25 Surprising Benefits of Dehydrating Food

If you’ve ever wondered whether a food dehydrator is worth it, the answer is yes—and in more ways than you likely realize. A food dehydrator is one of the simplest tools for preserving food, saving money, and boosting nutrition in your kitchen.

I've been dehydrating food for many years and I even was once an Excalibur dehydrator dealer. If you don't own a dehydrator, I'm sure you'll want one after reading this post, and if you do have one, you'll be even more thankful that you do!

Here are all of the reasons why I love ours and why you'll love having one too!

25 Benefits of Dehydrating Food:

• Save money on groceries
• Reduce food waste
• Save storage space
• Fewer last minute trips to the store
• Save money on supplements
• Least expensive form of food preservation
• Can be done without power
• Save money on packaged dried foods
• Get specialty foods at a discount
• Deal with garden overflow
• Take advantage of u-pick savings
• Foods stays fresh without power
• Long shelf life
• Portable food
• Minimal work
• Basically foolproof
• More nutritious than other food preservation methods
• More nutritious than fresh foods
• Less risk of food-borne illness/mold contamination
• Intense flavor
• Get in-season flavor year round
• Helps Picky Eaters
• Great for hidden-veggie recipes
• Control over ingredients
• Improved nutrition and digestibility of food

Save Money With Dehydrating

Least Expensive Form of Food Preservation

Dehydrating food costs less than canning and freezing. Don't believe me? This post comparing dehydrating, canning, and freezing costs has all the details.

Fewer Last Minute Trips to the Store 

OK so you might have some last minute trips, you'll for sure have a lot less. You'll save money on gas, save precious time, and reduce wear and tear on your car. You can have a stash of dehydrated onions, celery, herbs, and more at the ready for whenever you need them for a recipe! Add that to the knowledge of easy substitutions and you just might make that into no last minute trips at all!

Save Money on Supplements

There are companies that put dehydrated powdered food into capsules and sell them for tons of money. In fact there's a very popular MLM company that sells dried powdered produce for more than $121 a pound (the berry blend is over $127 a pound!) By drying and powdering your own produce, you can make your own supplements and skip the MLM stuff while you're at it.

Can Be Done Without Power

If you're really in a bind, and live in a climate where it's not too humid, you can even dehydrate your own food without power!

Reduce Food Waste

Got produce that's starting to show signs of getting overly ripe? Just wash it, slice it, and get it in your dehydrator. 

Less Expensive than Buying Packaged Dried Foods 

Packaged dried foods are, for the most part, really expensive. Why not just do it yourself and make your own jerky, dried cranberries, fruit leathers, sun-dried tomatoes, kale chips, soaked grains, and more.

Take Advantage of Sales

You'll be able to purchase food at a discount and then process it for use throughout the year. One year, we went to an orchard and packed as many half-bushels of apple seconds that we could fit in the not-so-big trunk of our ancient Nissan Sentra. I spent the next several days slicing and drying fruit and we ate those dried apples for a very very long time.

We've also loaded that same Nissan trunk to capacity with discounted bananas (only 19 cents per pound) from Aldi for dried dried bananas. Bonus, our “banana chips.” weren't coated in any additional sweeteners or funky oils. We got a lot of looks when we checked out at the store, but I consider those looks to be a badge of honor considering all the money we save!

Get Specialty Foods at a Huge Discount

Finally, you'll save money by being able to make specialty foods for your family without the “gourmet food” price.  We've made our own sun-dried tomatoes using last summer's harvest and they make their way into omelets, frittatas, pasta, and they're even great plain!

I've made flax crackers in my dehydrator as well. 5 ounces of flax crackers sell for between $7 or more now.  That's $22 per pound! Organic flax seed is less than $2 per pound at Azure Standard. See how much you can save!

Deal with Garden Overflow

Having a dehydrator at the ready has helped me store up so much of the overflow from our garden over the years from kale (by making kale chips) to regular basil and holy basil, to sun-dried tomatoes, and calendula. By dehydrating your excess, you'll dramatically increase the profit from your garden investment!

Take Advantage of U-Pick Savings 

U-picks are a great way to save on produce. Sure it can be a fun outing even if you don't get a lot, but you can't save much money if you can't pick a good amount of whatever you're picking. Having a dehydrator is one great way to store your u-pick haul quick. Start right when you get home on the first batch and especially if you have a large dehydrator (that's the one that I have), you'll whizz through your pickings fast.

Save Time, Simplify Food Prep and Storage

Food Stays Fresh without Power

If you've used the freezer to preserve most of your food, then you can have a real mess on your hands if the power goes out.  Dehydrating will keep your food safe as long as its stored properly no matter what your power situation is because removing the moisture prevents bacterial growth.

Long Shelf Life

Typically, dehydrated food lasts for about four to twelve months, depending on how you store it, with some foods lasting up to a year or two.

However, if you store them under ideal conditions, you can store them safely for up to 25 years. ideal conditions are to completely dehydrate foods (veggies are crisp and fruits are leathery), and store them after cooling in airtight containers, like mason jars or vacuum-sealed bags with oxygen absorbers in a cool, dark, dry location, 

Saves Space 

Dehydrated food takes up less space than frozen or canned foods, and it also takes up less space than unpreserved foods due to the removal of the water content.

Portable Food

Dehydrated food is much more portable than canned or frozen foods. It's super light and packable for hiking, trips, going to school, or running errands.

Minimal Work

Dehydrating food is super easy. Just wash, cut, put the slices on a tray, and dry. If you're making fruit leather, it's even easier because there's just blending and pouring instead of slicing. Add some seasonings in the case of Dehydrator Kale Chips or Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and that's it!

It’s Foolproof (Mostly)

There's not much that can go wrong with dehydrating food aside from taking the food out too early, which is easily remedied, or leaving it in too long, but even then, you can still eat it. 

Boost Nutrition and Food Quality

More Nutritious Than Other Food Preservation Methods

Between canning, dehydrating, and freezing, dehydrating is the most nutritious way to preserve food. Food can lose 60–80% of its nutrients during canning, and up to 60% during freezing.

Dehydrating, on the other hand, can cause some loss of heat-sensitive vitamins (like vitamin C and B vitamins), most of the nutrition remains and of course the lower the temperature that you dry your food at, the less the nutrition loss

More Nutritious Than Fresh Food

Did you know that fresh produce starts losing nutrition right after it's picked? For example, spinach stored at 39 degrees kept only 53 percent of its folate after eight days. At 50 degrees, it lost 47 percent in only 6 days, and at 68 degrees, it lost the same amount in only four days. The same pattern is true regarding carotenoid reduction (source).

Now that doesn't mean that you shouldn't eat fresh produce, but you can stop the depletion process whenever you'd like by dehydrating your food.

Less risk of Food-Borne Illness/Mold Contamination

The longer food sticks around, the more mold/mycotoxins it can have in it. In fact, some experts say that food is a huge problem regarding how much it can affect a person's health. Dehydrating food removes moisture, which is needed for mold to grow.

Intense Flavor

The flavor of dehydrated foods is simply amazing due to it being concentrated. Think about the delicious flavor of dried cranberries, raisins and other dried fruit. My favorite example of this, however, is sun-dried tomatoes. There's nothing like them! 

Get In-Season Flavor Year Round

Yes, modern day grocery stores do kind of meet this need, but the flavor is sub-par for sure due to the produce traveling for a long time to get to the store and then sitting on the shelf. When you dehydrate your own in season produce, you preserve the in season flavor.

Help for Picky Eaters

One of our sons is a case in point. He doesn't like some fresh fruits but he'll gladly eat the dehydrated version. Yes, there's more sugar concentrated in those, and we watch our carbs, but it's a great way to get variety into the diet of someone who struggles otherwise.

Hidden Veggies (and Fruits)

Want to get more veggies and fruits into your and your family's diet without having to sit down to a big salad? Process dehydrated food into powders and add them to pancakes, waffles, cookies, breads, and so much more.

Control Over Ingredients

When buying store-bought dehydrated food, you're stuck with whatever the manufacturer uses. If you dehydrate it yourself, you can buy all organic ingredients, use no seed oils, and season things just the way you like. In fact, I like my simple Dehydrated Kale Chips better than any I've had from a store. And of course they're so much cheaper.

You can even use your dehydrator to make yogurt. Use organic regular or dairy-free milk and have super pure yogurt made right in your home!

Improve Digestibility and Nutrition of Foods

Nuts, seeds, beans, and grains are known to be healthy foods, but you can improve the digestibility, and nutrition by soaking and dehydrating them. This process addresses the coatings on these foods. You'll for sure notice the difference in your digestion and Soaked Nuts and Seeds taste so much better than raw. You'll never go back!

I'm sure you now agree that having a dehydrator at the ready is one of the best things you can do for your finances, the quality of your food, for saving time and space, and as a result, your overall quality of life.

How to Choose the Best Food Dehydrator for Your Needs

Now that you’ve seen the many benefits of dehydrating food, you might be wondering how to choose the right dehydrator.

I used to recommend Excalibur dehydrators and even worked with them in the past as a dealer.

However, over time I’ve chosen to move away from recommending them as my primary option. The dehydrator market has changed quite a bit, and there are now several models that are easier to use, more compact, and a better fit for many kitchens. I’ve also heard mixed feedback from readers about newer units, which is another reason I’ve broadened my recommendations.

Rather than focusing on one brand, I recommend choosing a dehydrator based on your needs—especially capacity, ease of use, and consistency. As with all products that I share, I always try to update my recommendations as products and options change over time.

Capacity

The biggest factor is how much you want to dry at once.

• Small batches: 5–6 tray models
• Larger batches: 8–10+ tray models

Keep in mind that tray size matters just as much as the number of trays—larger trays equals more usable space. Check the square feet of models to know exactly how much drying space the dehydrator has.

For example, both Cosori and Magic Mill offer smaller and larger units, so it’s important to compare tray size and total drying space rather than relying on the brand name alone.

Airflow Design

There are two main types:

• Rear-mounted fan (cabinet style): more even drying
• Stackable trays (top/bottom fan): more affordable but less consistent airflow

If you plan to use your dehydrator often, cabinet-style models are usually easier and more reliable.

Ease of Use

Look for:

• simple controls
• consistent temperature
• trays that are easy to clean

If it’s hard to use, you probably won’t use it often.

Size and Storage

Larger dehydrators are great for batch drying—but they take up more space.

Make sure the size fits your kitchen and where you’ll store it.

Budget

• Lower cost: stackable models (like Nesco)
• Mid-range: cabinet-style models (Cosori, Magic Mill)

You don’t need the most expensive option—just one that works reliably for your needs.

My Take

For me, the most important thing is having enough capacity to avoid running multiple batches. I prefer a simple, reliable dehydrator that’s easy to use and fits my space. I'm happy to pay up front for quality and convenience so that I can take advantage of discounted or even free produce.

If you’ll use it regularly, it’s worth choosing one that makes the process easy.

What do you use your dehydrator for? I'd love to hear in the comments!