Green is a key quality attribute of dehydrated tribute vegetable (Gongcai), but it is highly prone to discoloration during storage, which restricts the development of its industry. To investigate the color changes of dehydrated tribute vegetable during storage. In this study, dehydrated tribute vegetable (Gongcai) was used as the experimental subject to investigate the effects of storage temperature (4 ℃, 25 ℃, and 37 ℃), oxygen (aerobic and anaerobic conditions), and light (light and dark conditions) on its color. The underlying mechanisms of color change were elucidated from the perspectives of phenolic compound oxidation, chlorophyll degradation, and enzymatic reactions.The results showed that under identical temperature conditions, the effects of light exposure and oxygen availability on the chlorophyll content of dehydrated dried lettuce were not statistically significant. Temperature was identified as the primary factor responsible for the color deterioration of dehydrated dried lettuce.. Storage at a low temperature of 4 ℃ was conducive to the preservation of the product’s color, with no visible changes observed within 60 days of storage. Under storage at 25 ℃, samples exhibited noticeable browning by day 30, whereas under storage at 37 ℃, pronounced browning occurred as early as day 10.Compared with storage at a low temperature of 4 ℃, the browning index of dehydrated dried lettuce stored at 25 ℃ and 37 ℃ for 50 days increased significantly by 24.69% and 54.18%, respectively (P < 0.05). Concurrently, the contents of total phenols and vitamin C decreased significantly under both temperature conditions (P < 0.05).Under different storage conditions, the activities of enzymes closely associated with browning, including PPO, POD, and PAL, all exhibited a decreasing trend in dehydrated dried lettuce.At storage temperatures of 4 ℃ and 37 ℃, the chlorophyll content loss of dehydrated dried lettuce was 37.51% and 89.24%, respectively. A zero-order kinetic shelf-life model established based on chlorophyll content could effectively predict the shelf life of dehydrated dried lettuce. These findings provide a fundamental basis for exploring the patterns of quality deterioration during storage and for selecting appropriate storage conditions for dehydrated dried lettuce.