Most people buy a dehydrator and stop there — then wonder why their fruit leather sticks to the tray or their jerky comes out uneven. After running four different machines through hundreds of batches, I’ve settled on a short list of accessories that actually earn a spot in the cabinet, and a longer list of gadgets that sounded useful but just took up drawer space.

This guide covers the add-ons worth buying, the ones you can skip, and where to start if you’re outfitting a dehydrator from scratch.

In This Article

Essential Accessories

These are the add-ons I’d tell anyone to buy in their first month of owning a dehydrator, regardless of what they’re drying.

  • Mesh tray liners: stop small or crumbly foods — herbs, chopped garlic, kale — from falling through standard tray slats. If you’re still figuring out tray types generally, my complete tray buying guide covers the material and sizing differences in detail.
  • Solid fruit leather sheets: a non-negotiable if you’re making fruit leather or drying anything liquid. Without one, purees run straight through the tray and onto the heating element.
  • A digital probe thermometer: your dehydrator’s built-in dial is rarely accurate to more than a few degrees. For jerky specifically, a few degrees matters — I lean on mine every time I’m working from the settings in my beef jerky guide.

💡 Pro Tip

Buy mesh liners and solid sheets in the exact size of your trays, not “universal” sizing. A liner that’s even a half-inch off will curl at the edges and block airflow.

Nice-to-Have Accessories

  • A mandoline slicer: not strictly necessary, but uniform slice thickness is the single biggest factor in even drying. Uneven slices mean some pieces finish while others are still tacky.
  • A kitchen scale: useful for portioning marinades and tracking weight loss on jerky, which is the most reliable doneness test there is.
  • Extra trays: if your machine supports add-on trays, buying two or three extra means you can prep a second batch while the first is still drying, rather than waiting on a single set to cool and clear.

Accessories You Can Skip

A few products get marketed hard alongside dehydrators that, in my experience, don’t earn their price tag.

  • Branded “dehydrator seasoning kits”: generally repackaged spice blends at a markup. A basic pantry already covers most jerky and vegetable seasoning needs.
  • Dehydrator-specific storage containers: any airtight container or mason jar does the same job for a fraction of the price. What matters is the seal, not the branding.
  • Novelty tray shapes: round cutout trays marketed for specific foods (eggs, herbs) usually just replicate what a mesh liner already does.

Accessories for Jerky Makers

If jerky is your main use case, a few accessories move from “nice to have” into “worth prioritizing.”

  • A jerky gun or extruder: only relevant if you’re working with ground meat rather than sliced cuts. Makes uniform strips fast, but adds another item to clean.
  • Stainless steel trays: hold up to repeated hot marinade contact far better than plastic over time. I break down the cost-versus-durability tradeoff in my stainless steel dehydrator upgrade guide.
  • Cure and marinade injectors: speed up marinade penetration on thicker cuts, though a simple overnight soak works fine for most home batches.

⚠️ Warning

Skip any accessory marketed as a “dehydrator meat tenderizer” that punctures the meat with blades. It shortens marinade time slightly but also shortens shelf life by creating more surface area for bacteria before the drying process kills it off.

Storage & Preservation Add-Ons

  • A vacuum sealer: the biggest upgrade for shelf life. Vacuum-sealed jerky and dried fruit last months longer than anything left in a zip-top bag.
  • Oxygen absorbers: cheap, small packets that extend shelf life further when paired with mason jars or mylar bags — mostly relevant if you’re storing large batches long-term.
  • Silica gel packets: useful in humid climates to keep dried goods from reabsorbing moisture in storage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need mesh liners if my dehydrator already comes with trays?

It depends what you’re drying. Standard trays are fine for jerky and larger fruit slices, but small or crumbly foods like herbs will fall through the slats without a mesh liner.

Is a vacuum sealer worth buying just for dehydrated food?

If you’re making large batches or storing food long-term, yes — it’s the single biggest factor in shelf life after the drying process itself. For small, frequently-eaten batches, an airtight container is usually enough.

What’s the most important accessory for a beginner?

A digital probe thermometer. Built-in dehydrator dials are frequently a few degrees off, and that gap matters most for food safety with meat and jerky.

Bottom Line

Start with mesh liners, solid fruit leather sheets, and a digital thermometer — that covers the vast majority of what goes wrong for beginners. Everything past that depends on what you’re actually drying most often, and it’s worth adding accessories one at a time rather than buying a bundle upfront.

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