These oven dried tomatoes are going to blow your mind.
They’re bursting with flavor, pair well with so many dishes, and you can customize the flavor however you’d like!
Why you’ll love these oven dried tomatoes
They’re incredibly flavorful! These oven dried tomatoes are naturally sweet and have the most intense tomato flavor. Not to mention they’re so chewy and delicious!
Little to no prep time & hands off cooking! All you really have to do is cut your tomatoes in half, place them in the oven for a few hours, then flip them and cook again! So incredibly easy.
Better than store bought! I’m a huge “homemade is always better” gal but these? These are one of those “you need to make them for yourself” recipes.
Ingredients
- Tomatoes
- Salt
- Olive oil (optional)
That’s all you need to make classic oven dried tomatoes.
However, you can add herbs or whatever seasoning to the tomatoes before roasting them to give them a bit more flavor.
How to make oven dried tomatoes
First, preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and add parchment paper to your baking sheet.
Rinse your tomatoes and slice each one lengthwise. Place on the prepared baking sheet, seed side up and sprinkle with a light amount of salt. Bake for 2 1/2 hours.
Below you’ll see what the tomatoes look like before and after being in the oven for two and a half hours:
At this point, your tomatoes have dried… for the most part.
You’ll find that most of the tomatoes are still a bit moist and squishy on the inside, though. At this point in the process, I’ll flip all of the tomatoes over and roast for another two hours.
Here’s a quick before and after of what your tomatoes will look like after the final two hours:
And now they’re perfect!
How to properly store oven dried tomatoes
There are so many different ways to keep oven dried tomatoes. However, these are the top three methods that works for me!
Method 1: Keeping them in the pantry
This is typically what I do (as I use them up within a few days). You’re able to keep oven dried tomatoes in an airtight container in the pantry without oil for about 3 days. Because they still contain the smallest bit of moisture, it’s not recommended to eat them after 3 days if storing this way.
Method 2: Refrigerate them
If you think you won’t use them within 3 days, I recommend keeping them in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 week without oil or up to 3 weeks with oil.
Method 3: Freeze them
This is a great method if you want to make a ton of oven dried tomatoes and use them as needed. To freeze the oven dried tomatoes, allow them to cool at room temperature on the baking sheet then transfer the baking sheet to the freezer. Once your oven dried tomatoes are frozen, add them to a freezer bag and store for up to 6 months. You may need to add them to some water, oil, or tomato juice after thawing them!
Different ways to make oven dried tomatoes
Let’s be real… you’ve most likely heard of sun dried tomatoes rather than oven dried, right?
In order to make sun dried tomatoes, you need to rely on the sun (obviously).
To do this, you’d need to arrange them on a rack, sprinkle with some salt, and place them in the hot sun until they’ve dried completely. This method can take anywhere from four days to two weeks and you have to heavily rely on bright, sunshine (and low humidity) to make them this way. TBH this is not a reliable way to make them for me, nor is it easy. Which is why I prefer to make them in the oven!
You can also make these oven dried tomatoes in a dehydrator! This method is almost identical to making them in the oven, but instead of taking about 4 1/2 hours, they can take between 6 and 8 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question that isn’t answered below? Leave a comment and I’ll do my best to answer it!
Can you use any type of tomato to make oven dried tomatoes?
You can, but the size of the tomato will change the cook time! Plum, Italian, or Roma tomatoes tend to be the best for drying.
Am I able to rehydrate my oven dried tomatoes?
Of course!
Feel free to soak your oven dried tomatoes in water for about 25-30 minutes to rehydrate them a bit. Alternatively, you can rehydrate them in tomato juice to really have the tomato flavor pop!
How can I use oven dried tomatoes?
Oven dried tomatoes can be used in a multitude of recipes! Feel free to add them to soups, pastas, pizzas, salads, pesto, and more!
PrintHow to Make Oven Dried Tomatoes
These oven dried tomatoes are made with just two ingredients: tomatoes and salt. They require little work and are bursting with flavor!
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 4 Hours 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 4 Hours and 40 Minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 lb roma tomatoes
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and add parchment paper to your baking sheet.
- Rinse the tomatoes and slice each one lengthwise. Place on the prepared baking sheet seed side up and sprinkle with a light amount of salt. Bake for 2 1/2 hours.
- At this point, your tomatoes have dried… for the most part. You’ll find that most of the tomatoes are still a bit moist and squishy on the inside, though. Flip all of the tomatoes over and roast for another two hours.
- Let them cool on the baking sheet and enjoy!
Notes
* See section on how to store oven dried tomatoes if you don’t plan on using them all at once.
I LOVE TOMATOES and will ABSOLUTELY be trying this out for myself! Yummy!!