How to Dehydrate Eggs for Powdered Eggs

Powdered eggs are great to pack when going on a camping trip and are also a smart, reliable source of protein to include among your emergency food supplies at home. Instead of paying an arm and a leg for commercially made powdered eggs, try making your own at home. You can do this with raw or cooked eggs, using either a dehydrator or a standard oven.

Ingredients

Makes 12 servings

12 large eggs
6 to 12 Tbsp (90 to 180 ml) water

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Part One: Preparing the Eggs

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Using Raw Eggs

^{[1]XResearch source} You can dehydrate the whole egg or dehydrate the white and yolk separately. If you plan on using the whites and yolks separately when you reconstitute the eggs, you'll need to separate the eggs before dehydrating them.
2
Beat the eggs.^{[2]XResearch source} Use a fork or whisk to beat the eggs, regardless of whether you are using whole eggs or separated whites and yolks.
- Alternatively, you could beat the eggs thoroughly by placing them in a food processor or blender and mixing them on medium speed for about a minute.^{[3]XResearch source}
- If you separated the whites and the yolks, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and the egg yolks until they become thick and foamy.

Using Cooked Eggs

1
Scramble the eggs. Break open the eggs and lightly beat them with a fork or whisk. Pour the mixture into a nonstick skillet and cook for several minutes, stirring often, until the eggs are set but still soft.^{[4]XResearch source}
- Use a nonstick skillet and do not cook the eggs with any added oil or butter. Fats will lower the shelf-life and make the powdered eggs go rancid quicker.
- Similarly, you should not add any milk, cheese, or other ingredients to the eggs before dehydrating them.
- Break the eggs up with your spatula as you cook them. Smaller pieces will dehydrate quicker and more evenly.
2
Alternatively, hard boil the eggs. Cook the eggs in boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes.^{[5]XResearch source} Cool the boiled eggs, peel them, and chop the whites and yolks into small pieces. You can either separate the whites and yolks or keep them together.
- To hard boil eggs, place the eggs in a saucepan and cover them with about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of cold water. Place the saucepan on the stove over medium to medium-high heat. Once the water reaches a boil, turn off the heat and place a lid on the saucepan. Allow the eggs to finish cooking in the hot water for 10 to 15 minutes.
- You can determine whether or not the egg is hard boiled by spinning it on its side on a hard table or counter. An egg that spins fast is hard boiled. An egg that spins slowly is soft boiled.
- Cool the eggs in cold water as soon as you remove them from the saucepan. Doing this sooner makes it easier to remove the shell.
- If you plan on dehydrating the whites and yolks separately, separate them before you chop them into pieces.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Part Two: Dehydrating the Eggs

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Using a Dehydrator

1
Prepare the dehydrator trays. Place plastic, rimmed dehydrator discs into each dehydrator tray you expect to use.
- This is especially important if you are working with raw eggs since the shallow rim will prevent the liquid from running off the side of the tray.
2
Pour the eggs into the dehydrator trays. Roughly half a dozen whole eggs should fit on each standard dehydrator tray. Each tray should also be able to hold one dozen egg whites or one dozen egg yolks.
- When working with raw eggs, simply pour the beaten egg mixture into each tray. A thin layer is preferable to a thick one.
- When working with cooked eggs, evenly spread the cooked egg pieces out over the tray, keeping them in a single layer.
3
Run the dehydrator until the eggs are crispy. Place the trays in your dehydrator and set the machine to a high heat, between 135 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit (57 and 63 degrees Celsius). Dehydrate the eggs until they look like coarse, dry crumbs.^{[6]XResearch source}
- For raw eggs, the process will usually take around 8 to 10 hours.
- For cooked eggs, the process will usually take around 10 to 12 hours.
- If you notice any grease lingering on otherwise dried eggs, you should dab it off with a paper towel and let the affected eggs dry a little longer before moving on.

Using an Oven

1
Preheat the oven to its lowest temperature. The ideal temperature for oven drying will be about 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius), but many ovens only drop to roughly 170 degrees Fahrenheit (77 degrees Celsius).
- If your oven's lowest temperature is above 170 degrees Fahrenheit (77 degrees Celsius), this method may not work for you.
- Note that the oven method is generally messier and more difficult than the dehydrator method. If you can get access to a dehydrator, it is highly recommended that you do so.^{[7]XResearch source}
2
Pour the eggs into nonstick trays. Pour or spread out the prepared eggs onto nonstick baking sheets with shallow rims. You can usually fit between 6 to 12 whole eggs per baking sheet.
- Do not coat the baking sheet with any additional oils since fats will cause the end product to spoil faster.
- Pour raw eggs into each baking sheet in a thin layer.
- Evenly spread out small pieces of cooked egg over each baking sheet, keeping the eggs in a single layer.
3
Bake the eggs until crisp, stirring often. Place the baking sheets in your preheated oven and cook the eggs until they become brittle and crispy. Depending on the temperature of your oven, this can take anywhere from 6 to 12 hours.
- Stir the eggs every two hours or so to promote even drying.
- If some eggs appear to dry faster than others, you can remove them early to prevent them from burning. Let the rest of the eggs continue dehydrating.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Part Three: Grinding, Storing, and Reconstituting Powdered Eggs

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1
Grind the dried eggs in a food processor.^{[8]XResearch source} Place the dried eggs in a clean blender or food processor. Mix on a high setting for a minute or two until a fine, consistent powder forms.
- You must grind the eggs down into a fine powder; crumbs are not small enough. If you do not grind the eggs down thoroughly, they will become grainy when you try to reconstitute them.
- You could also grind the eggs down using a seed grinder or mortar and pestle. Doing so can take more time and energy, but the results will be the same.
Jay Nutt, Cookbook Author
Dehydrating eggs requires patience and care to avoid spoilage. Gently heat the eggs just until set, then grind into a fine powder once fully dried. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
2
Keep the eggs in an airtight container. Place the powdered eggs in sanitized glass jars equipped with tight lids.
- You can usually pack the jar to the very top without leaving any empty headspace.
- If possible, use a container with non-permeable sides, like a glass jar. It is also ideal to use a container that you can vacuum seal after packing it.
3
Store the powdered eggs in a cool, dark place. A pantry or cupboard will usually work, but a food storage area in a cellar might be even better. Storing the eggs in a refrigerator will also work.
- If the eggs have been thoroughly dehydrated and stored properly, they are usually safe for several months to about two years.
- If any moisture or fat remains, or if the eggs are not stored in an airtight container, the shelf-life is drastically reduced. Under these conditions, powdered eggs may only last one week at room temperature or three to four weeks in the refrigerator.
- For longer storage, place the powdered eggs in a freezer. Frozen powdered eggs can last for five years or more. Make sure that the container you use is freezer-safe, however.
4
Reconstitute the eggs by mixing the powder with water. Mix 1 Tbsp to 2 Tbsp (15 to 30 ml) warm water with 2 Tbsp (30 ml) powdered eggs.^{[9]XResearch source} Stir the two ingredients together thoroughly, then let it sit for about 5 minutes, or until the eggs thicken and set.
- Once the eggs have been rehydrated, you should be able to use them as you would use regular eggs.
- Cook the eggs after rehydrating them. Raw powdered eggs should always be cooked, and pre-cooked scrambled powdered eggs will usually need to be cooked again for the sake of texture. Pre-cooked boiled eggs may not need to be cooked again, though.

Community Q&A

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Question
How do you pour liquid beaten eggs into a dehydrator tray?
Community Answer
You need the proper tray,-- one that has a slight lip on the side and no holes in it. They sell fruit leather trays that work perfectly for drying eggs.
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Question
What is the nutrition value of powdered eggs?
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The same as fresh eggs, as all that is removed from the products is the water.
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Question
Can I use an oven to dehydrate the eggs?
Community Answer
Yes, though a microwave works better. To do it properly, don't take the egg out of the shell.
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Warnings

Only use fresh eggs from a reliable source. There is some debate about the safety of dehydrating raw eggs since the temperature may not become hot enough to kill off salmonella. Using fresh eggs from a highly reliable source can help minimize this risk, however.^{[10]XTrustworthy SourceCenters for Disease Control and PreventionMain public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human ServicesGo to source}
- Note that fresh eggs sink when placed in cold water.^{[11]XResearch source} When cracked open, the whites will be thick and the yolks will look firm.
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