I ended up with extra produce and decided that dehydrating blueberries with the goal of making blueberry powder seemed like a good idea. Why blueberry powder? You can mix it in plain yogurt, cream cheese, and baked goods to add some wonderful blueberry goodness.

The first step was to wash and freeze them in a single layer. After a couple of days in the freezer, they should be Frozen all the way through. This makes dehydrating the blueberries much easier. You then lay them out on dehydrator trays with non-stick sheets.

You dehydrate blueberries at 125 degrees for as long as it takes for them to be hard and crumbly. (mine took several days) You can test that they’re done by picking up a blueberry and seeing if you can crush it to crumbs in your hand. One of my finished trays is shown here.

Making the Powder

Dump them in a high powered blender and grind them to a powder. Your blender must be absolutely bone dry! My blender (from Pampered Chef) has a grind setting and this is what they looked like when they were done. The blueberries more than filled up the blender at first.

I used a paintbrush that I only use for dehydrated foods to get all of the powder out of my blender. Once the powder is in your glass mason jar, seal it up and shake well. I had to use a spoon to break up some of the clumps. They weren’t due to moisture, but just some of the sugars sticking together.

Shake the jar a couple of times a day and watch for any signs of condensation. In the winter, an easy way to check for moisture is to put the sealed jar on the cold porch for a few hours (or overnight). Any condensation will collect on the inside of the jar.

If there’s any condensation, the powder will need to go back into the dehydrator for a couple of hours.

Mine formed a solid clump in my jar due to the sugars, but the powder broke apart easily when stirred with a spoon. It could then be shaken and the powder mixed well in the jar.

Ensuring Dry Powder

If your blueberry powder needs to go back into the dehydrator, make sure that you put the tray near the top, away from the direct path of the fan. Also, make sure your dehydrator is completely OFF before you open the door, or you may blow powder all over yourself and your house.

Another way to ensure your powder is dry is to spread it out on parchment on a cookie sheet. Preheat your oven until it reaches 150° then turn off the oven. Leave the light on and place the cookie sheet in the oven for an hour or two. Let the powder cool, then put it in your jar, seal and shake.

Shake regularly every day or two to combat caking.

Have you tried making a powder from your dehydrated food? How did it turn out? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below. For more on dehydrating, see our Dehydrating 101 post.