Flying on Jess Fuel

Fueling my Navy pilot, one meal at a time...

Navigation
  • Home
  • A little about us…
    • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Gardening

Homemade Sun-Dried Cherry Tomatoes

July 11, 2014 by jessfuel 30 Comments

Do you want to know How to Make Homemade Sun-Dried Cherry Tomatoes? Homemade “Sun”-Dried Tomatoes are easy to make in your dehydrator. It’s a great way to use up all your summer cherry tomatoes, so you can have a taste of summer all year round!

Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes in the dehydrator

Tomatoes, tomatoes and more tomatoes. I have tomatoes coming out my ears! More tomatoes than we can eat, give away and make into sauce for the freezer. So I thought… how else can I preserve these summer beauties?

How about drying them out?!

We have a dehydrator for making jerky when Nick is on a hunting kick, but I’ve never dried anything but meat in it. I keep wanting to try dried fruit, but then never get around to it. Sun-dried tomatoes were my first experiment! (Tomatoes technically are a fruit, after all.)

This is the really simple NESCO food dehydrator that I have (I have an older version) and it works great. There are lots of fancier versions though too.

The tomatoes took a lot longer than I thought they would, but they were totally worth the wait. They are so flavorful and delicious. They’re like little tomato raisins and I’ve been popping them like candy.

Though the tomatoes are great on their own, they’re also awesome for cooking with! You are definitely going to want to try this Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Pasta! Re-hydrating the tomatoes in a creamy sauce with fresh garden basil was pretty much amazing.

I used cherry tomatoes because I had soooo many of them and they aren’t good for making sauce (too much skin and seeds)– but you could pretty much use any kind of tomato here. If I used something bigger, I would probably de-seed them.

The cherry tomatoes really came out great though because they’re so sweet, and dehydrating the tomatoes makes the flavor extra concentrated and delicious. Plus the prep is really easy– just halve them!

Homemade Sun-Dried Cherry Tomatoes

And place them cut-side up on the racks of your dehydrator. Easy peasy!

Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes in the dehydrator

The tomatoes may take up to 12 hours to dry out, depending on your dehydrator, but they are oh-so worth the wait. For something that many people think of as a vegetable, these little babies taste like candy.

Homemade Sun-Dried Cherry Tomatoes

Now it’s time to eat them! Enjoy as is, sprinkled on salads, tossed in pastas, blitzed into pesto… the possibilities are endless!

Homemade Sun-Dried Cherry Tomatoes
 
Print
Homemade "Sun"-Dried Tomatoes are easy to make in your dehydrator. It's a great way to use up all your summer cherry tomatoes, so you can have a taste of summer all year round!
Author: Jess
Ingredients
  • ~3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp Italian Seasoning (or a mix of your favorite dried herbs: basil, oregano, sage, etc)
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, toss halved cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt and herbs.
  2. Place cherry tomatoes cut-side up on the racks of your dehydrator.
  3. Turn on the dehydrator (mine does not have heat settings, but if yours does, set it to 135-140 degrees).
  4. Flip the tomatoes after 5 hours and continue checking them every couple hours after that.
  5. Depending on the temperature and efficiency of your dehydrator and the water content of your tomatoes, it may take 6 to 12 hours to completely dry your tomatoes.
  6. Leave the tomatoes in the dehydrator until they are completely dry.
  7. Remove, let cool completely, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
3.5.3251

You might also want to check out this Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto that I made with a bunch of my tomatoes. It’s perfect for gifting to neighbors and friends!

What’s your favorite way to eat sun-dried tomatoes? Any recipe suggestions for me? Have you ever made dried fruits or veggies?

You Might Also Like:

Harvest Fridays - The Aquaponic Garden
Harvest Fridays - Greenhouse Video Tour
Adventures in Gardening Update!
Quick Pickled Jalapenos {No Cook}

Share this:

  • Share
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print
  • Reddit

Filed Under: Sauces, Toppings, Ingredients, Etc Tagged With: gardening, tomatoes, vegetables

« Coconut Zucchini Muffins
Banh Mi Hot Dogs with Sriracha Mayo »

Comments

  1. Denise @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says

    July 11, 2014 at 8:18 pm

    Oh man, now I’m wishing I’d planted some tomatoes this year, I am just so jinxed with tomatoes! These look delicious, Jess!

    Reply
    • Lela says

      September 10, 2014 at 11:32 am

      Last year I added a fish head, aspirin, egg shells, epsom salt, and hair into a 3 foot hole then added a foot of soil over that and then added my plants. WOW…they reached 15 feet tall. You want to bury your tomato plant up to its top set of leaves. My plants were around a foot tall at the time of transplant. Remember to NOT over water.

      One magic mountain plant gave me over 300 tomatoes.

      We have also done straw bale gardening for the last 2 years and that is AMAZING!

      Good luck.

      Lela

      Reply
      • jessfuel says

        September 10, 2014 at 2:26 pm

        Wow, that sound’s like a crazy witch’s brew!! πŸ™‚ I have definitely heard egg shells and asprin before… I will have to try that next year!

        Reply
      • tibbs says

        April 21, 2018 at 10:05 pm

        Nothing like adding pharmacutical chemicals into your soil, healthy living thru chemistry I guess!

        Reply
  2. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says

    July 13, 2014 at 11:56 am

    What a great tutorial and recipe, Jess! I’ve only bought sun-dried tomatoes, so I’m loving this recipe! Definitely a time and money-saver…not to mention these look delicious!

    Reply
  3. Thalia @ butter and brioche says

    July 13, 2014 at 10:01 pm

    i’ve never thought of making my own sun-dried tomatoes before.. i definitely will stop being lazy by using store bought tomatoes and take the time to make my own instead. thanks for sharing a great recipe + for the inspiration!

    Reply
  4. Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says

    July 14, 2014 at 8:17 am

    This is such a great idea! I’ve got to get myself a dehydrator. My sister has a fig tree, and this time of year she has SO many figs she can’t go thru them fast enough. So she dehydrates them and they’re so yummy in salads or with cheese. Why did I never think to do the same with tomatoes? Duh!

    PS – I want to know more about you making your own jerky! The next time Nick goes hunting, you must do a post in it!

    Reply
    • jessfuel says

      July 15, 2014 at 11:33 am

      Ahhhh so jealous of figs!! Fresh figs are my fave!

      The jerky was fun to make!! I’ll definitely have to post a tutorial next time we make it! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  5. [email protected] says

    July 14, 2014 at 3:03 pm

    I so want a dehydrator now! Those sun-dried tomatoes look amazing. I love them on pizzas πŸ™‚

    Reply
  6. Isadora @ she likes food says

    July 14, 2014 at 7:04 pm

    I’m so jealous of all your tomatoes! I have three plants and they are making just enough for me to make salads with, but not much more. I love sun dried cherry tomatoes, but they are always so expensive! I bought a food dehydrater last year, but still haven’t used it yet. I might just have to go and buy a bunch of cherry tomatoes just so I can make these sun dried tomatoes!

    Reply
    • Linda says

      October 31, 2020 at 9:32 am

      put in more cherry tomatoes plants
      so worth it
      hope you have had better luck
      can freeze cherry tomatoes whole
      also the dried ones are amazing and last forever

      Reply
  7. Annie @Maebells says

    July 15, 2014 at 9:11 am

    Oh cool!! We have a dehydrator for jerky too but only my husband uses it. I love this idea for tomatoes! I never use sun dried tomatoes, what are you going to put them in? Like salads and pasta? I want to know more! πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • jessfuel says

      July 15, 2014 at 11:32 am

      Definitely in pasta… I’ve been keeping my eye out for a good recipe. I’ve seen a lot of sun-dried tomato pestos, so I was thinking about that too!

      Reply
  8. Katie says

    July 15, 2014 at 11:17 am

    These sun dried tomatoes look awesome! My favorite meatloaf recipe has sun dried tomatoes and you’re making me wish I had some on hand. They add such such a unique flavor! I’m also wishing I had a dehydrator!

    Reply
  9. Lela says

    September 10, 2014 at 11:33 am

    I can’t wait to try this πŸ™‚

    Reply
  10. Jennifer says

    August 20, 2016 at 4:25 pm

    I just started a dehydrator full of tomatoes!! So excited. Do I just store them in an air tight jar or do I need to cover with olive oil?

    Reply
    • jessfuel says

      August 20, 2016 at 7:20 pm

      Hi Jennifer! I just store them in an airtight container. They won’t last as long as store bought since there are no preservatives but I have kept them at room temp for 3 weeks with no issue. Longer than that you might want to store in the fridge.

      Reply
  11. Jennifer says

    August 20, 2016 at 4:27 pm

    I just started a dehydrator full of tomatoes!!! So excited!!!!!! How do I store them when finished? In an air tight jar or a jar filled with olive oil?

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      August 20, 2016 at 7:16 pm

      these smell so good! Still a ways to go!

      Reply
      • jessfuel says

        August 20, 2016 at 7:21 pm

        Hooray! They do make the house smell SO good!

        Reply
  12. Suzy says

    August 29, 2017 at 2:36 pm

    once they are done how do you store them?

    Reply
    • jessfuel says

      September 13, 2017 at 10:40 am

      Hi Suzy! I store them in tupperware containers, you could also use ziplocks. I keep them in my pantry and I’ve kept them for several months in there and they’re still good!

      Reply
  13. Kate says

    August 9, 2019 at 4:44 pm

    I’ve got a dehydrator full at the moment and came on-line to see how long they might take. If anybody is interested, I just cut mine in half and dry them without any olive oil or other ingredients. I put them in zip-lock bags and put some in the freezer, some in the fridge. They were fine after two years. (I had a bumper crop that year and it took a while to use them all!)

    Reply
  14. Jill says

    September 8, 2021 at 7:58 am

    I tried this recipe yesterday. Takes awhile but the end result is totally worth the time. Delicious. I will be drying another batch this week!

    Reply
  15. Laurie Lundale says

    October 14, 2021 at 7:56 am

    Can you use frozen tomatoes ?

    Reply
  16. Janet says

    August 24, 2022 at 10:05 am

    I just made your sun dried tomatoes with my garden cherry tomatoes using my dehydrator. I think they turned out ok. I brushed some olive oil on them with a little sea salt and Italian seasoning prior to turning on the dehydrator. Can I now place them in small freezer bags and put them in the freezer for storage as I would like to enjoy them over a period of time?

    Reply
  17. Holly says

    August 30, 2022 at 5:16 pm

    Does it have to be a fan dehydrator or can I use a heated one

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce | Flying on Jess Fuel says:
    August 6, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    […] how I made my own Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes? Well, I made some more. And some more. And they really needed to find their way into a recipe! […]

    Reply
  2. Harvest Fridays – Drink your veggies! | Flying on Jess Fuel says:
    October 10, 2014 at 12:12 pm

    […] tomato pesto that I’d made a few times this summer for pizzas. I had just enough of my Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes left, so I got to harvesting some […]

    Reply
  3. Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Pesto | Flying on Jess Fuel says:
    October 15, 2014 at 8:31 pm

    […] win! I love the tang the sun-dried tomatoes gives to this pesto. It’s so flavorful. I used my Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes in this, but you can definitely use store bought as […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Fueling my Navy Pilot, one meal at a time…

Welcome to Flying on Jess Fuel! I love to cook and share my recipes and adventures in the kitchen with everyone. Take a look around... you might just find tonight's dinner!

Search Flying on Jess Fuel

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to Flying on Jess Fuel and receive notifications of new posts by email.

ABOUT JESS

Jess is home cook, foodie and proud Navy wife. She grew up in Boston and now lives on the West Coast. She loves to blog, travel, read and write. When she's not working or blogging, she can be found running or relaxing with a glass of wine. Read More…

Check out these healthy recipes!

Dilly Cucumber Bites
Kale and Black Bean Enchiladas with Avocado Cream and Homemade Enchilada Sauce (Vegan)
Banana Almond Chia Seed Pudding

*Click Here* to read Flying on Jess Fuel’s Privacy Policy.
This site contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase through them, we will receive a small commission.

Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Child Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress