Turn on your freeze dryer and allow it to prechill for 30 minutes.

Begin by washing tomatoes and removing their stems. Discard any tomatoes with rot. 

Pat tomatoes dry and slice into your desired shape. Large tomatoes can be sliced, quartered or diced. Smaller tomatoes can be halved.

Line trays with parchment paper or silicone liners, if desired. Although optional, this will help with removal and cleanup later.

Arrange your tomatoes on the trays in a single layer. If freeze-drying tomato puree, load the trays part of the way into the freeze dryer and pour the puree into them.

Once the freeze dryer is pre-chilled, put the trays in and close the door. Press “continue.” (The cycle should take 20 to 24 hours to complete, but times can differ based on the size of your tomato pieces, the moisture content of your fruit and whether or not the tomatoes were fresh or pre-frozen.)

Once the cycle is complete, remove a tray and check to see if your tomatoes have been completely dried. If they have not, you will need to add a few more hours to the drying time.

When dry, remove the trays from the freeze dryer and set your freeze dryer to defrost.

Immediately pack away the freeze-dried tomatoes. Tomatoes can be packed into mason jars for short-term storage. For long-term storage, seal in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers.