Your Air Fryer Is The Secret To The Easiest 'Sun-Dried' Tomatoes Ever
People figured out a long time ago that you can dry fresh tomatoes on hot rooftops for eating later. It's an excellent way to preserve tomatoes to eat when the growing season is over, but you don't need a hot Italian rooftop to make a few chewy, savory, sun-dried tomatoes of your own. All sun-drying is really doing is slowly dehydrating the tomatoes, and with a little temperature control, you can do the same thing in an air fryer.
When tomatoes are allowed to dry slowly, they lose some of their acidity and develop a deep, rich tomato flavor that's ideal in antipasto spreads and pasta dishes. You can buy sun-dried tomatoes at the grocery store, of course, but they're expensive. All you need to make your own on the cheap are some fresh tomatoes, salt, and a little olive oil. Just remember to keep the temperature low and be patient.
How to make sun-dried tomatoes in an air fryer
Sun-dried tomatoes are one of those ingredients that are super common but don't quite rise to the level of a pantry staple, so when they pop up on an ingredients list in a recipe it usually means a trip to the grocery store. If you have fresh tomatoes around, however, just channel your inner Italian nonna and dry them out yourself in the air fryer. Any kind of fresh tomatoes will work and taste great, but plum tomatoes are what most store-bought tomatoes are made with because they have thicker flesh and less water, which helps them dry out faster.
To make sun-dried tomatoes, set your air fryer between 200 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the range of your machine. The lower you set the temperature, the longer it will take. However, you'll run the risk of browning or even burning the tomatoes at higher temperatures. Remember, you just want dry tomatoes, not roasted tomatoes.
While the air fryer is heating up, slice your tomatoes and toss them with a bit of olive oil and salt. Now, put them in the air fryer for 40 minutes to an hour, which, by the way, is a lot faster than drying them in a conventional oven. For a visual on what to look for, check out how @lalaloveswinter does it on TikTok:
@lalaloveswinter Sun-Dried Tomatoes using only the airfryer 😍🍅 its cheap and super affordable and suc a flavour bomb! Try it. Dont forget to share your experience in the comments section. Now, what else should i make? #sundriedtomatoes #airfryermaster #airfryertiktok #fyp #easyrecipe #easy #cooking #homecooking #homemade #homecafe #home
Flavor your sun dried tomatoes
As your tomatoes are drying out in the air fryer, it's a good idea to check on them once or twice and either flip them over or shake the basket of tomatoes a few times to make sure they dry evenly.
The flavor of sun-dried tomatoes is pretty fabulous on its own, but you can also add some extras either during the drying process or after they're done. If you want some garlic and Italian spices like basil and oregano in the mix, just add them to the olive oil when you're tossing the tomatoes before they go into the air fryer. Diced garlic is nice if you want an all-over garlicky quality to your tomatoes, or you can include some whole cloves. Once everything is dried out, store your sun-dried tomatoes either in a Ziploc-style bag in the fridge or pop them in a jar of good-quality olive oil. You can use either plain oil or one that's infused with a tomato-friendly flavor.
Try to eat your homemade tomatoes within a week so they don't get moldy, which shouldn't be too hard because they are great in everything from pasta salad to homemade parsley pesto. They're even great as snacks on their own, right from the container.