With very few FAILSAFE options for dried herbs and spices, making your own can open up a lot of options for flavor and fun. Oven drying leeks and using it to make homemade leek powder is definitely a great starting point, since it’s easy and relatively quick (for dehydrating).

Before embarking on a FAILSAFE diet, I was heavy-handed with herbs and spices. Some of my favorites (aside from garlic powder, of course) were dried minced onions and onion powder. I loved how easy it was to throw them into recipes and the way they added a lovely zing of flavor.

And then came FAILSAFE and out went all of my beloved seasonings. It felt so weird to have a mostly empty spice cabinet since 99% of herbs and spices were off the list. Of course I found a few other ways to flavor food, but I definitely missed the convenience of herbs and spices.

I started to wonder about dehydrating foods and how to use up my growing stash of leek tops. I didn’t love leek broth (it was a little bitter to me) and hated throwing away so much of the vegetable. And then it hit me: why not save those leek tops and use them to make my own version of dried minced onions and onion powder. I mean, I used leeks in place of onions all the time. WHY NOT HERE?!

So I began to research dehydrating food and what the best dehydrators were. And promptly had a heart attack because of how expensive they were. It seemed a little ridiculous to me to buy a huge machine when I wasn’t even sure if I’d like it. My only other foray into the world of dehydrating food was with pears and those were only meh. So I decided to test it out in the oven first to see how it would go and then would revisit the idea of getting a dehydrator if it went well.

Turns out it dehydrating leeks was an EXCELLENT idea.

It also turns out that I don’t need a dehydrator when the oven works just fine.

HOORAY for making use of what I already have.

Print Recipe

Oven Dried Leeks + Homemade Leek Powder

Author: Emily @ My Failsafe Life Courses: Kitchen Basics, Vegetarian Recipe Keys: Corn Free Dairy Free Egg Free F FAILSAFE Gluten Free Low Salicylate N Nightshade Free Soy Free Vegan Vegetarian Recipes

Prep Time 5 mins Cook Time 5 hrs Total Time 5 hrs 5 mins

Description

With very few FAILSAFE options for dried herbs and spices, making your own can open up a lot of options for flavor and fun. Oven drying leeks and using it to make homemade leek powder is definitely a great starting point, since it’s easy and relatively quick (for dehydrating).

Ingredients

Servings

• 1 leek

Instructions

1. Wash and chop 1 large leek — sometimes I even just do the green tops because I use the rest of the leek for cooking. This is also a really great way to put those tops to use.

2. Place the chopped leek on a paper towel and pat dry. Let sit overnight so that it really dries out. (You can skip this step, it will just take a bit longer in the oven to get all the moisture out.)

3. Next day, preheat the oven to the lowest possible setting (mine gets down to about 175°F/80°C). Place chopped leek on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Place in the oven for 4-5 hours until the leek bits crunch in your hand. Be careful not to let the white parts burn. They will probably turn brown (mine totally did) and that’s okay. Let cool completely before transferring to a lidded jar or grinding into a leek powder. 

4. To make leek powder:

   Place dried leek pieces in a high speed blender or spice grinder and pulse until you reach your desired consistency. Store in a lidded jar.

Note

This recipe is FAILSAFE and RPAH Elimination Diet friendly. It is also gluten free, dairy free, nightshade free, corn free, soy free, egg free, and low salicylate. 

Keywords: dehydrating, leeks, leek powder, dried leeks, failsafe, rpah elimination diet, dried herbs