Can you dehydrate in an air fryer? Yes, but please follow the 3 Steps

With this modern technology, a dehydrator can save you money, reduce food waste, and speed up your cooking. Then you glance at your air fryer and asked: Can I dehydrate in an air fryer? Yes! There are many air fryer models with dehydrators. And you must be wondering how to use an air fryer as a dehydrator. To give a brief answer: with the right temperature, you can set low heat or high temperatures depending on what you are preparing. 

Normally an air fryer is commonly used for heating fried food using high temperatures, leaving people with questions about whether it can be used as a dehydrator. But many digital air fryer models feature a preprogrammed temperature setting making it easy to adjust to your preferred temperature. 

When dehydrating, you will need to set low temperatures between 123 degrees F to  140 degrees F to avoid cooking your food instead of dehydrating.

People search this question online for the best result to end the confusion. Our article will guide you on

• How to use an air fryer as a dehydrator
• The time it takes to dehydrate in an air fryer
• The best air fryer combos
• The best foods, and fruits to dehydrate
• Pro Tips you should know when dehydrating, do not miss!

Keep reading!

Can An Air Fryer Be Used as a Dehydrator?

You can use the best air fryer to dehydrate foods and get a desirable result, although you can also use readily dedicated dehydrators. Many air fryers can dehydrate foods when you use the right setting, and most of them are structured with an inbuilt dehydrating setting.

Dehydrate Meaning, Benefits

To dehydrate is to remove moisture from things like foods by circulating light warm air encouraging moderate water evaporation without browning or cooking your food. 

Benefits  

According to research, dehydrating foods help preserve fruits and vegetables’ nutritional benefits. Most online recipes for making raw cakes and pieces of bread use dehydrators other than the convection oven.

Also, dehydration helps in giving your food a lasting shelf life by removing water contents, preventing the growing molds and bacteria, and slowing down the fresh produce decomposition. For instance, once you remove moisture from a fruit that would last up to two weeks or more, the fruit can last for two months.

What Is An Air Fryer Used for

The best air fryer is the most versatile kitchen appliance that you must have on your countertop. And remember that air fryers are not used for frying food; the main function of an air fryer is to heat.

You can use an air fryer for making fried foods like meat, chicken, potato chips, French fries, and pastries. But you must be wondering what you can use an air fryer for.

Did you ask how this air fryer works? The fan circulates hot air on your food, making the outside crispy and crunchy. Besides air frying, you can also bake cakes, cookies, and bread, and some air fryer models have a dehydrating function to dehydrate your food and fruit.

What is the Difference Between An Air Fryer and a Dehydrator?

Dehydrators and air fryers circulate air to distribute heat evenly; however, they are different. Air fryers work at high temperatures, browning your food and quickly making it crispy and crunchy. On the other hand, dehydrators work at low temperatures without a color change drying your food without cooking it, although it takes a lot of time.

Due to their operating temperatures, air fryers take 5 minutes to 30 minutes to cook food, while hydration may take two hours or days to end the drying process.

You can learn how to use an air fryer as a dehydrator in this article.

But we will also recommend the best air fryer dehydrator combos that already have the dehydrator functions to you later

How to Use An Air Fryer as a Dehydrator

You can use an air fryer as a dehydrator since air fryers similarly work by distributing air evenly. However, it is crucial to know how the model of your air fryer functions and if it’s suitable.

Firstly, your air fryer should have a low-temperature function. High temperatures of more than 45 degrees Celcius will cook your food other than dehydrating it; hence, it will not preserve it.

Secondly, to avoid condensation, it is essential to have the best system for air venting to release the water effectively. Condensation occurs when water is contained and trapped in the unit, making your food absorb moisture again.

Thirdly, it’s good to use a shelf or steam rack when using an air fryer to dehydrate for even air circulation underneath your food and not only above it. And lastly, ensure that your air fryer model can withstand longer use since it will stay on for two hours than the normal 15 minutes to 30 minutes operating time.

With some air fryers having low temperatures and others high temperatures, knowing what suits your family best can be overwhelming. 

Different types, brands, and models are available with the dehydrating function. But the deal is that you should always check the details of the air fryer model before purchasing one.

It is good to consider the size of your family when getting the best air fryer with dehydrated functions. Some of the air fryers come with a wire rack, while others use the air fryer basket, and also, the heating element varies depending on your air fryer model. 

Choosing an air fryer with sufficient space for warm air circulation is important when making great healthy snacks. Nothing disappoints like ruining perfect recipes quickly than spending two hours making mild batches hence messing up before satisfying your cravings.

The Temperature of the Air Fryer

Air fryers function by coating your foods with thin layers of oil and then circulating hot air up to 392 degrees F (200 degrees Celcius), applying sufficient heat, causing the cooking reaction.

When dehydrating, align your food in a single layer in your 6-quart air fryer and then place it in an air fryer. After that, switch your dehydrating setting to set your air fryer temperature to not more than 123 degrees C for up to three hours.

Most importantly, dehydration requires low temperature hence taking a lot of time, although you can adjust it to your preference. For instance, it can take 24 hours to 36 hours to dehydrate the beef jerky in the air fryer and a temperature of 158 degrees F,  and most keep checking it regularly.

How Long Does It Take to Dehydrate in An Air Fryer?

Compared to deep fryers and convection ovens, an air fryer is the fastest kitchen appliance you should have on your countertop. With the air fryer settings, you can use it to dehydrate fruits and vegetables, and even meats. 

Dehydration can take 2 to 4 hours or days since the dehydration process uses low temperatures.

Thumb Rule

According to the thumb rule, small-size foods need little time than large-sized ones, while soft foods typically require the shortest time than the crunchiest products. So when dehydrating, cut your food into small pieces of a similar size to evenly dry, and always monitor your food’s status.

Hasty Does Not Mean Tasty

For the best and tasty results, patience should be part of you when using a food dehydrator or an air fryer with a dehydrator since it takes more time than air frying. As far as checking on temperature to avoid cooking your food, time should be a key factor. Remember, you may make batches if you do not consider time and hence not enjoy your meal at the end.

Preparation

It is always good to prepare before doing anything to avoid messing up your recipe. Always clean the food thoroughly, pat the food to dry, and slice your food into a similar thickness and size.

Since some fruits and foods get oxidized easily, I would recommend you spray them with citrus juice like lime or lemon to prevent them from browning. Also, do not stack your foods; instead, spread each food into one layer for even drying.

Efficiency

Remember, a food dehydrator takes more hours to fry your food than air fryers which take less time. When done with the dehydration process, don’t store your food immediately; instead, place your foods at room temperature, far from moisture, heat, and light. After doing that, you can use a zipped bag or airtight box to seal your food before placing it in a dry, dark, and cool pantry.

Best Foods to Dehydrate

The best foods to dehydrate are fruits and vegetables, although you can also dehydrate liquids and meats. The dehydration procedure intensifies the texture and flavor of apple slices, bananas, berries, peaches, tomatoes, stone fruits, and mushrooms, and the process can also preserve them.

Many diets ‘raw vegan’ have enabled creative dehydration uses that you can either use the air fryer or food dehydrator. You can dehydrate biscuits, raw pizza, crackers, or raw cake dough to add extra texture and firmness to your cooking meal. Besides, you can get a lot of online recipes to motivate and encourage you to do more experiments with the air fryer dehydration process.

Now you

Best Air Fryer Dehydrator Combos Reviews

Chefman Air Fryer with a Dehydrator

This digital product can function as a convection oven dehydrator, rotisseries spit, and air fryer, ideal for cooking and baking. With the digital Chefman air fryer, you can make healthy food with no oil yet crispy and tasty, and at the same time, you can dehydrate the leftovers.

You will love how it cooks quickly compared to a traditional oven, plus you don’t need to preheat the air fryer to get your desired results. It features a touch control display making it easy to use with 17 options to preset, making your kitchen work easy. Unfortunately, the Chefman air fryer is loud.

Its inside lighting makes it easy for you to watch your cooking food. The product includes three air flow racks, a drip tray, and a rotating stainless steel basket. Cleaning it is a breeze since its drip tray is removable and the parts are dishwasher safe.

The multi-purpose air fryer was structured with a family mindset since the 10-quart unit can serve the entire family right from your kitchen without heating your convection oven.

Instant Pot Plus 10-Quart Air Fryer

Enjoy the crisp oven technology with less oil using the instant Voltex air fryer. It has a high heating element, and a powerful fan gives an optimal baking and cooking performance. The customizable single-touch program makes your cooking easy. Sadly, when it is overheated, it produces a toxic smell.

It features trays for cooking multiple foods simultaneously, and you can select the temperature as one two three, from 95 degrees F to 400 degrees F. If you are a growing family, then it’s the perfect size for you.

Cosori Air Fryer

The Cosori kitchen appliance allows you to use voice and smartphone control to change your settings by lowering the cooking function. It also features a convection fan for even and fast cooking, leaving you with crispy results. The air fryer oven toaster has a large capacity ( 32 quarts) and can cook for five to seven people.

There is no need to set the cooking temperature, yet it has 12 preset functions to choose from the toaster, pizza, broil, bake, cookies to dehydrate, or even keeping your food warm to serve. Nothing should stop you from making your most loved air fryer recipes since it features a free VeSync app.

Air Fryer Dehydrator Rack Reviews

Functions and Advantages

The air fryer dehydrator racks slide to a drying chamber towards the continuous warm air steam removes water. Some dehydrators, such as American harvest, use stackable trays to grip the drying process as the fan circulates hot air through the unit.

Advantages

Dehydrating foods lowers the costs, saving money since some foods such as fruits and vegetables are highly perishable. Most people buy this food in bulk, and if you do not preserve it well, it will cost you big time. Secondly, dehydrated foods tend to remain natural hence maintaining and improving the taste without chemicals.

Another advantage of an air fryer dehydrator is that it increases the lifespan of your food for months or even years. You will love how it produces healthy foods as it encourages and motivates many families to cook from home hence quality time with their loved ones.

Ninja 122KY300 Dehydrator Stand

The 3.5” high ninja dehydrator stand is compatible with Ag400 and Ag300 Ninja grill models. It features 3 stackable layers for enough healthy snacks. Besides, it’s a stainless steel product and is dishwasher safe.

With the Ninja 122KY300, you can enjoy healthy and delicious snacks such as beef jerky, fruits, and chips from the comfort of your home with no added preservatives and sugar. Unfortunately,  it will not be good for chicken wings since the half-inch space is designed to dehydrate thinner slices and stripes like sliced vegetables, fruits, and bacon.

Sicheer Stainless Steel Dehydrator Rack

With 7.9” diameter and 5.3” height, the Sicheer dehydrator rack is perfect for many instant pot brands of 6 quarts. Moreover, using the rack is easy since it is dishwasher safe, and its stackable structure offers great convenience, saving your countertop space.

It includes 5 stackable layers making it easier to dehydrate meat, fruits, and vegetables, and you can enjoy healthy snacks such as jerky and chips. The humming roll technology offers safe handling, and it is food-grade safe, serving your whole family each day.

Best Fruits to Dehydrate: Apple, Banana, Peach, etc

Apple

You can make apple chips using your air fryer’s dehydrating function, and making the recipe is easy, hence a healthy snack for your family to enjoy.

Banana

Enjoy with your family anytime, anywhere by making a simple dehydrated banana recipe. The banana chips are perfectly crumbled on the ice cream pile or a great addition to your cereals hence a healthy and delicious meal.

Peach

Why make your summer boring, when you can raise its vibe with dehydrated peaches? Making a peach recipe is a breeze since you only need two ingredients and your air fryer dehydrator to add life to the peaches for up to twelve months.

Final Thoughts

Dehydration is a way of preserving foods and adding more life to them. Sometimes we tend to buy perishable fruits and vegetables in bulk, which will need to be preserved. Nothing should bore you when you have one of the best air fryer combos at your home.

Even if you can get an air fryer and air fryer dehydrator separately, it is good to avoid having a lot of machines in your kitchen to take up a lot of countertop space. In other words, one machine with a simple digital function is enough to serve your entire family.

I hope you find the above article helpful. Do you have a question or experience using an air fryer as a dehydrator? Please leave a comment about that below. Or you can share it on social media, you may get some wonderful recipes from other people.

Thanks for reading!