The 5 Best Food Dehydrators In Canada In 2024

What We Think of the Cosori ‎CFD-N051-W Food Dehydrator

The Cosori ‎CFD-N051-W Food Dehydrator was an easy choice for our top pick this year. It’s super user-friendly even if you’ve never used a dehydrator before — the digital display lets you choose an exact temperature and set a timer between 30 minutes and 48 hours. Plus, it comes with a recipe book to give you guidance on how to dehydrate common foods. How helpful is that?

The dehydrator comes with five round trays, but it’s expandable to seven if you need even more space! You won’t have to shuffle the trays, either — the powerful fan makes sure the warm air circulates through all the levels equally. Since the machine is super quiet, you can use it overnight and during your relaxation time without any disruptions. And the best part? The trays go in the dishwasher for easy cleaning.

There are only two things that might sway you towards a different option. First, this dehydrator doesn’t come with a mesh tray for herbs or a fruit roll tray, so it’s a bit less versatile than other dehydrators out there. The second potential concern is the price tag. It’s quite a bit more expensive than the cheapest options out there, so you’ll definitely be able to find something more affordable if that’s your priority.

All in all, the Cosori ‎CFD-N051-W Food Dehydrator is one of our favourite dehydrators of all time. It could not be easier to use, it doesn’t take up more space on the counter than it needs to, and you’ve got precise temperature control to boot! Sounds pretty perfect, right?

• Performance: 5/5

• Usability: 4.5/5

• Price: 4/5

• Quality: 5/5

What Reviewers Are Saying About the Cosori ‎CFD-N051-W Food Dehydrator

Reviewers are very happy with their Cosori ‎CFD-N051-W Food Dehydrators. They’ve used it to make jerky, dried fruits and vegetables, and even for drying out filament paper! It performs very well with every type of food and the digital controls make it really easy to use. The included recipe book was a big help for dehydrator newbies too.

Cosori ‎CFD-N051-W Food Dehydrator Pros and Cons

Buy If…

• You’d like to dehydrate a variety of foods at once

• Precise temperature control is important to you

• You don’t want to clean the parts by hand

• You’re easily distracted/woken up by appliance noises

Don’t Buy If…

Cosori ‎CFD-N051-W Food Dehydrator Specifications

Our Large-Capacity Pick

What We Think of the Cosori ‎CP267-FD Food Dehydrator

There are so many things to admire about the Cosori ‎CP267-FD Food Dehydrator. We’ll start with the capacity. It comes with six 12” x 13” trays to make sure all of your food can go in at once. And with a versatile timer and temperature, every single item will come out perfectly. You’ll even have a fruit roll tray and a mesh tray to throw in every ingredient safely. Nothing has to be left out!

This dehydrator looks a lot like a toaster oven, and that means you can pull out any of the trays without worrying about unstacking all of them first — much more convenient, right? The temperature can also be set in precise 1ºF increments to make sure everything is dehydrating effectively. Your trays can go in the dishwasher for easy cleaning, and the rest of the machine just needs a simple wipe-down!

The performance and functionality of this dehydrator leave nothing to be desired. However, there are still a couple of reasons you might choose to keep looking. First, this dehydrator is understandably larger than most others, so you’ll need a lot of space on your counter for it. Also, it’s one of the most expensive options out there, and it might not be worth it for everybody.

All in all, the Cosori ‎CP267-FD Food Dehydrator is the best choice if you’d rather dehydrate foods in bulk instead of batches. It’ll save you time and energy, make cleanup a breeze with dishwasher-safe trays, and protect your food from over-dehydrating!

• Performance: 5/5

• Usability: 5/5

• Price: 3/5

• Quality: 5/5

What Reviewers Are Saying About the Cosori ‎CP267-FD Food Dehydrator

Reviewers have a very high opinion of the Cosori ‎CP267-FD Food Dehydrator. Everything they’ve put inside it has come out perfectly, and the amount they’re saving on store-bought jerky has already paid for the machine. They’re very happy with the digital display and enjoy being able to remove each tray on its own no matter where it’s placed — much better than stacked plastic trays.

Cosori ‎CP267-FD Food Dehydrator Pros and Cons

Buy If…

• You’d like to pull out one tray at a time instead of unstacking all of them

• You’ll be dehydrating a lot of food at once

• You want to dehydrate a variety of different foods

• Precision dehydrating matters to you

Don’t Buy If…

Cosori ‎CP267-FD Food Dehydrator Specifications

• Dimensions: 17.9” x 13.5” x 12.2”

• Weight: 18.1 lbs

• Power: 600 W

• Number of Trays: 6

• Total Drying Space: 6.5 sq. ft

• Temperature Range: 95ºF to 165ºF

• Timer: 30 mins to 48 hrs

• Warranty: 2 years

Our Upgrade Pick

What We Think of the Excalibur 2400 4-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator

We’re big fans of the Excalibur 2400 4-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator. It has one standout feature that helps it perform better than any of the competition. What are we talking about? The Parallex Airflow. The warm air moves sideways in the dehydrator instead of bottom to top, and this means your food will dehydrate a lot faster while locking in more of the flavour and nutrients. Sounds like a major win!

This machine could also not be easier to use. It has one simple dial that allows you to select your temperature, and it’s marked with the food types that best match each temperature range — no guesswork involved for newbies! The poly-screen trays could also not be easier to clean, so your dehydrator will always be ready to go when you need it.

Pretty much the only thing this food dehydrator is missing is a timer/automatic shutoff function. Most people won’t mind since every food will take a different amount of time to dehydrate fully, but if you’re worried about forgetting about your food, you might want to choose another option. Also, it has less dehydrating space than other models, so not a great option if you like to dehydrate in bulk.

All in all, the Excalibur 2400 4-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator is a pretty flawless choice. Its price might feel a bit high, but for the efficiency and reliability of this machine, you’d be willing to pay more. Trust us. Dehydrators don’t get much better than this.

• Performance: 5/5

• Usability: 5/5

• Price: 4/5

• Quality: 5/5

What Reviewers Are Saying About the Excalibur 2400 4-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator

Reviewers are quite pleased with the performance of the Excalibur 2400 4-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator. While some of them would prefer to have a timer so they don’t forget about their food, most people are happy to go without. The sideways airflow is incredibly efficient, and the entire machine is easy to clean as well. They have no complaints!

Excalibur 2400 4-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator Pros and Cons

Buy If…

• You want to dehydrate foods as fast as possible

• You don’t want to give up a lot of counter space

• You don’t want to spend a lot of time on cleanup

• You want a dehydrator that’ll go the distance

Don’t Buy If…

Excalibur 2400 4-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator Specifications

• Dimensions: 13” x 16.25” x 6.5”

• Weight: 8 lbs

• Power: 250 W

• Number of Trays: 4

• Total Drying Space: 4 sq. ft

• Temperature Range: 95ºF to 165ºF

• Timer: No

• Warranty: 5 years

Our Budget Pick

What We Think of the NutriChef ‎PKFD06 Food Dehydrator

The NutriChef ‎PKFD06 Food Dehydrator has quite a lot going for it. The trays are dishwasher safe but are also really easy to clean by hand, so there will never be any big hassle involved when it’s time to pack up your dehydrated foods. You won’t have to rotate the trays while dehydrating, either, since the 360º airflow moves the heat around very evenly.

We’re also quite happy with the higher temperature range on this option. If you’ll be making a lot of jerky, you’ll appreciate this more than anyone else. Plus, since this option is pretty compact and weighs just over three pounds, you won’t have any trouble finding a permanent place to store this that isn’t just on your countertop.

There are a few reasons you might not want to choose this one, though. If you’re looking for a dehydrator that will last you for years, you’ll want to move on — the trays are pretty flimsy and it’s not designed for heavy use. The low power means your foods will take a long time to dehydrate as well. Lastly, the lack of temperature markings means you’ll need to experiment to find the right setting and dehydration time for different food types.

All in all, the NutriChef ‎PKFD06 Food Dehydrator is our favourite budget-friendly dehydrator right now. It has its flaws, but it’s a pretty perfect starter unit if you’re new to dehydrating your own food. It has a super simple design and is one of the more storage-friendly dehydrators you can find.

• Performance: 4.5/5

• Usability: 4/5

• Price: 5/5

• Quality: 4/5

What Reviewers Are Saying About the NutriChef ‎PKFD06 Food Dehydrator

Reviewers have mostly good things to say about the NutriChef ‎PKFD06 Food Dehydrator. The trays feel a bit flimsy and the lack of temperature markings makes it hard to be precise, but they all agree that it’s a great starter unit, one of the more compact options, and is really easy to use.

NutriChef ‎PKFD06 Food Dehydrator Pros and Cons

Buy If…

• You’re looking for something small and easy to store

• Affordability is your top priority

• You’ll be making a lot of jerky

• You don’t want to rotate trays for even dehydrating

Don’t Buy If…

• Longevity is important to you

• You want your foods to dehydrate quickly

• You don’t want to experiment with temperature settings

NutriChef ‎PKFD06 Food Dehydrator Specifications

Also Great

What We Think of the Hamilton Beach 32100C Food Dehydrator

We like the Hamilton Beach 32100C Food Dehydrator quite a bit. It’s decked out with a lot of features you wouldn’t expect to see in such an affordable option. Take the digital display, for example. It allows you to program an auto-shutoff time of up to 48 hours, and you can also set a precise temperature anywhere between 100ºF and 160ºF.

Since it comes with five standard dehydrating trays, a mesh tray, and a fruit roll tray, you’ll be able to make all of your favourite dehydrated snacks with just this one machine. Its high-powered motor saves you time while dehydrating, too. Cleanup won’t be an issue either since the trays are easy to wash by hand and can also go in the dishwasher.

The main thing we’d improve about this option if we could is its build quality. Since the trays and lid are made of plastic, they aren’t going to last as long as a stainless steel option, for example. The heating element also tends to fail within a few years, and while it’s got a great 5-year warranty backing it up, this hassle still isn’t ideal.

All in all, we’re really pleased with the blend of usability and affordability offered by the Hamilton Beach 32100C Food Dehydrator. No matter what type of dehydrated snacks you’re looking to make from the comfort of your own kitchen, this machine is up to the task.

• Performance: 5/5

• Usability: 5/5

• Price: 5/5

• Quality: 4/5

What Reviewers Are Saying About the Hamilton Beach 32100C Food Dehydrator

Reviewers have a good opinion of the Hamilton Beach 32100C Food Dehydrator. Their main concern is with longevity since the heat tends to fail within a few years. It’s really easy to use thanks to the digital timer and temperature, though, and the clear plastic makes it easy to keep an eye on foods as they dehydrate. The fruit roll tray and mesh tray were a nice addition.

Hamilton Beach 32100C Food Dehydrator Pros and Cons

Buy If…

• You want to make a variety of dehydrated snacks

• Precise time and temperature control matters to you

• You don’t want to spend a lot on a dehydrator

• You’re looking for an efficient machine

Don’t Buy If…

Hamilton Beach 32100C Food Dehydrator Specifications

How to Properly Choose Your Food Dehydrator

Price

At the low end, a food dehydrator will cost roughly $60 to $70. At the high end, they can approach $300. In general, more expensive food dehydrators will offer more dehydrating space, more trays, precise temperature control, and a more durable build overall.

Drying Space & Number of Trays

Since dehydrating can take a long time, especially when working with water-heavy fruits, efficiency matters. And that’s why you’ll want to look at both the total drying space and the number of trays. The more trays you have, the more variety you can dehydrate at once. And of course, more drying space means you can dehydrate in bulk rather than in batches. We recommend looking for at least four trays and four square feet of cooking space.

Temperature Range

Most food dehydrators will offer a temperature range between 90ºF and 165ºF, but you can find models with a narrower range and a wider range. You’ll just want to make sure that your machine hits at least 160ºF if you’ll be making your own jerky, since you need it hot enough to keep the meat safe to eat.

Automatic Shutoff Timer

Many food dehydrators come with a timer and an automatic shutoff feature. This can help keep you on track with a rough estimate of when your food will be ready to pack up. Generally, the timer range will be 30 minutes to 48 hours, and that should be perfect for all of your dehydrating.

Overall Size

Since your food dehydrator will likely end up living on your countertop, its overall size matters quite a bit. If you have a small kitchen with limited counter space, you won’t be able to buy just any dehydrator. Make sure you pay attention to its dimensions to guarantee it won’t take up more square footage than you’re willing to give up.

Disclaimer: The prices displayed are accurate at the time of publication. We’ll do our best to keep them as up-to-date as possible, but you may see slight changes. The products in this list are ranked by independent third parties. Rankings are based on both reviews and independent testing.