Dehydrating scallions is a great way to preserve this summer vegetable to use all year. They are incredibly versatile and will save you money.
Even if you don’t grow green onions, if you are like us, you’ll buy them for a recipe and then forget them in the vegetable drawer until they are a slimy mess. Don’t let this happen. It wastes good money.
Once you’ve made your recipe, slice up the rest and dry them. Dehydrating scallions will make them stay shelf stable in your pantry for at least a year.
What are green onions?
Green onions, otherwise known as scallions are a member of the allium family. They are actually the same exact thing, so don’t be confused if you go to store and one place has them marked as scallions and another green onions.
They have a bulbous white root and the top leaf growth is a beautiful blueish green, similar to leeks, another plant in the onion family. Both parts of the plant can be dried. You can keep them separate, if you’d like, or dry them together.
All of the onion family are easy plants to grow. They like fertile, well drained soil with few rocks.
What you need
green onions /scallions
How dry them
In the commercial dehydrator
Step One
Wash. Remove any of the outer leaves that have started to wilt or have brown spots on them. Dry scallions well. Remove the root with a sharp chef’s knife.
Step Two
Slice into fairly uniform pieces. You can use the leaves and the root.
In this case, we let the scallions go for a week or so too long, so we used the root section for relish and just used the tops.
If using the root end, slice the pieces about the same size as the tops. Separate the layers of the root, the white rings, by pushing a tool, like a chopstick into the center of each piece, the layers will easily separate.
Step Three
Spread pieces out in a single layer on trays.
Load dehydrator trays into dehydrator. We use dehydrator sheets so that the small dried pieces don’t slip through.
Set the dehydrator to 95°F/50°C. Set the timer for 8-12 hours. The time needed to dehydrate them will depend on the temperature of your dehydrator and the size of the green onion pieces. They generally take between 8 and 12 hours to fully dehydrate. Check on the progress after 8 hours, regardless.
Remove them from the oven. Check for dryness. If they feel sufficiently dry, place them in glass mason jars.
Condition. See below for instructions.
Note: The lower the temperature you dehydrate, the longer it will take to fully dehydrate them BUT you will retain more of the nutritional values that the raw vegetable has.
How to dry in the oven
Prepare as stated in steps one and two above. Set oven to it’s lowest temperature. Some of the newer ovens have a dehydrating setting, so set it at 125°F/ 52°C. If yours doesn’t, set it to 150° or 170°F/ 76°C, your lowest heat setting. Prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon or another tool that will not conduct heat.
Line a cooling rack with parchment paper and slide it onto a rimmed cookie sheet. Check often. The onions will take 2-4 hours depending on the size of your pieces and the temperature of your oven.
Remove them from the oven. Check for dryness. If they feel sufficiently dry, place them in glass mason jars.
Condition. See below for instructions.
How to tell if they’re dry?
Once you don’t feel any moisture in a piece when you pick it up, let it cool. Then crush it between your fingers. Dried onions will crush easily.
Conditioning your fruit
Conditioning your fruit is an important step in the drying process, so don’t skip this step.
Conditioning is the process of testing the fruit to make sure that it is thoroughly dry.
Even a bit of moisture in a couple of pieces has the potential to ruin a whole batch.
Allow the dehydrated fruits to come to room temperature. Immediately place them into a glass mason jar. Place the jar in a dark area.
Shake the jar daily to break up any stuck pieces. Allow them to stay in the jar for 7-10 days, shaking daily.
If you see any moisture droplets collecting on the jar. You know you have moisture in them.
If you see any evidence of moisture or any condensation in the jar, re-dry the food in your oven or dehydrator. After re-drying condition them again. Once they are fully dry, pack in tight fitting glass jars.
If you see any evidence of mold during the conditioning process. Discard the product.
How to use dehydrated green onions
The flavor of the scallions will intensify when they are dried. One tablespoon of dried scallions is equal to 4 tablespoons of fresh ones.
Dehydrated scallions can be added to so many of your everyday dishes. Add them to soups, stews, chilies and casseroles.
Add them to potatoes while cooking to make mashed potatoes. They are great in omelets, quiche, salads, try adding them to egg salad. They bring the flavor to a whole new dimension.
You can make scallion powder to add to all of your favorite dishes too. Sprinkle it on meat, fish or seafood for a bit of oniony flavor.
How to make green onion powder
Once the scallions have been conditioned, they are ready to make powder out of. Use a spice mill, coffee grinder or mini food processor, even a blender will work fine. Process until a fine powder forms. This can take a couple minutes.
How to store dried scallions
Once dried and conditioned, store the dried onion in an air-tight container. A glass Mason jar works well.
Vacuum packing is a good way to preserve freshness. Vacuum pack in small quantities. Once packages are opened, place them in an airtight container.
If you don’t plan on using it within a year, the use of an oxygen absorber can prolong the shelf life.
More recipes for dehydrating
If you plan on doing a lot of dehydrating to preserve your harvest you should really invest in a good food dehydrator. This Vevor is our favorite dehydrator. It is light-weight, easy to store, and has adjustable heat settings and a time cook option. (affiliate link)
Dehydrating scallions is incredibly easy. It can save you a ton of money on your grocery bill and reduce food waste.
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today!
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
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