LoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyIn this economy, it only makes sense to preserve surplus food, whether it’s seasonal produce (grown yourself, foraged, or bought on sale), wild game, or even fish. You can always can or freeze your extras, but these methods require a lot of time and space. Quick to use and compact to store, a food dehydrator can also broaden your food-preservation horizons, setting you up with vacuum-sealed beans, herbs, vegetables, fruit leathers, and even entire dehydrated meals for backpacking.
I’ve always loved having a food dehydrator on hand to make bags of my own apple and kale chips, beef jerky, and dried citrus rounds for cocktail garnishes. (A mandoline slicer is a must-have if you’re getting into dehydrating.) WIRED contributing reviewer Lisa Wood Shapiro, meanwhile, is into dehydrating sweet potatoes to make natural, organic dog treats. Between the two of us, we dried, crisped, and jerked our way through dozens of pounds of produce and meats to bring you the best food dehydrators for every space and budget.
For more self-sufficiency, check out our head-to-head comparison of gravity-fed water filtration systems and guides to the Best Indoor Gardening Systems and Best Portable Power Stations.
Best OverallBest BudgetBest for Small SpacesBest for Emergency PreparednessOthers TestedFAQBest OverallPhotograph: Kat MerckSave to wishlistSave to wishlistExcalibur
Excalibur is the OG name in food dehydrators, known for its commercial and professional units. But the company also makes a series of consumer dehydrators that offer large-tray capacities at low prices. This eight-tray, 7.2-cubic-foot model has all the modern features you’d expect: stainless steel trays (note that they’re not dishwasher-safe), a light to monitor the process, mesh and fruit-roll (which are solid) sheets, French doors, and a digital timer. You can also pause the time to add minutes if need be, and there’s a free digital recipe book (“Preserve It Naturally”) accessible via a QR code on the side of the unit.
I tested the Excalibur with fruit, tomatoes, beef, and marinated salmon, and the machine dried everything in nearly half the time as my old bargain-basement round Nesco Snackmaster (see Others Tested) did with plastic trays. Best of all? The 700-watt motor is strong but not loud. I ran it in an open-concept kitchen/living room and clocked it at 40 decibels, which didn’t even require turning up the TV. I wish the warranty were a bit longer than one year, but this is still an extremely user-friendly dehydrator that just about any casual user would be happy with.
Photograph: Lisa Wood ShapiroSave to wishlistSave to wishlistCosori
This old-school style Cosori dehydrator features stackable plastic rings and a fan in the base. WIRED contributing reviewer Lisa Wood Shapiro thought it produced consistent results for the price. She especially loved Cosori’s library of dehydrated food recipes, which were among the best she’s ever tried. (I had to peruse them myself upon this recommendation, and I’m still thinking about the recipe for dehydrating an entire batch of chili.) Drawbacks include its primarily plastic construction—though the plastic is BPA-free—and the fact that the dishwasher-safe trays don’t easily fit in the dishwasher. The cylindrical shape is harder to fit on an already full countertop, but given that it’s not the best-looking model, you’re likely storing it in the garage or basement anyway.
Photograph: Lisa Wood ShapiroPhotograph: Lisa Wood ShapiroChevronChevronSave to wishlistSave to wishlistElite Gourmet
This cylindrical model has a fan in the base and stackable trays that nest into each other, allowing it to compress to 6 inches or expand to 10 inches, depending on the size of your batch. It’s just 12.6 inches in diameter—about the size of a vinyl record, Lisa Wood Shapiro says—and the trays are dishwasher safe. However, like many of the less-expensive models, it does not come with fruit-roll mats. Wood Shapiro was able to dry two thinly sliced sweet potatoes at 131 degrees Fahrenheit in about six hours, which is about as good as you could expect with a dehydrator this size.
Photograph: Lisa Wood ShapiroSave to wishlistSave to wishlistDehytray
This lightweight outdoor dehydrator takes up some space at 33 inches long and 16 inches wide, but it is completely solar-powered, making it great for off-grid living, homesteading, or extended power outages during emergencies. Lisa Wood Shapiro was able to dry sweet potatoes in about eight hours, though she points out (correctly) that the risk of insects and vermin may be high if you’re drying meat.
Photograph: Lisa Wood ShapiroMagic Mill Pro Food Dehydrator Machine for $140: WIRED contributing reviewer Lisa Wood Shapiro liked this seven-tray machine’s double-time fast mode but thought it took up a significant amount of counter space considering its capacity.
Nesco FD-41GB Snackmaster Jr. for $79: This cute, cube-shaped dehydrator has easy-to-use control dials, but Wood Shapiro found its capacity, at less than 4 square feet, just too small to justify the hassle of slicing, marinating, and seeing out other components of food-dehydrating prep.
Nesco FD-7SSD Digital Food Dehydrator for $186: Nesco food dehydrators are a solid choice, and this one is no exception, with seven trays, a light to see inside, and programmable time and temperature settings. Nothing wrong with it; it’s just smaller than my top-pick Excalibur, above, and more expensive.
Nesco FD-75A Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator for $80: I used this utilitarian, stacked-ring style model for nearly 10 years before the screens started to crack. This dehydrator wasn’t pretty and was kind of a pain to store, but it’s extremely reliable, has an adjustable thermostat, and is a great value for the price. For what it’s worth, replacement trays are around $10 each and easy to find.
Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro for $320: Yes, it’s an air fryer, but it also has a dehydrating function, which Wood Shapiro tested on sweet potatoes sliced for dog treats. She said it took about five hours to get the desired texture. It’s a solid buy if you want a multitasking appliance, but the four-tray dehydrating capacity isn’t great, and at this price point, I don’t love it as an air fryer as much as the Typhur Dome 2 or the Ninja Crispi.
I tested each dehydrator the same way most people would actually use one: by making a lot of food. I dried everything from apple slices, citrus rounds, herbs, and kale to beef jerky, sweet potatoes, and fruit leathers, paying close attention to how evenly each machine removed moisture and whether foods dried consistently from tray to tray. I also evaluated setup, controls, noise, and ease of cleaning, as well as ease in storing each model.
Most food dehydrators operate pretty much the same way: a fan in either the back of the unit or the base pushes heated air through mesh- or hole-studded trays. Cheaper dehydrators tend to have trays that stack onto a fan-equipped base, while pricier models have fans in the back that apply heat more evenly to racks that slide in, kind of like an oven. Reliability and value are key, as are storage considerations (round shapes are typically harder to store). Looks also matter if your dehydrator will live on your countertop permanently. It’s also important to note that stainless-steel trays aren’t as likely to crack over time as plastic ones.
Also keep in mind the right model for your own needs: A compact dehydrator is good for occasional batches of herbs or cocktail garnishes, while larger-capacity models might make more sense for gardeners preserving pounds of tomatoes or hunters processing venison into jerky.
Is a Food Dehydrator the Same as a Freeze Dryer?
No. A dehydrator removes water from food using warm air between 95 and 165 degrees Fahrenheit, while a freeze dryer freezes food below 0 degrees Fahrenheit and then pulls out the ice via vacuum. Freeze-dried foods will be crisp and crunchy, with a shelf life of up to 25 years with proper storage. Dehydrated foods will be slightly chewier and can last up to a year, depending on how they’re stored (I recommend vacuum sealing with an oxygen absorber). Lastly, you can typically get a food dehydrator for between $50 and $100 (though many of my favorites skew a bit higher), while freeze dryers typically cost thousands of dollars.
How Long Does Dehydrated Food Actually Last?
This answer is solely contingent on how you store the food and how fussy you are about texture. I’ve had apple chips become soft and pliable after a few days of loose storage in a ziplock bag, but dehydrated citrus rounds last months when vacuum-sealed.
For best results, store your dehydrated food in an airtight container (preferably vacuum-sealed) once it’s cooled. For this, I use an old FoodSaver vacuum-sealer I bought at Costco in 2009 (it’s still going strong!). It’s also important to note that home-dehydrated food is not going to be as dry or long-lasting as commercially dehydrated food, but anything you dry at home should, when properly stored, last around four months to a year as a general guideline, depending on the food item in question.
Be on the lookout for any discoloration, spots, or mold. Food safety isn’t something to mess with, and anything suspicious-looking in any way (or especially suspicious-smelling) should go in the trash or outdoor compost, not your stomach.
If you’re going for longevity, avoid attempting to dehydrate high-fat foods like super-fatty meats or oily fish, since fats don’t evaporate. Also avoid foods that need to be refrigerated, such as dairy. You may also have disappointing results with extra-watery foods like watermelon or cucumbers; freeze-drying these foods will better preserve their structure.
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