The time food takes to dehydrate depends on various variables; therefore, there is no specific answer. Dehydration is the food temperature you want to use in drying, the type of food, size of the pieces, the desired texture, and the surrounding environment. For instance, a dehydrator takes a few hours if it's drying leafy vegetables and drying herbs, while meat products may take 24 hours or even more. As a new user, you can go through the dehydrator manual for more information about temperatures and dehydrating time to avoid inconveniences.