a fine powder. Sometimes the big blenders can't get those last bits because there's just not enough bulk to keep them in the blades. That's when a coffee grinder can really come in handy.

Conversion Chart

The basic ratio of vegetables to vegetable powder is this

1.5-2 C of vegetables to 1 C dehydrated vegetables to ½ C vegetable powder.

Your ratio will vary depending on the cut of your vegetables (these were small cut sizes). 1 C of uncut broccoli will be different than 1 C of small, chopped broccoli. This is an instance where the ratios don't have to be exact. It is to give you a sense of the conversion that you can adjust to your own taste preferences.

►Add veggie powder to boost the nutrition of anything that you are making. While 1 TB of ground dried vegetables seems pointless in one instance, the accumulation of the addition of the powders to your daily life adds that much more nutrition throughout your day.

How to Store Vegetable Powder

Store in an airtight container. A mason jar, a mylar storage bag, but not zip-top plastic bags as they do allow air to permeate over time. You want to make sure that no air/moisture gets into your powder to allow it to clump or degenerate. Store in a cool, dry, dark place.

Ideas for using Veggie Powder

• 1 TB to baked goods - you really don't taste it, but it helps make those brownies or cookies a little more 'nutritious'!
• 2-3 TB to casseroles - no matter what veggies you may have added, it helps boost the nutrition level of tater tot casserole.
• 1.5 TB into scrambled eggs
• Smoothies
• 1-2 TB into bread
• Sprinkle on salads
• ¼ C of vegetable powder to 2 C of broth makes a great vegetable broth
• Make your own vegetable capsules
• Create your own seasoning blends with herbs and spices
• Use powders to naturally color pasta
• Mix with stock and milk to make a cream of vegetable soup

Remember, these ratios are suggestions only. You may find you need to adjust them for your taste buds or for a particular dish.

Here are some Single-Ingredient Vegetable Powders you can make

• Bell Pepper Powder aka mock 'Paprika'
• Celery Powder
• Cucumber Powder (for DIY Ranch Dressing and Tzatziki)
• Green Onion Powder
• Pumpkin Powder

READ MORE: How to Make & Use Fruit Powders

YOUR INPUT ►► If you are already using vegetable powders, how do you integrate them into your meals?

Other Kinds of Dehydrated Powders You Can Make or Use

• Fruit Powders
• Green Powder
• Peanut Butter Powder