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Preserving Tomatoes: How to Make Herb Sun-Dried Tomatoes in 5 Easy Steps

Last Updated on September 21, 2023

Do you have a garden full of tomatoes that need to be preserved? Were you gifted some from friends or family? Or, perhaps you simply want to take full advantage of tomato season – and snag some local tomatoes from the farmers market while they’re at their prime to save for later? Then making sun-dried tomatoes is a perfect solution!

Read along to see how simple it is to make your own herb sun-dried tomatoes using a dehydrator or oven, in five easy steps! The resulting dried tomatoes are packed with intense flavors of summer, which you can literally bottle to enjoy now – or well into winter! That is, if you can resist eating them all right away… They do taste a lot like pizza, after all. We love to use these chewy, savory herb sun-dried tomatoes in many meals, especially in homemade sourdough bread, frittata, or pesto zoodles! So. Much. Yum.


One of the best things about this recipe is how much it condenses your tomatoes, both in size and flavor! If you have never dehydrated tomatoes before, you may be surprised by how much they shrink. Several pounds of tomatoes can suddenly fit in one modest glass jar! But don’t let this disappoint you. While the size decreases, that wonderful tomato flavor exponentially increases! And I don’t know about you, but any method of preserving a garden harvest that takes up as little space as possible is a winner in my book!


So where does the actual Sun come into play – if they’re “sun-dried” – you ask?


Okay, you’re right… these aren’t truly sun-dried. But it is all good! Did you know that the majority of the “sun-dried” tomatoes you can buy in stores are actually dried in commercial dehydrators, not under the sun? Drying tomatoes in the sun is fairly challenging for most people to do, since it requires really specific conditions (very hot and arid) to be successful. 

Here, with our cool, foggy, misty summers, drying tomatoes in the sun simply isn’t an option. They would mold in a heartbeat. Even if you have a hotter climate than we do, any humidity or summer rain would kill the sun-drying process. So let’s hack it, shall we?


An image of two bowls of tomatoes, one is a white ceramic bowl with copper lining along the rim with handles and the other is a wooden bowl, they are set diagonally from each other on a barn wood table. The white bowl is full of orange cherry tomatoes and various types of smaller deep red tomatoes. The brown bowl has larger tomatoes in it, some more oblong in shape and some more round. The colors range from deep red to pink. Surrounding the bowls are various sprigs of fresh herbs, ranging from green and purple sage, thyme, and oregano. It is the ingredients for sun dried tomatoes.

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SUPPLIES NEEDED


  • Fresh tomatoes. Small to medium tomatoes are usually best for drying, but any can be used! In this example, we used about 4 pounds of various tomatoes from the garden. The end result was just under one quart of sun-dried tomatoes.

  • Fresh herbs. We use a combination of thyme, oregano, and sage from the garden. If you are purchasing them, a small bunch or a few sprigs of each will do. You could skip some or all of the herbs all together, but we personally love when they’re included.

  • A large mixing bowl. The more wide and shallow, the better!

  • A food dehydrator, or oven. Personally, we prefer to make sun-dried tomatoes in our food dehydrator, rather than hijacking the oven and heating up the house for an entire day, but make do with what you have! We currently have this Excalibur dehydrator, but have used a more basic Nesco model in the past as well. 



INSTRUCTIONS 


Step 1) Prepare the Tomatoes

Rinse your tomatoes, then proceed to cut them into smaller portions. If you have cherry or grape tomatoes, cut them in half. That can then serve as your target thickness for the following pieces. As the size of your tomatoes increase, cut them smaller as needed, such as into quarters, sixths, or even into eight pieces. Cut away and compost the tough stem portion. If there are big globs of guts and seeds that naturally detach, leave them aside to compost too. 

The goal is to have relatively consistent pieces to promote even drying As opposed to cutting them down their equator, try to cut the tomatoes in a way that leaves a portion of skin on each piece, like you may cut apple slices. 

As you go, add the cut tomatoes into a large mixing bowl. If possible, weigh your tomatoes (minus the bowl) so you know about how much you’re working with. This will come in handy when we add the herbs. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, no biggie. It is okay to eyeball it too. 



Step 2) Gently Toss with Herbs

Wash your fresh herbs, and remove any woody stems. Allow them to drip dry in a strainer, or gently pat dry. Next, finely chop or mince the herbs. Our choice mixture is oregano, thyme, and sage, but basil would be an excellent addition as well! We like to add about 1 heaping tablespoon of finely chopped herbs for every 2 pounds of tomatoes. Again, this doesn’t need to be exact. Feel free to scale up or down to your liking. I just wanted to give you a ballpark!

Now we are going to add the herbs to the tomatoes. However, I don’t like to simply dump them in all at once! When we toss and mix the tomatoes and herbs, it is best to minimize the amount of mixing that needs to be done, to avoid smashing the tomatoes to smithereens. Therefore, to promote even distribution of the herbs and reduce mixing, I suggest sprinkling half of your herbs over the tomatoes first. Gently toss them – I do so with clean hands. Now add the rest of the herbs and give the tomatoes one more light mix.

This process accomplishes two things. Obviously, it gets our herbs and tomatoes combined. Additionally, the gentle mixing helps to dislodge excess liquid, loose guts, and seeds into your bowl – which helps in the dehydrating process!


A four way image collage, the first image is a wood bowl full of the various types of tomatoes cut into similar sized pieces. Some are halves some are quarter or eighths cuts depending on the size of the tomato. The second image is similar to the first, yet this time the tomatoes are now lightly mixed with the chopped herbs. The third image shows the bowl of cut tomatoes and herbs together for sun dried tomatoes, the image was taken a little further away from the bowl compared to the previous two images, showing a barn wood type backdrop. The fourth image shows the empty bowl after all of the tomatoes have been taken out to be placed on drying racks. Tomato juice and some seeds and guts of the tomatoes are all that remains. This illustrates that leaving behind some of the excess can aid in the drying process for sun dried tomatoes.



Step 3) Dehydrate

It is time to get the tomatoes laid out onto trays to dry. If you are using a food dehydrator, you can either put the herb tomato pieces directly on your slotted trays, or use tray liners if you have them for your machine. We use these silicone tray liners, simply to reduce the mess in the dehydrator. The tomatoes can get a bit sticky, and some of the herbs may get frisky and wander!  

Place the tomato pieces skin-down on the tray if possible. To make the most efficient use of space, feel free to squeeze the tomatoes quite close together, but not touching or overlapping. If you are drying your tomatoes in the oven, follow the same process – but on baking sheets lined with parchment paper instead. 


A close up image of two drying racks that are lined with Excalibur silicone tray liners that have the cut tomatoes lined up semi evenly, ready to dry. The image illustrates placing the tomatoes skin side down in hopes of not losing any extra tomato goodness that may wick away and fall from the tomatoes as they dry.


Drying sun-dried tomatoes in a food dehydrator:

Load up your dehydrator, and turn it on to 125 to 130°F. The time it takes to dry will vary depending on the dehydrator you use, the moisture content of your tomatoes, and the size of your cuts. This particular batch took around 18-20 hours to dry, but you may find yours dry more quickly! I have a theory that while handy, using tray liners may increase our drying time, since there is a slight reduction in airflow. 


Drying sun-dried tomatoes in the oven:

I have to admit, because we’ve had a dehydrator in the house for as long as we’ve been into homesteading and gardening, we have never dried our tomatoes in the oven. Yet I did a little research so I could still provide you some tips on how!

Use a low temperature setting, such as 200 to 225°F. On this heat, folks say that they should theoretically be “done” in about 4 to 5 hours (see notes about assessing doneness below). If your tomatoes are large and juicy, I also saw a recommendation to carefully squish the tomatoes with a spatula about halfway through baking, to expel excess juices and promote further drying.  Also, flipping them over halfway through may help.

If you try this variation, please report back and let me know how it goes. Or, if you already dry your tomatoes in the oven and have any additional tips or tricks, please let us all know in the comments!


A two way image collage, the first image shows two drying racks lined with tray liners full of the cut tomatoes. They are sitting on a barn wood surface. The second image shows three drying racks placed in an Excalibur dehydrator full of the cut tomatoes positioned in a stair step manner to show off the soon to be dried tomatoes.



Step 4) Assess Doneness

As with all dehydrated foods, the more moisture that is removed from the sun-dried tomatoes, the better and longer they’ll last in storage. Therefore, we prefer our finished sun-dried tomatoes to be fairly dry. On the other hand, we don’t want them totally dried to a crisp, like garlic or onions that we intend to grind into powder! We consider our tomatoes “done” and ready for storage when they’re no longer wet or squishy, yet are still chewy and slightly flexible

After about 12 hours of drying, I start assessing the tomatoes on their progress. This year, I found that the cherry tomatoes (still full of seeds and guts) took longer to dry than the larger sliced tomatoes. In that case, I will often pull the finished ones and leave the wet ones to continue to dry.

If your tomatoes end up a little more crispy than you were expecting, do not fret! Depending on how you use them, sun-dried tomatoes do an excellent job at reabsorbing moisture and plumping back up later. For example, if you add them to sauces, bread dough, quiche, sauteed vegetables, or other meals that have some moisture to spare. That is another reason we err on the drier side for ours. 


A two way image collage, the first image shows a close up of the sun dried tomatoes on a drying rack after they have finished drying. Their size has decreased and they are somewhat shriveled. The second image shows a close up of one of the sun dried tomato pieces someone is holding it on their index and middle finger, the background shows the other dried tomatoes still on the drying rack.
A close up image of a white ceramic bowl full of herb sun dried tomatoes, it is sitting on a round granite tray with handles, they are a few pieced of sun dried tomatoes scattered about and a luscious sprig of green sage.



Step 5) Store

Once the tomatoes have dried to the desired level, transfer them into a container for storage. It is best to store sun-dried tomatoes in an air-tight container, such as a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid. For enhanced freshness, consider using a glass container with a flip-top lid that clamps to seal. We love and use these stainless steel mason jar lids that have an internal silicone gasket, which provides a much better seal than a traditional mason jar lid. 

Next, decide where you want to keep that jar or container. Most often, we store our sun-dried tomatoes in the pantry cabinet at room temperature. They have held up for over 6 months (until we ran out!) and we have never experienced any issues with mold or spoilage! However, if you want to play it extra-safe and prolong their shelf life, you could also choose to store them in the fridge. I especially suggest this if your finished tomatoes are more on the wet side. Even more, you could freeze them! To create extra luscious and plump sun-dried tomatoes, pour olive oil over them – but keep that in the refrigerator too. 


A hand holds a quart mason jar full of sun dried tomatoes in front of a barn wood backdrop.



Step 6) Enjoy!

Well, that was simple, wasn’t it? Now you have your very own homemade sun-dried tomatoes to enjoy for months to come. These babies will bring a bright punch of savory flavor and a welcome chewy (dare I say… “meaty”?) bite to just about any meal. 

Try adding your sun-dried tomatoes to pasta (or zoodles!), frittata, quiche, quesadillas, sandwiches, scrambled eggs or omelettes, with sautéed vegetables, on top of pizza, or tucked inside your sourdough bread. To do that last one, simply follow our basic sourdough loaf recipe, and add a handful of sun-dried tomatoes during the first or second “stretch and fold”. Boom. These tomatoes are also killer in a variety of salads, including on top of green salads or in other cold salads – like quinoa, rice, pasta, or potato salad. The options are limitless!


A hand holding a loaf of bread cut in half. The sourdough loaf has had yellow and red sun dried tomatoes added to it and they are baked into and throughout the loaf of bread. An alocasia or "Elephant Ear" is the backdrop, its huge leaves taking up most of the space.


So, how do YOU like to eat your sun-dried tomatoes?


Making sun-dried tomatoes is only one excellent way to preserve your harvest. Another favorite summer tomato recipe of ours is this Simple & Delicious Roasted Tomato Sauce Recipe – which you can easily freeze or can!

If you need a few great recipes to use these with, or are looking for other tutorials for dehydrating your harvests, check out these articles:


Thanks for tuning in! I hope you found this tutorial helpful, inspiring, and easy to follow. Feel free to ask questions or simply say hello in the comments below! Please spread the love by pinning or passing this post along. 


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4.55 from 11 votes

Herb Sun-Dried Tomatoes, using a dehydrator or oven

Read along to see how simple it is to make your own herb sun-dried tomatoes using a dehydrator or oven, in five easy steps! The resulting dried tomatoes are packed with intense flavors of summer, which you can literally bottle to enjoy now – or well into winter! That is, if you can resist eating them all right away… They do taste a lot like pizza, after all. We love to use these chewy, savory herb sun-dried tomatoes in many meals, especially in homemade sourdough bread, frittata, or pesto zoodles! So. Much. Yum.
Prep Time30 minutes
Drying Time18 hours
Course: Preserved Food
Keyword: Dehyrated Tomatoes, Preserving Tomatoes, Sundried tomatoes, Tomato Recipe

Equipment

  • Food Dehydrator, or Oven

Ingredients

  • Tomatoes of choice
  • Fresh herbs of choice, such as sage, oregano, thyme, and/or rosemary

Instructions

  • Wash and cut the tomatoes into halves, quarters, sixths, or even eighths depending on size, aiming to get similar-sized pieces so the tomatoes will dry evenly.
  • Wash and finely chop the fresh herbs. Approximately 1 heaping tablespoon of chopped herbs for every 2 pounds of prepped tomatoes.
  • Add cut tomatoes and fresh herbs into a mixing bowl, and lightly mix to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
  • Place cut tomatoes skin side down on dehydrator drying racks (or on oven baking sheet). Do not allow the tomato pieces to overlap.
  • Using a food dehydrator, dry the tomatoes on 120 to 130 degrees F for about 18-20 hours OR for 4-5 hours in 200 degree oven. Soft, chewy roasted tomatoes are delicious but may not last as long in storage as those more dry and crisp.
  • Once dried to your liking, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for optimum freshness. They should last for several months to a year.



DeannaCat signature, keep on growing

Deanna Talerico (aka DeannaCat) is a garden educator and writer with over 15 years experience in organic gardening. She is a retired Senior Environmental Health Specialist, and holds a M.A. in Environmental Studies and B.S. in Sustainability and Natural Resources.

42 Comments

  • Beverly

    I’m making several in my oven . For storing long term, if I put them in airtight ziploc bag in my freezer will that work. If I put some in canning jars in my refrigerator or pantry do I need to add olive oil . Best recommendations for longest storage please?

    • Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)

      Hi Beverly, if they are completely dried, storing them in air tight glass containers (canning jars) in the refrigerator or freezer will likely hold the best (maybe 12-18 months maximum). If you want to cover some of the tomatoes in olive oil, they need to be stored in the refrigerator and they likely won’t hold up as long compared to the sun dried tomatoes by themselves. Hope that helps and good luck!

  • Sarah Hoffman

    I havent tried this with tomatoes but have used my oven for drying flowers from my garden. My bunnies love snacking on them all year long. I usually leave them in the oven for 2-3 hours on a low temp (around 200-225). When I turn the oven off, I leave the oven door shut for the rest of the day or overnight. The oven will stay hot and continue to dry out whatever is in there.

  • Pawan Kr Kanda

    5 stars
    Thanks for such an elaborate recipy for dehydrating tomatoes for later use.

    I triad this recipy and found that my dried tomatoes are starting to ferment during storage.

    Can you please help me know the reason and possible action to prevent this.

    your help will be much appreciated.

    • Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)

      Hello Pawan, if your tomatoes are indeed fermenting or going bad, they may have not been dried long enough to ensure that there was no moisture remaining in your dried tomatoes. Moisture will make the product spoil more quickly and will make it difficult for long term storage. We usually keep our dried tomatoes in the refrigerator just to ensure the quality remains throughout their storage life. Hope that helps and good luck!

  • Pat

    We slice the tomato 🍅 and sprinkle the crushed herbs over the top. The end pices (top an bottom) slices we dry and grind up as powder to use in sauces and gravy. If we have too many to fit in jars we vacuum pack them as it takes up very little space.

4.55 from 11 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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