How to Dehydrate Potatoes

If you are a bit of a foodie, learning how to dehydrate potatoes might be right up your alley. Dehydrating potatoes has many benefits, and it means that people can store them for longer periods, which makes them ideal for keeping on hand at all times. Dehydrated potatoes are perfect for long-term storage because they don’t take up much space and are lightweight.

There are a few different ways to dehydrate your potatoes, depending on the equipment you have on hand and how you plan to use them in the future. In most cases, people prefer to dehydrate potato slices since they are versatile. However, if there is a big batch of potatoes to dehydrate, you might find it handy to dehydrate some potatoes after shredding them. This blog post will serve as your ultimate guide to dehydrating potatoes. We cover everything from buying and prepping your potatoes, dehydrating them using different equipment, and finally storing the end result correctly.

Buying Potatoes

Choosing the right vegetables, potatoes in our case, especially when planning to preserve them, becomes extremely important. Look for firm potatoes with taut skin and don’t have any bruises. While it is okay to use still potatoes that have sprouted while in storage, don’t buy already sprouted potatoes from the grocery. Avoid potatoes that have green spots. The green spots tell you that the potatoes were not stored properly and have been over-exposed to sunlight.

Preparing Potatoes

Before moving on to the dehydrating stage of the potatoes, you first need to prepare them, including washing, peeling (optional), slicing or shredding, and blanching.

Washing the Potatoes

Potatoes are a root vegetable and, therefore, dirtier than other vegetables. It becomes vital to clean the potatoes thoroughly, especially if you plan to dehydrate them with the skin on. Wash the potatoes only before you use them. If you are going to store the potatoes in your pantry for a few days, you don’t need to wash them. You can just wipe off the excess dirt that may be caked on them with a paper towel before storing them.

When you are ready to use the potatoes, soak them in water for a few minutes before using a vegetable scrubber to scrub the potatoes to clean all the crevices.

Peeling the Potatoes

While you don’t need to peel the potatoes to dehydrate them, you can still peel them if you like your potatoes peel-free. Peeled and dehydrated potatoes are easy to use in a variety of dishes. There are several ways to peel your potatoes, using an electric or handheld peeler being the most popular. We have a blog post explaining all the different methods that make peeling potatoes simple.

Prepping the Potatoes

Prep your cleaned potatoes by either slicing or shredding them. Slice your potatoes using a food processor or a sharp knife. You can also use a mandoline to slice the potatoes evenly if you have one. A thickness of ¼ inch is optimal. You can vary the thickness of your slices according to your preference but try to get your slices the same thickness to dry theme equally.

If you plan to dehydrate the potatoes after shredding them, the best way to shred them is to use a coarse grater. Be careful when using the mandoline or the grater not to hurt yourself.

Once you have your potatoes prepped, add them to a bowl of cold water to stop them from browning. Once peeled, potatoes react with the air and oxidize very quickly. You can slow this process by soaking them in cold water.

Blanching the Potatoes

Often, people are disappointed with their dehydrated potatoes because they turn black. While these potatoes are still safe to eat, they are very unappealing and unappetizing. One way to prevent this is by blanching your potatoes before dehydrating them. Bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stovetop. For every quart of water, add one teaspoon of citric acid crystals. When the water is boiling, add your sliced or shredded potatoes to the pot and blanch them for 5-7 minutes. When the potatoes are fork-tender, get them out of the water using a slotted spoon and transfer them to some paper towels to absorb the excess water.

Dehydrate Potatoes in the Oven

1. Preheat your oven with the lowest possible temperature setting. In most ovens, this is 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line your baking tray with some parchment paper before you add your potatoes. If you are dehydrating potato slices, make sure the slices don’t overlap because this will cause the slices to dry stuck together. In the case of shredded potatoes, it is okay if they overlap a little.
3. Load your tray into the oven, and it may take between 6 – 8 hours for your potatoes to be entirely dehydrated on the lowest temperature setting.
4. Leave the door of your oven slightly open to allow air to circulate.
5. Check on your potatoes periodically. If you are dehydrating shredded potatoes, they may take less time than the potato slices.
6. Once the potatoes have dried completely, remove the tray from the oven and leave the potatoes to cool to room temperature.

Since the oven space is limited compared to a dehydrator, you may have to do the dehydrating in batches depending on the number of potatoes you are dehydrating. Prep your potatoes according to your batch size.

Dehydrate Potatoes in the Dehydrator

1. Add your prepared potatoes to the dehydrator trays ensuring none of the potato slices overlap. In the case of shredded potatoes, it is okay if they overlap slightly. Try to get the shredded potatoes in a thin layer on the dehydrator tray.
2. Load your prepared trays into the dehydrator, set the temperature to 125 degrees Fahrenheit, and dehydrate them for 8 to 10 hours.
3. Note that if you are dehydrating the shredded and sliced potatoes simultaneously, the shredded potatoes will dry faster. Check on the potatoes periodically and if any of the trays look done, remove them from the dehydrator.
4. When the potatoes have dehydrated completely, remove them from the dehydrator and let them cool to room temperature.

If you are in the market for a dehydrator, check out the Excalibur dehydrator, an excellent candidate with great reviews. It has a fan at the back that blows the hot air evenly over all the trays resulting in an excellent end product.

How to Store Dehydrated Potatoes

Before you store your dehydrated potatoes, they must be cooled completely to room temperature. Leave your recently dehydrated potatoes undisturbed for a few hours as they cool. Once they are cool, they are ready to be conditioned.

Conditioning the potatoes means that you get rid of any residual moisture and heat from the potatoes before you move them into your pantry for long-term storage, and this process is straightforward.

• Transfer your dried and cooled potatoes to heavy-duty glass jars, filling them ⅔ full. Close the lids to the jars and store them in a cool corner of your kitchen for the first week.
• Every day for the first week, shake each jar multiple times throughout the day to allow the residual heat and moisture from the dried potatoes to spread throughout the jar evenly.
• If at any point during this week you notice any condensation forming on the inside of the jars, you will need to dry your potatoes for some additional time as they still have some moisture present in them.
• If your jars are looking good at the end of the week, fill them entirely and move them to the pantry for long-term storage. Remember to label and date your jars so that you are aware of the packing date.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I test if my potatoes have dried completely?

Potatoes will turn translucent as they dry. Dried potatoes will feel leathery to touch. You can also test whether the potatoes have dried by folding the slice in half. If the folded halves stick together, there is still some moisture present, and the potatoes need additional time in the dehydrator.

How long do dried potatoes last?

Properly dehydrated and stored potatoes have a really long shelf life of up to 5 years! Even then, always make sure that you check on your dehydrated potatoes in storage every couple of months to ensure they are still in optimum condition. If you notice any mold or an odd smell emanating from the potatoes, discard them. Food safety is of utmost importance and should not be taken lightly.

Conclusion

Potatoes in their fresh state are one of the vegetables with the longest shelf life. And dehydrating them makes them one of the longest-standing products in your pantry. Dehydrating potatoes is a great way to preserve your excess potatoes, and they make meal prep quick and pain-free. Dehydrating potatoes is a simple task, and once you try it, you will be adding it to your routine for sure! If you enjoyed this post, you might also find some of our other dehydrating guides interesting.