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Our top picks make it easy to preserve fresh produce, meat, fish, and herbs, even if you're a beginner. Commercial Fruit Dryer Machine
Julia Skinner is a food historian, educator, and founder of Root, an Atlanta-based company focused on fermentation and bringing historic food to the modern world. She has published several books on food and food history, including Our Fermented Lives (2022) and Afternoon Tea (2021).
Dehydrating food, from vegetables and fruits to meat and fish, is one of our oldest food preservation technologies. Christina Ward, the Master Food Preserver for Wisconsin and author of Preservation: The Art and Science of Canning, Fermentation, and Dehydration, says, "Dehydrating — removing the moisture from food and thereby eliminating one of the elements needed for bacterial growth — is a good method to preserve food while retaining maximum nutritional benefits."
Using a dehydrator opens up a world of culinary possibilities and is a space-saving, long-lasting way to preserve food from your garden or farmers market while it's at its peak. It's also great for using up dried herbs and seasonings like ramp powder, and you can get creative and use it for everything from citrus powder to fruit roll-ups.
We evaluated the best food dehydrators on the market, putting each through a series of tests and factoring in airflow, heating elements, size, weight, and overall design. Our full list of the best food dehydrators features our top choices for beginners and professionals, plus the best models for preserving jerky, herbs, and produce.
It's an easy-to-use, reasonably priced, and high-performing machine that dries food evenly and features an automatic shut-off and timer.
It has to run for 30 minutes before first use.
The Magic Mill dehydrator received top marks across the board in our tests for ease of use, design, performance, ease of cleaning, and noise. It is quiet, simple to use, and can be thoroughly cleaned so the food you dehydrate in one batch doesn't linger into the next one. It even comes with a cookbook and a free silicone oven mitt.
We loved that the door is easy to open and stays open while the dehydrator is being filled up, as well as its automatic shut-off and 'keep warm' feature. The trays are easy to slide in and out, and the see-through door helps you track your food's progress without opening the whole machine up. The trays are dishwasher-safe, too, making cleanup a breeze. Most importantly, it does a good job producing high-quality, dehydrated food. During testing, we experienced even drying across all the dehydrator racks. There was no cracking, the food peeled off easily, and it came up to temperature after 40 minutes and stayed at the same temperature during the entire test.
Temperature Range: 95 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit | Weight: 15 pounds 11 ounces | Dimensions: 18 x 14 x 13 inches | Number of Trays: 7 | Materials: Plastic and metal
Food & Wine / Victor Protazio
Food & Wine / Victor Protazio
Food & Wine / Victor Protazio
It's easy to use and efficient with a very quiet motor.
It's heavier than some models and more expensive than others on our list.
We loved the Tribest for ease of use and cleaning, which rated as highly as the Magic Mill, as well as its design and quiet motor. In fact, it's so quiet that the sound essentially fades into the background. We also appreciated the design, especially the dishwasher-safe trays. The Sedona has a large capacity without being bulky, and we found it to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing models with its clean and simple design. What's more, we'd have no problem leaving it out on our countertops to display.
During testing, there was even drying from top to middle to bottom, and everything dried quickly. The fruit leather, in particular, came off in one piece without any sticking or cracking. The only downside is that it is taller than it is wide, so it may not fit inside some cabinets if you do wish to store it away.
Temperature Range: 77 to 167 degrees Fahrenheit | Weight: 20.4 pounds | Dimensions: 17.5 x 12 x 14 inches | Number of Trays: 11 | Materials: Plastic and metal
It's a simple plug-and-play dehydrator. It comes with bonus items like jerky seasoning and fruit roll mats to help you get started right away.
Vertical airflow makes it less efficient than some other models, and fewer presets mean the temperature is less customizable than other models.
If you haven't used a dehydrator before, the Snackmaster is an affordable entrance into the world of dehydrating food. We had many good things to say about its design, size, and performance, noting its round stackable trays that fit together well, capped by a lid encompassing the fan and controls.
It has a small footprint and capacity, making it a good choice for kitchens that don't have a ton of extra counter space to spare. Because the machine is round, the trays are slightly less efficient to load because of their shape. However, we liked the handle on the top where the motor and fan are, making it easy to lift and remove. The trays are easy to stack and fit well together, and while it comes with five trays, additional trays can be purchased and can fit up to 12 at a time. We'd prefer a more accurate temperature gauge, as this one only has a dial with a few preset temperatures, but no timer. That said, for less than $100, this is a well-performing, plug-and-play, compact machine for the first-time dehydrator. To clean, the trays are dishwasher-safe on the top rack.
Temperature Range: 95 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit | Weight: 6 pounds 13.5 ounces | Dimensions: 13.8 x 22 x 13.9 inches | Number of Trays: 5 (can be expanded to 12; extra trays sold separately) | Materials: Plastic and metal
It evenly dries jerky, it's easy to use and clean, and it doesn't take up too much counter space.
It has to be run empty before first use.
Homemade jerky is much better than many store-bought brands, which can use cheap cuts or artificial flavorings and colorings. By making jerky at home, you can control what goes in it and experiment with different flavors using different marinades and seasonings. Similarly, homemade fruit leather is noticeably better than anything from the store, and it's a great opportunity to use overripe or blemished fruit rather than throwing it in your compost bin.
The Cosori rose to the top in our jerky tests, making jerky with great texture and flavor. We were especially impressed with its quiet operation and ease of use and cleaning. It even comes with an extra fruit roll sheet. The controls are easy to use, dry evenly, and come with a special fruit leather tray. We also loved its practicality: It's a nice, compact, medium-capacity machine, not taking up too much space on a countertop. The door opens and closes nicely from the side and stays open when you move trays in and out of the machine. Finally, the front door has a glass window to see the contents easily while dehydrating.
Temperature Range: 95 to 155 degrees Fahrenheit | Weight: 23.1 pounds | Dimensions: 17.7 x 13.2 x 12.1 inches | Number of Trays: 6 | Materials: Metal
Food & Wine / Victor Protazio
It's easy to use and quiet with horizontal airflow for even drying.
It doesn't include extras like a cookbook or additional trays or mats like some other models.
We've all been there: An over-enthusiastic trip down the produce aisle or at the farmer's market leaves you with more fruits and veggies than you know what to do with. Don't despair; turn to your dehydrator. Dried fruits and vegetables pack a big flavor punch, store well, and are great for seasoning blends and garnishes as well as packing into risotto and stews.
We loved the Samson's design, ease of use, and quiet operation. Though it is a bit harder to clean than other models, we found it made delicious, snackable treats from whatever fruit and vegetable we threw at it. It's not too tall, so it can fit easily into a cabinet. We also felt like they would be more durable than the plastic trays in other models. The one downside is that it's harder to clean than some of our other top picks: The metal racks have some crevices and ridges and are not dishwasher-safe.
Temperature Range: 95 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit | Weight: 12 pounds 11 ounces | Dimensions: 13.5 x 12 x 17.5 inches | Number of Trays: 6 | Materials: Plastic and stainless steel
It's simple to use and can be customized with additional trays to suit your needs.
Round trays are less efficient than rectangular ones.
Herbs are the perfect dehydration project regardless of experience level, and people love to have dried herbs on hand. What novices likely don't know: You want a dehydrator that preserves an herb's essential oils and other flavoring compounds rather than one that blasts them at too high a temperature, which can damage the fragile plants.
We liked that this dehydrator is customizable. Using the four included trays keeps it more compact, but for bigger dehydrating projects, you can expand it up to 20 trays. It also remains cool to the touch during operation, and the machine is easily opened with a handle on the lid. The round trays mean that longer stalks of herbs will need to be cut into pieces to dry efficiently. We found that though it is technically dishwasher-safe, you'll want to remove the trays from the dishwasher before the drying cycle. Or, you can just hand wash them: This was the only model we felt was very easy to clean by hand.
Temperature Range: 90 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit | Weight: 8 pounds 9 ounces | Dimensions: 15.5 x 15.5 x 9.5 inches | Number of Trays: 4 (can be expanded to 20; extra trays sold separately) | Materials: Plastic
The best dehydrator for you is one that fits your budget and the ways you plan to use it in your kitchen. If you plan to dehydrate a variety of foods or want room to grow your practice, consider a model like our top pick, the Magic Mill. If you want to just dehydrate a few herbs and veggies from time to time, an affordable and compact dehydrator like the Nesco Snackmaster Pro should work great for you.
Food & Wine / Victor Protazio
To find the best dehydrators on the market, we performed three different tests on 23 dehydrators. Following the instructions for each, we dried herbs, made beef jerky, and made fruit leather. For the herbs, we used fresh thyme springs, and for the jerky and fruit leather, we dried out beef round steak, blueberries, raspberries, and lemons. During the testing process, we took note of the following:
"A high-quality dehydrator must have a fan to ensure airflow throughout the machine. People are often surprised to see that the heating element in many models is a lightbulb. Dehydrators work because circulated heat evaporates the moisture in the food. However, cheap models without a fan can still work much more slowly and inconsistently, and usually only once before the heating element burns out," Ward says.
If you do decide to go with a model that has a top or bottom heating element, you'll want to rotate the trays occasionally for even drying, according to Ward, who would opt for a model with the heating element on top.
Rear-mounted heating elements are ideal for even temperature and air distribution, according to Ward. "Because airflow is key to success, look for dehydrators that allow enough space for the trays. What makes dehydration work is time, airflow, and heat. If you add extra layers or overcrowd the trays, you impede the airflow and overtax the heat capacity, resulting in uneven dehydrating and, in the worst case, bacterial activity before sufficient moisture is removed," she says. This is something to bear in mind with the Nesco Gardenmaster: If you buy extra trays, make sure you aren't overcrowding your food.
The capacity and physical footprint of the dehydrator are also deciding factors for how well one of these machines will perform (and fit) in your kitchen space. Depending on how many things you intend to dehydrate at once, that can impact which machine is right for you.
Food & Wine / Victor Protazio
Dehydrating food helps to reduce moisture, which prevents spoilage, thus preserving your food. "Other benefits are ease of storage and transportation," says Ward. Some foods, like dried peas or mushrooms, are not necessarily meant to be eaten as-is but rather to be used as ingredients. In these cases, added to a soup or another dish and rehydrated. "Finally, there are end-use foods that can be prepared with dehydration. Jerky, of course, but the very popular fruit roll-ups with kids are easily made at home. And with less added sugars and no chemical preservatives," says Ward.
Ward has dozens of ideas to share when it comes to dehydrators: "Dehydrators are fantastic for making fruit leathers and jerkies (as finished, edible foods) and dehydrated fruits into 'chips' (bananas, pineapples, apples, strawberries, pears, etc.). Fruits and vegetables can also be chopped and dehydrated together for specific uses. Mixed berries can all be done together, then stored, then added by the handful to yogurt, cereals, whatever! One of the more useful things to make is dehydrated mirepoix. You can make a batch that will last for an entire soup season without having to chop vegetables each time," she says.
"Vegetables like green beans, shucked peas, shucked corn, and sliced or cubed potatoes can also be dehydrated and stored for future reconstitution. Keep in mind that the reconstituted vegetables will not have the same mouthfeel as fresh ones, so dehydrated and reconstituted items are best used as an ingredient for a recipe that will be cooked or baked, like soups, stews, and casseroles," says Ward.
"Dried herbs, of course. Again, you can make spice blends with dehydrated leaves or take it a step further and grind the dehydrated leaves into a powder. Also useful is dehydrating a fruit or vegetable completely, then grinding it into a powder. A great way to add a ka-pow of extra flavor to whatever. Add powdered tomato to red sauce and powdered apple to pie. And my favorite workaround for canning pumpkin butter: dehydrate pumpkin, grind it to powder, add spices as wished, then add to apple sauce and cook," says Ward.
"The key to keeping dehydrated foods is storing the item in an air-tight container. The longer you keep out the air and moisture, the longer the food lasts. Dried foods should also be kept in a cool-ish (meaning temperature consistent) dark space. The official recommendation from the Center for Home Food Preservation is one year," says Ward says.
"One technical thing you may want to note is that storage length is also determined by how much moisture is left in the food item. We don't tend to dry beef jerky until 100% moisture is gone – enough to keep it safe but enough moisture remaining to transmit flavors and make it chewy. Everyone is a little different as to what kind of mouthfeel they like. The general rule: the more moisture the food has, the shorter the shelf life," she says.
Some storage ideas include canning jars with any type of screw-on lid, double-row zip-top plastic bags, and tight-fitting lidded plastic or glass containers.
Presto Dehydro Digital Electric Food Dehydrator ($95 at Amazon) The trays also fit nicely together, and fingertip handles help give you a more confident grip as you add and remove them. Ultimately, it didn't make our list because it wasn't as effective at handling fruit leather as some other models: the leather itself had ridges in it because of the shape of the trays, and it stuck to the tray, making cleaning more difficult.
Gourmia Premium Electric Food Dehydrator Machine ($190 at Gourmia) Though a small machine with a small footprint, the capacity felt better/larger than some of the other small models. It also dried fairly evenly, more so than many compact models we tested. In all, the controls are very basic, and we didn't like that the racks are not dishwasher safe.
L'Equip FilterPro 6 Tray Food Dehydrator ($139 at Amazon) This medium-sized machine with a medium footprint has a larger capacity than some of the compact models we tested. Unlike some models, it is entirely opaque, so you can't check on your food without entirely opening the dehydrator to see inside. The trays are also not dishwasher-safe and would be hard to clean in a smaller sink, and we noted that this dehydrator also does not dry as evenly as some others.
Aroma Housewares Professional 6 Tray Food Dehydrator ($150 at Aroma Housewares) This dehydrator is quieter than some other models, and we found its trays were easier to wash by hand than some models. The trays slide out nicely, and the holes in the trays are well-spaced. We did not include this model because it only has a temperature gauge and does not have a timer.
We tried a number of other models to find our favorite dehydrators, including from top brands like Cuisinart, NutriChef, Aroma, LEM, and Hamilton Beach. With some, we were unsatisfied with the control panel or design elements, while others took too long to dry or were too difficult to clean. A few models were uneven in their drying, gave us safety concerns, or were simply too complicated or bulky to be considered top performers.
Commercial Dehydrator For Beef Jerky Julia Skinner, Ph.D., is a writer, culinary educator, avid gardener, and food preserver, and author of Our Fermented Lives. She writes about and teaches fermentation and food preservation through her business, Root, and through her newsletter. Christina Ward is an author, editor, and the Master Food Preserver for Wisconsin. She is the author of Preservation: The Art and Science of Canning, Fermentation, and Dehydration.