Do you know how to dehydrate grapes in the air fryer? If not, then I’m going to teach you in a while. Grapes become raisins after they get dehydrated. Therefore, if you want to prepare raisins from grapes with your air fryer, then this article is for you. Dehydrated grapes are tastier and healthier than the dehydrated grapes of the superstores. Before I discuss the process of dehydrating the grapes, let us know the nutrition facts and health benefits of it.
However, here is some great dehydrator recommendation for fruits and vegetables.
Nutrition facts of dehydrated grapes ( 1/2 a cup)
- Calories – 217
- Sugar- 45 gm
- Fiber – 3.3 gm
- Iron – 1.3 mg
- Calcium – 45 mg
From the list above, we see that dehydrated grapes or raisins are rich in sugar. Therefore, they are often called natural candy. They are high in calories due to higher sugar content. It is very important to curb your appetite when consuming this dehydrated fruit because of the higher carbohydrate present in it. It can be a great alternative to the expensive sports gels for athletes.
Other than the above nutrition facts, dehydrated grapes are rich in antioxidants such as phenols and polyphenols. Antioxidants are important for us to remove free radicals from the blood. It also repairs our cells and plays a vital role to construct the DNA. Another study showed that raisins have compounds that play a vital role that can ensure healthy teeth and gums. They have antimicrobial properties that can fight unwanted bacterial in our mouth.
What are the uses of dehydrated grapes?
We can consume dehydrated grapes or raisins in many ways. For example, oatmeal is very popular in recent times. It can make the oatmeal delicious if the raisins are mixed appropriately. For a healthy digestion system, we use to consume yogurt. If we add some dehydrated grapes in it, the mixture will be delicious to eat. We can also use raisins as a salad topping. It can also be used in cereal and granola.
Ingredients – what we need to prepare raisins
Fresh grapes of your choice are the only ingredient to prepare raisins. There are various kinds of rapes you can find in the market. You may choose any type you like. I would recommend choosing the grapes without seeds. If you can not find it, then you may cut the grapes and remove seeds before cooking.
- Grapes ( as per your choice)
- Vinegar ( for cleaning and washing)
How to prepare dehydrated grapes or raisins
The total dehydration process can be divided into two sections – preparing the grapes and then dehydrate. I will discuss these two steps separately for ease of your understanding.
Preparing the grapes
Clean and wash the grapes properly before doing anything. You may wash it with tap water. You may also use a scrub brush. To clean the grapes more appropriately, you may also use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. If you have apple cider vinegar at home, then add 10 parts of water with 1 part of the vinegar to make the solution. After making the solution, let the grapes sit for 5 minutes in it. If you are using white vinegar, then add 3 parts of water with 1 part of the vinegar and let the grapes sit for 10 minutes.
After the washing is done, remove the grapes from the stems. Now you can dry them up at room temperature to get away with the water on the surface of the grapes. However, it is optional as you know the water will be dried up anyway when you start dehydrating it. Finally, if you are using seeded grapes then cut them into two and remove the seeds.
Dehydrating grapes with the air fryer
- Put the grapes in a single layer on the basket of the air fryer. If you have an air fryer with racks having multiple layers, then utilize all the layers to maximize the capacity. You can allow the grapes if they touch another but do not allow multiple stacking.
- Now move on to the most important part of dehydrating – parameter setting. Set the temperature at 135F. You may expect that the whole process will take between 24 to 48 hours. It is difficult to say exactly how much time it takes. Because of the quality of the grapes and the quality of the air fryer, cooking time may vary.
- If you want to make the time shorter then set the temperature at 145F and let the grapes dehydrate for around 12 hours. Then set the temperature at 135F for the rest of the time.
- During the process, grapes will release water that may create a sticking problem. To prevent the grapes from sticking, shuffle every 6 to 8 hours.
- To know when to stop, you should taste the raisins when you feel that they are done. If you have doubts, then stop the air fryer and leave it for 30 minutes. After that taste raisins and if you are not satisfied, continue for another few hours.
Is it possible to dehydrate grapes with my air fryer?
It is a common question people ask while dehydrating foods with the air fryer. Food dehydration needs a lower temperature. Therefore, a perfect air fryer that can be used as a dehydrator should have a lower operating temperature of around 100°F. In our specific case of dehydrating grapes, the required temperature is 135°F. We know that a typical air fryer may have a temperature range of 170°F to 400°F. But you may also find an air fryer with a wider temperature range that can be used as a dehydrator.
You may read our article to get an idea about some awesome air fryers with a dehydrator option. If you like a regular size air fryer for a medium to a large family, then you can go for Chefman 6.3 qt air fryer that can give you a temperature of 90°F. But if you are looking for a higher capacity, then I would recommend GoWise 17 qt air fryer with multiple racks. The best of this unit is the timer setting of up to 8 hours that is very important for food dehydration. Other than these, it comes with 5 layer racks that are very uncommon for an air fryer. It also has multiple cooking options including rotisserie.
GoWise USA 17-Quart Multi-functional Air Fryer And Dehydrator
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- How to dehydrate oranges in air fryer?
- Recommended dehydrators for beginners.
Bottom line
I think now you can prepare your dehydrated grapes at home with the dehydrator. Do not try it if your air fryer does not give you the required temperature. If you try to dehydrate at a higher temperature, then the nutrition content of the food will get destroyed. You may not store the foods for a long time if they are dehydrated in a wrong process with a wrong air fryer.