3 No-Cook Fruit Leather Dehydrator Recipes * The Homesteading Hippy (2024)

Have a large amount of fresh fruit from the garden or co-op? These no cook fruit leather dehydrator recipes are an easy and healthy snack for your family.

Dehydrating is a terrific way to preserve the harvest, especially when you have a significant amount of fresh fruit from the garden or co-op.

3 No-Cook Fruit Leather Dehydrator Recipes * The Homesteading Hippy (1)

Try these fruit leather dehydrator recipes to make a healthy snack for your family.

Fruit rolls are my go-to way to preserve excess fruit because they are so easy to prepare. This process works best with fruit that is ripe or even a bit past its prime. Using fruit in this condition will give you flavorful fruit wraps.

Using the no-cook method give you the benefits of raw fruit leather

Fruit Preparation

  1. Start with washed fruit. Cut out any obvious bruises; these will affect the taste of the finished product.
  2. Remove stones and large seeds.Fruit with small seeds (like strawberry) can stay, or you canstrain them out later.
  3. Remove the skin if it is something that is not usually eaten. (melon, banana)
  4. Place the fruit pieces into a blender or food processor andblend until smooth.
  5. Taste and add sweetener, if desired. You’ll find that fruit leather tastesexcellent without added sugar.
  6. Too thin– drain it through a sieve. Too thick – add more water or fruit juice if needed to achieve a smooth consistency.

Using Sweetener in Fruit Rolls

Sugar and honey are interchangeable in these recipes. Sugar tends to make a fruit leather that is on the brittle side and honey willleave the fruit roll a bit stickier.

Experiment with the amount of sweetener and its taste to see which your family prefers. Even maple sugar or agave can work.

Prepare Fruit Leather Dehydrator Sheets

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If you have a round dehydrator, you can use the fruit roll sheets that came with the machine. If you make a lot of dehydrated fruit leather, it’s worth investing in extra sheets. (they last forever).

If you have an Excalibur Dehydrator, then purchase extra non-stick dehydrator sheets so you can load up several trays at once.

Spread the fruit puree in a circular pattern to within one inch of the non-stick sheets, or right to the edge of the plastic sheets. The outside edges will dry faster than the inside, so they should be thicker than the center.

Dry fruit leather at 125 degrees F for six to eight hours.The leather should be translucent, slightly tacky to the touch, and peel away from the liner without sticking.

Your fruit leather should be removed when warm, so it comes out in one piece.

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Strawberry Banana Fruit Leather Recipe

Makes one full tray.

  • 2 cups cut and cored strawberries
  • 1/4 cup sugar or honey (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 large ripe banana
  1. Combine the ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth.
  2. Taste and add sweetener if desired.
  3. Remove seeds if desired.
  4. Swirl out on sheets (see above) on dehydrator trays.
  5. Dry for six to eight hours at 125 degrees F.
3 No-Cook Fruit Leather Dehydrator Recipes * The Homesteading Hippy (3)
  1. 1 cup nectariTropical Fruit Leatherne pieces
  2. 1 cup mango pieces
  3. 2 tablespoons sugar or honey (optional)
  4. 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  5. 1 large ripe banana

Remove skin from the mango and nectarine. Combine the ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

Taste and add sweetener if desired. Add additional water to achieve desired consistency. Swirl out on sheets (see above) on dehydrator trays. Dry for six to eight hours at 125 degrees F. Makes one full tray.

Blueberry Vanilla Fruit Leather

  • 20 ounces frozen blueberries
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon pure honey

Thaw frozen blueberries and reserve 2 tablespoons of the juice.In a food processor or blender, combine the blueberries, reserved berry juice, vanilla, and honey. Puree until very smooth, about 1 minute.

How to Store Fruit Leather

Once the fruit sheets are completely dry, use a pizza cutter to slice them into one-inch wide strips, and tie them with a piece of string. They can be wrapped with or without parchment paper.

Store the fruit leather in a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid. These wraps will last in the dark pantry cupboard for 6 months, but you’ll find that it’s hard to keep them around that long!

Related Dehydrating Articles

  • How to Preserve Blueberries
  • How to Make Dehydrated Bone Broth
  • How to Make Dehydrated Potato Flakes from Scratch
  • How to Make Dehydrated Eggs
  • Beef Jerky, Make it at Home

These recipes are inspired by a book I’ve just finished reading called Prepper’s Dehydrator Handbook by my blogger friend Shelle Wells. Don’t let the name of the book fool you, it is full of detailed dehydrating tips for over 50 fruits and vegetables.

She also covers how to dry herbs, make jerky and store it all in your pantry long-term. You can find her other dehydrating ideas over at her website Rockin W Homestead.

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3 No-Cook Fruit Leather Dehydrator Recipes * The Homesteading Hippy (5)

Heather Harris

Heather’s homesteading journey started in 2006, with baby steps: first, she got a few raised beds, some chickens, and rabbits. Over the years, she amassed a wealth of homesteading knowledge, knowledge that you can find in the articles of this blog.

Learn more about Heather and the rest of the writers on this page.

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3 No-Cook Fruit Leather Dehydrator Recipes * The Homesteading Hippy (2024)

FAQs

Can I use parchment paper in my dehydrator for fruit leather? ›

Line the trays with parchment paper, as sometimes the puree can leak through. We start with the wrap and remove it after a few hours when it has started to dry. I've shared three of our favourites but the flavour combinations are endless.

How long does it take to dehydrate fruit leather in a dehydrator? ›

Set your dehydrator to 140°F (60°C) and let it do its magic for at least 6 or up to 12 hours. The actual time will depend on the type of fruit you're using and the thickness of your leather. But we've found that 8 to 10 hours is the sweet range for making fruit leather in our dehydrator. Check your fruit occasionally.

Can I use frozen fruit to make fruit leather? ›

The basics of homemade fruit leathers:

Use any kind of fruit (frozen works if defrosted). Puree until very smooth. Spread in an even layer on a parchment-paper lined sheet pan. Bake until no longer sticky, about 4 hours in a 175-degree oven.

Can you put sugar on fruit in a dehydrator? ›

Dehydrating Fruit with Direct Sunlight - You can actually dry strawberries in the sun. Sugar - Feel free to mix in some sugar to add to the sweetness before you dehydrate the strawberries.

What not to put in a dehydrator? ›

Therefore, avoid drying foods like peanut butter or avocados and be sure to trim meat to remove any fat before dehydrating. While nonfat dairy products can technically be dehydrated, it's not recommended and may be associated with a higher risk of foodborne illness.

Why is my fruit leather cracking in the dehydrator? ›

If your fruit leather is brittle and cracking easily, that could be a sign that it's too dry. If you are having trouble peeling the fruit leather from the pan, try moistening it to help prevent it from cracking.

What are the disadvantages of fruit leather? ›

But fruit leathers can contain high concentrations of pesticides. That's because the agricultural chemicals are sprayed on the fruit from which they are made. Different types of fresh fruit vary considerably in the amounts of residue they contain.

Why did my fruit leather burn? ›

Take care to spread the mixture evenly. If it is too thick in the middle and thin on the edges, the edges will burn before the middle has cooked through. The fruit leather will change color when it's dehydrated enough.

Why is fruit leather expensive? ›

Fruit and plant leather is more expensive than animal leather due to the technical effort required, but it is considerably simpler and more environmentally friendly to produce this leather in terms of the number of natural resources used.

How do you pretreat fruit before dehydrating? ›

Sodium sulfite is another commercial product for pretreating foods. Sodium metabisulfite is available at many wine supply shops or some pharmacies. Stir 1 tablespoon of sodium metabisulfite into 1 quart of cold water. Allow fruit to soak 10–15 minutes, then drain and place on dryer trays.

Can you over dry fruit in a dehydrator? ›

If your dehydrated food feels soft, spongy, or sticky it's probably not dehydrated enough. Put the product back in for additional time. Hard and crunchy or breakable pieces are done. Yes, items can be over-dried and as a result are more difficult to rehydrate.

Can you dehydrate bananas? ›

Dehydrating bananas is a great way to preserve their flavor and nutrition for your recipes. However, if not done properly, they can brown and become unappetizing. You can help prevent your bananas from browning as they dry by pretreating the slices with a small amount of lemon juice or citric acid.

Does parchment paper work in a dehydrator? ›

a bunch of you guys were asking . what I use for my liners on top . of the dehydrator trays. and I actually just use parchment paper.

What can I use to line my dehydrator tray? ›

Use parchment paper

Dried apples, pears, pineapple, bananas and other fruit pop right off the paper when the drying is complete. Use a good-quality, thick parchment paper, so food will release from it without tearing.

How to fix fruit leather sticking to parchment paper? ›

Try a little cooking spray (pan release) on the pan, or, another option would be to use a silicone mat. Stuck parchment paper fix: wet the back with a paper towel, really saturate the parchment paper. Then peal off.

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