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DIY Arugula flakes are one of the best seasonings you need in your spice cabinet! Perfect for marinades, meats, salads, dressings, and sauces!
I am a HUGE arugula fan. It’s probably one of my all-time favorite greens. Y’all can keep your kale, I’m about that spicy, peppery green that doesn’t get the credit it deserves!
Show of hands, how many of you buy arugula? Now, how many of you buy it but often forget about the half bag sitting in your fridge? You know what I’m talking about now. That half bag you only “remember” you bought because it turned all slimy and wilted when you were digging through your produce drawer?
Well, wilt no more folks! I’m about to change your spice cabinet in the most amazing way possible!
Dried Arugula
So I’ve yet to find dried arugula sold anywhere – even on Amazon and they have EVERYTHING! Should I market this? Nah… I’d almost feel guilty doing something that honestly, everyone should have!
You see when we moved into our new house, it came with an established raised garden. We moved in, in January, and I had peas, herbs, and arugula growing like crazy! It was the point that I couldn’t use up the arugula fast enough and it was starting to overtake the one bed.
That’s when it hit me… DEHYDRATE IT!
Let’s Dehydrate Arugula!
As you all know, I am a HUGE fan of Brod & Taylor products. I have been for years! Every single one of their products has made my kitchen life so much easier. Plus from an Engineering perspective, their items are incredible!
So I grabbed my machine, harvested some arugula from my garden, and got to work!
Setting up the dehydrator
This machine could not be any easier to set up. Seriously… it’s SUPER easy! I created a walk-thru video if you want to watch me put it together. It took just minutes to assemble guys!
Let’s Talk Arugula
Does it have to be homegrown arugula or can I use bagged store-bought arugula? – It can be either. The store-bought arugula has more even sizes than mine below. As you can see I have some super large leaves vs some smaller ones.
Do I have to remove the stems? – If they are larger leaves or the stems are thick, then yes, But for store-bought or the size I have below, no.
Okay so now that we set up the machine and discussed arugula, let’s load up the dehydrator! To each rack put a single layer of fresh arugula leaves. Do not overlap as they will not dry fully.
When placing the racks into the machine, place the very first rack on the TOP shelf. Repeat your filled racks starting from the top and ending at the bottom. Trust me, it’s easier to put the leaves in that way than the reverse. By doing this, you don’t disturb anything below you (i.e, arugula leaves).
Once all of the racks are filled, close the door and set the time to 5 hours for smaller leaves (traditionally the ones you buy at the store) and 5.5 hours for the larger ones.
Set the temp to 115F/46C and press Start.
30 minutes before the time is up, press Pause and open up the doors. Check to see if the leaves are brittle and not pliable. If they are, remove them. If any are still pliable, close the doors and press Start.
The larger leaves can take longer to dry out. You do NOT want any leaves to be pliable or bendable. They will not process correctly and could potentially mold in your jar.
Perfectly Dried Arugula
The dehydrated arugula leaves were super crispy and brittle which is EXACTLY what you want!
At this point, the hardest decision you have to make is, do you want o make it as flakes or a powder.
I opted for flakes as I love seeing the beautiful green color in my dishes!
To my blender, I added a few handfuls of the dehydrated arugula and pulsed a few times until I got the consistency I wanted.
I then transferred the flakes to my spice jar and repeated the process until I used all the leaves.
How to Dehydrate Other Greens
The process is the same, to be honest.
Start with clean, fresh greens like kale, spinach, lettuce, swiss chard, carrot or beet tops, or the like.
Place them on the racks in a single layer, set the temp to 115, and start with 5 hours and upwards to 15-16 hours. This will depend on the leafy green used, size, and thickness.
Once dried, process and store in covered jars.
What if I don’t have a dehydrator?
If you can afford it, buy one. They are so worth it! I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Brod & Taylor Sahara Dehydrator! And no, this isn’t sponsored either. I just truly love it!
However, you can do this in your home oven.
Set your oven to the lowest setting possible. Most ovens can get as low as 200.
Place a cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and place your arugula leaves in a single layer.
Place the filled racks into the oven and prop the door open slightly. You need the air to circulate as this will not trap moisture. The negative about this is you’re heating your kitchen, and using more electricity/gas.
Since your oven cannot go as low as 115, this will take considerably shorter to dehydrate (~2-3 hours). Now that’s not necessarily a good thing. The lower the temp, the more vital nutrients you’re preserving!
Set up the Brod & TaylorSahara Dehydrator per the instructions. If you need help, check out my video for how to do this! Do not put the racks in yet as you’ll want to add the arugula to the racks first.
Place the arugula leaves in a single layer on a rack. Put the first rack in the top tier. It’s easier to start from the top and work your way down adding in the rest of the filled racks.
Turn the machine on and set the time to 5 hours for small leaves (if using bagged arugula) and 5 1/2 hours for larger leaves like I used in mine. Set the temperature to 115F/46C and press Start.
30 minutes prior before the dehydrator is to shut off, hit the Start/Pause button, and check on the arugula. If leaves are super dry and crumbly, remove them. If any leaves are still pliable, close the door and allow the machine to run another 30 minutes. *if the leaves are still pliable after the time has run out, just set the dehydrator for another 30-60 minutes and allow it to run. This happens when the leaves are abnormally large.
Once dried, transfer the leaves carefully to a blender or spice grinder and pulse/process until desired consistency. If you want it as a powder just grind it into a fine powder.
Using a funnel, carefully pour the processed dried arugula into spice jars, label, and seal.
Store in a dry, cool area with your other spices for up to 2-3 years.
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