How Dehydrate Onions in a Dehydrator

Here’s how to dehydrate onions in a dehydrator. This is a great option when you have a lot of onions or want to take advantage of a bulk deal on onions.

dried onions on tray in dehydrator with jar and lid
Dehydrating onions is a great option if you don’t have the right storage conditions for onions.

Also Read: How to Store Onions, How to Freeze Onions, Homemade Onion Soup Mix

Can You Dehydrate Raw Onions or Should You Blanch Them?

Good news! You do not need to blanch onions before dehydrating. Onions can be dehydrated raw.

That said, blanching onions will reduce the smell while dehydrating, shorten the time needed to dry them and prevent discoloration. If those are important to you, see how to blanch them in the reducing odour section below.

raw onion slices spread on multiple dehydrator trays
You don’t have to blanch onions when dehydrating.

Is Freezing or Dehydrating Onions Better?

Ooh, tough question. I do both and recommend both! Both are healthy ways to preserve onions with minimal nutrient loss.

I like to freeze onions when I have just a few onions that need to be used up or when I’m tired of constantly chopping fresh onions! It’s so handy to have frozen chopped onions on hand. I also use this method when I can’t dehydrate onions due to our Canadian winter weather. (I dehydrate onions outside due to their smell, which is not fun when it’s -30°C/-22°F!)

Dehydrating onions is great when you can get good deals on fresh onions. Dried onions will last a long time and they re-hydrate beautifully. Your dinner guests won’t have a clue that the onions you used were dehydrated. So, when you can get a good deal on beautiful fresh onions and you can easily move your dehydrator outside – dehydrate them!

And now to blow your mind – you can dehydrate frozen onions! Yup, go ahead and buy frozen onions and dehydrate those!

freezing onions multiple bags
Freezing is another convenient way to preserve onions and you can even dehydrate frozen onions!

Steps to Dehydrate Onions in a Dehydrator

1.Peel & Cut Onions

  • Cut off the tip and root of onion and peel off skin. Watch How to Cut Onions for Tips.
  • Slice or dice your onions. I prefer to slice onions to retain best flavour and because that’s the most common way I use onions in recipes. When I need smaller pieces I can easily crumble them into smaller pieces.
  • Just be consistent in size and try to keep them thinner than 1/4 inch.
mix of whole, cut and sliced onions on cutting board with knife
Peel and cut onions into even slices. Use a knife, mandolin or the slicing blade of a food processor.

PRO TIP: Most aromatic foods like onions, garlic and herbs will keep their flavour longer when left in larger pieces.

Caution: You can use a food processor to slice (use slicing blade) or dice (use regular knife blade) your onions, just be careful not to turn them into a liquid pulp. However, if this does happen, pour off some of the liquid and pour the onions on a liner or on parchment paper over top of the mesh on your dehydrator trays. The onions may dry into a sheet (kind of like fruit leather). Once it’s dry and brittle you can turn it into onion powder by pulverizing in your food processor.

2. Place on Trays

Separate onion rings and place on mesh drying screens. Spread out in a single layer, but don’t fuss too much, it’s okay if they overlap a little bit.

onion slices in single layer on multiple trays
Separate slices and keep in single layer, some overlapping is okay.

3. Dry

Set the dehydrator to 155°F or 68°C as recommended in my Excalibur dehydrating book. Higher than most vegetables, but I’m following what my dehydrator manual recommends (check your manual to see what it recommends). It will take 7-12 hours depending on how humid it is, how many onions you’re drying at one time, how thick the onions are, outside temperature, etc.

I filled 6 Excalibur dehydrator trays with 5lbs/2.2 kg of sliced onions – about 15 onions.

dehydrator with trays of onions on balcony overlooking trees
Caution, dehydrating onions is smelly! I set up the dehydrator outside.

4. Check for Dryness

Onions are done and completely dehydrated when they crinkle and easily break or crush. If they’re bendable but don’t break, give them a little more time. Listen here for the sound of dried onions.

Dried onions should be crispy, brittle and break when crushed. Bendable onions are not dry enough for long term storage.

5. Cool & Store Dried Onions

Let cool completely then place in an air tight container that is just large enough to hold all of your dried onions. A container with a lot of empty space traps too much air which will reduce the flavour and colour more quickly.

Store the container in a cool, dry, dark place. Read more on How to Store Dehydrated Food.

dried onion slices in dehydrator with jar
Use glass jars, leave dried onions big and leave as little air space as possible for best flavour over a long time.

PRO TIP:  After dehydrating onions in your dehydrator, consider following it with a batch of potatoes or some other savoury food.  A wee bit of onion flavour would go much better with potatoes than apple rings, don’t you think!

How to Use Dried Onions

Dehydrated onions can be used whenever a recipe calls for fresh onions. Just remember this general formula:

4 tablespoons of dried onion slices = 1 diced medium, fresh onion

Re-hydrate the onions for recipes where cooking time is short and there isn’t a lot of liquid.

For soups, stews, chilis and curries where there is a lot of moisture you can simply crumble the dried onions and use without rehydrating.

How to Re-Hydrate Dried Onions

You don’t have to re-hydrate dried onions – you can just crumble them or turn them into powder to use. However, re-hydrating is super easy and allows you to use dried onions just like fresh onions in cooked recipes.

1/4 cup dried onion slices = 1 medium raw onion = 1 cup sliced onions

  • Measure the amount of onion needed into a bowl.
  • Pour hot water over the top to cover and let rest for ~30 minutes for the onion to absorb the water.
  • Drain and use like you would raw onions as indicated in recipe.
browned ground chicken in pot with rehydrated onions on top
These onions are re-hydrated dried onions. I soaked them while browning the chicken for Chicken Chili.

Reducing the Smell of Drying Onions – How to Blanch Onions

The smell of dehydrating onions is very intense and will penetrate into just about everything. Be cautious about where you set up your dehydrator.

I learned this lesson the hard way! From now on, dehydrating leeks, green onions, chives and onions happens outside!

If you cannot move your dehydrator outside or you’re using the oven there is a work around to the odour issue. Blanching your onions before dehydrating will reduce their odour. Here’s how to blanch onions:

  • bring large pot of water to boil
  • cut your onions to desired size – sliced or diced
  • add your onions to boiling water for 30 seconds
  • remove from boiling water directly into an ice water bath to stop them from cooking further
  • drip dry and pat dry as much as possible
  • continue with dehydrating process

Bonus: After blanching, the onions will dehydrate quicker.

What about smelly fingers and cutting boards? Read How to Combat Tears and Onion Smells.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dehydrating Onions

Are Dehydrated Onions as Healthy as Raw Onions?

Yes, don’t let concern over minor nutrient loss stop you from dehydrating onions. Generally speaking dehydrated food keeps its nutritional value thanks to low heat. Dehydrating may reduce some of the Vitamin C and B in onions, but the fibre, antioxidants, calcium, potassium and magnesium remain.

What’s the Best Way to Store Dried Onions?

Store in an airtight glass jar in a dark, dry, cool space like a pantry. Glass jars seal tightly and don’t absorb odours.

Reduce exposure to the enemies of freshness for all stored food. Read How to Store Dehydrated Food.

How Long do Dried Onions Last?

Dried onions will last for years if they’re stored properly. Keep them air tight, dark and at consistent cool temps. You may notice the colour start to become a little yellow and flavours may get a little less flavourful after 12 months.

You’ll get the best flavour if you use them within a year.

Using oxygen absorbers can help extend the shelf life of dried food. If you’re serious about storing your dried onions for more than a year, it’s worth considering. Using mylar bags is another good option if you intend on storing your dried food indefinitely. But, if you plan to use your onions within a year, neither one of those options is necessary.

Why did my Dried Onions turn Pink?

It’s common for onions to turn a little yellow or pink when dehydrated raw. It’s the sugars in onions caramelizing, it’s perfectly safe and not noticeable in most recipes.

To prevent discolouration, either blanch onions or dry at a lower temperature.

Can you Dry Onions in the Oven or Microwave?

Honestly, I don’t think it’s worth it. Sure it can be done, but it will take a long time, be smelly and you’ll only be able to do small batches. I would recommend freezing onions instead if you don’t have a dehydrator.

Watch My Dehydrating Onions Video

Here’s a short video showing you just how easy dehydrating onions can be.  Notice, you do not need to blanch or pre-treat onions in any way – just chop and dry. This was one of my very first videos – enjoy the throwback to the good old days!

YouTube player
Video: I demonstrate how to dehydrate onions, quickly and easily! Circa 2014 – yup, I’ve been doing this FOREVER!

Recipe for Dehydrating Onions

open jar with dried onions resting in dehydrator
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

How to Dehydrate Onions

Step by step guide to dehydrate onions in a dehydrator with helpful tips along the way. Use as many or as few onions as you have. As a reference point, 5lbs/2.2kg sliced onions filled one 1qt/l jar of dried onions for me.
Prep : 20 minutes
Drying Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 1 quart
Author: Getty Stewart

Ingredients

  • 5 lbs onions 2.2 kg

Instructions

  • Cut and peel onions. Slice into consistent size pieces no thicker than 1/4 inch.
  • Separate slices and place evenly in a single layer on mesh dehydrator tray. Some overlapping is okay.
  • Set dehydrator to 155°F or 68°C and dry for 7-10 hours or as needed until onions are crunchy and crumbly.
  • Check for dryness at 6 hours and rotate trays. Onions should be brittle and crumbly. If they're just bendable, dry them a little more.
  • Cool completely (let rest for 2 hours) then pour into a air tight container just large enough to hold all the dried onions (avoid large airspace). Do not crumble until ready to use.

Video

Notes

For me, 5lbs/2.2kg sliced onions filled one 1qt/l jar.
When drying onions do so outside because they release a very strong odour.
Slice in uniform sized pieces for even drying.
When storing dried food, larger pieces retain flavour longer, so don’t crumble til ready to use.
To rehydrate onions, place amount needed in bowl, cover with boiling water and let soak until soft (~30 min).
1/4 cup dried onion flakes = 1 diced medium, fresh onion
After dehydrating onions, clean dehydrator trays well and follow with another savoury vegetable to avoid cross contamination of flavours.
 
Tried this recipe?Mention @GetGettyS or tag #GetGettyS

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories: 907kcal | Carbohydrates: 212g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 91mg | Fiber: 39g | Sugar: 96g | Iron: 5mg
Course: dehydrated foods
Cuisine: American
Keyword: onions

Getty Stewart is a Professional Home Economist,  speaker, frequent media guest and writer dedicated to putting good food on tables and agendas.  She is the author of several recipe books on enjoying and preserving fruit, Founder of Fruit Share, a mom and veggie gardener. Sign up to get articles by Getty delivered to your inbox. You’ll get recipes, practical tips and great food information like this.

4 Comments

    1. Hi Mimi,
      I’m not sure I would dry onions in my kitchen oven. The odor is quite strong and will get into any soft material – curtains, cushions, clothing, towels, etc. Perhaps if you can open the windows with a fan it might work.

      Good luck,

      Getty

  1. I never thought about drying onions, I am super excited to try this!!!! I’m loving everything that I am learning from your website. Keep drying!!!

    1. Hi Teresa,
      Thanks for your comment, glad you’re finding the site useful. Just remember, dry the onions outside of your house!

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