The 9 Best Food Dehydrators of 2022
Updated: Jul. 19, 2022Whip up homemade jerky and dried fruit for far less than grocery store prices.
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Sure, you could rely on expensive, store-bought veggie crisps, jerky and dried fruit—or you can invest in a dehydrator of your own for a much healthier and less expensive DIY treat. Electric food dehydrators speed up the natural drying process thanks to carefully controlled temperature regulation and advanced air circulation. They might look more like a NASA project than something that sits on your kitchen island cart, but once you’ve tried homemade dried snacks, you’ll never go back. We found the best food dehydrator picks worth buying.
What to Look For When Buying a Food Dehydrator
Finding the best food dehydrator for your style and budget comes down to identifying models with precise temperature controls and airflow. A good dehydrator should allow the user to set exact temperature controls between 80 to 140°F, with some options providing an extended range up to 200°.
It’s also important to look for models that offer ample space for the food you’d like to dry, with several highly-rated countertop devices offering multiple trays. Because food needs to be separated and never stacked during the dehydration process, something as small as a single sliced apple can take up lots of room.
Evaluation Criteria
We looked at overall value, temperature and airflow control settings, customer ratings and countertop footprints to determine the best dehydrator options for every type of lifestyle. Only models with excellent notes for each of these benchmarks made our list of must-buy dehydrators.
Here are the best food dehydrator options to help you make delicious healthy sweet snacks, homemade dog treats and much more.
Best countertop food dehydrator
COSORI Food Dehydrator
The COSORI food dehydrator is our favorite countertop model thanks to its sleek stainless steel frame, multi-rack interior and relatively small footprint when compared to other best-selling models. You can set it to work in 30-minute increments up to 48 hours, and it includes six stainless steel trays, a mesh screen, a fruit roll sheet and more. It offers precision drying between 95 and 165°, which makes it an excellent novice-friendly choice. It is also one of the most affordable multi-level models on the market and a top gift for high-tech chefs.
“This is the perfect machine for me,” writes James, a verified Amazon purchaser and one of the over 10,000 positive reviewers. “It has a clear door on the front so you can see what’s happening. I’ve made jerky in it and the six shelves are sufficient size for three and a half to four pounds of meat. You can control the temperature and time and it has all the features I wanted. I’m so happy with this product.”
Pros
What we liked about the COSORI food dehydrator:
- Fits on your counter with a relatively small footprint
- Good for beginners
- Affordable
Cons
Consider these factors before you buy:
- Hard to fit in a tiny kitchen
Best food dehydrator for small households
NutriChef Electric Food Dehydrator
This stackable NutriChef food dehydrator is a round, fun-to-use machine with five trays that’s perfect for smaller households. It runs quietly and easily fits several sliced-up fruits and veggies, meat portions, fish and other delicious dried snacks. The adjustable temperature control is meant for easily navigating heat preferences to suit different types of foods. The best part? It’s under $60 and features a simple one-touch operation system. It’s an amazing gift for foodies.
Pros
What we liked about the NutriChef electric food dehydrator:
- Doesn’t take up a lot of space
- One-touch operating system
- Budget-friendly
Cons
Consider these factors before you buy:
- Limited capacity
Best budget-friendly food dehydrator
Commercial Chef Food Dehydrator
This classic white Commercial Chef countertop device is one of the best food dehydrator options for those working with tight budgets. It’s a total bargain at under $50 thanks to five included circular trays, adjustable temperature settings and easy cleanup. It features 245 watts of power and a rotary dial that’s simple enough for even technologically-challenged home chefs to operate. Use it for dehydrated cherries, apples and pears to throw in this scrumptious dried fruit energy bar recipe.
Pros
What we liked about the Commercial Chef food dehydrator:
- Budget-friendly; costs less than $50
- Simple rotary dial makes it easy to use
Cons
Consider these factors before you buy:
- Limited capacity
Best professional-grade food dehydrator
Magic Mill Food Dehydrator Machine
Whether you’re feeding large crowds or just have a large, busy family, this professional-grade Magic Mill food dehydrator offers more than enough space to dry dozens of items at a time. It boasts 10 stainless steel trays, digital temperature controls, timers and even a warming function. Plus, over 2,000 enthusiastic Amazon reviewers say it’s worthy of the best kitchens.
“We have fallen in love with dried Fuji apples, and make yam slices as dog treats, and dry vegetables for powder smoothies, soups and salad dressings,” writes one very happy verified five-star Amazon reviewer. “I now have jars of dried veggies for soups when the store has limp produce. At last, we are able to make our own jerky with clean ingredients!”
Pros
What we liked about the Magic Mill food dehydrator:
- Professional grade
- Large capacity allows dozens of items to dehydrate at once
- Digital temperature controls
Cons
Consider these factors before you buy:
- The higher quality means a higher price tag
Best food dehydrator for fruit
Excalibur 9-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator
This design-forward nine-tray Excalibur electric food dehydrator offers 15 square feet of drying space for all your favorite foods. It also has a hard-to-find 26-hour timer and adjustable thermostat that reviewers rave about, and a low-temperature range that’s safe enough to use on the most delicate fruits. That low-and-slow drying capability has earned this machine a nearly perfect 4.6-star rating on Amazon, too.
Sara Ellis, a verified Amazon purchaser, gives this model a full five stars. “I absolutely love this food dehydrator! I had a much smaller one that couldn’t hold much, and it was frustrating to go to the effort to prep food to dry only to be able to do so little of it at a time, so I took the plunge and bought this Excalibur model and am so happy I made the change. This dehydrator fits on my kitchen counter under the cabinets just fine and it has enough capacity to do a five-pound bag of sliced potatoes plus several trays of other produce at the same time.”
Pros
What we liked about the Excalibur food dehydrator:
- Low-temperature range is safe enough to use on delicate fruits
- 15 square feet of drying space
Cons
Consider these factors before you buy:
- Higher price tag
Best food dehydrator for dog treats
Elechomes Food Dehydrator
This nifty Elechomes food dehydrator machine is great for human treats, but its affordable price point and BPA-free plastic make it an excellent choice for human foods that are good for dogs, like dried sweet potatoes, meat and fish. It also includes six trays, a digital time display and temperature control.
“This dehydrator works perfectly,” writes verified Amazon purchaser Julie. “I bought it to make beef jerky. It makes great-tasting jerky in about half the time of other dehydrators. Definitely worth every penny. Love it!”
Pros
What we liked about the Elechomes food dehydrator:
- Made with BPA-free plastic
- Affordable
Cons
Consider these factors before you buy:
- Can only dehydrate so much food at a time
Best compact food dehydrator
Sahara Folding Dehydrator
If you’re low on space but don’t want to sacrifice function or utility, this Sahara folding dehydrator is the modern design marvel you’ve been waiting for. Really—it folds down to just under four inches tall. That means you can slide it into a cupboard or closet when it’s not in use, and then expand it to a mighty multi-rack dehydrator ready to tackle several pounds of food whenever you decide. It comes with stainless steel shelves and expands to offer 11 square feet of drying space.
Pros
What we liked about the Sahara folding dehydrator:
- Can fold down to a mere four inches when not in use
- 11 square feet of drying space
- Modern design
Cons
Consider these factors before you buy:
- One of our most expensive dehydrators at $400
Best food dehydrator with drawers
Weston 10-Tray Digital Dehydrator
Though it’s more common to find dehydrators with flat trays, many home chefs prefer the simplicity of a drawer-style design. This Weston digital dehydrator offers 10 shallow drawers that pull out with ease so you can check on all your yummiest dried snacks. It also boasts a thoughtful 12-hour timer with auto shut-off and an adjustable thermostat up to 155° that dries even the most delicate berries to Michelin star-approved perfection.
Pros
What we liked about the Weston digital dehydrator:
- Drawer-style design makes it easy to check on your dried snacks
- Auto shut-off
Cons
Consider these factors before you buy:
- A bit pricey
Best commercial food dehydrator
SouiWuzi Commercial Food Dehydrator
If you’re churning out massive quantities of dried produce or running a gourmet jerky company from home, this commercial SouWuzi model is one of the best food dehydrator options out there. It features 110v of power, 16 spacious layers for a variety of foods and a sleek stainless steel encasement. Each tray can even hold an impressive 6.6 pounds of food, which is more than some machines can hold in their entirety. Overall, up to 106 pounds of food can be dried at a time and some reviewers claim it is “amazing” for drying and preserving harvest decor and seeds as well.
Pros
What we liked about the SouiWuzi food dehydrator:
- Massive size allows for 100 pounds of food at a time
- Can dry harvest decor in addition to food
Cons
Consider these factors before you buy:
- Not practical for normal household use
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