HOW TO DRY ONIONS?
Dehydrated or dried onions are a great condiment to so many dishes! They complement perfectly curries, sauces and chutneys and can also be added to spice mixes or simply sprinkled over meals, soups and salads. You can use them ground or coarse. Here you can learn how to dry onions, prepare ground onions and use them in food preparation.
WHAT ONIONS CAN BE DEHYDRATED?
Almost all varieties of onions can be dehydrated or dried. You can use red, white, yellow, spring onions or shallots. However, white onions make the best-dried onions.
TIPS ON HOW TO CUT ONIONS WITHOUT TEARS.
Refrigerate the onions before slicing them to minimise the amount of gas they release.
Use a sharp knife because cutting onions with a sharp knife will release fewer enzymes into the air. Cut the root last. The root end of the onion has a higher concentration of enzymes.
HOW TO PREPARE EASILY DRIED ONIONS?
Cut the top of the onion and remove the skins. Slice the onions thinly and evenly. I recommended making the slices 1/4 inch / 5mm thick.
The best way to cut the onions is by using a mandoline. If you do not own a mandoline, use a sharp knife and try to cut the onion rings to the same thickness.
HOW TO DRY ONIONS IN AN AIR FRYER?
If you have an air fryer, you are in luck. This job is a bit easier with an air fryer:
Set the temperature to 125° F or 53° C and leave the onion slices to dry for 4 hours. If the moisture in the onion slices does not evaporate completely after the set time, leave them to dry for another couple of hours. The time of dehydration depends on the size of the slices and the air fryer you are using.
HOW TO DRY ONIONS IN THE OVEN?
Preheat the oven to 68° Celsius or 155° Fahrenheit.
Always make sure that there is enough air space between the onion slices. Use narrower trays than the inside of the oven to allow the air to circulate. That will reduce the drying time of the onions. Allow free space between the separate trays and keep the oven door cracked open.
Check the onions often and make sure they are not scorching. Dehydrated onions should be easy to snap.
Drying onions in the oven should normally take between 6 – 10 hours, depending on the size and thickness of the onion rings.
As the individual onion rings will not dry at the same speed, toward the end, I usually pick the dried onions out and leave the softer ones in the oven/air dryer to dry longer.
If you love garlic as much as I do, you can dehydrate garlic the same way as the onions.
How to ground dried onions?
For grounding onions, it is best to use an automatic grounder or a food processor. You can also grind them manually with a pestle and mortar.
How to use dried onions?
Dehydrated or dried onions are a great condiment to many dishes. You can sprinkle them simply over meals, soups and salads. They are also great in spice mixes, sauces and chutneys.
PIN IT FOR LATER!
Featured recipes that you can use dried onions with:
If you find these instructions useful, don’t forget to rate them and leave a comment in the form below the recipe card. I would love to hear from you! Subscribe to receive new exciting recipes and learn more about the Balkans by following the link Subscribe.
How to dry onions?
Equipment
- AIR DRYER
Materials
- 10 white onions sliced in rings(1/4 -1/8 inches thick rings / 3-6mm)
Instructions
- Cut the top end of the onion and peel the onion skins. For best results use a mandolin cutter to slice the onions. Cut the onions into rings, recommended thickness of the onion slices is 1/4 inch or 5mm.
- Arrange the onions in single layers on a grill in your air fryer. Make sure there is plenty of air space between the onion pieces and between the trays. Use smaller trays than the inside of the oven to allow air to circulate.
- Set the temperature in your air fryer to 125°F (53°C) degrees and dry the onions for 4 hours. If the onions are not completely dry after this set time, reset the air dryer and continue drying the onion slices at the same temperature. Check every 15 minutes and remove the onion slices from the air fryer when they are ready. The onions are ready when they are crisp and brittle. The time of drying depends on the size of the onion slices and the type of the air fryer.
- Break the dry onions into small pieces or grind them to onion powder. Store in an airtight glass jar.
