Dehydrator Yield Calculator
Calculate the dried weight yield from fresh produce based on food type and starting weight.
About this calculator
Dehydration removes water, and how much weight a food loses in the process depends heavily on what it is, not just how much of it you start with. This calculator applies a typical remaining-weight percentage by food category -- fruit retains roughly 15% of its fresh weight after drying, vegetables around 10%, meat/jerky around 30% (meat has less water content to begin with and food-safety jerky recipes intentionally stop short of bone-dry), and herbs as little as 8%. From your fresh weight and selected food type, it reports the expected dried weight, the actual water weight removed, a reduction ratio (how many pounds of fresh food it takes to yield one pound dried), and the percentage retained.
Dried weight and water removed both scale directly with fresh weight -- twice the starting weight yields twice the dried weight and twice the water removed, since the retained percentage itself doesn't change with batch size. The reduction ratio, by contrast, depends only on food type and stays fixed no matter how much or how little you're dehydrating in a batch. What this tool does not account for: dehydration percentages vary meaningfully within each category depending on the specific item (a watery melon loses far more than a dense apple, both classified as "fruit"), on slice thickness, and on how thoroughly you dry to your target texture, so treat these percentages as planning estimates rather than a guarantee for any specific food.
Inputs
Results
Dried Weight
4.8 oz
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the fresh weight of the food item in ounces.
- Select the food type (fruit, vegetable, meat jerky, herbs, etc.) to apply the correct moisture reduction ratio.
- The calculator shows expected dried weight, water removed, reduction ratio, and weight retained percentage.
- Use dried weight to determine packaging amounts and storage container sizes needed.
How the result changes with Fresh Weight
| Fresh Weight | Dried Weight |
|---|---|
| 16 | 2.4 oz |
| 24 | 3.6 oz |
| 48 | 7.2 oz |
| 80 | 12 oz |
What each input means
- Fresh Weight
- Starting weight of fresh food before dehydration in ounces.
- Food Type
- The type of food being dehydrated determines how much of the fresh weight remains after drying.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input ParametersFresh Weight = 32, Food Type = 1 = 2 input(s) provided
- Calculate Dried Weight4.8 = 4.8
- Calculate Dried WeightDried Weight0.3 = 0.3
- Calculate Water RemovedWater Removed27.2 = 27.2
Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does meat retain more weight after dehydration than fruits or vegetables?
Meat starts with a lower water content than most fruits and vegetables, and properly made jerky is intentionally dried to a leathery, chewy texture rather than the near-total moisture removal used for fruit leather or dried vegetable flakes. (USDA guidance for jerky is actually about pathogen kill, not final dryness -- it calls for heating meat to 160°F, poultry to 165°F, before or after dehydrating; the ~30% retained figure here reflects that leathery-texture target, not a food-safety minimum.) Those factors combine to put meat's typical retained weight around 30%, roughly double or triple the retained percentage this calculator uses for fruit or vegetables.
If I dry twice as much fresh produce, does the reduction ratio change?
No -- the reduction ratio depends only on the food type you select, not on the quantity you're dehydrating, because it represents how many parts of fresh weight become one part dried weight for that category. Doubling your fresh weight doubles both the dried weight and the water removed proportionally, but the ratio between fresh and dried weight for a given food type stays constant across any batch size, small or large.
Why do herbs lose the most weight of any category in this calculator?
Herbs are thin-leaved and have a very high surface-area-to-volume ratio compared to fruit slices or meat strips, so they release moisture fast and dry down to a small fraction of their fresh weight -- around 8% retained in this calculator, the lowest of the four categories. That's also why herbs are typically the fastest food category to dehydrate and why a fresh bunch that looks substantial can shrink to a surprisingly small jar of dried leaves.
Are these dehydration percentages exact for every fruit or vegetable I might dry?
No -- these are typical planning percentages for a broad category, not a measured result for any specific item. A high-water food like watermelon or cucumber will lose more weight than a denser item like banana or carrot, even though both fall under "fruit" or "vegetable" in this calculator. Use the result as a starting estimate for planning batch sizes and storage, then weigh your own finished batches to refine expectations for the specific foods you dehydrate regularly.
Related Calculators
The questions that sit next to this one — chosen by subject, including calculators filed under a different category.
Shelf Life Calculator
Estimate shelf life for preserved foods based on preservation method, food type, and storage conditions.
Canning & PreservingFreezer Inventory Calculator
Calculate the freezer space needed for your meat, vegetables, fruit, and prepared meals inventory.
Alternative CookingSolar Dehydrator Design Calculator
Calculate tray area, collector size, airflow vents, and drying time for a solar food dehydrator based on food quantity and climate conditions.
Canning & PreservingAltitude Canning Adjustment Calculator
Calculate altitude adjustments for water-bath and pressure canning processing times and PSI.
More in Cooking, Food & Beverage.