How to make oven sun-dried tomatoes

Do you have tomatoes in your garden or have you bought too many from the supermarket? Then try these oven sun-dried tomatoes. It’s easy to do and you can keep your tomatoes for so much longer! Oven-dried tomatoes don’t actually require sun… 🙂

Plenty of tomatoes

Just a little longer and it’s sunny tomato season again. Even if you have a small garden, it is not complicated to grow your own tomatoes. You can easily grow them in a pot, in a patch in the garden or even on your balcony. You can go for cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes or larger tomatoes, depending on the size you have available. I like to grow the smaller cherry tomatoes as I only have a small garden and love adding cherry tomatoes to just about any dish.

Sun-dried tomatoes

The problem with having your own tomato plant is that they tend to ripen all at once. Suddenly you have a bin full of tomatoes. And of course you can’t eat a kilo of tomatoes every day. Well, you can, but whether it makes you happy is another story. But not to worry! You can easily dry your own tomatoes in the oven. You can then store them in a jar with oil and enjoy them for a long time.

Oven drying

Sun-dried is, in this case of course, oven-dried. Although with the temperatures we have here these days, you could probably try it in the sun… 🙂 Although I’m not sure what will happen with all the bugs flying around, so I do prefer doing this in the oven! Apart from growing your own tomatoes I do sometimes buy an abundance of tomatoes from the store. Just because they look so good and I can’t resist.

This happens to me on a regular basis, so you can still dry them in the oven. It’s a great way to keep the tomatoes for longer. You can also make different variations of sun-dried tomatoes; you can dry them with different herbs or store them so that you have a stock. And trust me these are so much better than the store-bought sun-dried tomatoes you buy at the grocery store!

Oven temperature

It is important to set the oven to a low temperature. A temperature of 120˚C (250˚F) is high enough. Any higher and you will end up with roasted tomatoes. Also tasty, but not what we want here.

Next, place the tomatoes on the baking tray in a single layer with the cut side up and sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt. This is optional. You can dry them without salt, but I personally find that it definitely enhances the flavor. You can use parchment paper on your baking tray or not. I use non-stick baking trays so no need for paper. You can use fresh herbs to add to the sundried tomatoes if you want. I love adding some thyme or dried Italian seasoning. Place the baking tray in the middle of the oven for best results.

In my oven it takes about an hour or two to dry. Just remember that every oven is slightly different, so check after an hour and a half or so. You don’t want to risk your carefully prepared homemade sun-dried tomatoes looking more like blackened tomatoes. Also keep in mind that the types of tomatoes make a big difference in how long it takes. Small tomatoes are so much faster than – for instance – plum tomatoes.

Allow them to cool well for a couple of hours before filling the jars. They don’t have to be completely cold, but room temperature is fine. I like to store the dry tomatoes with a few cloves of garlic in the extra virgin olive oil, which adds a subtle flavor. I like to use a mason jar for storing them. 

In the pasta

Sun dried tomatoes and pasta are made for each other. So I like to add them to my pasta all the time.

You can find all the recipes for sun-dried tomatoes here.

Questions asked about sun-dried tomatoes

What can you do with sun-dried tomatoes?

Once you have made them, you can use sun-dried tomatoes in salads, with pasta, on sandwiches (delicious with avocado, for example!) or make a tomato and garlic hummus. I personally find them much tastier than the – often tough – varieties you buy in the shops.

As mentioned above, you can use them in pasta, but what else is delicious? Use them in a dressing. The flavor of tomatoes is very concentrated, so they work well in a dressing. Blend them with a stick blender and you have a delicious dressing. Delicious with mayonnaise, for example.

How long can you keep sun-dried tomatoes?

Once you have made the sun-dried tomatoes, it is practical to store them in a jar with a little oil. They will keep in the fridge for about two weeks to a month.

Can I freeze the oven sun-dried tomatoes?

You sure can. I use a freezer bag for storing the dehydrated tomatoes. You can do this without the oil. It’s even better if you can vacuum seal them. I have a very inexpensive vacuum seal machine but a regular freezer bag will work too.