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Last update on September 21 , 2023

Let ’s learn how to make tomato powder using sweet tomatoes or Lycopersicon esculentum skins ! This is a playfulness and different manner to preserve tomatoes , especially if you ’ve already made your just share oftomato sauce , soup , orother tomato preserveswith your garden bounty . It ’s also a great agency toreduce wasteand use tomato skin that are usually otherwise discarded – since many love apple recipe instruct you to take away them . An added bonus is that this love apple pulverization can easily be reverse into tomato library paste !

A white ramekin is full of dried tomato powder which is bright red in color. A few fresh tomatoes are arranged around the bowl along with a few dried tomato pieces. A spoon is resting next to the ramekin with a heaping spoonful of tomato powder.

What is tomato powder?

Tomato powder is a dry seasoner made by dehydrating tomato and then travail them into a o.k. powder . The result is abright , sweet and savoryconcentrated powder . It ’s typically used in dry form to add flavor and colour to a variety of meals , though it can also be ruffle with water ( reconstituted ) to use as tomato plant paste . On the other hand , some folks do the opposite and dry up tomato plant library paste to make tomato pulverisation .

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An image with a basket of fresh tomatoes, a metal bowl of quartered tomatoes, and a smaller bowl containing tomato skins are huddled together.

What kind of tomatoes should I use to make tomato powder?

you’re able to use any type of Lycopersicon esculentum to make tomato pulverization . heirloom , slicer , romas , just the skins … That tell , I ’ve found thatcherry tomatoesmake peculiarly delicious , gratifying , and flavorful tomato powder or dry tomato plant paste ! They also dry exceptionally well , and stick less to the trays than large yield dried in slice . Fully ripetomatoes will declare oneself superior flavor to less advanced 1 .

mention that it take a lot of tomatoes to create a modest amount of love apple pulverisation – which can be a adept thing if you have a bumper crop on your hand ! As you ’ll see in the photos below , my 3 dehydrator tray full of tomato condense down into just over a half - pint jar of homemade tomato powder . Again , this is n’t necessarily a bad thing . In addition tosaving distance in store , theflavor and nutrientsin tomato plant pulverization are exponentially concentrated too ! So , a piffling goes a retentive way .

Tip : If you ’re attempting to make love apple powder withskins alone , you’re able to spare up cutis in the deep-freeze until you accumulate enough to make a lot of gunpowder if needed .

A wooden bowl with metal handles is full of freshly harvest cherry tomatoes. Surround the bowl are tomatoes of differing varieties, a couple Roma types, a few larger red slicing tomatoes, along with a few Pink Boar type which are dark red with hints of dark green.

Steps to Make Tomato Powder

1) Cut and gut tomatoes

If you ’re making tomato powder using tomato skins only , skip to the next step !

Using whole fresh tomatoes , start by wash and cutting the tomato . Cut cherry tomatoes in half , little tomatoes into quarters , and declamatory Lycopersicon esculentum into fragile even slice . It ’s significant to attempt to keep all your tomato pieces some the same size and thickness so they ’ll dry out evenly .   The smaller and thinner the pieces , the quicker they ’ll dry .

While I do n’t occupy about getting every last seed , I do take up orsqueeze out most of the tomato seedsand “ guts ” into a disjoined bowl to discard ( compost ) . Removing excess juices upfront will help oneself the tomato dry more quickly .

A close up image of a dehydrator try full of freshly sliced larger tomatoes and halved cherry tomatoes.

2) Fully dry tomatoes

Next , we need to dry the tomato plant . you may either apply the oven or afood dehydrator , but it ’s best to use a dehydrator since it direct a long time to amply dry them .   ( Though tomato skins will dry much quicker ! )

To dry tomatoes in afood dehydrator , unfold the cut tomatoes ( or tomato skin ) out on your dehydrator sheets in a single layer . They can touch but should n’t overlap . Dry on 135 - 145 ° F until they ’re amply dry . Ours commonly take a couple days .

To dry Lycopersicon esculentum in theoven , spread the tomato out on a baking canvas lined with lambskin paper or areusable silicone baking mat . Place in the oven on thelowest temperature localize possibleand Captain James Cook until the tomatoes are dry and crispy , but not burnt . apply a convection fan if usable . This will take many hours .

Three dehydrator trays with sliced tomatoes, halved cherry tomatoes, and one try that contains both sliced and halved cherry tomatoes. Make tomato powder from a variety of tomatoes to preserve that tomato flavor for use during the winter.

For both method , place the tomatoesskin - side downto reduce runoff and sticking .

The tomatoes are“done ” dryingwhen they ’re crispy and no longer diffused or chewy . They ’ll be a lot more firm thansun - dry out Lycopersicon esculentum , and should snap in one-half rather than bend . If the tomatoes are n’t 100 % ironical , your homemade tomato powder may get clumpy or ball up in storage .

3) Grind into powder

Once the tomato are wry , it ’s meter to turn them into tomato pulverisation ! Use a liquidizer , intellectual nourishment mainframe , or java hoagy to powderise and cranch the dry tomatoes into a o.k. powder . OurVitamixgrinds tomatoes into fine powder like a champ ! Do thisimmediately after dryingfor the good results , as the tomato may reabsorb moisture from the line and soften if provide out .

If it seems lumpy or is n’t intermix evenly , practice afine - mesh strainertosiftout the ruined powder and re - blend any leftover chunks .

4) Store and Enjoy

Finally , store your homemade tomato powder in anairtight containerwith a hat in a nerveless dark positioning . common people in humid climates may benefit from adding a nutrient - grade silica packet inside the jolt to suck extra moisture and prevent clip-clop . Even if it does clump a little , it ’s still secure to eat – and delectable !

Homemade love apple powder should last up to a year ( or longer ) when dry and stored right . Discard if mould grow . Otherwise , enjoy !

How to Use Tomato Powder

It ’s more various than you may imagine ! Use tomato gunpowder to add a soda offlavor and colorto soups , fret , sauces , andchili , or incorporate it into spice blend or juiceless rub . It ’s a wondrous increase tohomemade vegetable broth ! We like to bring a footling to the pot when cooking brown rice , quinoa , dry beans or lentil .

Tomato powder is also delicious disperse over avocado pledge , in guacamole and testis stunner ( include scrambled ball ) , used to mollify roasted or sautéed vegetable , and incorporated intohomemade sourdough breadorsourdough crackers . A admirer recently tell me they even like it on their Zea mays everta ! Really , the pick are endless … The other day we turn some of our Lycopersicon esculentum powder into unfermented cherry love apple paste , and used it in position of tomato ketchup with pan - fried homegrown potatoes . Yum !

How to turn tomato powder into tomato paste

I love that tomato powder doubles as teetotal tomato paste ! in person , I use tomato powder more often than spread , but now I have both on hand without create two separate things or the bustle of canning . They ’re very similar since both are extremely hard .

To turn Lycopersicon esculentum gunpowder into tomato paste , simply mix1 to 2 contribution water with 1 part Lycopersicon esculentum powder . For illustration , flux 1 to 2 tablespoons of weewee for 1 tablespoon of powder . initiate with a 1 - to-1 ratio and then gradually add more water to set the body of the tomato paste to your liking .

That’s all folks!

Homemade Tomato Powder (skins or fresh tomatoes)

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

An Excalibur food dehydrator has three trays full of freshly sliced tomatoes and halved cherry tomatoes. The tray with cherry tomatoes has been pulled out of the dehydrator somewhat to show the rest of the tray full of tomatoes. Make tomato powder from dried tomatoes for a variety of uses.

Two drying racks full of dried tomatoes, one tray is full of halved cherry tomatoes and the other partial tray is mostly made up of larger sliced tomatoes.

A Vitamix blender that is 1/3rd of the way full of freshly dried tomatoes of various sizes and shapes.

A silver spoon is poised above full of tomato powder. Below there is a white ramekin full of tomato powder, along with some sun dried tomatoes and a few fresh tomatoes as well. Make tomato powder for adding tomato flavor to dishes throughout winter.

A half pint mason jar with a label on it that reads “Tomatoe Powder ‘22” is full of freshly made tomato powder. Various fresh and dried tomatoes garnish the area around the jar. Make tomato powder when you have a surplus of tomatoes.

A white ceramic ramekin with bright red tomato paste in the bottom. A spoon is inside the bowl with a dollop of tomato paste on it.

A white ramekin is full of dried tomato powder which is bright red in color. A few fresh tomatoes are arranged around the bowl along with a few dried tomato pieces. A spoon is resting next to the ramekin with a heaping spoonful of tomato powder.

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