How to Dehydrate RoTel Tomatoes

This is our step-by-step guide on how to dehydrate RoTel tomatoes with chilies. Their website shows the spelling as Ro*Tel, but for ease of writing, we’ll call them RoTel. Dehydrating RoTel tomatoes in your food dehydrator is easy to do. Dehydrated RoTel tomatoes hydrate quickly and are a perfect ingredient for use in camping and backpacking meals.

These dehydrated tomatoes and chili peppers are also great for longer-term food storage since they can be used in many recipes.

RoTel produces a delicious array of canned tomatoes that can be easily dehydrated. We like them all. The no salt added diced tomatoes with green chilies are a favorite but sometimes hard to find.

We like the RoTel brand canned tomatoes with chili peppers because each can has a good amount of tomatoes with minimal excess liquid. Some brands seem to have a lot of liquid at the expense of tomatoes.

So, let’s get started dehydrating a few cans of RoTel tomatoes.

Today we are dehydrating several cans of RoTel tomatoes with chili peppers. They were on sale, so we picked up a few extra cans to dehydrate and add to our prepper pantry for long-term storage and later use.

How to Dehydrate RoTel Tomatoes
Supplies Needed for Dehydrating RoTel Tomatoes
Step 1. Process for Dehydrating RoTel Tomatoes
Step 2. Preparing for Dehydrator for Dehydrating the RoTel Tomatoes
Step 3. Dehydrating RoTel Tomatoes
Step 4. When are the Dehydrated RoTel Tomatoes Done
Step 5. Equalizing and Conditioning of Dehydrated RoTel Tomatoes
Step 6. Storing the Dehydrated RoTel Tomatoes
Hydration
Weights, Measures, and Serving Sizes
Insider Tips

Canned diced tomatoes, like RoTel, are easy to dehydrate. They are great to have on hand. We tend to dehydrate individual ingredients versus dehydrating entire meals, other than leftovers to have later.

I see these canned tomatoes on sale quite frequently. So be on the lookout and pick up a few extras to dehydrate them for longer-term storage. Of course, as canned products, they all have best-by dates for a year or more.

You only need a good quality food dehydrator to dehydrate these RoTel tomatoes. We use the Nesco FD-61, and you can check out our food dehydrator guide here and why we think Nesco offers the best bang for the buck. We believe this is the best food dehydrator for long-term storage.

Supplies Needed for Dehydrating RoTel Tomatoes

Food dehydrator
Removable fruit roll sheet inserts, one for each dehydrator tray
Wide-mouth canning jar funnel
Mesh strainer

Step 1. Process for Dehydrating RoTel Tomatoes

To start, there isn’t much to do to process these canned tomatoes for dehydration.

There isn’t excessive canning liquid if you are dehydrating the smaller 10-ounce (283 grams) cans of RoTel tomatoes; it’s mostly diced tomatoes and peppers. However, larger cans, like the 28-ounce (794 grams), have more liquid. So, it’s best just to drain them.

Simply open the can and drain the excess canning liquid using a mesh strainer.

Because the tomatoes are already diced into suitable-sized pieces for drying, there is no need to break them down any further.

Step 2. Preparing for Dehydrator for Dehydrating the RoTel Tomatoes

You’ll need to use fruit roll sheets for dehydrating the diced tomatoes and chili peppers.

These inexpensive Nesco 13.5-inch fruit roll sheet inserts come in 2 to a pack. You’re going to need one for each dehydrator tray and maybe a few extra. They are perfect for making fruit rolls, drying sauces & soups, and catching drips to make cleanup easy. The no-spill lip allows you to dry liquids and semi-liquids like fruits, sauces, soups, and gelatins. They do stain when drying tomato products, but no worries.

For this dehydrating project, we will use these removable Nesco fruit roll sheet inserts on our Nesco FD-61. They have over 3000 customer reviews with an average rating of 4.5 stars out of 5, which is evidence of a great product.

Empty the contents of the strainer onto the fruit roll sheet inserts.

This is one 10-ounce can of RoTel diced tomatoes with chili peppers that fill up 1/2 to 3/4 of a 13.5-inch round dehydrator tray with a fruit roll sheet insert. We don’t want to crowd our trays with too much, so today, we are going with one 10-ounce can per tray for faster drying times. You could get away with adding another can. But we have a lot of trays and capacity with our Nesco FD-61. So, we’re going with one can per tray.

Evenly spread out and create a thin layer of the diced tomatoes and chili peppers onto the removable fruit roll sheet inserts to promote even drying. You could get 2 of the 10-ounce cans onto one tray. But we have a lot of trays and fruit roll sheets, so we make it easy on ourselves and go with one can per tray for faster drying times. The Nesco FD-61 can accommodate up to 12 drying trays, so we have the capacity if it is needed.

A closeup of the diced tomatoes and chili peppers on the fruit roll sheet inserts. Note that there isn’t a lot of excess liquid in these tomatoes.

The Nesco 13.5-inch round dehydrator tray has close to 119 square inches or .8 square feet of surface area for drying.

Step 3. Dehydrating RoTel Tomatoes

We’ll dehydrate the canned diced tomatoes at a drying temperature of 160 °F / 71 °C for the entire time because there is much liquid that needs to evaporate. Plan on 8 to 10 hours, depending upon the ambient temperature and humidity and how crowded you fill your trays. Remember to use drying times as a guide.

We have set the dehydrator temperature control to 160 °F / 71 °C.

Step 4. When are the Dehydrated RoTel Tomatoes Done

Start checking for doneness in 8 hours. The diced tomatoes usually take 8 to 10 hours to fully dehydrate at 160 °F / 71 °C, depending on ambient temperatures and humidity and how much food is crowded onto the tray.

After 10 hours of drying time, it’s done. We let the trays cool for about 30 minutes. The diced tomatoes and peppers are hard to the touch; nothing is soft or squishy.

Drying times will vary depending on your dehydrator. Refer to your dehydrator owner’s manual for recommended temperatures and times for dehydrating specific foods. Remember to use drying times as a guide.

Thoroughly dried, the tomato pieces will be hard little bits. Any remaining liquid will now be a fragile and easily broken tomato-colored sheet.

A closeup of the dried tomatoes and chili peppers. They have cooled down and everything is firm to the touch. Nothing is soft or squishy. So, the next step is to remove the dried food from the fruit roll sheets and get them into a clear canning jar before they absorb too much of the ambient moisture. We live in a fairly humid area.

Warm dehydrated food in the food dehydrator will feel somewhat pliable, and you may believe they need more drying time. Unplug the dehydrator, or just remove the tray and let it cool down. Then check again to be sure. They should be crisp or brittle when done

Step 5. Equalizing and Conditioning of Dehydrated RoTel Tomatoes

We always recommend letting food items cool completely after dehydrating and before packing them into an airtight storage container for equalizing and conditioning. Warm food may cause sweating, which could provide enough moisture for mold to grow.

It does not take long for dehydrated food items to start hydrating from ambient household humidity. Only leave dehydrated food items exposed to the elements as long as necessary because of the increased risk of mold growth.

After a short cooling period, pack the dehydrated RoTel tomatoes into a clean, dry, insect-proof, and air-tight storage container. We use pint or quart-size canning jars for conditioning. Since the canning jars are clear, it’s easy to see what’s inside.

This is 2 10-ounce cans of dehydrated RoTel tomatoes and chili peppers in a 1-pint clear canning jar. We’ll add in the rest of the dehydrated tomatoes and condition them for a week or so to make sure it’s all properly dehydrated. Later, we’ll add a food-safe desiccant packet to help with moisture control as we live in a fairly humid area. Properly conditioned, these should last for at least 12 months, depending on the environment of your food storage area.

A wide-mouth canning funnel is handy for the task of getting dehydrated food from the trays into the canning jars with minimal spillage. It’s not a necessity, but having one does make the job easier and faster. Need one, check them out here on Amazon.

When the dehydrated tomatoes are removed from the dehydrator, the remaining moisture may not be distributed equally among the pieces because of their location and position in the dehydrator. Equalizing and conditioning is a process for freshly dehydrated foods that ensures any residual moisture remaining in any piece is spread or equalized among all the other pieces in the batch. Let the dehydrated tomatoes and chili peppers equalize and condition in the storage container for 7 to 10 days.

Every day, check the jar for moisture. Roll the jar contents around and note any clumping or sticking. If seen, put the contents back on the dehydrator for several more hours. Since canning jars are clear, it’s easy to see what’s inside.

If you notice any mold, even the slightest bit, throw it all out. What you see are the mold spores blooming enough to make them visible. But there are more, even tinier mold spores in the rest of your jar that make your dehydrated food inedible. Toss it out and start another batch.

Step 6. Storing the Dehydrated RoTel Tomatoes

Use an appropriately sized canning jar for storage. The dehydrated tomatoes might keep up to 12 months, maybe more. Exactly how long depends upon your pantry storage conditions.

We’ll use a food-safe desiccant packet for moisture control because we live in a fairly humid area. For our pint-size or quart-size mason jars, we’ll use a single food-safe 5-gram desiccant packet.

These food-safe 5-gram desiccant packets will absorb moisture from small enclosed spaces, such as our canning jars. Use one packet for a pint, quart, or half-gallon size canning jar with a tight-fitting lid. They come sealed in a heavy-duty reusable zip-top bag to protect the desiccant packs from moisture before use. The orange indicators will turn dark green when they need to be recharged or replaced. They can be easily recharged either in a microwave or oven.

We use these inexpensive food-safe desiccant packets that are available from Amazon. These 5-gram packets have over 5000 of mostly 4- and 5-star customer reviews, with an average of 4.7 stars out of 5. Our bag of 60 desiccant packets will last quite a while because they can be recharged and reused multiple times. Other food-safe sizes are available.

Attach or include a short note describing the contents and the date the product was dehydrated. The note also informs us where to go in the dehydrator logbook to make an update.

Hydration

Hydrate the dried tomatoes using a 1-to-1 ratio of dehydrated tomatoes to boiled water. Plan on at least 15 to 20 minutes to fully hydrate.

Weights, Measures, and Serving Sizes

This information is from a recent entry from the notes we keep on most of our food dehydration efforts.

The RoTel nutrition label shows that each 10-ounce can is about 2.5 servings.

Before dehydrating, the entire contents of each can, including liquid, averaged 280 grams on our inexpensive digital kitchen scale.

After dehydration, each can average weight was 14 grams.

Doing the math, a single serving of dehydrated RoTel tomatoes would be 5.5 grams, but we’ll round it down to 5 grams.

Insider Tips

Besides the dehydrated meal recipes found here on this website, add dehydrated tomatoes with chilies to any of your favorite freeze-dried meals for more flavors. Just be sure to compensate by adding a bit of extra boiled water in a 1-to-1 ratio and allow enough time for adequate hydration.

Practice making dehydrated camping meals at home using the same gear used in the field. We practice reinforcing the skills we have learned. Practice makes perfect.

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