Best Food Dehydrators

Our editors independently research the best products online to produce this list. We may receive commission on purchases made from the links below but this will never affect our product choices.

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Food dehydrators are superb appliances that can open you up to a whole new world of exciting snacks, treats, and healthy bites. These products effectively remove moisture from items by circulating air at a low temperature. But what is the benefit? The dried pieces have an improved shelf life which helps greatly reduce food waste. Moreover, the lack of water content increases the flavour and sweetness of fruits. These appliances could be a top option if you want to improve your diet, eat a wider range of foods, and save on your shopping bills. If this sounds like something you want to try, we have hand-picked seven of the best products in our guide below.

How We Compared Food Dehydrators

To find the right food dehydrators, we considered multiple factors, including:

• Capacity
• Size
• Usability
• Maintenance

Our team planned comparison points and specifically looked for products that would cater to all kinds of needs. We spent countless hours researching, consulting customer reviews and comparing features to come up with this list.

Food Dehydrator Reviews

Sous Vide Tools 6 Tray (Editor’s Choice)

This commercial-style appliance could be used in a home kitchen or a business, and it is constructed from durable stainless steel, which makes it easy to wipe. Moreover, the large front door gives fantastic viewing coverage to check on the drying process.

The Sous Vide Tools Food Dehydrator has six metal trays that slide fully out. There is plenty of space between each rack, and you have ample room to prepare items for multiple people. As the fans circulate the air evenly, there is no need to rotate or reposition your products either.

For controls, there is a touch panel on the front. Here you can change the temp from 35 to 75 degrees Celsius, while there is also a time setting. This works in 30-minute increments for up to 24 hours, giving you superb flexibility.

Excalibur 9 Tray (Luxury Choice)

This is a good choice if you want an appliance that looks fantastic but performs incredibly, too. It has a patterned exterior that will blend in with your kitchen and other products. Additionally, the controls are simple and located on the top for quick access.

You can change the temperature of the Excalibur 9 Tray Dehydrator using one dial, and there is a timer function that allows you to set it up to 26 hours. You can benefit from the flexible poly-screen tray insert to prevent the foods from sticking.

In terms of capacity, this appliance has nine large trays, so you can easily prepare batches of snacks and dried foods to last for weeks. It also has a powerful 600W motor and is compatible with 110-120V sockets.

Cooks Professional Electric (Best Value)

The simple design and effective controls, stacking method, and capacity of this appliance make it a well-rounded model that anyone can use. It features five tiered transparent trays that can be placed on top of each other. Therefore, you can load as much or as little food as you want and reduce cleaning times accordingly.

The Cooks Professional Electric Food Dehydrator has a panel at the front with a power switch, a digital display, and four other buttons. Two of these are for the temperature – from 35-70 degrees Celsius. The others are for the timer setting, which can be changed to an impressive 72 hours.

All the surfaces are easy to clean, the motor is efficient, and it offers fantastic air circulation to ensure that all your snacks are dried evenly.

Klarstein Tutti Frutti (Best Compact)

If you live on your own or travel regularly and still want to benefit from dried snacks and healthy bites, this model is perfect for you. It is easy to carry and takes up virtually no room, but it still has a fantastic motor and great controls.

The Klarstein Tutti Frutti Dehydrator has four stainless steel storage racks that pull out completely from the device. Although this isn’t as large as some other models, you still have plenty of room to spread out your goods.

Additionally, the top panel has an advanced set of controls. Firstly, you can set the temperature from 35-80 degrees Celsius, but you can also alter the time function from 1 to 24 hours. Furthermore, there are five preset functions and instructions to dehydrate fruit, vegetables, tea, meat, and herbs.

BioChef Arizona Sol (Best for Ease of Use)

If you are unfamiliar with these appliances, this device’s simple controls and mechanism will be a doddle to use. On the top, there is a control panel that features a power switch, a digital display, and time and temperature settings.

You can set the BioChef Arizona Sol on a timer for up to 19.5 hours, while the thermostat can be altered from 35 to 70 degrees Celsius. The six stainless steel trays are fully removable and slide back in for additional usability. This way, you can quickly add or take away food from the machine.

We like the drip tray underneath to catch any excess mess. Moreover, the front is secured by a fully detachable semi-transparent door. This gives protection but enables you to see your items drying.

Andrew James Digital (Best Energy Efficient)

If you’re worried about power consumption, this dehydrator is energy efficient and shouldn’t alter your output much at all. Moreover, it is easy to use as it has a simple stackable design. Unlike other models, it may not have inserts.

When operating the Andrew James Digital Food Dehydrator, you simply place the food in the trays and then stack as many or as little on top of each other as needed. Despite this design, the motor still delivers even air distribution and effective drying.

This model is effortless to operate, as there is a simple front control to change the temperature or set a timer. Due to the transparent and smooth material of the stacks and base, this dehydrator is quick to clean with a damp cloth.

Kwasyo 8 Tray (Best for Durability)

If you work in a busy kitchen or have a hectic home environment, the durability and sturdiness of this product could be ideal. It has a tough stainless steel exterior and a thick door, and once it’s in place, it is unlikely to move, thanks to its bulk.

The Kwasyo Food Dehydrator benefits from a huge 8-tray capacity. Each rack is fully removable and also made from stainless steel. These are easy to clean, and the square design gives you more space compared to rounded inserts.

For operation, you can change the temperature using the touch controls from 30-90 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, a timer function can be set in 30-minute increments from 0 to 24 hours. We also like that it has a powerful 500W motor which should give uniform air circulation for even drying.

How to Choose a Food Dehydrator

Food dehydrators follow several standard conventions, such as a flat-tray design, but there is still a lot to consider. It’s important to think carefully about the product and what you intend to use it for. You can then check out the buying guide below, which includes four main purchasing factors.

Capacity

The capacity is incredibly important as this determines how much food you can dehydrate at once. The items must be laid out flat and not touching if possible so that the machine can remove moisture effectively.

Therefore, a common design feature of these appliances is that they have multiple storage racks. The premise is simple – the more trays and the larger they are, the greater amount of food you can dehydrate simultaneously. Therefore, think about how often you intend to use your device and how many people you will create dried snacks for; you should then be able to select the suitable tray capacity.

Size

The size of the appliance is also important as you need a place to store it. In most instances, this correlates directly with the capacity; thus, if you want larger trays, you will have to consider a bigger device.

To give you an idea of how spacious these items are, you could compare them in size to a toaster, and some are similar to a microwave. Therefore, you need a decent amount of space in your kitchen – either on your work surface or in a cupboard.

Usability

If this is your first time using these devices, the controls and settings are something to look at. These appliances are electrical, and, as a bare minimum, most will have a power switch and temperature control settings so you can dry different foods out effectively.

Additionally, many models have a timer, and they will switch themselves off after a certain period. You can also find products with preset programs for drying specific items, like fruit, vegetables, meat, tea leaves, and herbs.

Maintenance

You should consider the maintenance and upkeep of these appliances too. There can be some mess when dealing with fruit and vegetables. Therefore, look at the trays and see if they are removable. 

Additionally, what material are these devices made from? Stainless steel is generally much easier to wipe. Take a look at the exterior casing or elements like glass viewing windows and consider if you will be able to dust them effectively.

Summary

The Sous Vide Tools 6 Tray Food Dehydrator is our top pick due to its durable and robust design, excellent capacity, and simple controls. It is suitable for home or professional use and features a modern exterior with stainless steel fixtures, which also makes it easy to clean and long-lasting. It also includes six removable trays that allow you to dry multiple foods at once. Finally, this dehydrator has both a temperature and timer setting, giving you great control. You can set the temperature from 35 to 75 degrees Celsius and operate the device for up to 24 hours in 30-minute increments.