How To Dehydrate Fruit In The Ninja Foodi

Dehydrated fruit makes for a yummy, nutrient-packed snack. Something that undoubtedly makes it even more enjoyable is when you make it yourself. If you have a Ninja Foodi, you may be wondering how to use this particular function on your appliance. For your convenience, we brought you the answer.

Here are the basic steps for dehydrating fruit in your Ninja Foodi:

  1. Slice your fruit and sprinkle it with any spices or seasonings you would like.
  2. Lay out the fruit on your deluxe reversible rack, cook & crisp basket, or dehydrator rack.
  3. Place the rack inside the Foodi in the ceramic-lined pot, and turn the knob to select the "Dehydrator" setting.
  4. Adjust the time and temperature to the fruit's needs and press "Start."
  5. Enjoy your dehydrated fruit!

Do you have more questions about this operation? If so, you're in luck—in this post, we'll discuss the topic in greater detail. Keep reading to learn more about the dehydrating setting on your Ninja Foodi!

A small tray with dehydrated apples next to a Ninja Foodi air fryer, How To Dehydrate Fruit In The Ninja Foodi

How to Dehydrate Fruit in the Ninja Foodi

Let's look into the details of how to dehydrate fruit in the Foodi.

1. Slice your fruit and season/prep accordingly

Slice your fruit into 1/4" to 1/2" slices. As you would expect, the thicker the piece is, the longer it will take to dehydrate. Or, if you like your dehydrated fruit to have some juiciness to it (like mango), take it out on the earlier side.

For fruits like apples, you should give them a quick bath in cold water with a spritz of lemon. This prevents the fruit from browning or otherwise becoming discolored.

Then you can sprinkle the fruit slices with spices like cinnamon.

2. Lay out the fruit on the racks

Position the fruit slices on your dehydrating racks with enough space in between each one. Keeping enough distance between the fruit is important for airflow.

3. Insert rack into the Foodi

Once you have filled all your dehydrator racks, place them into the Foodi. The dehydrating function only requires the lid that is attached by the hinge.

Close the lid, turn the Foodi on, and turn the knob to select the "Dehydrator" function.

4. Adjust time and temperature

Press the "Temperature" button to adjust it with the knob. For dehydrating, you'll set the temperature somewhere between 135 degrees Fahrenheit to 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

Consult the back pages of the Ninja recipe book that came with your Foodi, as this includes temperature and time recommendations for dehydrating fruit.

Press the "Time" button and select the appropriate amount of time needed for your fruit. We recommend starting it at the lower end of the time range. You can always add time as you see fit. Push the knob in to start the dehydrating process!

5. Enjoy!

Check on your fruit after the minimum time recommended. Adjust the time accordingly. Once the fruit is dehydrated to your liking, take it out of the Foodi and enjoy it! Store the fruit in an airtight container.

A Few Dehydrating Process Examples

How to Dehydrate Apples in the Ninja Foodi

Of course, the first thing you need to do is get everything together.

Slice the apples in approximately 3/8" slices, making them as uniform as possible. If you don't have a mandolin or peeler/corer/slicer for even slices, it's totally okay to use an ordinary sharp knife.

Before you place your slices on the dehydrating rack, give them a bath in cold water with a dash of fresh lemon.

Splashing it with some fresh lemon helps the apples keep their flavor and color. Let them soak for about 10 minutes. After their bath, place the slices on your rack.

As you place the slices on the rack, make sure they have enough space between them. We sprinkled some cinnamon over the slices. So feel free to add any spices you'd like at this point!

Insert the rack into the Foodi, turn the knob to the "Dehydrator" setting, set the temperature to 135 degrees Fahrenheit, and adjust the time as needed. The time should be between 6 and 8 hours depending on the level of crispness you'd like.

If you want to check on them, simply open the lid to see their progress. The Foodi will turn off when you open the lid and restart once you shut it.

Voila! You have your fresh, dehydrated apples.

As you can see, using the reversible rack that comes with the Foodi doesn't leave you much room for lots of apples. This rack fits one pretty good-sized Granny Smith apple.

After this dehydrating experience, we did go ahead and get a dehydrating rack to use moving forward.

Even if you don't get the Ninja rack, ensure that yours is compatible with your Foodi's size. The last thing you want is a dehydrator rack that won't fit inside of your Foodi.

How to Dehydrate Mangoes in the Ninja Foodi

Mangoes are one of our favorite dehydrated fruits. For dehydrating this fruit, all you'll need is the mango and a knife. Remove all the skin, then slice it up, making sure each piece isn't thicker than 1/2".

Mango doesn't require a cold water bath or additional attention to the slices.

Lay out the mango slices on your dehydrating rack, keeping enough space between the pieces. They don't have to be super spaced out, but just be sure that the pieces aren't touching.

Place your dehydrating rack inside your Foodi and close the hinged lid. Set the temperature to 135 degrees Fahrenheit, and adjust the time to somewhere between 6 to 8 hours.

Check them after 6 hours to see if they're at your desired texture.

Once your Foodi beeps, completing the dehydration process, pull out the rack!

Now you can enjoy your fresh dehydrated mango. If you don't eat it all in one sitting (like we did), store the fruit in an airtight container.

How Long Does Dehydrated Fruit Last?

With proper storage, dehydrated fruit can last between 4 months to a year. It should be kept in a cool, dark area in an airtight container. It's also helpful to keep it stored in serving-size portions. This will minimize the amount of air exposure the dehydrated food encounters.

Do You Need Special Equipment to Dehydrate with the Foodi?

Your Foodi will come with some kind of rack. This is essential for the dehydrating setting to function properly. We do, however, suggest buying the additional dehydrator rack.

This does not come standard with any of the Foodi bundles, but it will make the dehydrating process easier and more fruitful (pun intended).

The Ninja dehydrating rack allows you to fit much more fruit or meat on it than the standard accessories. Since this cooking process can take up to half a day, we recommend using this special rack.

The product below is the one that we use for all our dehydrating needs. It works well, is simple to put together, and is easy to clean! It's compatible with the 6.5-quart and 8-quart Foodi models.

Note: The racks may wobble a little bit when they're all placed in the stand, but it won't affect the integrity of the accessory.

Click here to see this product on Amazon.

You can also find other dehydrating racks, but be sure that their size is compatible with your Foodi.

Can You Dehydrate Meat in the Foodi?

Yes! You can definitely dehydrate meat in the Foodi. You can make all kinds of meat jerkies with the Foodi, along with fish.

If you're a big fan of beef jerky, then you'll really enjoy the way the Foodi works. You'll be able to save money in the long run (we all know jerky can get pricey!) and experiment with various flavors.

How to Dehydrate Meat in the Ninja Foodi

We used this recipe to marinate the beef we used for our jerky.

Next, we simply followed the cooking directions that were included in the recipe booklet that came with our Ninja Foodi Deluxe. We set the temperature to 150 degrees Fahrenheit and dehydrated the meat for 6.5 hours, checking on it after 5, 5.5, and 6 hours. Monitor the meat so you can get it out at your desired texture.

In Closing

You'll get the hang of your Foodi's dehydrating capabilities in a flash! The steps for dehydrating fruit are rather simple and won't require much hands-on attention.

If you're curious about the appliance as a whole, be sure to check out our complete product review: Ninja Foodi Deluxe Product Review

Want more fruit storage tips? You'll love this post: Can You Keep Fruit In The Pantry? [How To Properly Do So]

Do you have a Ninja Foodi? What's your favorite thing to dehydrate? Let us know in the comment section below!

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