Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Frozen Fruit Only. Gather the fruit you desire and place it in a large pan filled with enough water to submerge the fruit. Place the pan on the stove on medium heat, and allow the fruit to heat up just enough to defrost.Once thawed, drain the fruit in a colander.
- Place the fruit in a strong blender, or food processor. Add the lemon juice and sweetener if desired. Blend until completely smooth.
- Line a dehydrator tray with either a silicone mat or parchment paper. Pour the fruit mixture out onto the tray and spread it out to no more than 1/4 inch thick.PRO TIP: It is easiest to use the back of a silicone spatula for spreading. Also, the edges will dry out quicker than the middle, so aim to make the edges ever so slightly thicker than the center. This will ensure a more equal drying time.
- Place the dehydrator trays into the dehydrator. Cover, and set the temperature to approximately 135° Fahrenheit. Let it dry for about 6-8 hours – until the leathers are smooth, dry, and shiny.
- Once the fruit leathers are dry, take them out of the dehydrator. Flip the leather onto a large cutting board, or a very clean kitchen counter.Using a ruler and a pizza cutter, cut the fruit leather into long straight strips. Next, slowly roll up each strip and store each piece in a glass airtight container.PRO TIP: To get really fancy, place plastic wrap on top of the cutting board before you flip the fruit leather onto it. Then continue cutting and rolling. This way you will have each piece already lined in plastic, so you can unroll it and eat it more readily.If you do not use some kind of protection, like plastic wrap or parchment paper, the fruit will stick together while you are rolling. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but without a barrier in between, it will be difficult to unroll and you will have to eat the fruit leathers already rolled up, which actually is the way I like to eat them!
Nutrition
Notes
How to Store
- These delicious fruit leathers store well in a glass airtight container on your kitchen countertop or your pantry.
- You can also wrap them individually in plastic wrap before storing them in a container. This makes it super easy to grab a few for your kid’s lunch boxes or to put in your own bag for a fun snack later in the day.
- For longer storage, these fruit leathers store well in the freezer for up to about three months.
- If you are using fresh fruit, then there is no need to heat the fruit on the stove in water. This step is only if you are using frozen fruit.
- Some recipes call for heating the fruit on the stove to soften no matter if it’s fresh or frozen. However, whenever you cook food it loses nutrients, so if it’s not strictly necessary, then I choose to avoid this step – unless you are using frozen fruit of course.
- You can also use a microwave oven instead of the stove to heat and defrost your frozen fruit.
- If you are looking for a sweeter fruit leather, then definitely add about one tablespoon of either honey or maple syrup.
- If you are looking for a sour fruit roll-up, then avoid the sweetener and double the amount of lemon juice, which would be two tablespoons.
- If you don’t have lemon juice on hand, you can easily use lime juice or orange juice. Both are also acidic and will help preserve the color of your fruit roll-ups.
- Every dehydrator is different so the drying process and time may vary. On average it can take approximately 6-8 hours on a low temperature, about 135°F. However, use this as a gauge only. The best test is when the fruit leathers turn smooth and shiny.
- Do not use wax paper in a dehydrator, or oven for that matter. It is best to use either the silicone sheets that are made for a dehydrator or sheets of parchment paper laid on top of the dehydrator trays.