Fruit and Vegetable Fresh, Dehydrated, and Freeze-Dried Equivalents

It’s about 5 PM as I finish up this post.  I’m not sure exactly whether it was a viral or bacterial beast that violated my personal space and sent me to bed two days ago.  Did it happen at the Valentine’s Day dinner party, or at the grocery store the next day?  After dry heaving for a couple of hours Thursday night, I finally expelled the suddenly offensive food and spent most of Friday sleeping.  Today I’m still weak but able to read, surf, and type.  And by the time you read this, I will be fully recovered. 

Anyway, the following chart has been one I’ve wanted to assemble for quite some time.  I think I might even print it up and laminate it for the kitchen.  I never seem to know just how much dehydrated onion or celery to add to a dish.  Amounts always look so puny and then seem to swell in the pot.  Which, of course, is what they are supposed to do.  

Fresh produce	Dehydrated and freeze-dried powders	Dehydrated amount	Water to reconstitute	Minimum soaking time
Apple, 1 medium or 1 cup		1 cup	1.5 cups	½ hour
Apricot		1 cup	1.5 cups	¼ hour
Asparagus, 6 stalks		1 cup	1 cup
Banana		1 cup	1 cup	¼ hour
Beans, green, 1 cup, FD		½ cup	1 cup	¼ hour
Beans, green, snap		1 cup	2.5 cups	1 hour
Beets		1 cup	2.75 cups	1 ½ hours
Bell peppers, 1 cup	¼ cup flakes	1/2 cup	¾ cup
Blackberries, 1 cup, FD		¾ cup	1 cup
Blueberries, 1 cup, FD		½ cup	1 cup
Broccoli, 1 cup, FD		1 cup	1 cup	¼ hour
Cabbage, 1 cup		½ cup	1.25 cups	1 hour
Carrots, 1 cup, 4 medium fresh carrots, DH	¼ cup powdered	½ cup	1.5 cups	1 hour
Cauliflower, 1 cup		1 cup	½ cup	¼ hour
Celery, 1 cup		½ cup	1 cup	1/3 hour
Corn, DH		1 cup	2.25 cups	½ hour
Corn, 1 cup, FD		1 cup	1 cup
Green onions, ½ cup		¼ cup	¼ cup
Hash browns, 1 cup		½ cup	1.5 cups	¼ hour
Mushrooms, 1 cup, DH		½ cup	1 cup	1 hour
Mushrooms, 1 cup, FD		1 cup	½ cup
Okra, DH		1 cup	3 cups	½ hour
Onions, DH		1/3 cup	1 cup	¾ hour
Onions, 1 medium, DH	1 ½ tablespoons onion powder	½ cup	¾ cup	¾ hour
Onions, 1 medium, FD		1 cup	1 cup
Peaches, 1 medium,		1 cup	2 cups	1 ¼ hours
Pears, DH		1 cup	1 ¾ cups	1 hour
Peas, DH		1 cup	2 ½ cups	½ hour
Peas, 1 cup, FD		1/3 cup	1 cup
Pineapple, 1 cup		1 cup	1 cup
Potatoes, mashed, 1 cup		½ cup	1 cup	5 minutes
Potato dices, 1 cup		1/3 cup	1 cup	10 minutes
Raspberries, 1 cup, FD		1 cup	1 cup
Spinach, DH	2-3 tablespoons powder	1 cup	½ cup	5 minutes
Spinach, FD		1 cup	¾ cup
Squash, DH		1 cup	1 ¾ cups	1 hour
Strawberries		1 cup	1 cup
Sweet potatoes, DH		1 cup	1 ½ cups	½ hour
Sweet potatoes, FD		1 cup	1 cup
Tomato, 1 medium			½ cup
Tomato dices, 1 cup		½ cup	1 cup	½ hour
Tomato paste, 1 cup		½  cup	1 cup	5 minutes
Tomato sauce, 1 cup		¼ cup	1 cup	5 minutes
Turnip greens, other greens		1 cup	1 cup	¾ hour
Zucchini, 1 small		¾ cup	½ cup

 

Fruits are best soaked in cool water.  Vegetables are best soaked in hot or boiling water.  For soups and stews, vegetables do not need to be rehydrated.  Simply add them and the necessary liquid for reconstituting to the cooking pot.  Where no soaking time is listed, allow about 45 minutes depending on the size of the chunks of produce and whether it was dehydrated (more time) or freeze-dried (less time).

Unfortunately, despite claims to the contrary, the reconstituted veggies will not look just like fresh.  Even with freeze-dried foods, there is a little bit of loss in color and texture.  Peas and all fruits will benefit from adding about ½ teaspoon of sugar per cup of fruit to the soaking water at the end of the soaking time. 

Links to related posts:

Introduction to Dehydrating

Dehydrated Tomatoes  

DIY Minute Rice 

DIY Tomato Powder 

Pumpkin Powder  

Quick and Dirty Dehydrating  

Drying, Dehydrating, and Rehydrating Considerations 

References:

http://www.plannedpantry.com/uploads/9/9/4/0/9940131/conversion_chart_-_bg.pdf

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/drying-vegetables/

https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/food-safety/drying-vegetables-at-home/