Dehydrate Spinach and Make Spinach Powder

Have you wanted to learn How To Dehydrate Spinach To Make Flakes Or Powder? If you’re like me, sometimes I have some spinach hiding in the back of the refrigerator that I forgot about. Yes, I freeze it in small bags but I only have so much room in my small freezer. I dehydrated some Kale and it worked out great for smoothies. Of course, dehydrating spinach or kale is not going to be delectable for a salad, but for smoothies it’s great.

This post was first written in 2015, but I wanted to update the images and the information. Dehydrating food and making powders is so fun to do and can add some unique items to your storage with a little longer shelf life!

First of all, I must tell you I didn’t cut off the large stems because I was too lazy. I’m not going to cut off hundreds of stems. Nope, nada. I took two containers of spinach from Costco that weighed one pound each. I had never looked at the weight so I just laughed when I realized they only weighed one pound each. Anyway, because I didn’t single-layer the spinach totally flat I had to do two batches.

I did wash the spinach leaves just because I worry about pesticides. The containers say organic, but I wash them just because I feel better knowing I hopefully got all the possible e-Coli or other bacteria off of the leaves. I did use a salad spinner to get any extra moisture off of the leaves. In case you missed this recipe, Best Spinach Salad Recipe, or this one, Easy-To-Make Spinach Dip

How To Dehydrate Spinach and Make Spinach Powder

Step One: Set the Dehydrator Temperature

Set up your dehydrator and set the temperature according to the item to be dried and the brand of your dehydrator. I have an Excalibur 9-Tray Dehydrator and it states I should use (125°F) = (51°C) as the temperature for my dried spinach.

Step Two: Sort Through The Spinach

Pick through the fresh spinach and remove damaged leaves and discard them.

Step Three: Wash The Spinach

Wash the fresh spinach and let it drain. Consider using a salad spinner to remove any excess moisture.

Step Four: Place the Leaves on the Dehydrator Racks

Place the spinach leaves on your dehydrator racks and spread them evenly on the plastic screens in the racks. A single layer of leaves will dry faster than if they are stacked or clumped together.

Step Five: Place Racks in Dehydrator

Place the spinach on the racks inside your dehydrator. I couldn’t use all 9 of my dehydrator trays. I had to space the trays on every other shelf because of the height of the spinach.

Step Six: Check The Spinach Halfway Through

Put the cover on the dehydrator and then check the spinach flakes every other hour or so to check how “dry” they are.

Step Seven: Remove the Dried Spinach Flakes

This batch today took 3 hours to dehydrate. The finished product should be crisp and crumbly. The dehydrating time will vary according to the humidity in the room where you are drying it and the temperature setting. When it’s completely dry, store it in airtight containers after the “conditioning” period (see below about conditioning).

Making the Spinach Powder:

• You can use a Magic blender to make spinach powder, or even your coffee grinder to do the grinding needed. Add a handful or so of the dehydrated spinach to your blender of choice depending on the size. Use the “pulse” button or start on low at the beginning.
• Blend the mixture until you get the “powder” you want. Be careful when you remove the lid because you could end up with spinach powder all over you.
• Store the spinach powder in airtight jars with lids. Be careful if you use your FoodSaver for the powder, it may clog the tubing. I use clamp jars.

How To Condition Your Fruit or Vegetables

If you live where it’s HUMID: “To condition the fruit, take the dried fruit that has cooled and pack it loosely in plastic or glass jars. Seal the containers and let them stand for 7 to 10 days. The excess moisture in some pieces will be absorbed by the drier pieces. Shake the jars daily to separate the pieces and check the moisture condensation.” https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/pack_store.html

I use to live in the DRY DESERT: I set my fruit and vegetables on my countertop for 5-7 days. Ten days is even better to make sure everything is dry before using your FoodSaver unit.

Dehydrate Spinach To Use In:

• Smoothies
• Omelets
• Lasagna
• Taco meat
• Muffins
• Waffles (yes it’s awesome)
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Chili
• Casseroles
• Sweet Bread (like banana or pumpkin bread)
• Homemade Pasta
• HomemadeTortillas
• Soups and Stews
• Spinach Dip
• Sprinkle on flatbread with olive oil
• Use as you would other herbs and spices to add flavor to many dishes

Health Benefits Of Spinach:

Spinach leaves are dark leafy greens loaded with nutrients, with very few calories. Popeye the Sailorman was onto something when he would eat his spinach to gain strength and add nutrition to his diet. That cartoon was always so entertaining.

Spinach can improve glucose control in diabetics, helps in lowering cancer risks, and lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Most of the calories are from protein. It’s high in Vitamin A, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and folate (folic acid). As a vegetable, it provides good fiber to aid in digestion.

Studies have shown that eating cooked spinach is the most healthy approach. If cooked, your body can absorb more of the vitamins A, C, and E, proteins, thiamin, calcium, and iron from the spinach. Eating spinach is also good for you since it includes no preservatives.

Remember, never go overboard on any food, including spinach. Because of the content of vitamin K, a clotting agent, be cautious if you’re on blood thinners. If you have issues with your kidneys you are asking for health challenges with too much spinach in your diet. Always do your research and check with your healthcare provider if you have concerns.

Can I use my kitchen oven to dehydrate my fruits and vegetables?

Yes, many people use their ovens. You do need to be careful and use the lowest temperature setting of hopefully around 170 degrees. If yours doesn’t go that low, set the oven as low as possible and then leave the oven door ajar slightly using a wad of foil. You’ll need to check the product often that is being dried to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Put the food to be dried on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Try to make the product slices fairly thin so they dry out evenly and consistently.

Here Are Other Dehydrating Posts

• Dehydrating Apples
• Dehydrating Bananas
• Dehydrating Blackberries and Powder
• Dehydrating Blueberries and Powder
• Dehydrating Cilantro
• Dehydrating Cucumbers and Powder
• Dehydrating Ginger and Powder
• Dehydrating Green Onions and Powder
• How To Dehydrate Grapes
• Dehydrating Kale and Kale Powder
• Dehydrating Kiwi
• Dehydrating Lemons and Powder
• Dehydrating Marshmallows
• Dehydrating Peppermint Marshmallows and Powder
• Dehydrating Mushrooms and Mushroom Powder
• Dehydrating Onions and Powder
• Dehydrating Pears
• Dehydrating Pineapple
• Dehydrating Raspberries and Powder
• Dehydrating Spinach and Powder
• Dehydrating Strawberries
• Dehydrating Tomatoes and Powder
• Dehydrating Watermelon

Final Word

Isn’t it great when you can dehydrate food from your garden? Spinach is so easy to dehydrate and even easier to store in jars! For your picky eaters who don’t like spinach, putting dehydrated spinach in your favorite recipes will be a great solution. I like to make “green smoothies” in the morning for breakfast. Often I’ll use fresh spinach, but I’ll use my dehydrated spinach flakes from time to time. Let me know how you use your dehydrated spinach and spinach powder, I’d like to share your ideas with my readers. May God Bless this world, Linda