Dried Cherry Tomatoes

I find myself at the peak of tomato season, looking for ways to use them and store them. I love drying cherry tomatoes. These little beauties pack a flavorful punch. Add them to your next pasta or salad.

They only need to be cut in half and the skin on the back keeps them from sticking to the drying racks like sliced tomatoes. They’re the perfect size and they freeze well. Just toss them into a plastic freezer bag and you can grab a handful at a time. They don’t stick together.

I used to dry these in batches with different flavor profiles such as chili flakes, italian seasoning or cumin. But I think that’s more effort than necessary. It’s easier to dry them and store them together, and each recipe you use will have its own flavor profile. So I just season them with salt and pepper. Salt, at a minimum,is a good addition when drying tomatoes because it helps draw the moisture out of the tomato.

Cleaning the cherry tomatoes

The cherry tomatoes should be soaked in a salt water solution for 20-30 minutes. This helps remove dirt and makes sure there are no bugs or bacteria present. The salt to water ratio is 2 tablespoons of salt for every 4 cups of water. For about 8 cups of cherry tomatoes, I used 8 cups of water with 4 tablespoons of salt mixed in. Let them soak, then rinse them well.

Preparing the cherry tomatoes

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place them skin side down on your dehydrator drying racks. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. I used 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper for each rack.

Drying the cherry tomatoes

I dried these tomatoes on a low heat for a long period of time. I set the temperature at 130 degrees and it took about 15 hours start to finish. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can dry cherry tomatoes in the oven. It should take about 5 to 7 hours at 200 degrees. You’re looking for a wrinkled and leathery appearance. Most, but not all, of the moisture will be gone. The photos below show the progression of dehydration.

When your cherry tomatoes are ready, you can store them in a jar in the refrigerator for several weeks. Or store them in the freezer in a zip-tight bag. I actually prefer storing them in the freezer. They defrost in a matter of minutes and most often I’m throwing them into a simmer pasta sauce anyway.

Dried Cherry Tomatoes

August 14, 2023

Servings: Yields about 2 1/2 cups

Prep: 1 hr

Cook: 15 hr

Total: 16 hr

Difficulty: Easy

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I love drying cherry tomatoes. These little beauties pack a flavorful punch. Add them to your next pasta or salad.

By: LaRue

Ingredients

• 8 cups cherry and/or grape tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons of salt in 8 cups of water for cleaning
• 2 ½ teaspoons of salt, ½ teaspoon for each of 5 racks
• 1 ¼ teaspoons of pepper, ¼ teaspoon for each of 5 racks

Directions

• Step 1 Mix 4 tablespoons of water into 8 cups of warm water. Soak the cherry tomatoes for 20-30 minutes. Then rinse well and drain.
• Step 2 Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and place them skin side down on drying racks. Sprinkle each of 5 racks with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.
• Step 3 Set the dehydrator for 130 degrees and dry for approximately 15 hours. Or dry in a 200 degree oven for about 5 to 7 hours.
• Step 4 Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for several weeks. Or store in the freezer in a zip tight bag.