How To Make Dehydrated Pickles
Making dehydrated pickles is one of the most efficient ways to preserve them. Not only do they last for months, but they also add a delicious crunch to any dish.
How to make dehydrated pickles? There are a couple of different ways to make dehydrated pickles. Use a food dehydrator to dry them at 135°F for up to 18 hours or bake them in the oven at 135°F for about 6 hours to get perfectly crunchy dehydrated pickles.
In this article, let’s take a look at a few ways to make dehydrated pickles and how you can best enjoy them!
What Types Of Pickles Can You Dehydrate?
There are many types of pickles in your local grocery store, with the most standard options being sour, sweet, or dill pickles.
Sour pickles are made with salt brine, dill pickles are often fermented with dill and vinegar brine, and sweet pickles are usually packed with sugar and vinegar brine.
If you are wondering which type of pickles is best for dehydration, the answer is all of them! However, after drying, you’ll find that the final texture can differ somewhat.
Sour and dill pickles will become dry and easy to break, similar to other types of dehydrated food. However, sweet pickles are packed in a sugar brine, so dehydrated sweet pickles can feel tacky and gummy.
If the texture is important to you, then make sure to get sour or dill pickles for dehydration.
How To Dehydrate Pickles With A Food Dehydrator
A food dehydrator is the best, most stress-free way to make dehydrated pickles. Let’s take a look at how to dehydrate pickles using a food dehydrator!
Ingredients
- Pickles (dill, sour, or sweet)
- Food dehydrator
Instructions
- Since pickles are packed with brine, rinsing the pickles to remove the brine solution will help you remove all of the unnecessary flavors.
- Since food dehydrators can blast odors all around the house, rinsing the vinegar and salt solution will minimize the pungent smell.
- Cut the pickles into thin slices or strips, depending on your preference.
- Thinner slices will become crispier when it’s dehydrated; plus, they will be much faster to dry as well.
- Remember that the slices will shrink when all the water content is removed, so make sure not to cut them too small, or they will be quite awkward to eat.
- Line the dehydrator tray with parchment paper to prevent the pickles from sticking to the tray. Then, spread the pickles out on the tray, making sure to separate the pieces.
- Set your dehydrator to dry at 135°F and dry the pickles — up to 8 hours for sour and dill pickles, or up to 18 hours for sweet pickles.
- Make sure to check on them after a few hours to make sure that they obtain the desired texture. Dill and sour pickles should harden and become easy to break. Sweet pickles should feel firm but gummier and harder to break.
- After the chips have achieved the desired texture, you can remove the dehydrator tray and let the chips cool down before conditioning.
How To Dehydrate Pickles With A Food Dehydrator
A food dehydrator is the best, most stress-free way to make dehydrated pickles. Let’s take a look at how to dehydrate pickles using a food dehydrator!
Ingredients
- Pickles (dill, sour, or sweet)
- Food dehydrator
Instructions
- Since pickles are packed with brine, rinsing the pickles to remove the brine solution will help you remove all of the unnecessary flavors.
* Since food dehydrators can blast odors all around the house, rinsing the vinegar and salt solution will minimize the pungent smell. - Cut the pickles into thin slices or strips, depending on your preference.
* Thinner slices will become crispier when it’s dehydrated; plus, they will be much faster to dry as well.
* Remember that the slices will shrink when all the water content is removed, so make sure not to cut them too small, or they will be quite awkward to eat. - Line the dehydrator tray with parchment paper to prevent the pickles from sticking to the tray. Then, spread the pickles out on the tray, making sure to separate the pieces.
- Set your dehydrator to dry at 135°F and dry the pickles — up to 8 hours for sour and dill pickles, or up to 18 hours for sweet pickles.
* Make sure to check on them after a few hours to make sure that they obtain the desired texture. Dill and sour pickles should harden and become easy to break. Sweet pickles should feel firm but gummier and harder to break. - After the chips have achieved the desired texture, you can remove the dehydrator tray and let the chips cool down before conditioning.
How To Dehydrate Pickles In The Oven
You don’t need a food dehydrator to dehydrate pickles — you can also use an oven to bake them to achieve the same effect!
Ingredients
- Pickles (dill, sour, or sweet)
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 135°F.
- Rinse and cut the pickles, similar to those above.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper, and spread the cut slices out on the tray while making sure that they don’t overlap to allow individual slices to dry.
- Bake the pickles in the oven for 4–8 hours for sour and dill pickles, and up to 18 hours for sweet pickles.
- Make sure to rotate the tray after a few hours to make sure that all of the pickles dry evenly.
- Check on the dehydrated pickles after a few hours to make sure that the texture is perfect before removing them from the oven. Let them cool down before conditioning.
How To Dehydrate Pickles In The Oven
You don't need a food dehydrator to dehydrate pickles — you can also use an oven to bake them to achieve the same effect!
Ingredients
- Pickles (dill, sour, or sweet)
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 135°F.
- Rinse and cut the pickles, similar to those above.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper, and spread the cut slices out on the tray while making sure that they don’t overlap to allow individual slices to dry.
- Bake the pickles in the oven for 4–8 hours for sour and dill pickles, and up to 18 hours for sweet pickles.
- Make sure to rotate the tray after a few hours to make sure that all of the pickles dry evenly.
- Check on the dehydrated pickles after a few hours to make sure that the texture is perfect before removing them from the oven. Let them cool down before conditioning.
How To Condition Dehydrated Pickles
Conditioning is a very important step when making dehydrated food to ensure that the moisture level is the same on all of the pieces of dehydrated pickles.
This way, you can store them for longer without having to worry about moisture condensation or molds caused by excess moisture!
Here’s how to condition dehydrated pickles:
- Place the cooled dehydrated pieces inside an airtight container.
- Make sure to fill the container only halfway since you need room for the pieces to move around. You can use more than one container if needed.
- Then, seal the container and store it in a dry and cool place in your kitchen for up to a week. Shake the container every day to move the pieces around to equalize the moisture level.
- After the first day, check if there are any signs of water condensation on the inside of the container.
- Condensation is a sign that there’s still too much moisture inside the dehydrated pieces, so if you see water droplets, you will need to dehydrate or bake the pickles for a few more hours to remove the moisture completely.
- If you leave the condensation as is, it won’t be able to escape from the dehydrated pickles, and it will create a breeding ground for molds.
- If you see white spots on the pickles, that’s a clear sign of mold, and you won’t be able to enjoy them.
- After a week of conditioning, the dehydrated pickles should be ready for enjoying or for long-term storage.
How To Store Dehydrated Pickles
Dehydrated pickles can be stored at room temperature. You will only need to store them in an airtight container in a dry and cool area of your home, and the pickles should last for up to a year without any preservatives.
If you have small packets of silica gel, you can pop them inside the container. The silica gel will soak up any excess moisture from the air, which will ensure that the chips stay fresh for longer without becoming moldy.
If you want to give the pickle chips and gifts, you will need to store them in a vacuum-sealed bag. Removing all the air from the container will allow the pickles to remain crisp and fresh as it travels.
How To Make Pickle Powder
Pickle powder is a great sweet-and-sour addition to popcorn, hummus, and deviled eggs.
If you have dehydrated pickles at home, you can make your own pickle powder by grinding the chips into a fine powder using a high-speed blender or food processor.
Similar to dehydrated pickles, make sure to store the pickle powder in an airtight container in a dry and cool area until you want to use the dish.
Can You Rehydrate Dry Pickles?
After dehydrating the pickles, is there a way to rehydrate them?
Dehydrated pickles are quite magical in that you can rehydrate them to restore their freshness and gummy texture!
Since pickles are sold in a salt or vinegar brine, you will need to rehydrate the pickles in a similar brining solution to restore the texture as well as the delicious pickle taste.
If you try to rehydrate the pickles using just water, they will gain the gummy texture again, but the taste will become quite bland.
To make the brine to rehydrate dry pickles, you will need the following:
- 16 oz water
- 3 oz white vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar (adjust if you don’t want the pickles to be too sweet)
- 1 tbsp pickling salt
- 2 tbsp pickling spice
- Optional: 1 tbsp dill seed (for dill pickles)
Here’s how to rehydrate dried pickles:
- Mix all of the ingredients (except for the pickling spice and dill seeds) in a pot, then bring it to a boil.
- Stir occasionally to melt the sugar and salt. Once combined, remove from heat.
- Pour the brine into a jar, then add the dill seed and the pickling spice. Let the solution cool down completely.
- Add the dry pickle chips to the jar, making sure that individual chips are submerged in the brine solution, and let it soak for 2 days.
- After 2 days, you will find that the texture and flavors of pickles are completely restored and you can enjoy them in all the dishes that call for delicious pickles!
How To Tell If Dehydrated Pickles Have Gone Bad
Even though dehydrated pickles can last much longer than regular pickles, they can still go bad if you don’t condition them correctly or if you leave them out for too long.
Here are some clear signs that the dehydrated pickles have gone bad.
Condensation on the container is a sign that the pickles have not been dehydrated completely, and there is still moisture escaping from the chips.
If this is the first day after dehydrating the chips, you can bake or dehydrate them for a few more hours to make sure that all of the moisture is completely gone.
However, if you leave them for too long, moisture is a breeding ground for bacteria and mold, which can cause food poisoning.
Green, white, or fuzzy spots on the surface of the chips are mold spots. If the dehydrated pickle chips have become moldy, then you shouldn’t use them anymore.
A change in color and texture is definitely a clear sign that the chips have gone bad. If they are no longer firm and breakable, or if there’s a change in color, then they are not safe to consume.
Finally, the clearest sign that dehydrated pickles have gone bad is a strong, sour, and pungent odor. Pickles can have a strong odor, to begin with, so it may be hard to tell.
However, if the chips smell rancid, then you should definitely avoid using them!