How to Dehydrate Cantaloupes at Home? [4 Ways]

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Quick Answer: How to Dehydrate Cantaloupes?

If you want to dry your cantaloupe in bulk, the best is to opt for the dehydrator method combined with an oven. Sun-drying and the air-drying method are ideal to dry cantaloupes without using any form of artificial heat.

In this article, I will be outlining the best methods to dry cantaloupes from the comfort of your home.

You’ll be requiring your everyday kitchen appliances for the same.

I’ve not only poured my personal experience with drying cantaloupes but have also incorporated hours of research on what food bloggers and experts have to say on drying cantaloupes at home.

There are many ways to dry cantaloupes and I’ve got you covered with the four simplest methods.

Since each of these methods are unique in their own way, let’s kick things off with the most common method referred to for drying cantaloupes at home.

How to Dehydrate Cantaloupes at Home Using Sun-drying ?

How to Dehydrate Cantaloupes at Home Using Sun-drying ?

Active Time: 4 days
Total Time: 4 days
Difficulty: Easy

Sun-drying is one of the oldest methods used to dry melons like cantaloupes. This method doesn’t require any artificial heat and it only takes less than a week before you get perfectly dried cantaloupes in the comfort of your home.

Materials

  • Paper towels/ a cloth
  • A scooper
  • A cheesecloth
  • A produce brush

Tools

  • A sharp knife
  • Cookie sheets

Instructions

  1. Wash your cantaloupes - Using a produce brush, wash the cantaloupes under warm running water. It’s essential to properly clean the melon before proceeding further.
  2. Pat-dry the fruit - Use a cloth or some paper towels to dry the skin of the melon. Removing excess moisture will help you dry the melon faster.
  3. Peel the cantaloupe - Using a sharp knife, peel the thick skin off the fruit.
  4. Slice the fruit - Slice the cantaloupe in half and use a scooper to scoop the sticky seeds (core) out. Continue cutting the fruit into thinner slices. The thinner the slices are, the faster the drying process will be.
  5. Arrange the slices - Place a cookie sheet in the middle of the cheesecloth and place them on a tray. Keep your slices on top. You need to ensure that some space remains between each slice for proper airflow.
  6. Dry the slices - Place the tray outside under direct sunlight. Flip the slices once every day to let them evenly dry. During the night, get the tray inside and let the slices dry indoors until the next day.

    You will need to place another cheesecloth or cookie sheet on top since you will be placing the tray outdoors. The coverage is to prevent flies, tiny insects, or bugs from coming close or sitting on top of the slices and spoiling them.

Dehydrate Cantaloupes Using a Food Dehydrator

Time Taken: 16 to 18 hours

Optimum temperature – 135 degrees Fahrenheit

What You Need:

  • Paper towels/cloth
  • A sharp knife
  • A scooper
  • A cheesecloth
  • A produce brush

Using a dehydrator is a great way to dry cantaloupes in bulks for mass storage.

The method takes less than a day and you get perfectly dried cantaloupe slices from the comfort of your home.

Wash the Cantaloupes

Use a produce brush to wash the cantaloupes. Make sure you are using lukewarm running water to get rid of the dirt on the skin of the melon.

Pat-dry the Fruit

Grab some paper towels or a cloth and gently dry the fruit. This helps speed the drying process.

Peel the Cantaloupe

Use a sharp knife to peel the thick skin off the fruit.

Slice the Fruit

Slice the cantaloupe in half and use a scooper to scoop the sticky seeds (core) out.

Proceed by cutting the fruit into thinner slices. The thinner the slices are, the faster the drying process will be.

Arrange the Slices

Place cheesecloth in the center of the oven tray and lay your slices down on top.
Make sure you leave some space between each slice. It’s necessary to do so to allow proper air circulation.

Dry the Slices

Place the tray in the dehydrator and let the slices dry for the required time.

You’ll have to flip the slices halfway through the drying process to let the other side dry as well.

You can increase or decrease the temperature depending on what type of food dehydrator you are using.

Cool the Slices

Once dried, take the tray out of the dehydrator and let the slices cool down before proceeding to store them.

Cantaloupe Using the Air-Drying Technique

Time Taken: About 2 to 4 days

Optimum temperature – 100 degrees Fahrenheit

What You Need:

  • Paper towels/ a cloth
  • A sharp knife
  • A scooper
  • A cheesecloth
  • A produce brush
  • Cookie sheets

Air drying is another method that doesn’t require artificial heat to dry cantaloupes.

The method is performed indoors and takes less than a week before you get perfectly dried cantaloupe slices in the comfort of your home.

Wash your Cantaloupes

Using a produce brush, wash the cantaloupes under warm running water. It’s essential to properly clean the melon before proceeding further.

Pat-dry the Fruit

Use a cloth or some paper towels to dry the skin of the melon. Removing excess moisture will help you dry the melon faster.

Peel the Cantaloupe

Using a sharp knife, peel the thick skin off the fruit.

Slice the Fruit

Slice the cantaloupe in half and use a scooper to scoop the sticky seeds (core) out.

Continue cutting the fruit into thinner slices. The thinner the slices are, the faster the drying process will be.

Arrange the Slices

Place a cookie sheet in the middle of the cheesecloth and place them on a tray.
Keep your slices on top. You need to ensure that some space remains between each slice for proper airflow.

Dry the Slices

Place the tray on a platform or counter and let the slices air dry for the required time.

You will need to place another cheesecloth or cookie sheet on top since you will be placing the tray in your house.

The coverage is to prevent flies, tiny insects, or bugs from coming close or sitting on top of the slices and spoiling them.

This method will or will not work depending on the weather of the region you live in.

Cantaloupes Using an Oven

Time Taken: 7 to 8 hours

Optimum temperature – 145 degrees Fahrenheit

What You Need:

  • Paper towels/ a cloth
  • A sharp knife
  • A scooper
  • A cheesecloth
  • A produce brush

An oven is one of the fastest methods to dry cantaloupes.

All it takes is 8 hours before you get perfectly dried cantaloupes in the comfort of your home.

However, you will have to leave the oven door open when drying to let excess steam or moisture escape.

Wash the Cantaloupes

Use a produce brush to wash the cantaloupes. Make sure you are using lukewarm running water to get rid of the dirt on the skin of the melon.

Pat-dry the Fruit

Grab some paper towels or a cloth and gently dry the fruit. This helps speed the drying process.

Peel the Cantaloupe

Use a sharp knife to peel the thick skin off the fruit.

Slice the Fruit

Slice the cantaloupe in half and use a scooper to scoop the sticky seeds (core) out. Proceed by cutting the fruit into thinner slices.

The thinner the slices are, the faster the drying process will be.

Arrange the Slices

Place cheesecloth in the center of the oven tray and lay your slices down on top.

Make sure you leave some space between each slice. It’s necessary to do so to allow proper air circulation.

Dry the Slices

Let the slices dry for a minimum of 7 hours. If you’re looking for a more chewy texture, take them out after 7 hours.

If you prefer a crispy texture, let the slices dry for another hour.

During the drying process, leave the oven door a little open.

This is to allow some steam fumes and moisture to escape. Leaving the door open will speed the drying process up.

The Proper Way to Store Dried Cantaloupe

After drying your cantaloupe, you can place it in glass mason jars with regular canning lids.

However, avoid plastic mason jar lids as they don’t keep the dried cantaloupe as airtight as it needs to be.

Therefore, proceed with using metal lids and rings instead.

Then, for best taste, store your jar in your cabinet, cupboard, pantry, or another dry, dark place for up to a year.

To extend the shelf life of dried cantaloupe, you can place your jars in the refrigerator.

Our Take on Which Method is The Best

If you want to dry your cantaloupe in bulks, you can opt for the dehydrator method.

That combined with the oven method is ideal for bulk drying to get perfectly dried cantaloupes at home.

If you are looking for a natural drying method, you can use the sun drying one.

That and the air-drying method are ideal to dry cantaloupes without using any form of artificial heat.

FAQs

Which method is the fastest to dry cantaloupe?

You can use your oven to dry cantaloupe instantly at home. This method will only consume a few hours and enable you to evenly dry cantaloupe in small and large quantities.

If you are looking to dry cantaloupe in bulk using an oven, you will have to repeat the same process in batches.

How to tell whether the cantaloupe is properly dried?

It depends on how dry you want your cantaloupe to be. You can either have the texture be a little soft or completely crisp depending on how long you dry the melon for.

How do I know if my cantaloupe is ripe enough to proceed with drying it?

To see if your cantaloupe is ripe, you will have to look at the skin of the melon. If you see yellow or creamy rinds on the skin, the melon is ripe and ready to dry. In case you see green rinds, the melon is yet to ripen.

Bottom line

Hopefully, this guide has aided you in understanding how to dry cantaloupe at home with ease.

In case you have any queries to ask regarding the process, do let us know.

Feel like we have missed out on something? Let us know any tips we can include in our guide to make it better!

Kindly share this guide with your friends and family to assist them with drying cantaloupe at home.

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About Pooja Jain

Pooja is a foodie who likes experimenting with different cuisines every day. Cooking for Pooja is not just about following recipes, but also adding something of herself into it making each dish unique as well as delicious!

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