Preserve summer’s bounty with this easy recipe for homemade sundried tomatoes. Packed and stored with fresh herbs and olive oil, these homemade sundried tomatoes are the perfect compliment to pizza, salads, pasta and more.
With school back in session and the stores decked out with Halloween and Thanksgiving decor you’d think I’d get it. It’s fall y’all. But like me, the weather doesn’t seem to be getting the message. At least, here down South.
So while the sun continues to beat down on us, I continue to get amazing produce from the local farmer’s market. And, because the cooler weather is inevitable, I’m stocking up on ripe-on-the-vine tomatoes.
There are so many things you can do when life gives you tomatoes, but one of my favorites is to make homemade sundried tomatoes. Perfect as-is on a cheese plate, they are also awesome with pasta, salads, pizzas, and pretty much everything.
I’ve used a dehydrator for this recipe, but if you don’t have one, you can absolutely still make these. I’ll include directions for both oven-drying and using a dehydrator in the recipe card below. You will, however, want to make sure you have jars for storing the tomatoes. For this recipe, I used wide mouth canning jars.
The wide mouth makes it easy and convenient to scoop out from, and the perfect size makes them super versatile. I plan to use the extras to store homemade grill seasoning with excess herbs in a few weeks. Stay tuned!
Easy Homemade Sundried Tomatoes
Slice each tomato in half from top to bottom. In a large bowl, gently mix them with olive oil, salt, sugar and the herbs.
To cook in a dehydrator – layer the tomatoes on the racks of dehydrator cut side up, making sure to leave plenty of room around and above each tomato for air to circulate. Allow to cook overnight, about 12 hours, or until dry and wrinkled.
To cook in the oven – preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the tomatoes, cut side up and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 7-8 hours. Allow to cool completely before storing.
Place a few cut herbs into the bottom of the wide mouth canning jars. Layer the dried tomatoes until the jar is nearly full, then add a few additional sprigs of herbs. Fill with olive oil and seal. Repeat the process with the remaining tomatoes.
Preserve summer's bounty with this easy recipe for homemade sundried tomatoes. Packed and stored with fresh herbs and olive oil, these homemade sundried tomatoes are the perfect compliment to pizza, salads, pasta and more.
Easy Homemade Sundried Tomatoes
Ingredients
Instructions
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I have never made my own sundried tomatoes! Thanks for the great tutorial! [client]
I am excited to try this recipe! How do you seal the jars of sundried tomatoes? Do you use a pressure cooker, or water bath?
How long will they last in the jars? Do you do a water bath to seal?
I have not canned ‘properly’, but if you do, they’ll last for at least a year. Probably longer. I generally keep them for 2-3 months when prepared using the method as described. Just ensure that the tomatoes always are completely covered by the olive oil. You can refill it as needed if it gets low.
Where do you store them once opened? Thanks
I usually keep them in the fridge.
When stored in the fridge have you ever had the oil solidify? I pressured canned one jar and put one jar in the fridge. The oil in the fridge one solidified.
Hi Melissa! Just remove it from the fridge and once the oil comes back to room temperature, you should be good!
I was wondering how they would be if you froze them without the oil and herb. Just in a plastic container.
I’ve never tried it. If you give it a go, let me know how it turns out!
Hello, please tell me, when you say seal the jar, do you mean closing the jar with a screw top lid and rim, or do you mean sealing as in a water bath canning processing during which the air vapor is removed, or do you mean using a food saver suction sealer?
I am furiously making about a dozen jars of oven dried tomatoes and do not want them to spoil. I coated them in oil and a bit of salt, dried the tomatoes in the oven, and now want to pack them in pretty jars for holiday gifts. How to keep them from spoiling other than placing the jars in the freezer?
In my case, I just screwed on the lid and used them within a few months. However, if you want to preserve them for longer, you’ll need to follow standard canning procedure. Best of luck!
I made the sundried tomatoes however I forgot about them and they dehydrated an extra 4 hours, i have them in olive oil now but they are hard as a rock, is there any way to salvage them?