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Dehydrator Guide

Dehydrator temperature, hours and prep for apples, bananas, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, jerky and herbs, from NCHFP and university extension guides. How it works

Use the Dehydrator Guide

Drying time
6-12 hours
Temperature 140°F

Preparation
Slice 1/8 to 1/4 inch, soak in lemon water
Check every 2-3 hours. Done when: soft, pliable and leathery, with no moist area in the center when cut.

About the Dehydrator Guide

Beef jerky dries at 140°F (60°C) for 10 to 24 hours and herbs at 95°F to 115°F (35°C to 46°C) for 1 to 4 hours, the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) figures this guide shows. Apples, bananas, tomatoes, mushrooms and peppers follow Montana State University Extension (140°F, the optimum drying temperature) and North Dakota State University Extension: apples 6 to 12 hours, bananas 6 to 10, tomatoes 10 to 18, mushrooms 8 to 10 and peppers 8 to 12.

How to use this tool

  1. Slice evenly; NCHFP says jerky strips no thicker than 1/4 inch.
  2. Preheat the dehydrator to the setting shown and lay the pieces in a single layer.
  3. Check every 2 to 3 hours and test a cooled piece: jerky should crack but not break when bent.
  4. For jerky, heat the meat to an internal 160°F by one of the two NCHFP methods shown on the page.

Frequently asked questions

What temperature should I dehydrate beef jerky at?
NCHFP says to preheat the dehydrator or oven to 140°F and dry for 10 to 24 hours when the strips were not heated in marinade, until a test piece cracks but does not break when bent. Slice the meat no thicker than 1/4 inch.
Do I need to heat jerky to 160°F?
NCHFP describes heating the meat to an internal 160°F as a way to lower the risk of foodborne illness, before drying (marinated strips boiled) or after (an oven step), and says that temperature is necessary for ground meat. The page shows a 160°F note under the drying figures, with both methods, and says the 10 to 24 hours is for strips not heated in marinade: strips boiled in marinade first dry faster, so check from 3 hours. USDA’s jerky page could not be opened for this page, so check it for poultry.
What temperature should I dry herbs in a dehydrator?
NCHFP gives 95°F to 115°F for 1 to 4 hours, and says that in humid areas up to 125°F may be needed. The "flaky" finish shown here is the Montana State and NDSU dryness test for parsley and other herbs; NCHFP does not name one.
What temperature for apples, bananas, tomatoes or mushrooms?
The guide shows 140°F for all four, the optimum drying temperature in Montana State University Extension’s MontGuide. Dehydrator hours: apples 6 to 12 (slices 1/8 to 1/4 inch), bananas 6 to 10 (slices 1/8 inch), tomatoes 10 to 18 (slices 1/2 inch) and mushrooms 8 to 10 (slices 1/4 inch), from North Dakota State University Extension and Montana State. Oven drying can take up to twice as long.
Should dried vegetables be brittle or leathery?
Mostly brittle. Montana State University Extension dries vegetables until they are brittle or crisp, and North Dakota State gives crisp for tomatoes, tough to brittle for peppers and dry and leathery for mushrooms. Fruit is dried until pliable and leathery with no moist area in the center, so the finish test on the page differs by food.

Setting the dial for each food

Herbs take the lowest setting, 95°F to 115°F, and can be dry in an hour; everything else runs at 140°F: beef jerky for 10 to 24 hours (strips boiled in marinade first dry faster and are worth checking from 3 hours), apples 6 to 12, bananas 6 to 10, tomatoes 10 to 18, mushrooms 8 to 10 and peppers 8 to 12. Pick a food to see its setting, a range of hours, how to cut it and the test for done. The °F and °C buttons switch the setting (140°F reads 60°C, herbs 35 to 46°C); the jerky safety note stays in °F. The page does not plan trays or batches or adjust for slice thickness.

Jerky and herbs follow NCHFP; the other foods follow Montana State (MT200907HR) and North Dakota State (FN1587, FN1588) Extension. Oven drying can take up to twice as long.

Where the figures come from

Jerky (NCHFP): slice no thicker than 1/4 inch, preheat the dehydrator or oven to 140°F, and dry 10 to 24 hours for strips not heated in marinade, until a test piece cracks but does not break when bent. Strips boiled in marinade first dry faster, so check those from 3 hours. NCHFP's step of heating the meat to an internal 160°F, before or after drying, appears as a note under the jerky figures. The USDA jerky page could not be opened for this page.

Herbs (NCHFP): 95°F to 115°F for 1 to 4 hours, and in humid areas up to 125°F may be needed. The "flaky" finish is the Montana State and NDSU dryness test for parsley and other herbs.

The other five foods (MSU and NDSU): 140°F, the optimum drying temperature in the MontGuide. Apples 6 to 12 hours, slices 1/8 to 1/4 inch; bananas 6 to 10, 1/8 inch; tomatoes 10 to 18, 1/2 inch; mushrooms 8 to 10, 1/4 inch; peppers 8 to 12, 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Mango is not listed because neither guide covers it.

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