Last updated: October 2026 · 9 min read · By AQF Ingredients

When you buy bulk dehydrated vegetables for food processing, the specification comes down to five things: the cut (flakes, chopped, minced, granules or powder), moisture, colour grade, microbiology and packing. Getting these right decides how the ingredient behaves in your line, how long it keeps, and whether it passes food-safety checks in your market. This guide explains each one, using dehydrated onion and garlic, the two most traded dehydrated vegetables, as the main examples.

What are bulk dehydrated vegetables?

Dehydrated vegetables are fresh vegetables that have been cleaned, peeled, cut and dried, usually with hot air, until most of their water is removed. Taking the water out stops microbial growth and enzyme activity, so the vegetable keeps for around a year without refrigeration and weighs a fraction of the fresh product.

For food manufacturers, that means consistent flavour all year, no peeling or waste on site, lower freight and storage costs, and an ingredient that can be weighed straight into a recipe. Onion and garlic are by far the most widely used, followed by vegetables such as tomato, carrot, cabbage, bell pepper and leafy herbs.

Cuts and particle sizes: which one fits your product?

The same dehydrated onion or garlic is sold in several cuts. The sizes below are typical trade ranges; every supplier works to their own exact limits, so confirm them on the spec sheet.

Cut	Typical size	Best for
Flakes (kibbled)	Large natural slices, roughly 8 to 20 mm	Soups, curries and stews that rehydrate during cooking; processors who grind their own powder
Chopped	Around 3 to 8 mm	Ready meals, sauces and toppings where visible pieces are wanted
Minced	1 to 3 mm and 3 to 5 mm	Seasonings, marinades, dressings, meat products, pizza toppings
Granules	Around 0.2 to 1 mm (roughly 20 to 80 mesh)	Free-flowing rubs, spice blends and dry mixes
Powder	Typically 80 to 100 mesh	Snack seasonings, masalas, soups, sauces and instant noodle tastemakers

A simple rule: the finer the cut, the faster it rehydrates and the more evenly it disperses, but the more it absorbs moisture and the more prone it is to caking. If you need visible pieces, choose minced or chopped. If you need the flavour to disappear into a blend, choose powder.

Moisture: the spec that decides shelf life

Moisture is the most important number on a dehydrated vegetable spec. Too high and the product can cake, darken, lose flavour or support mould growth during storage and sea freight. Well-dried onion and garlic products are usually supplied with moisture below 5 to 6%. Our dehydrated minced garlic, for example, is dried to below 5%.

Ask for moisture to be tested on every batch and shown on the Certificate of Analysis. If you store the product in a humid climate, also ask about water activity, which is a better indicator of microbial stability than moisture alone.

Colour and grades

Dehydrated vegetables are graded mainly on colour and on how much unwanted material, such as skin, root or dark pieces, is present. Better grades have a uniform colour and very few defects. Colour also tells you about processing: dark or brown pieces usually mean the vegetable was over-dried or stored badly.

Microbiology: when it matters most

Air drying removes water but does not sterilise the vegetable, so dehydrated onion and garlic can carry naturally occurring bacteria, yeasts and moulds. That is fine when the ingredient goes into a product that is cooked afterwards, such as a soup or sauce. It matters much more when the ingredient is used without a further kill step, for example in a seasoning dusted onto snacks after frying, a dip or a dressing.

For those uses, agree limits for total plate count, yeast and mould, coliforms and E. coli, with Salmonella absent, and ask whether the supplier offers treated, low-microbial material.

What a dehydrated vegetable spec sheet should include

Parameter	What to agree
Product and cut	Vegetable, variety (white, red or pink onion) and cut
Particle size	Size range in mm or mesh, with a tolerance for oversize and fines
Moisture	Maximum percentage, tested every batch
Colour and appearance	Expected colour, maximum dark or burnt pieces
Foreign matter	Limits for skin, root, stones and extraneous material; metal detection
Microbiology	Total plate count, yeast and mould, coliforms, E. coli, Salmonella
Residues and contaminants	Pesticide residues to your market’s limits, heavy metals
Additives	None, or any agreed flow agent declared
Packing and shelf life	Pack size and liner, shelf life and storage conditions

Yield and rehydration: how much fresh vegetable does 1 kg replace?

Because most of the water is removed, a small amount of dehydrated vegetable replaces a lot of fresh produce. As a rough guide, about 8 to 9 kg of fresh onion makes 1 kg of dehydrated onion, while garlic, which has more solids, takes about 3 kg of fresh garlic per kg dehydrated. Exact ratios depend on the crop and the moisture target.

To rehydrate, soak flakes, chopped or minced pieces in water for around 15 to 30 minutes, or add them directly to sauces, soups and curries, where they absorb liquid during cooking. Powders and granules are normally added dry.

Packing, storage and HS codes

Bulk dehydrated vegetables are usually packed in 20 to 25 kg cartons or bags with a food-grade poly liner. Powders are especially sensitive to humidity, so the liner should be sealed and the cartons kept off the floor in a cool, dry store. Stored this way, dehydrated onion and garlic typically keep for 12 months.

For customs, dried onions fall under HS code 0712.20, and dried garlic and most other dried vegetables under 0712.90. Vegetables ground into powder can be classified differently in some countries, so confirm the full tariff line with your customs broker.

Buying mistakes to avoid

• Ordering “onion powder” without specifying the onion type, mesh and moisture.
• Using standard, untreated material in a seasoning applied after cooking.
• Approving a sample without testing it in your own recipe and line.
• Accepting packing without a sealed liner for a long sea voyage.
• Comparing quotes on price per kg without checking that the specs are the same.

Bulk dehydrated onion and garlic from AQF Ingredients

AQF Ingredients manufactures and exports dehydrated vegetables from India for food manufacturers, seasoning companies, importers and distributors. Our range covers white, red and pink onion as flakes, minced and powder, and garlic as flakes, minced and powder. See our dehydrated onion and garlic manufacturing page for details.

Frequently asked questions