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Making Strawberry Fruit Leather in the Dehydrator couldn’t be any easier, and it’s the perfect use for summer strawberries!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
- Simple and Versatile: You can turn almost any fruit into delicious fruit leather. While we love experimenting with different flavors, Strawberry Fruit Leather is a classic favorite in our kitchen.
- Naturally Sweet: Made with fresh summer strawberries and a touch of honey or agave, this recipe creates a naturally sweet snack that’s far healthier than store-bought fruit roll ups that are loaded with sugar.
- Great for Using Seasonal Fruit: This recipe is a perfect way to use up extra seasonal fruit and reduce food waste while making something your kids will love.
- Kid-Approved: My kids love the fun, strip-form presentation of homemade fruit leather, and I feel good knowing it’s made from simple, wholesome ingredients.
- Endless Flavor Options: If strawberries aren’t available, you can easily switch it up with other fruits and make Peach Fruit Leather, Persimmon Fruit Leather, or Pineapple Fruit Leather. The possibilities are endless, and each variation makes for a delicious, on-the-go snack!
The Ingredients
- Fresh Strawberries: The more ripe the berries, the more naturally sweet they’ll be. I often use strawberries that are about to go bad so that we minimize food waste!
- Honey: Having additional sweetener is optional. If you feel your strawberries are sweet enough, leave it out. You could also use agave instead of honey if that’s what you prefer!
How to Make Strawberry Fruit Leather in Dehydrator
This strawberry fruit leather recipe is made in a countertop dehydrator. If you’re going to be making fruit leather often, a dehydrator is worth the investment. It prevents the need to turn on your oven, and you can set it and forget it for several hours. If you don’t have a dehydrator, here’s a recipe post on how to make strawberry fruit leather in the oven!
Step 1: Prep the strawberries by washing and remove the stems. I used this strawberry huller!
Step 2: Place the strawberries in a blender or food processor. Drizzle a bit of honey or agave if you want to sweeten them up a bit. This is optional, and if your berries are very sweet, you can skip the additional sweetener. Blend until smooth.
Step 3: Pour the strawberry puree onto a dehydrator sheet. Use a spoon or offset spatula to spread the mixture in a completely even layer. You don’t want the mixture to be too thin or too thick – this is where the experimenting comes in to play!
Step 4: Place the sheets in the dehydrator, set to 135°F for 3-4 hours, until the fruit leather is dry to the touch, and no longer sticky. Cut the fruit leather into strips and roll them up in parchment paper.
Tips for Making Homemade Strawberry Fruit Leather
- Storage: Fruit leather can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few months, although ours are usually gone much faster than that!
- Use Ripe Strawberries: For the best flavor and natural sweetness, choose ripe strawberries. The riper the berries, the more vibrant and delicious your fruit leather will be.
- Spread Evenly: When spreading the strawberry puree onto the dehydrator trays, aim for an even thickness. This ensures consistent drying and prevents some areas from becoming too brittle while others stay too moist.
- Check for Doneness: Your fruit leather is ready when it’s no longer sticky to the touch and peels easily from the tray.
FAQs
Cracking can happen if the fruit leather is too dry. Next time, check for doneness earlier or spread the puree slightly thicker on the tray. Homemade fruit leather can be a bit of trial and error!
Absolutely! You can blend strawberries with other fruits like raspberries, blueberries, pineapple or peaches to create unique flavor combinations.
The drying time can vary depending on the thickness of the puree, the dehydrator you use and the settings you have it on. Typically, it takes anywhere from 3 to 5, sometime up to 8 hours at 135°F to achieve the perfect texture.
More Recipes Using Strawberries
Whip up this easy, healthy Strawberry Fruit Leather in your dehydrator for a snack that both kids and adults will love. Feel free to experiment with different fruits, and enjoy a treat that’s as fun to make as it is to eat! If you have any questions, leave a comment below!
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Strawberry Fruit Leather – Dehydrator Method
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups strawberries
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave, optional
Instructions
- Wash the strawberries and remove the stems.
- Place strawberries in a blender. Drizzle with honey or agave if you want to sweeten them up a bit. This is optional, and if your berries are very sweet, you can skip additional sweetener. Blend strawberries until smooth.
- Pour the strawberry puree onto a dehydrator sheet. Use a spoon or offset spatula to spread the mixture in a completely even layer. You don't want the mixture to be too thin or too thick – this is where the experimenting comes in to play!
- Place the sheets in the dehydrator set to 135°F for 3-4 hours, until the fruit leather is dry to the touch, and no longer sticky.
- Cut the fruit leather into strips and roll up in parchment paper. Fruit leather can be stored in at airtight container at room temperature for a few months, although ours never last that long!
Video
Notes
- Storage: Fruit leather can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few months, although ours are usually gone much faster than that!
- Use Ripe Strawberries: For the best flavor and natural sweetness, choose ripe strawberries. The riper the berries, the more vibrant and delicious your fruit leather will be.
- Spread Evenly: When spreading the strawberry puree onto the dehydrator trays, aim for an even thickness. This ensures consistent drying and prevents some areas from becoming too brittle while others stay too moist.
- Check for Doneness: Your fruit leather is ready when it’s no longer sticky to the touch and peels easily from the tray.
Nutrition
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I got so excited when I say this! Can’t wait to try it. We have 5 kids and I know they’ll love this!
A local store is have a GREAT sale on strawberries. I’d love to stock-up. Do you think I could puree them and then freeze some extra batches tell I’m ready to cook them? Thanks!
If you refrigerate them, they will get more moist. Just put them in Ziploc bags or a Tupperware for 2 weeks to a month but I doubt they will last so long – we love it!!
Since these are completely all natural, do you have to refrigerate them? How long will they keep fresh after making them?
I had to do the same thing this last time that I had made them! And I have made them over 10 times! Everyone loves it – they can’t get enough of it!!
Made some last night. I must not have spread it as evenly as I had thought because the edges began to brown before the middle was set. I pulled it out of the oven, let it sit over night, cut the done portion into strips, placed the undone portion back into the oven this morning…I will call it a success. The true success is that the kids, and my hubbie, loved it!
You can store them in ziplock bags or tupperware. They are good for about 2 weeks to a month if they even last that long! 🙂
How is this stored after it is made? How long is it good for? Can’t wait to try it! Just wondering if small batches are best. Thanks alot.
I just gave some to my 9 month old. He loved it! He has no teeth, but eats only table food. Only you know what will be good for your own child. Use your best judgement and think about how you present it to them to optimize success. I broke it up into very small pieces for my son. I hope your daughter likes it!
My 14 month old loves fruit leather, but he has all his teeth and is accustom to textured and chewy foods. I started out breaking it up on his tray, but now he eats it on his own when we are out and about. I like two parts strawberries and one part pears.
Ya she’ll eat it so fast! As long as they have teeth, they can eat it. If you are worried about choking – just give it to them in small pieces 🙂
Do you think this is for older children and not toddlers? I have an 18 month old and thought this sounded wonderful for her but didn’t know if it would pose a choking hazard. Has Chloe eaten any?
Thanks!
You can definitely use mangos! – You can always just add a little more honey to the puree and then put them in the oven. Anything pureed will work 🙂
Hello! What are some other good fruits to use here-would rasberries/blueberries be too tart? What about mango? As long as it’s blendable in the cuisinart is it pretty much a go? Thanks!
Can you share your recipe with the apples?
How long does it take it in the dehydrator? That is such a great idea but most people don’t have a dehydrator – which is why we used the oven. I think I’m going to use the dehydrator and see how they turn out too!
This is awesome! I have been making fruit leather for sometime, but I’ve only used apples and not berries. I would always have to add a little water to get the mix a little juicier. Also, I’ve never used the oven, which is what I love about THIS recipe (besides the berries!). However, if batches continue to burn or get a little more crisp than you’d like, use a dehydrator. I have a 4 tray dehydrator and keep them in the fridge. I’m trying it this way tomorrow! 🙂