Dehydrating Spinach

Dehydrating spinach is a fast project whether you dehydrate raw spinach leaves or cooked frozen spinach. At 125°F (52°C), raw spinach leaves will dry in four to six hours, while cooked frozen spinach will take six to seven hours.

This article shows how to dehydrate raw and cooked spinach, and how you can boost flavor by cooking and dehydrating frozen chopped spinach.

Photos: Dehydrating raw spinach (left), and cooked frozen spinach (right).

One thing you will notice when dehydrating spinach is that dehydrated spinach weighs practically nothing compared to other dried vegetables.

Problem:

Dried spinach leaves are so light that they may start blowing around the dehydrator and right out the dehydrator door when you open it.

Solution:

Place a mesh sheet on top of the spinach after it has dried for a couple of hours to keep it from blowing off the dehydrator tray.

Most Excalibur dehydrators come with mesh sheets. For dehydrators that don’t come with mesh sheets, like Cosori dehydrators, you can order silicone mesh sheets that work well. See bottom of page for a source.

Photo: Placing mesh sheet over spinach on Excalibur tray.

How to Dehydrate Spinach Leaves

If buying spinach leaves from a grocery store, choose spinach that is labeled as “ready-to-eat.” Since it is prewashed, you can place it directly on dehydrator trays without washing it again.

If the spinach comes from your garden or a fresh market, you should wash it to remove dirt.

Wash Spinach Leaves

Place spinach leaves loosely in a large bowl filled with cool water.

Gently swirl leaves around and lightly rub off any visible dirt. Dirt will settle to the bottom of the bowl.

Remove leaves from bowl with your hands and place them in a colander.

Pour out water from bowl and repeat process two to three times.

Once you’re satisfied that the leaves are clean, remove excess water with a salad spinner or gently pat dry with a clean towel.

Dehydrating Spinach Leaves

Spinach leaves take up a lot of space on the dehydrator trays, so start off with the spinach doubled up in two layers.

You can dry spinach leaves directly on top of mesh sheets, but using a solid nonstick sheet under the spinach will keep small bits of dried leaves from falling through.

Photo: Raw, “ready-to-eat” spinach leaves on dehydrator tray.

Dehydrate spinach at 125°F (52°C) for approximately four to six hours.

After two hours the leaves will have shrunk enough to spread them out in a single layer.

Place a mesh sheet over the spinach leaves to keep them from blowing around as they get drier.

Photo: Dehydrated spinach leaves.

Dehydrated spinach leaves will be light and dry to the touch. They will crumble easily in your hand.

Yield: Eight ounces (227 g) of raw spinach leaves will weigh approximately 16 grams when dry and will fill one cup.

Pack dried spinach loosely and store it in an airtight container until ready to use in meals.

How to Dehydrate Cooked Frozen Spinach

Frozen spinach has the advantage of being available year-round. You can thaw and dehydrate it without cooking, or you can add flavor to it by cooking it as described below.

Use unseasoned frozen spinach without sauce for dehydrating.

Cooking Frozen Spinach for Dehydration

Ingredients:

• 24 oz. frozen chopped spinach (680 g)
• 16 oz. fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth (473 ml)*
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. onion powder

* Vegetable broth may be used in place of chicken broth if desired. Check the ingredients; you may need to reduce the salt, garlic and onion powders.

If using full-sodium chicken broth, reduce the salt to taste.

Cooking Procedure:

Thaw spinach in advance.

Place spinach in pan with chicken broth and seasonings.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer lightly with the lid off the pan.

Simmer for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Retain all liquid.

Dehydrating Cooked Spinach

Transfer cooked spinach and all liquid to nonstick dehydrator trays. Silicone trays with raised edges work well to hold any loose juices.

This recipe, which started out with 24 ounces (680 g) of frozen spinach, will fit on two Excalibur dehydrator trays. With Cosori dehydrators, use three to four trays.

Which dehydrator is best for dehydrating spinach? Explore my Excalibur and Cosori dehydrator reviews.

Photo: Cooked spinach on silicone tray before drying.

Dehydrate cooked spinach at 125°F (52°C) for approximately seven hours on top of a nonstick sheet.

After three hours, pull any clumps of spinach apart and redistribute on the dehydrator trays.

Place a mesh sheet over the spinach leaves to keep them from blowing around as they get drier.

Yield: Twenty-four ounces (680 g) of frozen chopped spinach will weigh approximately 88 grams after cooking and drying as described, and it will fill a little more than two cups loosely packed.

Store dried spinach loosely in an airtight container until ready to use in meals like the one shown below.

Photo: Dehydrated spinach is featured in my Chicken with Creamy Spinach Sauce recipe.

Dehydrated Spinach Recipes

Dehydrated spinach is rich in iron, calcium, and antioxidants like beta-carotene (vitamin A).  Prevention.com: Spinach Nutrition.

Besides the nutritional boost, it is delicious in backpacking pasta meals with tomato or cheese sauces. It combines well with beef, chicken, or beans, and it adds rich flavor and texture to soups.

Spinach & Bean Marinara

Servings: 1 large

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup dried pasta (70 g)
• ⅓ cup dried spinach (7–13 g)
• ⅓ cup dried beans (25 g)
• ⅓ cup tomato sauce leather (25 g)
• 2–3 Tbsp. parmesan cheese
• 1¾ cups water to rehydrate (414 ml)

* Dehydrated ground beef or chicken may be substituted for beans.

On the Trail:

Combine all ingredients except parmesan cheese with water in pot and soak for five minutes. Light stove, bring to a boil, and simmer for one minute. Remove pot from stove and transfer it to an insulating pot cozy for 10–15 minutes. Top with parmesan cheese.

Photo: Rehydrated Spinach & Bean Raminara.

Spinach & Bean Marinara and Raminara are the same recipe using macaroni in one and ramen noodles in the other.

Both recipes are featured in the Action Guide: Dehydrating 31 Meals.

Chicken with Creamy Spinach Sauce

Photo: Rehydrated Chicken with Creamy Spinach Sauce.

This one-pot backpacking meal features dehydrated spinach, chicken, and penne pasta in a simple cream sauce made from powdered ingredients that are easy to find in grocery stores.

Explore the recipe: Chicken with Creamy Spinach Sauce.

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