Dehydrated onion from India, tested before it ships
Flakes, kibbled, chopped, minced, granules and powder in white, red and pink. We find the plant that dries it, test every lot at an accredited lab and watch the container being loaded.
India is one of the world's largest exporters of dehydrated onion, and buyers in more than a hundred countries use it in soups, sauces, seasonings, snacks and ready meals. Quality varies a great deal between plants, and many sellers online are traders rather than the plant that dries the onion. We work for you, not the factory: we shortlist plants that dry and mill in house, check them in person and test the goods before you pay the balance.
Forms
Every form, by particle size
| Form | Typical size | Where buyers use it |
|---|---|---|
| Flakes and kibbled | About 8 to 20 mm | Soups, ready meals, retail jars, rehydrated toppings |
| Large chopped | About 5 to 10 mm | Ready meals, meal kits, sauces where pieces show |
| Chopped | About 3 to 5 mm | Sauces, dressings, processed meat |
| Minced | About 1 to 3 mm | Dips, dressings, sandwich fillings, toppings |
| Granules | About 0.2 to 1 mm (around 16 to 80 mesh) | Seasonings, rubs, snack coatings, meat products |
| Powder | Through 80 or 100 mesh | Spice blends, snack seasoning, sauces, soups |
There is no official size standard. These are typical trade ranges for illustration; each plant sets its own, so fix your range, oversize and fines limits in the spec.
- Dehydrated onion flakes and kibbled onionThe largest cut, for soups, ready meals and toppings where the onion should be seen. We find the plant, set size and colour limits and test every lot before loading.Specs and buying guide
- Dehydrated chopped onionEven, visible pieces for sauces, stuffings and processed meat. We find the plant that cuts and sieves it, set the size and fines limits and test every lot.Specs and buying guide
- Dehydrated minced onionSmall, fast-rehydrating pieces for dips, dressings, toppings and meat mixes. We find the plant, set the size, fines and microbiology limits and test every lot.Specs and buying guide
- Dehydrated onion granulesFree-flowing particles for seasonings, rubs, shakers and meat products. We find the plant that mills and sieves them, set the mesh and dust limits and test every lot.Specs and buying guide
- Dehydrated onion powderFinely milled onion for spice blends, snack seasoning, soups and sauces. We find the plant that mills it, set the mesh, moisture and microbiology limits and test every lot.Specs and buying guide
- Dehydrated red onionRed onion flakes, chopped, minced, granules and powder for products where the colour shows. We match each lot to your sealed colour sample and test it before loading.Specs and buying guide
- Dehydrated pink onionA lighter shade between white and red, offered by fewer plants. We compare samples side by side, seal the colour you approve and test every lot before it ships.Specs and buying guide
- Toasted and roasted onionDried onion roasted to gold or light brown, mostly as minced, chopped, granules and powder. We fix the roast with a sealed sample and test every lot before loading.Specs and buying guide
- Fried onionSliced onion fried in vegetable oil until crisp and golden. We find processors that fry in their own plant, check how they manage the oil and test every lot before loading.Specs and buying guide
Colour and grade
White, red or pink, and the grade inside each
White onion
The main export product and the widest range of forms. Neutral colour that does not change the look of a sauce or seasoning, so it suits most food manufacturing.
Red and pink onion
Made from coloured varieties and chosen where the onion is visible, such as salad toppings, dips and seasoning blends. Smaller crops, so fewer plants and less volume.
Grade A and Grade B
Trade colour grades, not official standards. Grade A is whiter with fewer dark pieces; Grade B costs less and suits powders in darker products. We fix the grade with a sealed reference sample.
Specification
What goes into a dehydrated onion spec
A grade name alone is not a spec. These are the limits buyers usually set, and what we test each lot against.
| What to set | What buyers usually write, for illustration |
|---|---|
| Moisture | A maximum of around 5 to 6 percent, often tighter for powder, with the test method named |
| Particle size | A main range plus limits on oversize and fines, by sieve or mesh |
| Colour | The supplier's grade plus a sealed reference sample and a limit on dark pieces |
| Microbiology | Limits for total plate count, coliforms, E. coli, yeast and mould, by named ISO methods |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g, tested before loading, with no release until results are in |
| Treatment | Untreated or steam sterilised, and no ethylene oxide (ETO), tested for ETO and 2-chloroethanol |
| Pesticide residues | A multi-residue screen against your market's limits, for example EU MRLs |
| Foreign matter | Limits on skin, root, stones and metal, with sieving and magnets at the plant |
Shipping
HS code, packing, loads and season
HS code
Dried onion sits under 0712.20 in the first six digits, worldwide. Your customs broker confirms the full national code.
Packing
Corrugated cartons with sealed polyethylene liners are standard. Paper or woven bags with liners also work. The moisture barrier is what matters.
Container load
Depends on form and pack. Flakes fill a 20 ft container well under 10 tonnes; powder and granules load far more weight. We get the plant's last actual loading.
Shelf life
Suppliers commonly state 12 to 24 months in sealed packs stored cool and dry. Powder is more sensitive than flakes.
Season
Fresh white onion arrives from late in the year to around spring, and plants process hardest in the first months of the year. New-crop goods follow.
Mixed loads
Onion and garlic forms can share one container, each with its own lot number, tests and line on the documents.
How we source it
What we do between your enquiry and the sealed container
- Shortlist plants that dry and mill in house, not traders reselling
- Visit and audit hygiene, water, pest control, drying and packing
- Collect matched samples and test them at an NABL-accredited lab
- Write the spec and seal a reference sample with the plant
- Draw sealed samples from the packed lot before loading
- Sieve, moisture, microbiology, Salmonella and ETO results before release
- Supervise loading, count cartons and seal the container
- Check the export documents for your country before it sails
By country
Importing it into your country
Rules, lab tests, documents and ports for each market, with guides for the main cities.
Questions
Dehydrated onion: common questions
What forms of dehydrated onion can I buy from India?
Flakes and kibbled, large chopped, chopped, minced, granules and powder, mostly in white onion, with smaller lines in red and pink. Some plants also offer roasted or toasted onion.
What is the HS code for dehydrated onion?
Dried onion, whole, cut, sliced, broken or in powder, falls under HS 0712.20. The first six digits are the same worldwide; your customs broker confirms the full code for your country.
Should I buy steam sterilised dehydrated onion?
If the onion goes into food that is not cooked again, such as dips, dressings or snack seasoning, most buyers ask for steam treatment to lower microbial counts. Done well, the flavour change is small. Never accept ETO fumigation instead.
How much dehydrated onion fits in a 20 ft container?
It depends on the form and the pack. Large flakes fill the space before the weight limit, often well under 10 tonnes, while powder and granules load far more. Ask the plant for its last actual loading of the same form.
What decides the price of dehydrated onion?
Mainly the cost of fresh white onion, which moves with the crop, plus drying energy, labour, packing, the grade and treatment you ask for, and export demand. Prices are often lowest when the new crop arrives in volume.
Do you sell dehydrated onion?
No. Creston & Co is a sourcing agent. You buy directly from the plant we help you choose, and we work for you: audits, lab tests, inspection and loading supervision, for a fee agreed in writing.
Buyer guides
Read more on dehydrated onion
Short, practical guides from our blog, written from the buyer's side of the table.
- Dehydrated onion and garlic from India: what importers need to know3 min
- The best way to buy dehydrated onion from India: every option compared4 min
- Dehydrated onion and garlic price per kg: monthly market update4 min
- HS and HSN codes for dehydrated onion and garlic, with GST and import duty4 min
- Dehydrated onion and garlic manufacturers in India: a buyer's list4 min
- Onion flakes vs minced vs granules vs powder: forms compared4 min
- Indian vs Chinese dehydrated onion4 min
- Steam-sterilised vs untreated dehydrated onion4 min
- What forms of dehydrated onion are available: flakes, kibbled, chopped, minced, granules, powder?3 min
- What are the standard particle sizes for each onion form?3 min
- What is Grade A versus Grade B dehydrated onion?3 min
- How do I write a specification for dehydrated onion powder?3 min
- Is dehydrated onion steam sterilised, and does it change flavour?3 min
- Why does salmonella appear in dehydrated onion, and how is it controlled?3 min
- What pesticide residues are tested in dehydrated onion for the EU?3 min
- What moisture level should dehydrated onion have?3 min
- What is the difference between white, red and pink dehydrated onion?3 min
- How are dehydrated onion prices set, and when are they lowest?3 min
- How many tonnes of dehydrated onion fit in a 20 ft container?3 min
- What are the main export markets for Indian dehydrated onion?3 min
- What are the most common complaints from buyers of dehydrated onion?3 min
- Mahuva dehydrated onion and garlic manufacturers: a guide3 min
- What is the onion harvest season for dehydration in Gujarat?3 min
- How should dehydrated onion be packed: cartons with liners or bags?3 min
- Why does onion powder cake, and how do I prevent it?3 min
Start with a free 20-minute sourcing call.
Tell us the product, the spec and the volume. We'll tell you what it should cost from India, what to test for and where the risks are. No fee, no obligation, and you keep the notes.