We all know the obvious, you can dehydrate fruits in a dehydrator, but did you know that you can do it in the oven as well? Yes, that’s right, you can have delicious dehydrated fruits without having to buy an expensive machine to do it!
Prep Your Fruit
Choose a ripe or just over-ripe fruit or berry
Wash it using cold water
Remove spots or blemishes
Remove any pits
Remove any stems
Cut and slice the fruit evenly, this is to ensure that they dry in the same time frame
You can remove the skins, but it is not necessary:
Some fruits such as peaches, nectarines, and apples dry better if the skin has been removed.
Soak It
To keep the fruit visually appealing, and to minimize discoloration, soak the fruit in lemon juice and water for 10 minutes. Drain and blot using a lint-free towel.
To the oven
Preheat the oven to 130-160F; using a lower temperature for thins sliced fruits like apples or peaches. Strawberries and other whole berries require a hotter temperature.
Place parchment paper onto sheet pans and arrange the fruit in a single layer, but do not allow anything to touch. Top with a pizza screen or a silicone pan liner to keep them from curling as they dry. Place the fruit into the oven and rotate every two hours.
General Cooking Times
Plums 6 hours
Pears 6 hours
Peaches 6 hours
Bananas 6 hours
Apples 6 hours
Grapes 8-10 hours
Citrus Peel 8-10 hours
Cherries 12 hours
Strawberries 12 hours
Apricots 12 hours
Cure it
When the fruit is ready, remove from the oven and place the fruit into a glass or plastic container to “cure.” Leave the container open for 4-5 days so that any moisture left from the drying process can evaporate. Shake the container at least once a day to move the fruit around.
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