It's easy to make your own dried minced onion at home. With either a dehydrator, or an oven, this pantry staple tastes even better when you make it yourself!
I usually grow enough onions and garlic to get us through the first half of the winter. But I always, always wish I'd grown more.
So last summer, when our local orchard let me know they were selling excess organic onions in bulk, I jumped at the chance to snag half a bushel of them.
All of the most perfect onions I set aside to cure for storage, and along with the onions I was already growing, I knew they'd be plenty to get us through the winter.
Any onions that had nicks, cuts, or blemishes, I put up for winter in other ways.
First, I made a big batch of homemade onion powder. I love having plenty of this on hand. It's such a must-have, not only as an individual spice in things like chili and meatloaf, but also for making so many of my favorite homemade spice mixes and rubs.
The rest of the onions got chopped up for dried minced onion. This is so easy to make! It's honestly easier than the onion powder. And dried minced onions are a rockstar in the kitchen for adding to soups, baked beans, dips, curries, and so much more.
Step 1: Dice those onions
Dice them just as you normally would--there's no need to make them extra tiny, like the dried onion flakes you buy. You will be shocked the first time you see how much they shrink up as they dry.
I find that about 1 diced medium onion can fit well onto an average dehydrator tray.
Step 2: Spread the diced onion on dehydrator trays
If you have a fruit leather sheet for your dehydrator tray, you'll want to use this to prevent the diced onion from falling through the tray, as it dries.
If you don't have a fruit leather sheet, you can line the tray with parchment paper, and that will work just as well.
Step 3: Dehydrate at 135 degrees, for 4-6 hours.
When onion pieces are completely dry and brittle, they’re ready.
Step 4: Cool and store
Allow the dried onion to fully cool, before putting it away. Don't skip this step, it's vital to your dried minced onion staying shelf stable.
Once it's fully cool, store in tightly covered jars. As with all spices, being stored in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight, is best.
How do you use dried minced onion?
You really can use dried onion in almost any way that you use fresh onion. But--a little goes a long way.
If you're adding it to something that cooks for a long time, like soup, curries, or chowder, you can just dump it right in the way you usually would.
If it's something that cooks quickly (like an egg scramble or frittata, for example), you'll want to rehydrate the onion flakes in water for a few minutes. It doesn't take long, even ten minutes is enough.
Dried onion flakes can also be an excellent addition, just the way the are, to things like:
- Salad dressings
- Onion dip
- Meatloaf and meatballs
- As a salad topping
- As a casserole topping
How much dried onion equals fresh?
The general rule is that a mere 2 Tablespoons of dried minced onion equals a full half cup of fresh onion.
Can you make dried minced onion in the oven?
Yes! To make dried minced onion in the oven, spread spread your diced onion on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and place in your oven on the lowest setting (may ovens don't go lower than about 200 degrees.)
Start checking the onions after the first hour, and continue checking every 20 minutes until they're fully dry. They won't take as long to dry in the oven, as they would in a dehydrator.
Cool and store the same as usual.
The first time I made my own dried minced onion, I ended up making 2.5 quarts of dried onion flakes. You would THINK that would have lasted me an eternity, right?
Nope! A few months later, I'd gone through every bit. They're so good!
Note to self: Next year by a FULL bushel of those onions!
📖 Recipe
DIY Dried Minced Onion
Equipment
- Dehydrator with fruit roll trays, or parchment paper
Ingredients
- Fresh onions
Instructions
- 1. Start by dicing your onions. Dice them just as you normally would–there’s no need to make them extra tiny, like the dried onion flakes you buy. They’re going to really, really shrink as they dry, and will end up looking just like what you buy in the store. I find that about 1 diced medium onion can fit well onto a dehydrator tray.
- 2. Spread the diced onion on dehydrator trays. If you have a fruit leather sheet for your dehydrator tray, you’ll want to use this to prevent the diced onion from falling through the tray, as it dries. If you don’t have a fruit leather sheet, you can line the tray with parchment paper, and that will work just as well.
- 3. Dehydrate at 135 degrees, for 4-6 hours. When onion pieces are completely dry and brittle, they’re ready.
Nutrition
Anna Chesley is a freelance writer living a homestead lifestyle, with a special love for family travel, old books, vintage skills, and seaside living. In addition to founding Salt In My Coffee, she runs the website, New England Family Life, as well as The 1800's Housewife, a website devoted to re-creating authentic 1800's recipes.
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