Dehydrating pickles is one of the best ways to preserve them. Not only do they last for months, but they also add a delicious crunch. Several ways can be used to make dehydrated pickles. One option is to use a food dehydrator to dry them at 135°F for up to 18 hours. Another option is to bake them in an oven at 135°F for up to 6 hours. The purpose of this article is to show you how to make dehydrated pickles and how to best enjoy them!
What Types Of Pickles Can You Dehydrate?
You can find a variety of pickles in your local grocery store, including dill pickles, sweet pickles, and sour pickles. Dill pickles are usually fermented in vinegar and dill brine, while sweet pickles are usually packed in sugar and vinegar brine. It doesn’t matter which pickle type you use for dehydration, they all work! However, the final texture will vary after drying.
Dehydrated sour and dill pickles will become dry and easy to break, similar to other types of dehydrated food. Dehydrated sweet pickles may feel tacky and gummy. Make sure you get sour or dill pickles if you care about texture.
How To Dehydrate Pickles With A Food Dehydrator
Dehydrating pickles with a food dehydrator is the easiest, most stress-free way to make pickles. Here’s how!
Ingredients
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Sweet, sour, or dill pickles
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Dehydrator for food
Instructions
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Pickles are packed with brine, so rinsing them to remove the brine solution will remove all of the unnecessary flavors.
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As food dehydrators can blow odors throughout the house, rinsing the vinegar and salt solution will minimize the pungent smell.
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If you prefer, cut the pickles into thin slices or strips.
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When dehydrated, thin slices will become crispier; plus, they will dry much faster.
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You should avoid cutting the slices too small, since they will shrink when the water content is removed.
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Place the pickles on the dehydrator tray, separated by pieces, after lining the tray with parchment paper.
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Dry the pickles in your dehydrator for up to 18 hours for sweet pickles or up to 8 hours for sour and dill pickles.
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It is important to check on them after a few hours to ensure that they have reached the desired texture. Dill and sour pickles should harden and become easy to break. Sweet pickles should be firmer, but gummier and much harder to break.
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You can let the chips cool down before conditioning them after removing the dehydrator tray.
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How To Dehydrate Pickles With A Food Dehydrator
Dehydrating pickles with a food dehydrator is the easiest, most stress-free way to make pickles. Here’s how!
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Ingredients
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Sweet, sour, or dill pickles
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Dehydrator for food
Instructions
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Since pickles are packed with brine, rinsing the pickles to remove the brine solution will help you remove all of the unnecessary flavors. Rinsing vinegar and salt solution will minimize pungent odors from food dehydrators.
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You can dehydrate the pickles in thin slices or strips, depending on your preference. Thinner slices will dry faster when dehydrated, so they will get crisper as well. Remember that as soon as the water content is removed, the slices will shrink, so don’t cut them too small, or they will be difficult to eat.
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Place parchment paper on the dehydrator tray to prevent the pickles from sticking to it. Spread the pickles out on the tray, making sure they are separated.
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Pickles should be dried for up to eight hours for sour and dill pickles and up to 18 hours for sweet pickles in your dehydrator at 135°F. After a few hours, make sure they have the desired texture. Dill and sour pickles should harden and become easy to break. Sweet pickles should feel firm, but more gummy and difficult to break after a few hours.
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To condition the chips, remove the dehydrator tray and let them cool before removing the dehydrator tray.
Ira Jaron
How To Dehydrate Pickles In The Oven
For the same result, you can also bake pickles to dehydrate them instead of using a food dehydrator!
Ingredients
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Sweet, sour, or dill pickles
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Tray for baking
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Paper parchment
Instructions
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Set your oven to 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
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As with the above pickles, rinse and cut them.
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To allow individual slices to dry, line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread out the cut slices on the paper without overlapping.
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For sour and dill pickles, bake them in the oven for 4–8 hours, and for sweet pickles, bake them for up to 18 hours.
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Ensure that all of the pickles dry evenly by rotating the tray after a few hours.
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Before removing the dehydrated pickles from the oven, make sure that their texture is perfect. Let them cool before conditioning.
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How To Dehydrate Pickles In The Oven
Dehydrating pickles does not require a food dehydrator – you can also bake them to achieve the same result!
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The ingredients
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There are three types of pickles: sweet, sour, and dill
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A baking tray is needed
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Paper parchment
Instructions
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Set your oven to 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
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As with the above pickles, rinse and cut them.
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To allow individual slices to dry, line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread out the cut slices on the paper without overlapping.
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For sour and dill pickles, bake them in the oven for 4–8 hours, and for sweet pickles, bake them for up to 18 hours.
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Ensure that all of the pickles dry evenly by rotating the tray after a few hours.
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Before removing the dehydrated pickles from the oven, make sure that their texture is perfect. Let them cool before conditioning.
Ira Jaron
How To Condition Dehydrated Pickles
In order to make dehydrated pickles, conditioning is a very important step to ensure that the moisture level is the same across all pieces.
As a result, you won’t have to worry about moisture condensation or mold caused by excess moisture!
Here’s how to condition dehydrated pickles:
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In an airtight container, place the cooled dehydrated pieces.
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If you need to, you can use more than one container since the pieces need to be able to move around. Fill the containers only halfway since you need room for them to move around.
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For up to a week, store the container in a dry and cool spot in your kitchen. Shake the container every day to equalize the moisture levels.
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Observe the inside of the container after the first day for signs of condensation.
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Water droplets indicate that the dehydrated pieces still contain too much moisture, so you’ll need to dehydrate or bake the pickles for a few more hours to completely remove the moisture.
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Leaving the condensation will lead to mold growth since it cannot escape from the dehydrated pickles.
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White spots on the pickles indicate mold, and you shouldn’t eat them.
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Once the pickles have been conditioned for a week, they are ready to be enjoyed or stored for a long time.
How To Store Dehydrated Pickles
You can store dehydrated pickles at room temperature in an airtight container in a cool and dry area of your home, and the pickles should last up to a year without any preservatives.
In your container, you can put small packets of silica gel, which will absorb excess moisture from the air, allowing the chips to stay fresh for longer without becoming moldy.
When giving pickle chips or gifts, you should store them in a vacuum-sealed bag. By removing all the air from the bag, the pickles will remain crisp and fresh.
How To Make Pickle Powder
In addition to popcorn, hummus, and deviled eggs, pickle powder is a great sweet-and-sour addition.
Using a high-speed blender or food processor, grind dehydrated pickle chips into a fine powder if you have dehydrated pickles at home.
Keeping the pickle powder in an airtight container in a cool and dry area is the same as storing dehydrated pickles.
Can You Rehydrate Dry Pickles?
Is it possible to rehydrate pickles after they have been dehydrated?
Pickles that have been dehydrated can be rehydrated to restore their freshness and gummy texture.
In order to restore the texture and delicious pickle flavor of pickles, you need to rehydrate them in a brining solution similar to the one used to store pickles.
Water will rehydrate the pickles, but they will lose the gummy texture and lose their taste.
You will need the following ingredients to make the brine for rehydrating dry pickles:
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Water 16 ounces
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White vinegar, 3 ounces
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Add 14 cups sugar (adjust if you don’t want the pickles to be too sweet)
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Pickling salt, 1 tablespoon
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Pickling spice, 2 tablespoons
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A tbsp of dill seed is optional (for dill pickles).
Here’s how to rehydrate dried pickles:
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Bring all the ingredients (except the pickling spice and dill seeds) to a boil in a pot.
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When the sugar and salt are melted, remove from heat and stir occasionally.
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Put the brine in a jar, then add the dill seeds and pickling spice. Let the solution cool completely.
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Let the pickle chips soak in the brine solution for two days, making sure that they are submerged in the solution.
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It won’t take more than two days for pickles to regain their texture and flavor, so you can enjoy them in all the dishes that call for pickles.
How To Tell If Dehydrated Pickles Have Gone Bad
Although dehydrated pickles last much longer than regular pickles, if you don’t condition them correctly or leave them out too long, they can still go bad.
There are some clear signs that the pickles have gone bad after being dehydrated.
If there is condensation on the container, the pickles have not completely dehydrated, and moisture is still escaping from the chips.
The first day after dehydrating the chips, you can bake or dehydrate them for a few more hours to make sure all of the moisture is gone.
Leaving them for too long, however, can cause food poisoning because moisture creates a breeding ground for bacteria and mold.
The green, white, or fuzzy spots on the surface of the chips are mold spots. They should no longer be used if they have become moldy.
Chips that have changed in color or texture have definitely gone bad. If they are no longer firm and breakable, or if their color has changed, then they should not be consumed.
Dehydrated pickles have a strong, sour, and pungent smell. Pickles can already have a strong odor, so it may be hard to tell if they have gone bad.
The chips should not be used, however, if they smell rancid.