Papaya can be consumed as ripe and unripe. We can eat raw, prepare juice, mix it with our salad with the ripe papaya. Unripe ones can be cooked as a vegetable and mixed with soup. Another way of consuming papaya is dehydrating them. Not all of us have a food dehydrator.
In this article, I am going to describe how you can dehydrate papaya in your air fryer. I believe that the number of air fryers is more than the number of dehydrators in our kitchens. So let’s start learning how to dehydrate without a dehydrator.
Table of content
- Nutrition facts of dehydrated papaya
- What do you need for papaya dehydration?
- Dehydrating papaya in the air fryer
- Can I dehydrate papaya with my air fryer?
- What is the best air fryer for papaya dehydration?
- How to preserve dried papaya?
- Bottom line
Nutrition facts of dehydrated papaya
We can understand the nutrition facts of dried papaya if we see the nutrients of ripe papaya. Below is the list of nutrition contents –
| Weight | 145 g |
| Calories | 62 |
| Carbohydrate | 16 g |
| Fiber | 2.5 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Protein | 0.7 g |
| Fat | 0.4 g |
| Vitamin C | 100% DV |
Other than the above nutrition facts, papaya is a good source of vitamin A, folate, and potassium. Regular papaya intake is good for the repair of our skins. It also has a good impact on improving our vision. Papaya is also good for our digestion. It fights some complex diseases such as cancer and heart diseases.
Dehydrated papaya contains as good nutrition content as fresh condition if you can maintain the temperature correctly. Only vitamin C can be degraded in a small percentage as it is very temperature sensitive.
What do you need for papaya dehydration?
- Peeler ( for peeling off the skins of the ripe papaya)
- Sharp knife ( to make small slices)
- Air fryer ( that can dehydrate)
- Vacuum sealer ( for proper storage)
Dehydrating papaya in the air fryer
You can either buy or harvest your own papaya. For the best result, I recommend choosing a little bit harder ones. Softer papaya is difficult to peel and make desirable slices.
After selecting the fresh papaya wash it properly. Now you have to cut the papaya lengthwise and make two equal pieces. No scoop the seeds out of it.
Now turn the cut side down and make small slices lengthwise. I would suggest you make equal sizes of about half-inch thick. Now cut the pieces to around one inch horizontally and make small pieces.
Now it’s time to arrange the small pieces of papaya on the air fire tray. I always suggest to to use multiple racks so that you can get the benefit of maximizing the capacity of your air fryer. Make sure that the papaya slices have at least a little space among them. You need to ensure that you have arranged the slices in a single stack.
After we have arranged all the air fryer trays, it’s time to set the temperature. I would suggest setting the temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It will take more than 12 hours to complete the dehydration process. The time of dehydration depends on the quality of the output. If you want the papaya a little chewy then the time required will be less.
Check the quality of the food every 2 hours and stop the air fryer if you are happy with the quality of your hydrated papaya. But remember if the dehydration is not complete then you may not preserve it for a long time.
Can I dehydrate papaya with my air fryer?
To dehydrate papaya or any kind of food your air fryer should have three properties.
- it has two you have the capacity of generating temperature below 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
- it has two you have the ability to cook for a long period of time as you know that dehydration is a slow process. Therefore, you need to cook for long hours.
- it has to have multiple racks. Otherwise, you cannot dehydrate an adequate amount of papaya.
I have seen that not all the air fryers in the market have these properties. Therefore when you are dehydrating anything with your air fryer check whether it has the above features.
What is the best air fryer for papaya dehydration?
If you do not have a perfect air fryer that can dehydrate papaya then you can visit our article about the best air fryer for food dehydration. If you don’t have enough time to read the long article, then you can check GoWise 17-quart air fryer and dehydrator. It has all the features for an air fryer, rotisserie, and dehydrated. The most important part of this air fryer is the 5 layer racks. It is a unique feature of this unit that you will not find in any other models in the market. I highly recommend it.
How to preserve dried papaya?
To store dried papaya or any other dried food you need to vacuum seal the container you use to preserve them. You can use small plastic bags to store them in small quantities. Because if you open the sealing too often, then the dehydrated papaya can absorb some moisture. Moisture is the reason for mold formation. You can preserve the dehydrated items for about 1 year if they are stored properly.
Bottom line
That is how you should prepare dehydrated papaya using your air fryer if you do not have a dehydrator ( check best dehydrators under 100 dollars ). Preparing dehydrated food requires passion as it is a slow and boring job. I think you will enjoy it when you will see the smiles of your family members when they consume your dehydrated tasty papaya.