These Sun-Dried Tomatoes are made in the dehydrator, no oven necessary. They're intensely fragrant, delicately sweet and will make you wonder why you ever bought shop bought sun-dried tomatoes in the first place!

Sundried tomatoes submerged in extra virgin olive oil in a glass jar that is placed on straw fabric.

This recipe couldn't have coincided better with the 50 year anniversary of the first Moon Landing. I loved astronomy so much growing up and will never forget the day I went to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida back in 2008. I learned about the food that astronauts ate and how it was all dehydrated by various processes to stop it from going off. As a souvenir from the gift shop, we brought back some space food - freeze-dried strawberry ice cream was one of them if I remember correctly!

In perfect sync with this anniversary, we have made dehydrated Cherry Tomatoes.

Now we all love sundried tomatoes at home, we add them to cheese and salad sandwiches with homemade chutneys, in pesto, sundried tomato rosemary focaccia and salads just to name a few. If you are blessed with glorious sunshine, then sun-drying the tomatoes seems the best option, but, like us, if you are not, you have to fall back on other (equally effective) methods. I like to use my Instant Pot for proving bread dough because the UK sunshine is rarely good enough!

In the past, we used to oven-dry our tomatoes but this time, we used a food dehydrator.

sundried cherry tomatoes in the dehydrator tray at different cooking stages.

other Sun-Dried Tomato Recipes from JCO and Other Food Bloggers

Sun-Dried Tomato, Chickpea Cakes with Cashew and Oats
Chargrilled Vegetable Pizza
Instant Pot Brussels Sprout
Roasted Cauliflower Pasta with Zingy Dressing
Sun-Dried Tomato Roasted Garlic Compound Butter
Italian Veggies Pot Pie
Simple Fregola Salad with Lentils
Crispy Cauliflower Vegan Pizza Crust

📖 Recipe

Easy sundried cherry tomatoes placed in a jar

Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Dehydrator

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These easy sun-dried tomatoes, prepared in a dehydrator, are intensely fragrant and delicately sweet. Once you've made your own, you'll wonder why you ever bought them from a shop.

Course condiments

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 10 10

Servings servings

Author Hayley Dhanecha

Equipment

Food dehydrator
Sterilised jar

Ingredients

700 gram cherry tomatoes
200 millilitres extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon mixed dried herbs
3-4 garlic cloves
sea salt flakes to taste

Instructions

Wash and pat the cherry tomatoes dry.
Slice each tomato in half. There is no need to peel the skin.
Place the halves in a large bowl and add a pinch of salt, a little oil, and some of the dried herbs. Mix gently to coat.
Read the manual for your dehydrator carefully before proceeding.
Arrange the tomato halves cut-side up on the dehydrator trays, leaving a little space between each one.
Place the lid on the dehydrator and switch it on.
Set the temperature to 55°C and the timer to 10–11 hours.
Check the tomatoes after 6–7 hours.
Once fully dried, remove the tomatoes and leave them to cool completely.
Pack the tomatoes into a sterilised jar, adding the garlic cloves, remaining herbs, and a little extra salt if needed.
Pour over the olive oil, ensuring all the tomatoes are fully submerged.
Seal the jar tightly and refrigerate for at least one week before using, or add straight to a recipe as needed.

Notes

I have used cherry tomatoes, however, any variety of tomato works well in this recipe. If using larger tomatoes, slice them thinly rather than halving.
Fresh herbs such as rosemary, basil, thyme, or oregano can be used in place of, or alongside, dried mixed herbs.
If you prefer not to preserve in oil, the dried tomatoes can be vacuum-sealed instead.

Nutrition

PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.

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