How to Dehydrate Sweet Potatoes – Dehydrating Sweet Potatoes, A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1. The Process to Dehydrate Sweet Potatoes

There isn’t much to do in the way of preparing the frozen sweet potatoes for dehydration. However, the preparation instructions on the product bag  say it needs to be cooked before use.

We will steam-cook the frozen sweet potatoes for a few minutes. We’ll steam them for 8 minutes, the same amount of time as shown in the stovetop instructions.

We’ll use a steamer basket and steam them in batches. After steaming, we’ll let them cool a bit. We’ll also do a taste test after a minute or so of steaming to gauge tenderness.  We want some tenderness and also some bite left.

To begin, open the bag and place a couple of handfuls of the frozen sweet potatoes in the steamer basket, breaking apart any large clumps. After 8 minutes, remove the steamer basket from the boiling water. Avoid steaming them for too long, as they may turn mushy.

Set the batch of steamed sweet potatoes aside to cool until you have finished steaming all of the sweet potatoes.

Step 2. Preparing the Dehydrator for Dehydrating Sweet Potatoes

One 10-ounce bag of frozen sweet potatoes will fill one round Nesco 13.5-inch dehydrator tray with the removable fruit roll sheet insert.

To ensure even drying, spread the cooled sweet potatoes in a single layer onto the removable fruit roll sheet inserts.

Remove anything that looks questionable as you spread the cooled sweet potato cubes onto the dryer trays.  These sweet potatoes are mechanically processed. Despite the use of modern processing equipment, it is not always possible to remove all foreign materials, bits of stem, and off-colored pieces of sweet potato.

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 Sweet Potatoes

Begin by setting the dehydrator thermostat to 135°F / 57°C. Based on my experience, a drying time of 18 to 24 hours works well for dehydrating sweet potatoes.

Remember to use drying times only as a guide. Of course, drying times are variable and dependent on your food dehydrator, the ambient temperature and humidity, the number of trays, and how crowded or thickly you layer food into your dehydrator trays.

Step 4. When are the Dehydrated Sweet Potatoes Done

After 18 to 24 hours, the sweet potato cubes should be fully dehydrated. If not, let it go another 2 or 4 hours and check again.

The dehydrated sweet potato cubes are done when they are hard little cubes.  They should not be mushy or pliable.

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.

Step 5. Equalizing and Conditioning Dehydrated Sweet Potatoes

When the dehydrated food pieces 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 dried sweet potatoes equalize and condition in the storage container for 7 to 10 days.

We always recommend letting food items cool completely after they have finished 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. Do not leave dehydrated food items exposed to the elements any longer than necessary because of the increased risk of mold growth.

After a brief cooling period, loosely pack the dehydrated sweet potato pieces into a clean, dry, insect-proof, and air-tight storage container.  

We use the larger canning jars for equalizing and conditioning. Since they are clear, it’s easy to see what’s inside. Fill the jars at most 2/3 to 3/4 full, leaving some headspace.

Headspace is the distance between the food surface and the lid’s underside. Its purpose is to provide ample space for the dehydrated food product to slide and tumble when shaken and rotated to expose any evidence of clumping or sticking.

A quality stainless steel or plastic canning jar funnel makes the messy job of getting dehydrated foods off the dehydrator tray removable inserts and into the canning jars an easy task. Take a minute or two and check them out on Amazon.

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 smallest bit, throw it all out. What you see are the mold spores finally 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 Dehydrated Sweet Potatoes

Use an appropriately sized canning jar for storage. The dehydrated sweet potatoes might keep up to 12 months or longer. Exactly how long depends on how well you dehydrate the sweet potatoes and 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. For larger jars, we’ll add 2 packets. The desiccant packets will absorb any moisture and help extend the shelf life of the dehydrated food.

We use these inexpensive food-safe desiccant packets, which 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.

Lastly, 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 another note.