How long to dehydrate mushrooms

Last reviewed July 2026.

Around 8 to 10 hours at 140°F, dried to brittle — and mushrooms need no blanching first. Extension guidance dries mushrooms in a dehydrator at 140°F for 8–10 hours (some methods start at 145°F while the surface is damp, then drop to 135–140°F to finish). That they take no blanching makes them one of the simplest things to dry — just clean, slice, and tray. The finish line is texture: vegetables are done when they're brittle (about 10% moisture), and mushrooms shrink dramatically as their high water content leaves.

Clean, trim, slice

Scrub the mushrooms well and remove any woody stalks; cut tender stalks into short sections and slice the caps. Thinner slices dry faster and more evenly, and thin is what you want if you're after crisp mushroom "chips." Larger pieces are fine for rehydrating into soups and sauces later — they just take longer. No blanching, no pretreatment.

Dry to brittle, then cool before storing

Take mushrooms all the way to brittle, not leathery — a piece that still bends is holding moisture that will let it mold in the jar. Once done, extension guidance says to cool them 30 to 60 minutes before packing; leaving them out much longer lets them pull moisture back out of the air. Store airtight, and never vacuum-seal until you're sure they're fully brittle.

Mushroom "jerky," and in a Ninja air fryer, Ninja Foodi, or oven

The searched "mushroom jerky" is just mushrooms sliced thicker and often marinated, then dried to a chewy — not brittle — stage for eating soon and keeping refrigerated; dry them fully brittle if you want shelf storage. As for the machine: an air fryer or Ninja Foodi on a dehydrate setting crisps a thin single layer fast but holds little and needs watching; an oven at its lowest setting with the door propped runs the same 140°F logic and takes longer because it moves less air. The temperature and the brittle finish don't change — only the airflow, and so the hours, do.

Sources — read them yourself

• Penn State Extension — Preparing and Preserving Mushrooms (140°F, 8–10 h, no blanching, scrub and slice)
• Colorado State University Extension — Drying Vegetables (dry to brittle, ~10% moisture, cool before storing)
• NCHFP — Drying foods at home (vegetable temperatures and doneness)

Related: okra · zucchini · tomatoes · jalapeños · why produce dries at ~135–140°F, not 165°F.

Dehydrator Score indexes published specs and marketing claims against the USDA/NCHFP record, with attribution — we test nothing and give no safety advice. For drying guidance use NCHFP or your extension office. If a source changes, the page changes — the record wins.