Packed with flavor, tomato powder is a delicious, versatile addition to many recipes. It’s easy to make and is perfect for conserving tomatoes in a space-saving way.
In summer, many people plant tomatoes. It’s easy to end up with so many at once that you don’t know what to do with them all.
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to save those delicious tomatoes for the fall and winter?
Conserving tomatoes
I’ve found 2 favorite ways to conserve all that tomato goodness long-term and save space!
I’ve already shown you how to make an easy tomato paste that can be frozen or canned.
Today, I’ll show you another great way to conserve tomatoes, drying them. They can then be used whole in recipes, or ground into a powder. This may be my favorite way to save them because there is no need to freeze or can them. Plus, it saves a ton of space!
Ingredients
This simple recipe only uses one ingredient, tomatoes, and you can use any variety you like.
Keep in mind that some varieties, generally the rounder, flatter tomatoes, have more water content and will take a bit longer to dry. Taller oval tomatoes like Roma tomatoes generally have more meat and less water so they take less time to dry.
Procedure
First, we need to prep the tomatoes by rinsing them and removing the stems.
Once clean and dry, slice the tomatoes thinly and as evenly as possible. By using thin, even slices, you ensure that the tomatoes will dry more quickly and evenly.
Place the tomato slices on baking sheets or dehydrator trays. Ideally, they should be spread out so that they are not touching each other. At least ensure that they aren’t stacked on top of each other.
Oven method
If using an oven, bake the tomatoes at the lowest temperature for your oven. Use the fan setting if you have one to help dry them faster. Some people like to leave the door slightly ajar to allow the water vapor to escape more easily, but I haven’t found that to be necessary.
Dehydrator method
If using a dehydrator, follow the instructions that come with your particular dehydrator. Use a low setting if your dehydrator has more than one. You want to gently dry them.
Sun drying
You can make sun-dried tomatoes if you are in a warm, sunny, dry area. To do so, spread the tomato slices on a screen or tray and place them in the sun.
You may want to cover the trays with a mesh cloth to keep insects off the tomatoes as they dry. You should also bring them in at night once the sun has set each day.
When sun-drying tomatoes, you may need to finish the process in the dehydrator to dry them enough to be ground into a powder.
For even drying, flip the tomatoes partway through the drying process. That’s especially important if you’re using the oven or sun-drying on a tray.
When are they ready?
If making sun-dried tomato slices, you’ll want to dry the tomatoes until tomatoes they are dry, but flexible. They shouldn’t be at all spongy though. If too much moisture is left, the tomatoes won’t keep as well and may develop mold.
For powder, you’ll want to continue to dry them until they are dry and brittle. That ensures that you have thoroughly removed the moisture from the tomatoes. If they are still flexible, they likely have residual moisture and won’t grind well into a powder. Plus, the powder may develop mold with time.
How long does it take?
It’s impossible to give you a precise time frame for how long it will take to dry the tomatoes because it will depend on a number of factors.
- Type of tomato chosen
- Thickness of slices
- The method used (& each appliance is different.)
Making the powder
If you want to make tomato powder, make sure the tomato slices are fully dried and brittle. Use a food processor or blender to grind the tomatoes into a fine powder. Especially when using a blender, it may work easier if you first break the tomato slices into smaller pieces.
If the powder isn’t fine enough, you can switch to a coffee grinder to finish grinding the powder.
You can also sift the powder by pressing it through a sieve. This will separate the finer powder from the larger pieces. Then, blend the larger pieces again and sift again until all of the powder is fine and sifted.
Storage (dried tomato slices)
Store the dried tomato slices in an airtight container, preferably one without a lot of extra airspace, in a cool, dry place. You can prolong the storage time by storing them in a dry part of the fridge. If you store them in plastic bags, try to remove as much air as possible before sealing them. If you see mold developing, toss them.(Freezing will keep them even longer.)
In oil
The dried tomato slices can also be stored in a jar, covered with olive oil in the fridge. You may want to first slice them into strips for use on salads or bread. Oil-covered tomato slices don’t generally keep as long as dried tomatoes without oil.
While you can add fresh herbs or garlic to the tomatoes and oil, doing so will prolong the shelf life considerably. (You should store them in the fridge and use within a few days.)
To help bring out the acidic flavor of the tomatoes, dip them into vinegar before placing them into the oil. I like using dried tomatoes stored in oil for topping salads or working into spreads like hummus.
Storage (tomato powder)
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
If you store it in an airtight container in the fridge, it is said to last almost indefinitely. That is, of course, if you did a good job of dehydrating the tomatoes well from the beginning.
Dehydrated tomato uses
Dried tomatoes can be used in a variety of other recipes. Depending on how you plan to use them, you can use them dried or rehydrate them in water for around 30 minutes.
Sundried tomato pieces can be blended into sauces, soups, or compound butter. (Leave them dried if you’ll be adding them to butter for the longest shelf life.)
They can be added, sliced, to salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, or pizza. They can also be added to pasta, marinades, or scrambled eggs.
Here on the blog, I used them in the Citrus-Herb Basque Chicken.
Citrus-Herb Basque Chicken
Tomato powder uses
Tomato powder is incredibly useful to have around because of its versatility. It’s great for seasoning my homemade flaxseed tortilla chips so they taste more like healthier Doritos. You can also add it to soups, stews, and sauces. It’s also delicious when added to ground beef for tacos and other Mexican dishes. (For Mexican dishes, try seasoning it with some garlic and cumin.)
Paleo Doritos Like Chips Recipe
Mix it with a bit of water to make an instant tomato sauce, tomato paste, or tomato soup! Add it to cream cheese to make a tasty spread. You can add it to just about anything to add a healthy flavor kick!
I’ve had readers suggest other great uses for tomato powder. Why not try adding it to homemade pasta or pizza dough?
Making tomato sauce from powder
To make a tomato sauce from tomato powder, mix the powder with water. Simmer the mixture over low to medium heat while stirring to fully dissolve the powder and thicken the sauce.
- Depending upon how thick you want the final sauce to be, add around 1 part of water to 1 part tomato powder.
- For more of a tomato paste, use a little less water or begin with a 1:1 ratio and simmer it down to the desired consistency.
- For a thinner sauce, for something like enchiladas, add more water.
Video
How to Make Tomato Powder & Dehydrated Tomatoes
Instructions
- Rinse the tomatoes well and remove the stems.
- Slice the tomatoes thinly and evenly.
- Place the tomato slices on baking sheets or dehydrator trays, spreading the tomatoes out so that they are not stacked on top of each other.
Dehydrate the tomatoes
- If using an oven, bake the tomatoes at the lowest temperature, using the oven fan if you have one. If using a dehydrator, follow the instructions for your dehydrator. (Use the low setting if there is more than one.)
- You can also dry the tomatoe slices in the sun on a dry, sunny day. Cover the tomato slices with a fine mesh cloth to keep insects away. (Bring in the tomatoes at night.)
- Flip the tomatoes partway through the process, especially if using the oven or sun drying.
- If making powder, dry the tomatoes until they are hard and brittle. This ensures that you have thoroughly removed the moisture from the tomatoes. If they are still flexible, they likely have a tiny bit of moisture still. (For sun-dried tomato slices, they can remain flexible.)
- Once the tomatoes are completely dry, store them.
Make tomato powder
- Grind the tomatoes into a powder using a blender or food processor. It may be easier if you first break the tomato slices into smaller pieces. If the powder isn't fine enough, try using a coffee grinder to finish grinding the powder.
- Sift the powder thrugh a sieve to ensure a fine powder. The larger bits that remain in the sieve can be blended further until fine enough to pass through the mesh.
Notes
How long does it take?
It’s impossible to give you a precise time frame for how long it will take to dry the tomatoes because it will depend on a number of factors.- Type of tomato chosen
- Thickness of slices
- The method used (& each appliance is different.)
Storage (dried tomato slices)
Store the dried tomato slices in an airtight container, preferably one without a lot of extra airspace, in a cool, dry place. You can prolong the storage time by storing them in a dry part of the fridge. If you store them in plastic bags, try to remove as much air as possible before sealing them. If you see mold developing, toss them.(Freezing will keep them even longer.)In oil
The dried tomato slices can also be stored in a jar, covered with olive oil in the fridge. You may want to first slice them into strips for use on salads or bread. Oil-covered tomato slices don’t generally keep as long as dried tomatoes without oil. While you can add fresh herbs or garlic to the tomatoes and oil, doing so will prolong the shelf life considerably. (You should store them in the fridge and use within a few days.) To help bring out the acidic flavor of the tomatoes, dip them into vinegar before placing them into the oil. I like using dried tomatoes stored in oil for topping salads or working into spreads like hummus.Storage (tomato powder)
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. If you store it in an airtight container in the fridge, it is said to last almost indefinitely. That is, of course, if you did a good job of dehydrating the tomatoes well from the beginning.Dehydrated tomato uses
Dried tomatoes can be used in a variety of other recipes. Depending on how you plan to use them, you can use them dried or rehydrate them in water for around 30 minutes. Sundried tomato pieces can be blended into sauces, soups, or compound butter. (Leave them dried if you’ll be adding them to butter for the longest shelf life.) They can be added, sliced, to salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, or pizza. They can also be added to pasta, marinades, or scrambled eggs. Here on the blog, I used them in the Citrus-Herb Basque Chicken.Tomato powder uses
Tomato powder is incredibly useful to have around because of its versatility. It’s great for seasoning my homemade flaxseed tortilla chips so they taste more like healthier Doritos. You can also add it to soups, stews, and sauces. It’s also delicious when added to ground beef for tacos and other Mexican dishes. (For Mexican dishes, try seasoning it with some garlic and cumin.)Making tomato sauce from powder
To make a tomato sauce from tomato powder, mix the powder with water. Simmer the mixture over low to medium heat while stirring to fully dissolve the powder and thicken the sauce.- Depending upon how thick you want the final sauce to be, add around 1 part of water to 1 part tomato powder.
- For more of a tomato paste, use a little less water or begin with a 1:1 ratio and simmer it down to the desired consistency.
- For a thinner sauce, for something like enchiladas, add more water.
This post was originally published on Dec. 2, 2016. It was rewritten, adding new photos and clearer instructions in June 2021.
Jeremy
As someone with kidney troubles in always trying to find different ways to make seasonings with things I can use. In so excited to hear this idea and in dehydrating a tomato now to see how it works. Thanks so much.
Tracy Ariza
I’m very happy to help, Jeremy! I hope it goes well for you.
Amy
My favorite dehydrated dinner recipe for backpacking is chicken tortilla soup, which gets a lot of its flavor from tomato powder. Basically my own spin on this:
https://www.dirtygourmet.com/backpacking-tortilla-soup/
It’s soooo tasty, so I’m hoping to come up with more backpacking recipes that use this ingredient. Thanks to your instructions I’m now making my own tomato powder instead of having to buy it, which will be so much more convenient and probably cheaper, too. Thank you!
Tracy Ariza
Hi Amy,
That’s an interesting idea. I actually do a lot of hiking myself because I live on a mountain, but because I’m not gone very long, I really only take some nuts and fruit usually. I like the idea of foods for backpacking, though. I’ll keep it in mind. š
Peg
My daughter ans son-in-law do a lot of camping and backpacking. This summer they raided my dehydrated foods and one of the things they liked best was the tomato powder. They made soup, seasoned meats with it and even made some tomato juice.
Tracy Ariza
Wow, that’s great! I’m so happy to hear it! š
Pavan Kumar m
Very useful
Tracy Ariza
Thank you!
Andrea
I ordered a flat of organic San Marzano tomatoes from my CSA. I peeled & canned the whole tomatoes, then dehydrated the tomato skins & made them into powder. Easy peasy, since no prep was necessary to use the skins.
Tracy Ariza
Wow, Andrea, I love that idea!
So thrifty and frugal- totally up my alley!
Thanks so much for the idea. I’ll have to add the tip when I get to updating the post.
Kwaku Ameyaw
In the part of the world where I live, 50kg of fresh tomatoes cost less than a dollar at peak season. Can you advise me how I can go into the production of commercial tomato powder. ie.type of machines needed and where I can find them to buy. Because at off seasons it can cost as much as 100 dollars. I will be greatful to your usual corporation.
Tracy Ariza
Hi Kwaku,
I’m sorry, but I have no idea about the sorts of machines you would need for commercial production. I write for people who want to take charge of their food and other products and make them themselves at home. I don’t sell anything I make, and only make small amounts of foods, soaps, etc. for my own family.
christina koon
Can you use green tomatoes
Tracy Ariza
Hi Christina,
I’ve never tried it.
You definitely could use green tomatoes. I’m just not sure what the flavor would be like. It would probably be good for different recipes and to give a different flavor to recipes. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it goes.
Toni
HOLY COW!!! That just gave me an AWESOME idea!!! We have a lot of Mexican supermarkets here in Las Vegas, that of course sell more “Mexican” fruits n veggies. I recently bought 5lbs of tomatillos. Besides the usual salsa verde, I think I’ll try doing THIS with a few!!! I will let you know how it turns out!! Oh my gosh I am soooooo excited!! tee-hee!! š
Tracy Ariza
Hi Toni,
That is a great idea, and I’d love to hear how it goes!
I use the powder for making homemade “Doritos” like chips, so that would also be great in something like that. š
Have fun!
Muriel
A couple of years ago, I dehydrated some tomatoes and made tomato powder. But I didn’t have time to grind ALL of them, so I threw the rest in a ziplock bag… and promptly forgot about them. I ran across the bag yesterday, and they had gone “leathery” instead of crispy. They probably absorbed a wee bit of moisture, but there is no mold and they still smell fine. I tried putting them back in the dehydrator and ran them for about 8 hours today, but they are still leathery— or is that because they are warm?
Do you have any ideas about re-crisping them? Or should I just throw them away (wincing)?
Tracy Ariza
Hi Muriel,
Unfortunately, I don’t have any ideas for re-crisping them.
If it were me, I’d probably cut them into small pieces and throw them into oil for using on salads or blending into other sauces. Even if they aren’t crisy enough to make a powder, you should still be able to get great uses out of them. š
Marsha Bundman
I haven’t yet tried to make tomato powder, but if I had some I would add it to pasta dough to make red pasta!
Tracy Ariza
Hi Marsha,
That sounds like a great idea for it.
I may have to try that sometime. I don’t often make pasta anymore, as I went pretty strict paleo for awhile, but I may start introducing it back into my diet little by little. Homemade is definitely the way to go! š
Guinan
Hi!
I did this with tomato sauce. I cooked a batch of tomatoes, adding herbs and spices to taste, boiled it down and dehydrated to leather. I then ground the leather and put the powder back in the dehydrator to make sure it was good and dry. Great for pizza topping and stir fried veggies for pasta!
If you’re on the lookout for a dehydrator and are considering an Excallibur, *do* have a look at the *Sedona* first. It looks very much like the Excallibur (9 trays) but you can divide the space in 2 as it has 2 heating elements and fans and comes with a divider-tray. Great for smaller batches as it only requires half the electricity.
Tracy Ariza
Hi Guinan,
That sounds great too! I may have to try that sometime.
Thanks for the heads up on the dehydrators. Eventually I want to get one with rectangular trays like those. I hate the round ones. They’re very impractical, but I just wanted something cheap to see if I’d actually use a dehydrator. š
Guinan
I have a Sedona and I specially like that I can use only half of it, because I live alone and don’t always have a lot to dehydrate. Also the door does not come completely out, it’s on a hinge and flips down, which means I don’t have to find a spot in my – small and overfull – kitchen to put it. The prices are comparable, although the Sedona has a bit less volume than the Excalibur. For me that was not a problem because I already have trouble filling it! You seperate the two halves by means of an – included – tray, which can also be put on the lowest rung to catch crumbs, which I also find helpful.
Take a look here for a comparison:
http://www.healwithfood.org/comparison/tribest-sedona-dehydrator-vs-excalibur-which-is-better.php
Tracy Ariza
That makes a lot of sense!
Thanks for the tip. š
Linda myer
Hi I have a old dehydrator..I purchased a huge stainless steal didn’t work ..what kind of dehydrator are you using for these tomatoes ?I’m looking to purchase another one and I need to do the tomato powder .I always have tons of tomatoes from garden….linda
Tracy Ariza
Hi Linda,
That’s interesting. To be honest, I purchased the cheapest dehydrator I could find on amazon because I didn’t know how much I would be using it. The same brand doesn’t seem to be available in the US, but it was something like this, but with opaque walls.
In the end, I use it more than I thought, and I have to admit that I hate the circular design. I should have bought something like this instead! (I chose that one to show more or less the design of what I would like, but that super sale price does catch my attention. š )
Are you sure you didn’t just leave it long enough?
Tomatoes take a long time to dehydrate because they have a lot of water. At first they will get dry yet flexible. You have to take them a step further and get them dry and crispy before grinding them into powder.
You could also try finishing them up in the lowest heat setting of your oven, with the fan on if that’s an option with your oven. That works pretty well in my oven. You have to be very careful not to burn them, though.