Dehydrated Potatoes 3 Ways
Dehydrating potatoes is a fantastic way to preserve their freshness and extend their shelf life. Whether you’re working with shredded potatoes for hash browns, diced potatoes for stews, or potato slices for crispy snacks, the dehydration process locks in their flavors and nutrients while also making them convenient to store and use later. Choose your preferred method for drying potatoes and check out each set of instructions below including using a dehydrator, oven, or air fryer.
With just a few simple steps, you can transform fresh potatoes into lightweight, space-saving ingredients that are perfect for camping trips, hiking meals, quick breakfast hashes, emergency food supplies, or simply adding a burst of flavor to your favorite recipes.
Why Dehydrated Potatoes ROCK!
Key Ingredients
Potatoes:
Choose firm potatoes without any green hue. A green tint means that your potatoes were likely exposed to the sun and contain extra levels of solanine. When it comes to dehydrating, starchy potatoes like russet or Idaho potatoes are often considered the best choice for rehydrating and mashing.
Through trial and error I have developed a preference for more waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold. These tend to hold their shape best after being rehydrated, keeping them in cubes, slices, and shreds rather than melding together.
Be bold and experiment with other potato types! Some people have had success with dehydrating other varieties like Purple Russian or even sweet potatoes. These potatoes might have a different texture or flavor profile, but they can still yield delicious results.
How To Prepare Potatoes For Dehydrating
- Give Them a Good Rinse: Place your fresh potatoes under cool running water. Use your hands or a vegetable brush to gently scrub the surface of each potato. This will help remove any dirt, debris, or residue clinging to the skin. Give them a good rinse to ensure they’re squeaky clean.
- Time to Peel: Once your potatoes are clean, it’s time to peel them using a knife or a peeler.
- Rinse Again (Optional): Some people prefer to rinse the peeled potatoes under cool water to remove any lingering bits of peel or starch. This step is optional but can be helpful if you want a cleaner final product.
- Pat Dry: Once your potatoes are peeled and rinsed (if desired), gently pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Removing excess moisture will make them easier to handle and prepare for your chosen recipe.
- Slice, chop, or shred: If you are slicing the potatoes, plan to use a mandolin slicer or a chef’s knife and cut 1/8th of an inch thick. If you are cubing the potatoes, aim for 1/4 inch – 1/2 inch cubes (keeping in mind that larger cubes will take longer to dehydrate.) If you are shredding potatoes, they will need to be cooked first. Submerge whole potatoes in a large pot full of boiling water, cook until they are JUST tender enough to be pierced with a fork. After they are fork tender, shred them using the larger set of holes on your shredder.
- Blanche: Blanch the cubed or sliced potatoes in boiling water for five minutes. Transfer to an ice bath, drain, and blot dry with paper towel or a clean dish towel.
Choose your method for dehydrating raw potatoes below and follow instructions.
How To Dehydrate Potatoes In a Dehydrator
Kate’s Two Cents: Using a dehydrator to dry potatoes is my favorite method of the three because it is simple, energy efficient, you can dry a lot of potatoes at once and it is easy to control moisture and temperature.
- Prepare. Prepare the potatoes as outlined above.
- Arrange. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on your dehydrator sheet.
- Dehydrate. Set the dehydrator to the “vegetable” setting or 130°F and dry for 8-12+ hours. Drying time depends on the size of your potato pieces, uniformity, and general humidity. Check the potatoes at the 8 hour mark and add drying time as necessary.
- Check for doneness. For this recipe, potatoes should be crispy/brittle. The sliced or shredded pieces should break when folded and there should be no signs of moisture. Once dried, allow the dried potato pieces to cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before moving on to conditioning (see section below).
How To Dehydrate Potatoes In an Oven
- Prepare. Prepare the potatoes as outlined above.
- Arrange. Arrange the blanched and cut potatoes in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet or line your cookie sheet with a jerky mat (for finer pieces) to elevate it and allow for a bit more airflow. I personally have these jerky grill mats from Amazon and use them for SO many things, including jerky (of course), grilling finer cuts of meat, and dehydrating in the oven and air fryer.
- Dry. Set your oven to 150°F if possible- or the lowest setting. Dry the potatoes for 3-4 hours, more as needed. Flip the potatoes after about two hours and adjust the time as needed – thickness, moisture content, oven temperature and humidity levels can change drying time). Be sure to leave your oven door open slightly to allow moisture to escape. I use a linen dish towel to prop my oven open, you can also use a heat-safe utensil. Some ovens have dehydrate settings- use that, and follow drying guidelines in the dehydrate section.
- Check for doneness. For this recipe, potatoes should be crispy/brittle. The slices, shreds, and cubes should break when folded and there should be no signs of moisture. Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before transferring to a jar for conditioning (see section below).
How To Dehydrate Potatoes Using an Air Fryer
- Prepare. Prepare the potatoes as outlined above.
- Arrange. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in your air fryer basket. I use these jerky mats for SO many things in the kitchen including anytime I am dehydrating small pieces of produce in my air fryer. I simply cut one of my mats to fit the bottom of each basket in my Ninja Foodi Air Fryer, allowing me to efficiently arrange produce (mushrooms, garlic, strawberries, peaches, other herbs) without losing them down the grates.
- Dry. Set your air fryer to the dehydrate setting OR as close to 135°F as possible. Air fry the potatoes for 3-5 hours, checking for doneness after 3 hours. Adjust time as needed – potato thickness, moisture content, higher air fryer temperature and humidity levels can change drying time.
- Check for Doneness + Condition. Potatoes are done in the air fryer when the pieces have a hard, crisp texture after being cooled for 10 minutes. Dry potato slices and pieces will break when folded, and there will be no signs of moisture when twisted or torn.
Conditioning + Storing Dehydrated Potatoes
At this point you should condition the dehydrated potatoes (test for dryness) over 5 days. Place a handful of dried potatoes in an airtight container. Turn the jar or container once a day for 5 days. After 5 days if you notice moisture, or mold, discard the potatoes. Check out this full guide to conditioning dehydrated fruits and vegetables for more information.
Store dehydrated potatoes in an airtight container (I love mason jars for this) in a dry, dark place. Dehydrated potatoes will store for up to twelve months before the flavor and texture starts to degrade.
How To Use Dehydrated Potatoes
There are many unique ways to use your dehydrated potatoes, whether it is for your morning breakfast hash or your favorite hearty soup!
My mom and sister and I started an annual dried soup mix night. This takes place after harvest season, once all of our gardens are out and all of the preserving is done! We used dehydrated potatoes in several dried soup mixes including hamburger soup and dill pickle soup. The dried potatoes were an awesome add-in, allowing us to make hearty soups with garden-fresh ingredients.
Whip up a batch of scalloped potatoes using dehydrated potatoes. Whenever the craving strikes, whether you’re camping in the great outdoors or simply looking for an easy weeknight dinner option, dehydrated potatoes take the work out of your favorite dish.
Add potatoes to your favorite hungry man breakfast hash or blend them to make a potato powder/ thickener for soups, sauces, and gravy.
Tips + Tricks for Dehydrating Potatoes
- Think about how you want to use the potatoes- what will you be rehydrating them in? Are you wanting to shred them for hash, or have them cubed for soup? This will change the way you prepare the potatoes for dehydrating.
- Source your potatoes out from a reputable source including your local farmer’s markets, CSA programs, or the organic section of your local grocery store.
- Keep the size of your sliced/diced potatoes the same. Uniform pieces will dry at a more even rate. When I dehydrate more than one size of potato, I keep them on separate racks.
- Don’t skip the pre treatment! Blanching potatoes before dehydrating is essential to prevent browning and to create a dried good that rehydrates better.
Fresh Potato to Dehydrated Potato Conversion
4 Large, peeled potatoes yields about 4 cups of fresh diced.
4 cups of fresh, coarsely diced potatoes = roughly 2 cups of dried potatoes. This amount will change based on how you have prepared the potatoes. Sliced, dried potatoes take up more space than dried, diced potatoes.
This calculation means that 1/2 cup of dried potatoes = roughly 1 cup of fresh potatoes.
How to Rehydrate Dried Potatoes
Whether you are making scalloped potatoes or adding some potatoes to a breakfast scramble, dehydrated potatoes should be rehydrated before adding to your favorite dish to make sure that they are restored to their fluffy glory. Here’s how to bring them back to life:
- Take those dehydrated potato slices, cubes, or shreds and place them in a heat-safe bowl or container.
- Cover the spuds with hot water, ensuring they’re fully immersed.
- Let them sit in that hot water for around 15 to 20 minutes until they’ve softened up and regained their original texture.
- Once they’re all hydrated, drain off any excess water. Your rehydrated potato slices are now ready to take center stage in your favorite recipes.
A few of my other favorite garden staples to dehydrate include:
- Dehydrated Onions
- Dried Garlic
- Dehydrated Peppers
- Dehydrated Mushrooms
- Dehydrated Strawberries
- Dehydrated Peaches
- Dehydrated Mint
- Dehydrated Rhubarb
- Dehydrated Celery
- Dehydrated Dill
Printable Recipe For Dehydrated Potatoes
Dehydrated Potatoes 3 Ways | Dehydrator, Oven, Air Fryer
Dehydrating potatoes is a fantastic way to preserve their freshness and extend their shelf life. Whether you’re working with shredded potatoes for hash browns, diced potatoes for stews, or potato slices for crispy snacks, the dehydration process locks in their flavors and nutrients while also making them convenient to store and use later.
Ingredients
- 4 large potatoes (4 cups chopped)
Instructions
How To Prepare Potatoes For Dehydrating
- Give Them a Good Rinse: Place your fresh potatoes under cool running water. Use your hands or a vegetable brush to gently scrub the dirt and debris off- rinse again.
- Time to Peel: Once your potatoes are clean, it’s time to peel them using a knife or a peeler.
- Rinse Again (Optional): Some people prefer to rinse the peeled potatoes under cool water to remove any lingering bits of peel or starch.
- Pat Dry: Once your potatoes are peeled and rinsed (if desired), gently pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.
- Slice, chop, or shred: If you are slicing the potatoes, plan to use a mandolin slicer or a chef’s knife and cut 1/8th of an inch thick. If you are cubing the potatoes, aim for 1/4 inch – 1/2 inch cubes (keeping in mind that larger cubes will take longer to dehydrate.) If you are shredding potatoes, they will need to be cooked first. Submerge whole potatoes in a large pot full of boiling water, cook until they are JUST tender enough to be pierced with a fork. After they are fork tender, shred them using the larger set of holes on your shredder.
- Blanche: Blanch the cubed or sliced potatoes in boiling water for five minutes. Transfer to an ice bath, drain, and blot dry with paper towel or a clean dish towel.
How To Dehydrate Potatoes In a Dehydrator
- Prepare. Prepare the potatoes as outlined above.
- Arrange. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on your dehydrator sheet.
- Dehydrate. Set the dehydrator to the “vegetable” setting or 130°F and dry for 8-12+ hours. Drying time depends on the size of your potato pieces, uniformity, and general humidity. Check the potatoes at the 8 hour mark and add drying time as necessary.
- Check for doneness. For this recipe, potatoes should be crispy/brittle. The sliced or shredded pieces should break when folded and there should be no signs of moisture. Once dried, allow the dried potato pieces to cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before moving on to conditioning (see section below).
How To Dehydrate Potatoes In an Oven
- Prepare. Prepare the potatoes as outlined above.
- Arrange. Arrange the blanched and cut potatoes in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet or line your cookie sheet with a jerky mat (for finer pieces) to elevate it and allow for a bit more airflow. I personally have these jerky grill mats from Amazon and use them for SO many things, including jerky (of course), grilling finer cuts of meat, and dehydrating in the oven and air fryer.
- Dry. Set your oven to 150°F if possible- or the lowest setting. Dry the potatoes for 3-4 hours, more as needed. Flip the potatoes after about two hours and adjust the time as needed – thickness, moisture content, oven temperature and humidity levels can change drying time). Be sure to leave your oven door open slightly to allow moisture to escape. I use a linen dish towel to prop my oven open, you can also use a heat-safe utensil. Some ovens have dehydrate settings- use that, and follow drying guidelines in the dehydrate section.
- Check for doneness. For this recipe, potatoes should be crispy/brittle. The slices, shreds, and cubes should break when folded and there should be no signs of moisture. Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before transferring to a jar for conditioning (see section below).
How To Dehydrate Potatoes Using an Air Fryer
- Prepare. Prepare the potatoes as outlined above.
- Arrange. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in your air fryer basket. I use these jerky mats for SO many things in the kitchen including anytime I am dehydrating small pieces of produce in my air fryer. I simply cut one of my mats to fit the bottom of each basket in my Ninja Foodi Air Fryer, allowing me to efficiently arrange produce (mushrooms, garlic, strawberries, peaches, other herbs) without losing them down the grates.
- Dry. Set your air fryer to the dehydrate setting OR as close to 135°F as possible. Air fry the potatoes for 3-5 hours, checking for doneness after 3 hours. Adjust time as needed – potato thickness, moisture content, higher air fryer temperature and humidity levels can change drying time.
- Check for Doneness + Condition. Potatoes are done in the air fryer when the pieces have a hard, crisp texture after being cooled for 10 minutes. Dry potato slices and pieces will break when folded, and there will be no signs of moisture when twisted or torn.
Conditioning + Storing Dehydrated Potatoes
At this point you should condition the dehydrated potatoes (test for dryness) over 5 days. Place a handful of dried potatoes in an airtight container. Turn the jar or container once a day for 5 days. After 5 days if you notice moisture, or mold, discard the potatoes. Check out this full guide to conditioning dehydrated fruits and vegetables for more information.
Store dehydrated potatoes in an airtight container (I love mason jars for this) in a dry, dark place. Dehydrated potatoes will store for up to twelve months before the flavor and texture starts to degrade.
Notes
- 4 Large, peeled potatoes yields about 4 cups of fresh diced.
- 4 cups of fresh, coarsely diced potatoes = roughly 2 cups of dried potatoes. This amount will change based on how you have prepared the potatoes. Sliced, dried potatoes take up more space than dried, diced potatoes.
- This calculation means that 1/2 cup of dried potatoes = roughly 1 cup of fresh potatoes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: cupsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 556Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 60mgCarbohydrates: 126gFiber: 13gSugar: 7gProtein: 15g
Dehydrated Potatoes FAQ
Blanching the potatoes will keep them from turning brown initially and dehydrating them will stop it all together.
This is up to personal preference! I prefer to peel my potatoes because the earthiness is concentrated and a lot stronger when dehydrated.
3 Recipes Using Dehydrated Potatoes
Cheesy Ham Casserole
Use your dehydrated sliced potatoes in a cheesy ham casserole as a souped up version of scalloped potatoes. Seed to Pantry has a great recipe with instructions on how to incorporate dried potatoes in the casserole.
Cowboy Hash- Loaded Breakfast Hashbrowns
Looking for a hearty breakfast to fill your family’s belly? Look no further! Simply rehydrate your dried, shredded potatoes and add them to your morning breakfast skillet. Sally’s Baking Addiction has an awesome breakfast skillet recipe to add your dehydrated potatoes to.
Creamy Potato Soup
Rehydrate dried potatoes to use in a creamy soup base for a simple, potato soup. Add bacon and diced chives for garnish. Living Clean has an awesome video about how to prep “Potato Soup in A Jar,” and Food.com has a great recipe for potato soup using dehydrated potatoes.
