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Learn How to Make Tomato Powder to preserve a delicious summer crop! Homemade Tomato Powder is an incredible zero-waste addition to your spice cabinet.

a glass canning jar of homemade tomato powder
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Homemade tomato powder is pure magic that can be added to lots of dishes as a delicious flavor booster.

Made with discarded tomato skins from Canning Whole Tomatoes, Dehydrating Tomatoes, Canning Tomato Soup, Cherry Tomato Sauce, or Canning Stewed Tomatoes, this is a zero-waste kitchen hack from which dreams are made.

I have owned this dehydrator for at least a dozen years, and it has held up beautifully. I’ve added additional trays over the years and it is a workhorse in summer and fall making things like dried pears, dried rosemary, drying chives, drying orange slices, dried peppers, dried peaches, drying limes, dried apples, dried oregano, dried mint, dehydrating marshmallows, and dehydrated garlic.

How to Use Tomato Powder

It’s great to sprinkle over rice (like Instant Pot Jasmine Rice), add to soups (like Gluten-Free Tomato Soup, Instant Pot Lentil Soup, or Instant Pot Tortellini Soup), or to enhance tomato products (like Homemade Pizza Sauce, Freezer Spaghetti Sauce, or Whole30 BBQ Sauce) or in BBQ dry rubs. I also love to add it to my homemade Taco Seasoning.

You can also use it to create tomato sauce products by using 1 part tomato powder to 1.5 parts liquid (ex: 1 cup powder + 1.5 cups water + your favorite spices to make a tomato sauce). 

3 photos showing the process of making tomato powder

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

  • I recommend using only the tomato skins or use paste-style tomatoes like Roma that have fewer seeds. The seeds can make your powder incredibly bitter.
  • As long as it is stored in a cool and dry place, your homemade powder will be good for years. Make sure the powder is fully cooled before putting it into an air-tight container to prevent mold.
  • A food processor will give you a flakier texture, whereas a high-powered blender or a clean coffee grinder will produce a true powder.
a jar of tomato powder on a white board with fresh tomatoes, a spoon, and parsley
5 from 1 rating

How to Make Tomato Powder

a glass canning jar of homemade tomato powder
Homemade Tomato Powder is a zero-waste incredible addition to your spice cabinet.

Ingredients 

  • tomato skins {discarded from canning or blanching}

Instructions 

  • Distribute clean tomato skins on dehydrator trays. Use multiple trays instead of over-crowding.
  • Set the dehydrator to 135 degrees F.
  • Allow them to dehydrate for 4 hours and then check on progress. If your trays are moveable, rotate them so that the trays on the bottom are now on top.
  • Dry another 4-6 hours, or until the skins are dry and leathery without any moisture when you touch them.
  • Place tomato skins in a food processor, blender, or clean coffee grinder and process until it has reached your desired texture.
  • Once cooled, store tomato powder in a container with an air-tight lid and store in a cool dry place for 12-24 months.

Notes

Oven Drying Instructions:
Place tomato skins on baking drying racks set inside baking sheets. Place in the oven at the lowest temperature possible (usually 140-170 degrees F) and prop open the door with the handle of a wooden spoon. This allows condensation to escape instead of just settle back onto the skins. Bake for 5-8 hours.
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Helping you serve up budget-friendly sustainable recipes with a side of balanced living.
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6 Comments

  1. This is incredible! I have been on the fence about buying a dehydrator but I think this just might seal the deal.

    1. Rachel, when you get one, get yourself some mini marshmallows and dehydrate them.  They don’t shrink like every other food, but they get all crunchy.  My daughter (27) calls them crack, and searches for the jar every time she comes over. (then my husbands jokingly grumbles that she ate all his marshmallows, but I make sure I always have more)
      I’m not a fan of any marshmallows that are not toasted and in a s’more, but I have it on good authority that the fruit ones are the best dehydrated.

      I dehydrate spinach and powder it, but oddly, never thought to try tomatoes.  Maybe I’ll try to grow some this year…