Air Fryer Sun Dried Tomatoes are delicious partly dried tomatoes sometimes known as sun blush tomatoes. You can store them in olive oil or freeze to use later. It’s so easy to make these tomatoes in your air fryer and a great way to preserve a summer abundance of tomatoes.
Why make Air Fryer Sun Dried Tomatoes?
The first thing I have to say is, of course, these tomatoes are not ‘sun dried’. Sun dried tomatoes are slowly dried in the warm sunshine in countries that have a lot more sun than we do in Scotland!
What your air fryer does is replicate the warmth of the summer breeze and create the same kind of soft semi-dried tomatoes. These sun dried or sun blush tomatoes have a sweet concentrated flavour and are ideal as an ingredient in recipes or as part of a charcuterie board.
What is an Air Fryer?
An air fryer is a bit like a mini oven. However, the element is only at the top of the air fryer and it uses a powerful fan to circulate the heat. This combination of intense heat and circulation means that food crisps up quickly. And air fryers were originally sold for their ability to create ‘fried’ food with less fat. The air fryer has developed and more people are recognising the potential to cook and bake all kinds of foods in this way.
What kind of air fryer do I need to make the sun dried tomatoes?
There are many different types of air fryer available. I make this recipe in a drawer-style air fryer and also in an oven type of air fryer. Both work well but you can dry more tomatoes in the oven style because there are three shelves.
The temperature and timing is different for both air fryers so please check in the recipe card at the bottom of the page. There are many different brands of air fryers so it may be slightly different in your air fryer, so do check and adjust.
What ingredients do I need to make Air Fryer Sun Dried Tomatoes?
This is a very simple recipe that needs only 3 ingredients. Here is what you need:
- Tomatoes
- Salt
- Olive Oil
A full list of the ingredients and the required quantities is found in the recipe card at the end of this article.
What kind of tomatoes do I need?
You can make Air Fryer Sun Dried Tomatoes with any tomatoes but this recipe has been tested with cherry tomatoes. These are small sweet tomatoes that are easy to grow either outside or in an unheated greenhouse, depending on where you live. You can also grow tomatoes on your window sill or in a conservatory.
If you want to dry larger tomatoes then cut them into slices before starting to dry them. Tomatoes that have a lot of ‘water’ in them are more difficult to dry, so if you can, choose fleshy tomatoes and if there are a lot of seeds remove those too.
Quality tomatoes
Use the best quality tomatoes to make your Air Fryer Sun Dried Tomatoes. Make sure there are no splits or blemishes on the tomatoes. Those tomatoes are fine to make passata or add to other sauces but bacteria may have got into any split in the skin. You don’t want to risk that going into the jar and spoiling the whole batch.
What kind of salt do I need to make Air Fryer Sun Dried Tomatoes?
I like to use sea salt flakes but it is not essential. Any salt will help to flavour and tomatoes and draw out the moisture.
Can I leave out the salt?
Yes, if you don’t eat salt for dietary or health reasons then the tomatoes will still dry without salt.
Do I have to use oil?
It’s important to add the initial olive oil before putting the tomatoes into the air fryer. The oil helps to keep the tomatoes flexible as they dry. If you don’t want to use a lot of olive oil then you can preserve the sun dried tomatoes by freezing them rather than storing in a jar with olive oil.
Does it have to be olive oil?
I prefer to use olive oil because it has a fruity flavour of its own that combines well with the tomatoes. You can use the oil together with the tomatoes in recipes. Or if you use the tomatoes without the oil then you can add the tomato-flavoured oil to salad dressings or use for cooking.
You don’t need to use the most expensive extra virgin olive oil. It’s worth shopping around to see what bargains are available.
How do I sterilise jam jars?
There are many different ways to sterilise jam jars including putting them in a hot wash in the dishwasher. This is how I sterilise my jam jars:
- Wash and rinse the glass jars and metal lids
- Put the wet glass jars on a baking tray upside down.
- Place in the oven at 150C (300F) before you start to make the sun dried tomatoes. The water creates steam which helps to sterilise the jars.
- Pour boiling water from the kettle over the lids then drain and leave to dry on kitchen paper.
- Take the jars out of the oven and fill them with the sun dried tomatoes and oil, then put on the lids.
- When the jars have cooled check that the lids are tight and tighten further if needed.
Can I sterilise the jam jars in my air fryer?
Yes, you can. This method is especially useful if you only want to sterilise a few smaller jam jars. Sew White has an excellent article with all the information you need to use your air fryer to sterilise jars.
What equipment do I need to make Air Fryer Sun Dried Tomatoes?
You will need:
- Air Fryer
- Weighing scales
- Measuring spoons
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife
- Bowl
- Sterilised glass jar with lid (or freezerproof container with lid if freezing)
How much does this recipe make?
The recipe in the recipe card is for 200g (1 cup) of cherry tomatoes. This quantity will fit into a large drawer style air fryer and fill a small jar.
Can I increase the quantities?
You can make as much as you can fit in one layer in your air fryer. So either dry in batches in a drawer-style air fryer or make three times the quantity in a three tray oven style air fryer.
How should I store the jar of sun dried tomatoes in oil?
I recommend that you store the jar of sun dried tomatoes in oil in your fridge. Although you will have sterilised the jar I don’t recommend storing the tomatoes out of the fridge. This is because there is still quite a lot of moisture in the tomatoes and there is a risk of bacteria growing if they are not refrigerated.
How long can I keep the jar in the fridge?
Keep the tomatoes up to two weeks in the fridge. The oil will go opaque and set firmly when it is chilled in the fridge. So before you use the tomatoes, take them out of the fridge for about 20-30 minutes and the oil will liquify again.
Can I use the oil?
If you are using only the sun dried tomatoes then it’s well worth while keeping the oil to use in salad dressings it adds a lovely tomato flavour. You can also use the oil to saute or roast other vegetables.
Can I freeze Air Fryer Sun Dried Tomatoes?
Air Fryer Sun Dried Tomatoes freeze really well. Fresh tomatoes tend to be too wet to freeze well without disintegrating when defrosted and the skins on cherry tomatoes tend to get tough if frozen fresh. I do freeze fresh Italian plum tomatoes but they go straight into soups, sauces, stews or are cooked into Tomato Chilli Jam.
The air fryer drying process obviously removes a lot of the water from the tomatoes and they freeze much more successfully. Add them directly to soups and sauces straight from the freezer or defrost and cover with oil which will soak into the tomatoes.
How long can I store sun dried tomatoes in the freezer?
You can store the tomatoes in the freezer for up to 3 months without any deterioration in quality.
Vegetarian
This recipe is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Gluten Free
There are no ingredients in this recipe that contain gluten.
For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How should I serve Air Fryer Sun Dried Tomatoes?
You can use sun dried tomatoes in many of the same ways as you use fresh tomatoes. Here are some ideas for using your air fryer sun dried tomatoes:
- A deli or charcuterie board is an ideal way to really showcase the sun dried tomatoes, they go well with cheeses, cold meats and olives.
- Sun dried tomatoes are delicious in soup, add some to these recipes for Courgette, Tomato and Basil Soup or Carrot and Tomato Soup.
- Add air fryer sun dried tomatoes to pasta sauces for a more intense tomato flavour.
- Serve the tomatoes as bruschetta on slices of bread brushed with olive oil and grilled or toasted.
More Tomato Recipes
PIN FOR LATER
Air Fryer Sun Dried Tomatoes Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
- 1 weighing scales
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 chopping board
- 1 Measuring spoons
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 small glass jam jar or a freezer proof container if you plan to freeze.
Ingredients
- 200 g (1 cups) cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
To bottle
- 100 ml (½ cups) olive oil approximately
Instructions
- Cut 200g (1 cup) cherry tomatoes in half.
- Put the tomatoes in a bowl and add 1 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle over ¼ tsp salt. Mix together.
Drawer sty;e air fryer
- Lay the tomatoes cut side up on the air fryer tray.
- Cook the tomatoes at 120C (250F) for 40 minutes in a drawer style air fryer.
Oven Style Air Fryer
- Lay the tomatoes on the shelves cut side up. Cook the tomatoes at 120C (250F) for 60 minutes in the oven style air fryer
- If you have an oven style air fryer you can make a larger quantity of sun dried tomatoes. It is worth swapping the trays around during the drying process so at the tomatoes dry evenly. Leave to cool
To freeze
- Open freeze the tomatoes on the trays they cooked on and then put into a freezerproof container, put on the lid and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Add directly from frozen to soups, sauces and other recipes.
To store in oil
- Fill the sterilised jar with the tomatoes. Fill up with the 100 ml (½ cup) olive oil or until the tomatoes are completely covered in oil. If there are a lot of bubbles use a skewer to let them rise to the top of the jar and pop!
- Store the tomatoes in oil in the fridge for up to two weeks. Take out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before using.
Lesley says
So easy to make in my air fryer, I added some cloves of garlic to the oil.
Cat S says
I would have never have thought to use my air fryer to make sun dried tomatoes but it worked so well! I’ll be making these time and time again – so delicious.
Janice Pattie says
That’s great to hear. It is such a simple thing but really worth it.
Shirley says
I had so many tomatoes growing in the garden and I didn’t know what to do with them. I’ve now made jars of these tomatoes and they taste so good.
Janice Pattie says
That’s great, Shirley. So glad you liked the tomatoes.
Chloe says
I can’t beleive I haven’t thought about doing these before! It was such a good way of preserving the last of my home grown tomatoes!
Janice Pattie says
It is such a great way to preerve tomatoes, so many ways to use them too.