Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes
I love sun-dried tomatoes and I put them in all my recipes: in my pasta sauces or salads, stews and quiches. They add lots of flavor, a salty note, and that little umami kick that really livens up certain dishes. Store-bought ones have let me down way too often: either the oil isn’t high quality, or they taste too bitter or way too salty. So for the past few years, I’ve been making my own, and it’s not that hard!
With my recipe for homemade sun-dried tomatoes they will be much more flavorful and slightly sweeter. I’ll show you it is super easy and give you a few ideas for using your homemade sun-dried tomatoes.
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Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs cocktail tomatoes very ripe (or cherry or Roma tomatoes), 1 kg
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 tbsp dried thyme and/or rosemary
- 1 tbsp olive
For storing
- 1 cup olive oil for storing in the jar (or more, you sun-dried tomatoes should be entirely covered)
- 1 sprig thyme optional
- 1 sprig rosemary optional
- 1 clove garlic optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 195°F (90°C).
- Wash the tomatoes and cut them in half (cherry tomatoes) or into quarters (cocktail or Roma tomatoes). Arrange them cut-side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving a little space between the pieces.
- Sprinkle with a little sea salt, drizzle with a little olive oil, and add the dried thyme or rosemary.
- Bake for 4 hours (more or less depending on the type of tomato). Open the oven door every 30 minutes to 1 hour to let the moisture escape.
- The tomatoes are ready when they're soft and wrinkled, dry to the touch but still pliable. Let cool completely.
- Transfer to an airtight jar and cover with olive oil (add a few herbs like thyme and rosemary as well as a garlic clove). Store in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks.
Nutrition
The Best Tomatoes for Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Obviously the more flavorful and fresh your tomatoes are, the sweeter and more aromatic your sun-dried tomatoes will turn out. So I recommend using ripe, in-season tomatoes that are still slightly firm to the touch.
I avoid tomatoes that are too large, since they take longer to dry. So here are some of the varieties I usually choose and with their approximate drying times:
- Cherry tomatoes: about 3 hours, when cut in half.
- Cocktail tomatoes (the ones you see in the photos): cut into quarters, about 4 hours.
- Roma tomatoes: cut into quarters, 4 to 5 hours.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes: A Step-by-Step Guide
The method for drying your own tomatoes is really quite simple:
- Preparation: Cut the tomatoes in half or into quarters if they are large, and place them cut-side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving space between each piece.
- Season: Add a little fleur de sel, a drizzle of olive oil, and, if you like, some fresh or dried thyme or rosemary.
- Dry: Then bake for 4 hours in your oven preheated to 90 °C on the convection setting.
My tip: Open the oven door every 30 minutes to 1 hour to let the moisture escape.
How can I tell if my tomatoes are dry enough? The drier your tomatoes are, the longer they’ll keep. The idea is to take them out when you see that the moisture in the center of the tomato has completely disappeared, and the tomatoes are wrinkled without being crumbly around the edges (otherwise, they’ve dried out too much). Personally, I like them fairly thick and semi-dried, like in the photo.
How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes Without an Oven: In the Sun or in a Dehydrator?
Originally, sun-dried tomatoes were actually dried in the sun—hence their name. If you have a few days ahead of you in the summer when you know it’s going to be hot and dry, you can try drying them in the sun. Place the tomatoes on a rack, cover them with cheesecloth to keep insects away, put them out in direct sunlight, and bring them inside at night. It takes about two days, but keep an eye on them depending on the weather. It takes a while, but it’s fun to do at least once.
Otherwise, if you have a dehydrator, that’s the easiest method. Put the tomatoes in it to dry for 8 to 12 hours at 60–70 °C.
How Long Do Sun-Dried Tomatoes Last?
It’s important to know that there are two types of results based depending on the drying time:
- Semi-dried tomatoes: They remain plump and tender, still slightly moist at the center, similar to sun-dried tomatoes. They’re still slightly sweet, not bitter at all. These are my favorites. But since they retain a bit of moisture, they don’t keep as long.
- Completely dried tomatoes: they have lost almost all their moisture, are firm and dry to the touch, and have no moist center. This is the type that keeps the longest.
Next, the shelf life really depends on how you store them:
- Semi-dried: in a jar, covered with olive oil and with a few herbs for flavor, in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks.
- Completely dried: up to 3 months in olive oil in the refrigerator (provided you do not add herbs or garlic, which would introduce moisture into the jar), and up to 6 months dry in an airtight jar, away from light.
- In the freezer: 3 months, in a freezer bag or an airtight container.
My advice: If you’re not sure, stick to a shelf life of 2 to 3 weeks. Below you will find some recipe ideas so you’ll have plenty of ways to use them up in time!
How To Use Your Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes?
Once you’ve dried your tomatoes and put them in a jar, here are a few ideas for using them in your recipes:
- In a pasta salad: my pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and pesto is full of them.
- Cut into strips, in a tabbouleh or my bulgur, tomato, and feta salad.
- In mini quiches without crust or a fougasse, for a flavorful appetizer.
- In a pan of white beans or my chorizo soup, to add a touch of umami.
- In a savory cake batter, like my zucchini cake, for example.
- Served on a crostini with a little cream cheese and a basil leaf as an appetizer.
As for the oil in the jar, it has a lovely tomato and herb aroma and is perfect for a salad dressing or for sautéing vegetables.
FAQ
Dried tomatoes are simply dehydrated at a low temperature for several hours. They lose almost all their moisture, become pliable yet slightly dry, with a strong tomato flavor, and keep for a long time. Tomato confit, on the other hand, is cooked for a shorter time but in a large amount of oil. They remain meaty and melt-in-your-mouth tender. Basically, sun-dried tomatoes are for preservation; tomato confit is for enjoying right away.
Yes, and it’s actually very convenient. Just cut them in half: since they’re small, they will dry faster. Between 2 to 3 hours in the oven depending on their size, so you should keep an eye on them toward the end.
You don’t need to peel your tomatoes to dry them in the oven. You can remove the seeds and core if you like, but it’s optional. Removing the seeds and juice speeds up the drying process and prevents excess moisture, but you do lose a little flavor in the process. Personally, I don’t always do it.
They become soft again, if you soak them in hot water or broth for 20 to 30 minutes. I also like to add them directly to a dish with sauce, where they’ll rehydrate as they cook. Those you already put into oil are directly ready to use.
