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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 pureed the seeds, i did the same exact thing like the strawberries so just follow those directions and sub pomegranate for strawberries 🙂
Hi there! We love fruit leather at our house, too! I just saw your facebook posting about using pomegranates…any chance you could explain a little bit about what you did? Did you use the juice and the seeds? Did you just puree the seeds? What did you do about those pesky little bits of white membrane? So excited to try this!
Melissa
I first wanted to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE your website!! You have really helped me in the kitchen with my family! Thank-you for doing this!! I wondered if grapes would work or do you think it is too watery?
Now, I’m getting ready to do my second and third batches. Fig leather and blueberry/raspberry leather. So excited about how much my kids love this. And, it’s so easy to do.
This was absolutely AMAZING! I cannot believe how good it was. I whipped up a batch last night of dried mango, dried apricot, and raisins and dried in a 250 degree oven for 1.5 hrs. My kids ate it for breakfast and lunch today and I even love it. Thanks so much for this idea! So easy.
I am soooo excited that I came across your site. I was chosen to host a home party by healthy child healthy world and I was looking for organic foods to serve that would inspire the mom’s to make at home. I honestly cannot wait to make your recipes, especially this one, it was really easy and tastes amazing! Thank you for all your work and devotion!!! I hope everyone catches on to your healthy food movement 🙂
Yes you can! 🙂 They are amazing!
I was wondering if you could use one of the reusable Silicon mats instead of the parchment paper? I cant wait to try this my daughter absolutly loves fruit snack stuff! So excited!!
Sadly, no sorry, it will burn..but you can get parchment at any grocery store.
Can wax paper be used instead of parchment paper??
That’s an ingenious way of thinking about it.
After examining a few of the blog posts in your wsbtiee now, and I really like your means of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark wsbtiee list and can be checking again soon. Pls check out my wsbtiee as well and let me know what you think.
I wouldn’t be able to tell because it depends upon the fruit. My consistency was just a thick puree of strawberries, the weren’t runny. I guess you can say like applesauce but a little more thin.
I know you said the juicier berries take longer, so you just have to watch it, but what do you think the starting consistency should be like? Is it very runny or is it more like a jarred applesauce consistency?
OK I’m so excited about this I’m gonna burst! Quick question – does step 6 happen in the fridge, or on the counter? Covered, or uncovered? THANKS!!! THIS IS GREAT!!!
Sure! 🙂