Drying Figs: How to Dehydrate Figs Two ways
Drying figs is a great way to enjoy them all year long! dehydrating figs is a simple process! I'll show you how to dehydrate them using a dehydrator and in the oven. They make for an excellent snack, can be used in baked goods, or as a natural sweetener.
Servings: 6
Calories: 56kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh figs
- water for boiling
Instructions
- Wash the figs well. While washing be careful and don't handle them too roughly. Figs can easily bruise.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Using a metal strainer, drop the figs into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove, and quickly place them in an ice bath. This helps to break down the skins and allows the figs to dehydrate more quickly.
- Remove the stems, and cut each fig into quarters.
- Arrange the quarters on your dehydrating trays. Leave some space between each of them so that the air circulates evenly. If you prefer, you can leave them whole, or cut them in half.
- Set your dehydrator to the "fruit" setting, or to a temperature of 135 degrees F. The time will depend on how much moisture is in the figs themselves, the climate where you live, and whether you drying the figs quartered, halved, or whole. See notes for how long you should keep the figs in the dehydrator.
- Remove the figs from the tray and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature. Then transfer to an airtight container for storage.
Dehydrating in the Oven
- Follow steps 1-3 above.
- Arrange the figs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread them out to give space between each one. Place in the oven at 140 degrees F for 26-36 hours.
- Remove the figs from the baking sheet and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature. Then transfer them to an airtight container for storage.
Notes
How Long to Dehydrate Figs
- Quartered figs will be a minimum of 6 hours.
- Halved figs will be about 8 hours.
- Whole figs will likely be anywhere from 8-12 hours.
- Check the figs at the 6-hour mark to gauge how much additional time is needed if any.
- If you'd like to skip step 2 of dunking the figs in boiling water, and then transferring them to an ice bath, that is fine, but it may add time to the dehydrating process.
- Place a food-grade oxygen absorber pack into the storage container you use to increase the shelf life.
- Dry gigs will keep for 1-2 years if quartered or halved. They will keep for 1-2 months if dried whole.
Nutrition
Calories: 56kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 107IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg