Dehydrating Spicy Ranch Snow Peas | Easy Dehydrator Snack

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🧾 What’s Inside

In this article, you’ll learn exactly how to dehydrate snow peas – specifically how to make Spicy Ranch Snow Pea Crisps in a food dehydrator. This guide includes step-by-step instructions, helpful tips, and tons of photos to walk you through every part of the process—from washing and seasoning the snow peas to checking for doneness and storing your finished dehydrated snow peas.

My husband and I have been working toward eating healthier and cutting back on ultra-processed foods. One simple (and tasty!) way we’re doing that is by making more snacks from scratch. These Spicy Ranch Snow (or Snap) Pea Crisps made in a food dehydrator are a great example. They’re crunchy, flavorful, and a fantastic alternative to chips. Plus, they help us sneak more veggies into our diet—something we can all use a little help with!

This recipe comes from the recipe booklet included with the COSORI Premium Mini 5-Tray Food Dehydrator (Amazon), and it’s become one I’m really excited to try. It’s quick to prep, and while it takes a while to dehydrate, it’s totally hands-off once it’s in the dehydrator.

Note: The recipe actually calls for snap peas, and I used snow peas. Either one will work, and I will use those terms interchangably throughout this article.

🛒 Ingredients You’ll Need

Prep time: 10 minutes
Dehydrate time: 8 hours
Yield: 4 servings

• 6 cups snow or snap peas
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• *½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

* You can see that Kosher salt is in this recipe twice. This is the way it was written in the book that came with the dehydrator. I put just the first listed amount of salt in (1 teaspoon) and it was plenty salty. If you’re trying to limit the amount of salt you consume, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt may be enough.

An important note on the ingredient amounts. Since this recipe was made for the Cosori 5-tray mini dehydrator, you can double it if you want to dehydrate it in the Cosori 6-tray dehydrator (Amazon).

🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions for Preparing Spicy Ranch Snap Peas for Dehydrating

Now let’s get into the process of prepping and dehydrating these delicious spicy ranch snow peas!

Step 1: Wash and Prep Your Snow Peas

First, you’ll start off by washing and drying your snow peas. I washed mine using this over the sink colandar (Amazon). I prefer using an over the sink colandar so that the veggies I’m washing don’t end up sitting in water.

At this point, you can dump the peas onto paper towels or flour sack towels (Amazon) to dry them. I typically use the flour sack towels because they do a better job absorbing water than paper towels, and they’re reusable. However, I happened to think about my salad spinner (Amazon) and figured that would be a better way to get the snap peas dry, so that’s what I used.

Since I really wanted the snap peas dry before adding the seasoning, I decided to go ahead and do one more step after spinning them – I resorted to using my trusty flour sack towels! I had already gotten a towel out before thinking of using my salad spinner, so I figured I’d go ahead and use it. Admittedly, by this point my snow peas were pretty dry already, but I did get a bit more moisture off of the peas by doing this final step.

Trim the Peas if Needed

Finally, the recipe states to trim the peas if needed. I found that my snow peas didn’t have much “string,” so I only needed to trim a small number of them.

If you are unsure of how to trim snow or snap peas, check out the video below.

Step 2: Mix up the Ranch Seasoning

In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and spices.

Step 3: Coat the Snap Peas with Ranch Seasoning Mix

Next, put the snow peas into a large bowl. Pour the olive oil, lemon juice and zest and spice mixture over the top of the snow peas. Stir until the snow peas are all well coated with the spice mixture.

Step 4: Arrange the Snap Peas on the Dehydrator Trays

Place the seasoned peas in a single layer on the trays of your dehydrator. Note that some of them are slightly touching, which is fine, but don’t overcrowd them.

Dehydrating Snow Peas

Now let’s get into the actual process of dehydrating deliciously crispy snow peas.

Dehydrate at 135 Degrees Fahrenheit for 8 Hours

The short version of how to dehydrate these deliciously salty and crunchy snow or snap peas is to dehydrate them at 135 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 hours.

However, since the recipe comes with the Cosori Premium Mini 5-Tray Dehydrator, the process I used is specific to this dehydrator (Amazon).

Setting the Dehydrator: A Note on Functions

The original recipe says to use the VEG function, which works great if your dehydrator has it. On the COSORI Mini, the VEG function defaults to 135°F (57°C) for 8 hours.

You have a few options.

#1: If you are using the Cosori mini-dehydrator, simply select VEG and then press start. The time and temperature is programmed in, so that is all you need to do!

#2: If you are using the Cosori 6-tray dehydrator, it’s still super easy, but there are a couple more steps. Here’s how it works.

First, tap on TEMP/time and using the + or – button, set the temperature to 135°F (57°C).

Then, tap TEMP/Time again and use the + or – button to adjust the time to 8 hours.

#3: Finally, if you are using any other type of dehydrator, set it to 135°F (57°C). And don’t worry about whether or not your dehydrator has a timer. A timer really isn’t necessary, since it’s more important to check periodically to see if the snap peas have finished dehydrating. If needed, set an alarm to remind yourself to check in on it in about six or eight hours.

Let It Dehydrate

One thing I love about dehydrating food is that once you get things going, you really don’t have to pay much attention to it at all for quite a few hours. For instance, I considered getting this started and dehydrating the snap peas overnight. However, I managed to get going on these early enough that I was able to finish dehydrating them before bed.

If you use a cabinet style-dehydrator like the Cosori, you shouldn’t have to rotate the trays. If, however, you use a stackable dehydrator like my Nesco (Amazon), it does help to rotate the trays every couple of hours if possible.

Check the Snow Peas for Doneness

Starting at around 6 hours in, check the snow peas to see if they are done. Most likely, they won’t be crisp yet at this point.

I actually checked mine after 3 hours in the dehydrator, then again at 6 hours, and finally at 8 hours. Here is what I found.

Snow Peas after 3 Hours in the Dehydrator

I decided to check the snow peas after they had been in the dehydrator for just 3 hours. I didn’t expect them to be done at this point, but I wanted to be able to show you how they looked and felt at the 3-hour mark. 😃

As you can tell from the photos, they had started to shrivel quite a bit, but going by touch, they were still very limp and moist.

Snow Peas after 6 Hours in the Dehydrator

I checked the snow peas again after 6 hours in the dehydrator, and as you can imagine, they had crisped up quite a bit more compared to how they were after 3 hours in the dehydrator.

The change in the peas after an additional 3 hours in the dehydrator may not be obvious, but they had crisped up considerably compared to how they were after the first 3 hours. Having said that, they were still pretty “floppy” and because of that, I put them back into the dehydrator for the additional 2 hours called for in the recipe.

Snow Peas after 8 Hours in the Dehydrator

The final two hours in the dehydrator made all the difference in the world! As you can see, especially in the close up photos, the edges of the snap peas have darkened and have a bit of an “edge” to them. When they were warm, they still felt a little bit flexible, which brings me to the next point.

Cool Your Crispy Dehydrated Snap Peas Before Storing or Serving

As I mentioned above, even if teh snow peas are completely dehydrated, when they are still warm, they will be kind of soft. However, as they cool, they should crisp up. If they still are a bit soft after cooling, go ahead and dehydrate them for another hour or so to finish them off.

In terms of how to serve these, they don’t really need any dipping sauce or anything like that, because they already have a ton of flavor.

Yield and Flavor of Ranch-Flavored Dehydrated Snow Peas

Speaking of flavor, these had a ton of flavor! The lemon juice and zest, along with the spices added quite a punch of flavor. They were slightly spicy, and in fact some had a pretty good jolt of heat. Because of that, if you don’t like spicy food, omit the cayenne pepper. If you like food really spicy, you can double the cayenne pepper, but be forewarned, and have a cool glass of lemonade on standby before munching into these!

As you may recall, I started with 6 cups of snow peas. After they were dehydrated, they shrunk down to about 4 cups. Note that technically I could have packed them in tighter into the jars, but they were pretty fragile, and I didn’t want to crush them, so I put them loosely into the jars.

🥗 Why I Love This Recipe

This snack hits all the right notes:

• Crunchy and satisfying
• Packed with flavor
• A great chip alternative
• Whole ingredients—nothing ultra-processed
• Perfect for kids and adults alike

Plus, you can adjust the seasonings to taste. Want more kick? Add a pinch more cayenne. Like it more herby? Double the dill!

📦 How to Store Dehydrated Snow Pea Crisps

Since these snow peas are coated with an olive oil mixture, I wouldn’t consider them suitable for long term storage. However they would likely be fine stored in your pantry in mason jars with lids for a month or so. It’s possible they would last longer, so you can give it a try with a small amount, and then log your results so you’ll have a clearer idea for future batches.

These make great shelf stable snacks and would be fantastic travel food, since they don’t need to be refrigerated.

🥄 Variations to Try Next Time

• Cheesy Snap Peas: Add 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast.
• Sweet & Spicy: Use smoked paprika and add a dash of maple syrup. Omit the dill.
• Lemon Pepper: Go heavy on lemon zest and black pepper for a zingy version.

Final Thoughts

Key Takeaways

• This recipe works with either snow peas or snap peas—use whatever option is available.
• You’ll dehydrate at 135°F (57°C) for 8 hours, which is the default VEG setting on the COSORI Mini 5-Tray dehydrator (Amazon).
• If your dehydrator doesn’t have a VEG function, you can manually set the temperature and time.
• Be sure to wash and thoroughly dry your peas before adding seasoning for best results.
• Even if they seem slightly flexible when warm, the snow pea crisps will firm up as they cool. If not, pop them back in the dehydrator for another hour.
• Store finished crisps in an airtight jar and enjoy them within about a month for best flavor and texture.
• Customize the heat level by adjusting the amount of cayenne—or leave it out entirely if you prefer a milder snack.

Making snacks like these Spicy Ranch Snap Pea Crisps at home is a fun, flavorful way to eat better without sacrificing crunch or taste. It’s also a great way to get the most out of your dehydrator. I love knowing exactly what’s in my food—and knowing I made it myself!

I’ll be sharing more healthy dehydrator snack recipes soon, so stay tuned!

Related Articles

• Cosori Mini 5-Tray Food Dehydrator: Unboxing & First Impressions
• Which Cosori Dehydrator is Right for You?

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