Best Fruit And Mushrooms For The Dehydrator In Stardew Valley

Summary

• The dehydrator in Stardew Valley offers profitable dried fruits & mushrooms with health and energy benefits.
• Apples, oranges, and coconuts make great dried fruits for profit with varied acquisition methods.
• Rare items like starfruits and ancient fruits yield high profits but may sacrifice energy and health benefits.

The 1.6 update for Stardew Valley added a handful of new machines and craftables to make and add to your farm. Along with the tried and true preserve jars and kegs, you can add the Dehydrator

to your money-making avenues. The recipe for this machine isn’t unlocked through skill level-ups, like the aforementioned jars and kegs.

Instead, it can be bought from Pierre’s Shop for a sizable pile of gold, 10,000g to be exact. Or, if you choose for Demetrius to fill your farm’s cave with mushrooms, you get one on the house so you can put those shrooms to use. But which fruits and mushrooms make you the most profit?

Updated January 19, 2025 by Marissa Fiore: The dehydrator has proven to be a valuable tool to many farmers across Stardew Valley and has given people even more reason to choose the mushroom cave over the fruit bat variation. This list has been updated to include more dried fruit options for both profit and snacking on the go.

This list ranks the dried fruits and mushrooms both on profit, but also on energy and health restored when eating them.

17

Apple

Base Sell Price: 775g Artisan Sell Price: 1,085g

It’s not too much to imagine drying apples and them being a tasty snack. So it’s not too much of a stretch for you to gather up five of them and throw them into a dehydrator. Even the iridium Apple

, which sells for up to 220g if you have the Tiler profession, doesn’t come close to the 775g or 1,085g you can make from this Dried Fruit

.

Apples are one of those many fruits you can get by planting a fruit tree sapling, which you can purchase either from Pierre or, on occasion, from the Traveling Merchant. You’ll have to wait to start picking this fruit until it’s Fall, but that gives you time to make enough to purchase that expensive sapling. If you decide to eat this money maker, you’ll get back 114 energy and 51 health.

16

Orange

Base Sell Price: 775g Artisan Sell Price: 1,085g

In a lot of ways, at least when focusing on the dried versions of both apples and oranges, ha, comparing apples and oranges. Anyway, they both make you the same amount of money. But you can start raking in profits sooner as the big difference is that this is a Summer tree fruit.

Should it be your priority to save up and buy an Orange Sapling

? Maybe not, depending on your playthrough. But it can be a tree that you can quickly get in the ground and start having this fruit at your disposal, both for making dried oranges, but even if you just use it as a reliable source of food and, more importantly, energy restoration.

Speaking of energy, you’ll get back the same amount as dried apples, and same goes for health.

15

Coconut

Base Sell Price: 775g Artisan Sell Price: 1,085g

Dried coconuts may have the same selling prices as the apples and oranges, but there is a key difference: you don’t have to pay for a sapling. Coconuts are found on the ground throughout the Desert and in trees on Ginger Island in Stardew Valley. So, if you’re planning on selling this dried Coconut

fruit, you’ll be making nothing but profit.

Of course, it’s worth pointing out that this isn’t as reliable as apples, oranges, and all of the fruit trees. Instead of having a set amount that spawn each day in their corresponding season, you have to hope that there are plenty of coconuts to forage.

But, even with that in mind, they don’t have only one season they show up in thanks to the locations you can find them. Even though you can’t eat coconuts in-game, when you eat the dried version you get 125 energy and 56 health.

14

Strawberry

Base Sell Price: 925g Artisan Sell Price: 1,295g

Finally, an increase in the selling price. Strawberries can be hard to come by in your first year of playing Stardew Valley. You can only purchase Strawberry Seeds

during the Egg Festival and they cost 100g a pop. That’s not bad later on in the game, but part way through your first season, depending on how much you grind for high profits, you could walk away with only a few packets of seeds.

However, they are one of the best Spring fruits and, for some, the only reason they go to the Egg Festival, especially after beating the Egg Hunt. And you should always keep this holiday marked on your calendar so you don’t miss out on this fruit, especially if you’re planning to dehydrate at least some of them. If you plan to eat these tasty, dried treats, you’ll get 150 energy and 66 health.

13

Peach

Base Sell Price: 1,075g Artisan Sell Price: 1,505g

Yes, another tree fruit has entered the chat, this time it’s the Summer stone fruit, the Peach

. Just like with the other tree fruit, you can purchase a Peach Sapling

from Pierre or the Traveling Merchant, whichever you prefer, or whichever is cheaper in your playthrough.

Once you start seeing peaches appear on your tree, shake that bad thing and toss five of them into a dehydrator for some serious gold. Although it consumes those five and wine only needs one peach, this can get you some serious profits in your first Summer, before you might even get your hands on a Keg

Dried peaches also give you the same amount of energy and health as dried apples and oranges, 114 energy and 51 health.

12

Pomegranate

Base Sell Price: 1,075g Artisan Sell Price: 1,505g

You obtain pomegranates the same way as most of the fruits above; from a sapling. Which, yes, can be bought at Pierre’s or the Traveling Merchant’s place of business. This one though is a Fall fruit. While the argument can be made that Summer fruits give you profits quicker sense, well, their season happens first in the game, a Fall sapling can give you more time to gather the funds to buy these expensive tree starters.

No matter what you decide works best in your game, you won’t want to skip over getting a Pomegranate Sapling

. Not only do they make amazing dried fruits, but you also need one if you have the Enchanter’s Bundle as a completion point for the Community Center.

Apples, apricots, cherries, oranges, peaches, and pomegranates can all be used to fill the Artisan Bundle, which is needed to complete the Community Center. These can all also be found in the Fruit Bat cave, if you choose that option.

11

Mango

Base Sell Price: 1,000g Artisan Sell Price: 1,400g

Mangos are a fruit that you can get a sapling for, but it originates from Ginger Island, meaning things go a little different for it. There are quite a few ways to get your hands on a Mango Sapling

, but the most reliable way is to trade 75 mussels to the Island Trader.

Once you have your sapling(s), you can take them home and plant them, but they will only produce fruit in the Summer. Instead, plant them in your Greenhouse or on Ginger Island and they will continue to grow and produce fruit daily, which, as you can imagine, is amazing for dried fruit profits. And they’re amazing for energy and health: 300 and 135 respectively.

10

Dried Morels

Base Sell Price: 1,150g Artisan Sell Price: 1,610g

Morels are found in the Spring of Stardew Valley, and they can spawn in multiple places. The farm cave is one of their homes, but in the wild, you can collect them from the secret woods and the Forest Farm.

When picking them up, it gives you some foraging experience, and once you collect five and throw them into the dehydrator, you will get a bundle of dried morels that can be sold for 1,150g. If you decide to eat them instead, you gain back 60 energy and 27 health.

To make any dried goods, you will need to collect five of the fruits or mushrooms you want to use, and you then place it in the dehydrator. No matter what you put inside, it takes the machine 24 hours to produce the dried goods.

9

Dried Bananas

Base Sell Price: 1,150g Artisan Sell Price: 1,610g

Bananas are not easy to come by until you’re able to repair Willy’s boat and set sail for Ginger Island. And even then, you can only buy a Banana Sapling

from the Island Trader.

But once you have grown a Banana

tree, you can save the fruit and use it in the dehydrator. When it’s all done, you can sell them for 1,150g, or if you need some food sources, you can consume it and get 225 energy and 101 health back.

8

Dried Chanterelles

Base Sell Price: 1,225g Artisan Sell Price: 1,715g

The Chanterelle

is a Fall mushroom that can be found in your farm cave as well as in the Secret Woods and the Ginger Island mushroom cave. Its distinct shape and color make it easy to spot while foraging.

If you decide you want to throw five of them into the dehydrator, you can make 1,225g off of them. They also give the same amount of energy and health back that dried bananas do, 225 energy and 101 health.

7

Dried Rhubarbs

Base Sell Price: 1,675g Artisan Sell Price: 2,345g

Rhubarbs can be elusive until you repair the Bus that takes you to The Desert. Sandy is the only shop owner that has a dedicated supply of this Spring fruit, even though you can occasionally find some seeds thanks to the Traveling Merchant.

Once you do have access to them, you may want to keep some to the side, not only for Rhubarb
Wine

but also for dried rhubarb. They can bring you in 1,675g for one bundle of them, and when they’re eaten, you gain 275 energy and 123 health.

6

Dried Melons

Base Sell Price: 1,900g Artisan Sell Price: 2,660g

Melons are one of the best Summer fruits you can grow, even if they aren’t as fun to pick as blueberries are. Not only are Melon

wine and Jelly

very profitable, but so are dried melons. Move over blueberries, melons stay profitable in every form.

They sell for 1,900g per bundle. And, if you were to choose to eat them instead, which sounds delicious, you’d gain 338 energy as well as 152 health.

5

Dried Purple Mushrooms

Base Sell Price: 1,900g Artisan Sell Price: 2,660g

The Purple Mushroom

can be found in a variety of places, including in the mail once you’ve befriended The Wizard. Leave it to The Wizard to send you mushrooms in the mail; no one’s forgotten the “magic tree” scene when the farmer first meets him.

If you gather enough of them, they can sell for the same price as melons, but the key is how much energy and health they give you; 375 energy back and 168 health restored. Though selling them is the best thing to do, having some on hand in a pinch can save your life.

4

Dried Pineapples

Base Sell Price: 2,275g Artisan Sell Price: 3,185g

Holy jump in profits Batman! Similar to bananas, Pineapple Seeds

can be harder to come by, and you’ll need access to Ginger Island. Then you’ll either have to buy them for one Magma Cap

from the Island Trader or find some that enemies drop in the Volcano Dungeon.

Once you have a steady supply of pineapples growing, throw some of them into a dehydrator. With a price point of 2,275g, you won’t be upset by it, and it can give you 413 energy and 185 health, which would help in the Volcano Dungeon.

3

Dried Magma Caps

Base Sell Price: 3,025g Artisan Sell Price: 4,235g

Magma caps can be important if you’re looking to sell them to the Island Trader for Pineapples. But now with the dehydrator, you may have second thoughts about handing them all over to our little bird friend.

These bad (non-gendered) boys can be dried and sold for 3,025g a piece, not to mention they give 525 energy and 236 health. That’s much higher than foraging iridium-quality magma caps and eating or selling them for that matter.

2

Dried Ancient Fruits

Base Sell Price: 4,150g Artisan Sell Price: 5,810g

Of course, Ancient Fruit

was going to find its way onto this list. It’s such an iconic fruit for the whole of Stardew Valley, one every farmer hopes to find early in their game. And a very profitable fruit to boot.

If you decide to dry five of them out, they will be given back to you in a bundle worth at least 4,150g, over 1,000g more than magma caps. If you want to eat these dried fruits, you will regain 688 energy and 309 health.

1

Dried Starfruits

Base Sell Price: 5,650g Artisan Sell Price: 7,910g

You won’t want to eat these, no matter how tasty they sound, as Dried Starfruit

don’t give you much energy back when compared to ancient fruits (only 375), and for health you’ll only regain 168. But holy pixelated cow, the profits; you can sell a batch of dried starfruit for 5,650g.

This catapults them into the lead, money-wise, by over 1,000g, and that’s only after letting the dehydrator process for 24 hours. So if you need cash in hand quickly, you may want to consider drying and selling your stock of starfruit.