
The great thing about dehydrating foods by freezing them is that it preserves their vibrant colors.įreeze-dried strawberries are pretty easy to come by.

In that case, it’s time to break out my secret strawberry powder ingredient – freeze-dried strawberries. However, you may want a more pleasing pink color for items like frosting, where the presentation is part of the enjoyment of the food. That’s fine for a smoothie or adding the strawberry powder to your morning yogurt. The caramelization makes the finished product sweeter but may produce a muddy red-brown powder. Anytime heat is used to dry something with sugar in it, you will inevitably have some browning due to caramelization. If you want a strawberry powder that looks as good as it tastes, consider skipping the dehydrated strawberries. I like these on Amazon and use them in all of the dehydrated goods I make at home. You should only use a food-grade desiccant. To extend the life of your strawberry powder, I highly recommend putting a desiccant packet in the bottom of your jar before filling it with the finished powder. Seal the jar tightly and store it in a cool, dark place for the best flavor and color. I prefer to keep adding strawberries until I have enough to fill an empty jam jar. Use as few or as many dried strawberries as you like, blending until you make enough powder. Don’t rinse out all this strawberry goodness, instead make a smoothie first. Hint – if you use a blender, rather than waste the film of strawberry powder left behind when you’re finished, make a smoothie and incorporate all that tasty powder into a quick snack. If you recently washed your machine, ensure they are completely dry before making the powder. To make the powder, you simply pulse the dried strawberries in a food processor or high-powered blender until you get a fine powder.

Many manufactured dried fruit contains preservatives to keep it from turning brown as it dries. If you use strawberries that you have dried yourself, you will most likely have a darker strawberry powder. Rather, you’ll end up with a thick paste that, although delicious, won’t keep like strawberry powder. Dried strawberries that are still chewy will not turn into powder. You want to use crispy strawberries, which snap in two when broken. (I walk you through both processes in this article.)īut before you get started, there are a few things to consider when choosing which dried strawberries to use. You can easily make dehydrated strawberries using your oven or a food dehydrator. To make strawberry powder, you need dried strawberries. And when it comes to saving space, you can’t beat having one small eight-ounce jar filled with dozens of strawberries. Strawberry powder is intensely flavored, meaning a little goes a long way. So, when it comes to enjoying the delicious flavor of strawberries year-round, you should always have a jar of strawberry powder on hand.

But what if you don’t want all the extra sugar that comes with jam? And much like bags of frozen strawberries, canned jam eats into pantry space. And who doesn’t love homemade strawberry jam? I always make a batch of strawberry lemon jam each year. I would rather save that precious freezer space for things like meat. I have a tiny 5 cubic-foot freezer in my kitchen, and while I love the flavor and convenience of flash-frozen strawberries, they take up a lot of room.

But I never let the size of my pantry stand in the way. Why I Love Strawberry Powder & You Will TooĪs an apartment-dweller with limited space, preserving food can be a challenge in my home. You’ll find yourself reaching for it over and over again. This easy-to-make, space-saving condiment only takes moments to make, but don’t go putting it in the cupboard just yet. You’ll be able to enjoy the sweet taste of summer by the spoonful all year long. This summer, make up a jar of flavor-packed strawberry powder. Or have you dehydrated berries, and now you’re wondering what to do with all of those sweet, pink chips? Are you picking strawberries at your favorite u-pick this year? Maybe you grow your own strawberries and have a bumper crop.
