Dehydrated blueberries are tasty if you can dry them out slowly at an appropriate temperature. In this article, I am going to guide you on how you can dehydrate blueberries in an air fryer at home. We usually use a dehydrator to get this job done. But what if you only have the air fryer instead? You can still enjoy any kind of dehydrated fruit if you have it with right specification. Let’s explore the process!
Can the air fryer dehydrate blueberries?
Fruit dehydration is a slow process. It requires a very low temperature for a long time. Usually, the required temperature range for fruit dehydration is around 100°F to 120°F. But the majority of the ordinary air fryers cannot go that low. Therefore, you need an air fryer with a dehydration option for getting dried blueberries with it.
Dried Blueberry nutrition facts ( 40 gm)
- Calories – 138
- Sugar – 30 g
- Fiber – 2 g
- Protein – 0 g
- Fat – 0 g
- Vitamin C – 12 % of DV
- Vitamin A – 0 %
- Iron – 2 % of DV
- Sodium – 1 mg
- Calcium – 7 % of DV
From the list above, it is evident that dehydrated berries are rich in carbohydrates. Other than these, it contains antioxidants that are important for balanced nutrition. Dried blueberries are proven in improving vision and strengthening our blood vessel and memory. Other than these, they have also a positive impact on weight control and different mental complicacies in aged people.
Ingredients and equipment for dehydrated blueberry
This is not any complicated recipe. You just need fresh blueberries and that’s all. The air fryer you will be using should have a dehydration function. I also recommend having a thermometer to ensure the right temperature.
- Fresh blueberries
- Air fryer with dehydration option
- Thermometer ( to ensure controlled temperature)
Blueberry dehydration process with an air fryer
In this section, I’m going to describe the process in four simple steps. Let’s learn how you can get your favorite dried blueberries.
Step 1 : Preparation
To get the best output quality, we should choose fresh blueberries. It has to be free from any kind of impurities. Make sure that these are dry before placing them on the tray of the air fryer.
Step 2 : Arranging
After you have chosen the right fruits, it is time to place them on the tray. Make sure that you have arranged them in a single layer. Do not overcrowd the tray. You should utilize all the trays if you feel capacity constraints.
Step 3 : Dehydrating
After you have arranged the berries on the tray, you should set the temperature and time. Set 120°F for 15 hours. Dehydration time may vary based on the size of the blueberries and the type of air fryer you are using. Therefore, check the whole process every 1 or two hours. Dehydration is a slow process as I mentioned earlier. You need to keep your patience.
Step 4 : Tasting
Stop the the process when you find the blueberries crisp. They are very intense in taste when getting fully dehydrated. Therefore, you need to check the taste from time to time to get your preferred flavor.
How to store dehydrated blueberries?
After you get the dried fruit, it is important to store them properly. If you do not follow the right process, then the dried fruits will get destroyed due to moisture. If you do not dry up the blueberries properly, then you cannot store them for a long time as well.
Airtight glass jars with lockable lids are the best for storing dehydrated blueberries. Make sure humidity and moisture can not enter and you can store them for a few weeks. If the they are completely dehydrated then you can store them up to 6 months.
What can you do with dried blueberry?
There are a lot of things you can do with it. Blueberries lime shortbread is one of my favorite items. Besides, you can use dried berries in white chocolate chips cookies. Have you ever tried oatmeal berry granola bars? It is also my favorite. You can also enjoy it by rehydrating with water. Follow the process in the next section.
Rehydrating the dried blueberries before use
Sometimes it is necessary to rehydrate the berries before using it in your desired recipes. The process is simple. You can use plain water or any fruit juice. Blueberries will absorb the taste of the juice with the water present in it. Therefore, it may result in a weird taste. For this reason, I prefer using plain water.
Take the number of dried blueberries you want to dehydrate. Then pour boiled water in it and soak for about 15 minutes. You will see that that dehydrated they will soak water and get pumped up. You can then use these in your desired recipes as per your wish.
What is the suggested air fryer for dehydrating blueberries?
In my opinion, GoWise USA 17 quart air fryer can be the best air fryer that dehydrates any kind of fruit. I have reviewed it in another article. You may read this here. However, it has 5 layer racks with up to 8 hours cooking timer. Besides, it can be used as a multi-cooker such as rotisserie, roast, bake, and so on.
GoWise USA 17-Quart Multi-functional Air Fryer And Dehydrator
Dehydrators are not expensive. You may also check the best dehydrators under 100 dollars if you want to dehydrate on large scale.
Bottom line
This is it. I think now you can prepare dehydrated strawberries with the air fryer following the suggested steps. Let us know how does it taste after you complete cooking. You can also prepare any dehydrated fruit by the same method. If you are an avid dried food lover, you may suffer capacity constraint resorting to this method. Then you should get a dedicated dehydrator.