Chewy & Sweet Pumpkin Jerky: Homemade Healthy Snack
Easy & Delicious Homemade Pumpkin Jerky Recipe
A healthy and delicious homemade pumpkin snack that anyone can easily make at home. It’s perfect as a snack for kids, a light treat for adults seeking easily digestible food, and even as a wholesome treat for your beloved dogs. Enjoy the wonderfully chewy and sweet flavor! ^^
Main Ingredients
- 1 whole pumpkin
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, wash the pumpkin thoroughly. While you can eat the skin, it’s common to peel it when making jerky. However, since the skin is nutritious, it’s important to wash the outside well.
Step 2
The washed pumpkin needs to be cooked. You can choose your preferred cooking method: air fryer, microwave, or steamer. I personally prefer air frying. This method enhances the pumpkin’s natural sweetness and cooks it to a fluffy texture, making it delicious to eat even on its own. Plus, air frying softens the skin, making it much easier to peel later.
Step 3
Place the pumpkin in the air fryer and cook at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes. You’ll see it turning golden brown and looking well-cooked. However, depending on the pumpkin’s shape, the bottom might be less cooked. It’s a good idea to flip it and cook it a bit more.
Step 4
Flip the pumpkin and air fry for another 10 minutes at 180°C (350°F). Since it’s already more than half cooked, just lightly cooking the bottom is sufficient. Be careful not to overcook, as it can become too mushy and affect the jerky’s texture. Aim for a nice, tender doneness.
Step 5
The cooked pumpkin will be very hot, so carefully remove it from the air fryer and let it cool for about 20-30 minutes. The skin might look slightly charred, but it’s not burnt; it’s just the natural effect of the moisture evaporating during cooking. Don’t worry!
Step 6
Once the pumpkin has cooled down a bit, cut it in half. Then, use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy insides cleanly. Cutting or scooping while the pumpkin is still very hot can be dangerous and make the pumpkin fall apart, so make sure it’s cooled sufficiently before proceeding.
Step 7
Now it’s time to peel the pumpkin. Usually, steamed or boiled pumpkin skins are quite tough to remove. However, pumpkin that has been air-fried has a wonderfully soft skin that peels off remarkably easily. This is one of the great advantages of using the air fryer method.
Step 8
After peeling, you’ll see the wonderfully soft and fluffy cooked pumpkin flesh. It’s so sweet and tender, it’s delicious even eaten as is. Preparing it this way makes it much easier to handle when you want to use it as a snack.
Step 9
Slice the peeled pumpkin into pieces about 1cm (about 0.4 inches) thick. You can adjust the thickness to your preference, but 1cm is a good size for eating once dried and for efficient drying. Slices that are too thin can break easily, while slices that are too thick might not dry properly.
Step 10
Arrange the sliced pumpkin pieces on the dehydrator trays, making sure they don’t overlap. If you have enough space, arranging them so air can circulate well during the drying process is important.
Step 11
Set the dehydrator temperature to 70°C (160°F) and begin drying for about 4 hours. You can adjust the drying time based on the pumpkin’s moisture content and your desired jerky texture. Let’s start with a 4-hour baseline.
Step 12
After about 2 hours of drying, flip the pumpkin pieces. This will help them dry more evenly and quickly, ensuring both sides are well dehydrated.
Step 13
After 4 hours of drying, it’s beneficial to let them rest. The pumpkin pieces will be somewhat dry on the outside but still moist inside. Turn off the dehydrator, keep the lid on, and let them sit for 30 minutes to an hour. This resting period allows the internal moisture to move to the surface, creating a more uniform moisture level and preventing the jerky from becoming too hard.
Step 14
After the rest period, return the pumpkin pieces to the dehydrator set at 70°C (160°F) and dry for another 1 hour. This final step will result in ideal pumpkin jerky: slightly chewy on the outside, yet tender and moist on the inside. It will be delightfully chewy without being hard.
Step 15
Voila! Your chewy and delicious pumpkin jerky is ready. Now it’s time to enjoy this healthy and tasty homemade snack!
