How to Dehydrate Blueberries

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Learn how to dehydrate blueberries. Dehydrating blueberries is a great way to preserve them and another delicious way to enjoy this fruit.

Lady Lee’s Note…

This is the year, you guys! I finally planted some blueberry bushes! I’ve wanted to do it for a long time, however, I have to admit that when it comes to planting fruit trees (or bushes in this case), I have a hard time committing to a place.

I can’t move them at the end of the season like I can with the vegetables, so I always have a hard time deciding on a place for them. But! They are in the ground, and I am so so happy. Now, I eagerly await a ton of delicious blueberries, so I figured I should practice preserving them!

Ingredients…

Blueberries – that’s all you need! Make sure to go through them, clean out rotten ones, and remove the tiny stems if they’re still there.

Kitchen Tools…

Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Dehydrator – I am using a nice dehydrator that allows me to control the temperature and produce a better end result. If you don’t have one of those, you can still dehydrate blueberries in the oven or in a cheap (no temperature control) dehydrator. More on this in the FAQ section below.
Air-tight storage container (I use jars)

Step By Step Instructions…

fresh blueberries on baking sheets ready for the freezer

Step one – prepare your blueberries. Dehydrating blueberries requires an additional step that we don’t need when dehydrating other berries like raspberries or strawberries, and that is… Breaking the skin of the berries.

Blueberries have tough skin, and in order for the moisture that is trapped inside to be able to dry, we have to break the skin of the berries. There are a few ways to do this…

Poke – use a toothpick to poke each berry. Or a knife to make a little cut in the skin of each berry. This is wayyyyy too time-consuming if you ask me.
Blanch – blanching means processing in boiling water. Add water to a pot and bring it to a boil. Add the blueberries, blanch for 30 seconds or so, then scoop out of the boiling water into a bowl of ice-cold water. Let the berries rest in the ice water for a few minutes and then scoop them onto a kitchen towel. Pat dry. You can see how blanching is done in my tutorial on freezing broccoli. It’s the exact same process.
This is a good option, however, I think that the next option is the easiest…
Freeze – simply line a baking sheet with parchment paper, add the blueberries in one layer, and place in the freezer for 24 hours. Easy, right? That’s the option that I chose!

Step two – add to the dehydrator. Place the frozen blueberries on the trays of the dehydrator.

Tip – I personally put them right on the trays, as you can see, however, it might be better to line the trays with parchment paper or even use the dehydrator fruit leather trays since the juice of the berries does make a bit of a mess…

dehydrated blueberries on the trays of the dehydrator

Step three – dehydrate. Place the trays in the dehydrator and dehydrate at 135 degrees F for 24-48 hours. Yes, you read that right! It takes forever to dehydrate blueberries, but it’s worth it! Especially if you are going to make blueberry powder. More below.

Check For Doneness…

It can be a bit tricky to figure out if the berries are dry all the way… If they are chewy, they are dry enough for snacking. You can store them in the fridge and use them for snacking or as a topping for ice cream or to bake with. But they have to be stored in the fridge.

If you want to dehydrate them for storage, they have to be dry all the way… Some people say that if you put them on a tray and move the tray, they rattle… Anyway, we are going to condition the fruit, so you can’t make a mistake here. More on this below.

How to Store…

Once the blueberries are dry, let them cool for a few minutes and then transfer them to an air-tight container. You can vacuum seal them or use zip-lock bags; however, in my opinion, jars with two-piece lids work best for storage and are beautiful on the shelf!

How to Condition Dehydrated Fruit…

If you are going to store your dehydrated blueberries for the long term, make sure to condition the fruit. This means that after storage, every day for about a week, shake the jar and check to make sure that there is no moisture on the inside of your air-tight container.

If you spot moisture, remove the fruit and dehydrate it again for a few more hours. Then, transfer to an air-tight container and condition again. If after a week there is no moisture, the blueberries are ok to be stored for the long term at room temperature.

How to Use…

As a snack – dehydrated blueberries are an easy snack to pack for the kids for a school lunch or for any other occasion. They are a great snack for a road trip or a picnic or just to pick up in the middle of the day.
Breakfast – they are a great addition to yogurt with homemade granola or added to any bowl of cereal.
In baked goods – you can substitute dry blueberries for fresh ones in baked goods that call for blueberries.
Top a salad or ice cream – they are a great topping! You can add them to a fruit salad or any other salad. Or add them as a topping for ice cream.
Add to shakes and smoothies – throw some rehydrated blueberries (how to rehydrate them below) with strawberries or other fruit, milk, ice, and anything else you like into the blender and blend into a healthy drink.

How to Rehydrate Blueberries…

If you need to bring your blueberries back to life, rehydrating them is very simple. Add them to a bowl with warm water and let them soak for 15 minutes. Drain and use.

acai blueberry balls — Blueberrry acai energy balls. Add a tablespoon of blueberry powder, replace fresh blueberries with powder, or rehydrate blueberries for this recipe.

How to Make Blueberry Powder…

One of the greatest things about dehydrated fruit is that you can turn it into powder. To make blueberry powder, place the dry blueberries in a coffee grinder and grind them until you get a powder.

Take your blueberry powder an extra step and run it through a strainer to get rid of the seeds. They sometimes cause bitterness over time, so it might be a good idea to get rid of them.

Store your powder in jars at room temperature. Make sure to add a desiccant bag to each of your jars to keep the powder dry and prevent caking. Your blueberry powder should last about a year.

How to Use Blueberry Powder…

Add to frosting – add the powder to a cream cheese frosting to turn it into a blueberry frosting to top any cupcake or cake.
Add to a protein shake – if you drink protein shakes, add a tablespoon or two of powder into your shake to make it even healthier.
Add to smoothies or milkshakes – the same way you would use it in protein shakes.
Add to cake batter – add a few tablespoons of blueberry powder into any cupcake or cake batter whenever blueberry flavors fit well.
Add it to homemade ice cream – if you like making ice cream at home, you can definitely use your powder for added blueberry flavor.
Add it to whipped cream – making whipped cream to go over a cake or maybe even your morning cupcakes? Add blueberry powder into the cream before you whip it!

Frequently Asked Questions…

I can’t control the temperature on my dehydrator, can I still use it?

The cheaper Presto dehydrator is very popular and you can find it at any Walmart or online. It runs at a temperature of 165 degrees F and there is no way to control the temperature. Yes, you can use this kind of dehydrator to dry blueberries. Again, for best results, we want to process fruit at a temperature of 135 degrees F, but a higher temperature will work as well. Drying time will probably be shorter.

Can I dehydrate blueberries in the oven?

I’ve never tried this. Some ovens these days have a dehydrating option. If yours does, you can definitely try dehydrating blueberries in the oven. Try to keep the temperature as close to 135 degrees F as you can.
If your oven doesn’t have the dehydrating option, you can try to turn it as low as it will go, and you can even leave the door a bit open.
Set your blueberries in one layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and take into consideration that you’d probably want to stay close by to turn the baking sheets every hour or so.

Can I overdehydrate blueberries?

Not really. They take a long time to dehydrate, so I don’t think that there is a way for you to mess this up! It’s pretty easy.

Even though there is an additional step to take when dehydrating blueberries, it’s not a hard project. They are fun to have on the shelf. I especially like the powder! I hope that you’ll give this a try.