I’ve cracked more plastic dehydrator trays than I’d like to admit — usually by stacking a hot tray straight into a cold sink, which is a rookie mistake I make about once a year. After going through four dehydrators and a small pile of replacement trays over the last few seasons, I’ve learned that the tray matters almost as much as the machine sitting around it. Get the wrong material or the wrong size, and you’ll be fighting your dehydrator instead of using it.
This guide breaks down what dehydrator trays are actually made of, which sizes fit which machines, and when to upgrade from stock plastic to stainless steel or mesh. If you’re shopping for replacements or trying to figure out why your fruit leather keeps welding itself to the tray, you’re in the right place.
In This Article
What Dehydrator Trays Are Made Of
Almost every dehydrator on the market ships with one of four tray materials, and each one changes how the machine performs, not just how it looks.
- BPA-free polypropylene (solid or mesh): the default on budget and mid-range machines like Nesco and most Presto units. Light, cheap to replace, but prone to warping if it sits near a heating element for years.
- Stainless steel: standard on commercial-leaning machines and premium upgrades. Doesn’t warp, doesn’t stain, and handles hot meat straight off the smoker without flexing.
- Silicone (as an insert, not a full tray): used for fruit leather and liquid-heavy foods. Sits on top of the existing tray rather than replacing it.
- Nylon mesh screens: thin, flexible inserts for small or crumbly foods — herbs, kale chips, chopped garlic — that would otherwise fall through standard tray slats.
| Material | Best For | Max Safe Temp | Typical Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Plastic | Fruit leather, general use | ~160°F | 2–4 years |
| Mesh Plastic | Jerky, vegetables | ~160°F | 2–4 years |
| Stainless Steel | Jerky, meat, high-heat drying | 200°F+ | 10+ years |
| Silicone Insert | Leather, purees, sauces | ~220°F | 3–5 years |
💡 Pro Tip
If you’re running your dehydrator at 155–160°F for jerky on a regular basis, plastic trays will eventually go slightly cloudy and brittle near the edges. That’s normal wear, not a defect — it’s the tradeoff for the lower price. If jerky is your main use case, it’s worth reading through my best dehydrator for jerky picks, most of which lean toward steel-heavy designs for exactly this reason.
Standard Tray Sizes & Compatibility
Tray sizing is the single biggest source of “wrong item” returns I see people run into. There’s no single industry standard — each brand runs its own dimensions, and round vs. square trays aren’t interchangeable across most machines.
| Brand | Tray Shape | Approx. Dimensions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excalibur | Square | 14" x 14" | Consistent across the model line — see my Excalibur review |
| Cosori | Round | ~11.4" diameter | Varies slightly between 5-tray and 6-tray models |
| Nesco / American Harvest | Round | 13.5" diameter | Expandable stacking design, add-on trays sold separately |
| Avantco (commercial) | Rectangular | Full/half sheet pan sizes | Uses standard sheet pan dimensions — details in my Avantco commercial review |
⚠️ Warning
Always check diameter or edge length before buying “universal” trays. A tray that’s a quarter-inch too large won’t sit flush against the door seal, and that gap is enough to throw off airflow across the whole stack.
Mesh vs. Solid Trays: When to Use Each
Most dehydrators ship with solid trays and sell mesh inserts separately, which confuses first-time buyers. Here’s the actual split:
- Use solid trays for: fruit leather, purees, sauces, anything liquid that would drip through slats onto the heating element below.
- Use mesh trays for: jerky strips, sliced vegetables, herbs, and anything you want airflow moving through from underneath as well as above. Mesh consistently cuts drying time by 10–15% for meat, since air isn’t just hitting the top surface.
If you’re building out a jerky-focused setup, it’s worth pairing this with my beef jerky in an air fryer dehydrator guide, since tray choice affects timing in exactly the way I cover there.
Stainless Steel vs. Plastic Trays: Is the Upgrade Worth It?
This is the question I get most often, and the honest answer is: it depends on how often you’re running the machine, not how much you paid for it.
Plastic trays are perfectly food-safe at standard dehydrating temperatures (95–165°F) and will outlast most people’s patience for the hobby. Where steel earns its price premium is frequency and load: if you’re drying jerky weekly, running batches of hot marinated meat straight onto the tray, or just don’t want to think about tray replacement for a decade, steel is the better long-term buy. I go into the full cost-versus-durability breakdown in my stainless steel dehydrator upgrade guide and my dedicated stainless steel food dehydrator buying guide, which covers specific models worth considering.
✅ Pro Tip
You don’t have to replace every tray in a unit at once. Buy one or two steel trays for the positions you use most (usually the middle shelves, which see the most consistent airflow) and keep plastic in the outer slots.
How Many Trays Do You Actually Need?
More trays sound better on paper, but extra trays only help if your machine’s fan and heating element can actually push air through all of them evenly. A 4-tray home unit stuffed to 10 trays with add-ons will dry unevenly no matter how good the trays themselves are.
- 4–5 trays: fine for a household of 1–3 people making occasional snacks or jerky batches.
- 6–9 trays: the sweet spot for regular jerky makers, hunters processing game meat, or anyone preserving a garden harvest.
- 10+ trays or commercial units: only worth it if you’re batch-processing regularly or running a small business. My large dehydrator capacity comparison covers where the real ceiling is for airflow versus tray count.
Replacement Trays by Brand
Buying replacement trays is almost always cheaper than replacing the whole unit, and it’s the right move if only one or two trays have cracked or warped.
- Excalibur: individual trays and full tray/liner kits are sold directly and fit every 9-tray model in the line — see the fit notes in my Excalibur 9-Tray review.
- Cosori: replacement trays are model-specific between the 10-tray and 5-tray versions, so check the SKU before ordering — I cover the differences in my Cosori 10-Tray vs. 5-Tray comparison.
- Avantco and other commercial brands: generally use standard sheet pan sizing, which means you can often source replacements from restaurant supply stores instead of the manufacturer, usually for less.
Cleaning & Maintenance
Tray lifespan comes down almost entirely to how they’re cleaned, not how they’re used.
- Let trays cool before washing. Plastic trays taken straight from a hot dehydrator into cold water will warp within seconds — this is the single most common cause of premature tray failure.
- Hand wash mesh trays. Dishwashers are fine for solid plastic and steel, but the fine mesh weave on jerky screens degrades faster with repeated dishwasher heat cycles.
- Oil residue needs degreaser, not just soap. Jerky marinades leave an oily film that plain dish soap doesn’t fully lift; a short soak in warm water with a splash of vinegar handles it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are dehydrator trays universal across brands?
No. Round and square trays aren’t interchangeable, and even within round trays, diameters vary by brand and sometimes by model. Always match the exact manufacturer and model number when buying replacements.
Can I put dehydrator trays in the dishwasher?
Solid plastic and stainless steel trays are generally dishwasher-safe on a low-heat cycle. Fine mesh screens hold up better with hand washing, since repeated dishwasher heat can warp the weave over time.
Do stainless steel trays dry food faster than plastic?
Not meaningfully on their own — the material doesn’t change airflow. Mesh versus solid design has a bigger effect on drying speed than the material the tray is made from.
Why did my plastic tray warp?
Almost always temperature shock — moving a hot tray directly into cold water or a cold countertop. Letting trays cool to room temperature before washing prevents this in nearly every case.
Bottom Line
Trays are the part of a dehydrator nobody thinks about until one cracks mid-batch. Match the material to how often you’re actually running the machine, get the sizing exactly right before you buy, and don’t skip letting trays cool before you wash them. Get those three things right and a decent set of trays will outlast the dehydrator they came with.
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