During the summer months we constantly get emails saying, “Help! I just got a million pounds of [insert fruit of your choice here] what can I make with it??” If that’s you, this should be at the top of your list! And even if you don’t have a million pounds of anything, it should still be a the top of your list. You can use just about any fruit, and it’s perfect for those things that are just a little too ripe to eat any other way. My kids LOVE homemade fruit roll-ups (which is a way more appetizing name than fruit leather, so we’re going to say roll-ups, okay?) Now, I have absolutely nothing against pre-packaged foods. Heck, my 14 month old ate like 7 packs of fruit snacks before I even got dressed this morning. I’m not one of those moms who makes everything from scratch- but, it’s sure nice to do sometimes. I do like to encourage my kids to eat healthy, wholesome food, and it’s a bonus when they can help make it. Besides the fact that these taste simply amazing, you control exactly what goes in there, and I love that. No artificial colors or flavors or preservatives, just perfectly wonderful fruit and the amount of sweetener you like. I’m telling you; whether your 5 or 95, you’ll love eating fruit roll-ups!
You can use just about any fruit or fruit combination you can imagine. I got loads of raspberries and a few peaches yesterday from my sweet friend Carolyn, and we had some strawberries on hand already. I’ve never had a bad fruit combo, so play around and see what you like! And while this is fabulous with fresh fruit, you can also use frozen, or even fruit you’ve canned.
Prepare Fruit: Make sure your fruit is washed and then roughly chop just so you can measure. If you’re into measuring, that is. If you’re not into measuring than this recipe is totally for you since it really doesn’t matter if you measure or not! Those of you who need a number, you’ll need about 3 cups fruit for a standard size rimmed baking sheet (13×18, or 13×15). I always do a little more than that just so I have plenty and can make it as thick as I want. Toss the extra in a smoothie.
Sweeten: If your fruit is naturally sweet enough, you don’t even have to add anything. I always add a little somethin’ somethin’ to mine. You can use granulated sugar, honey, or even splenda or agave syrup. I’m going to add a little honey to my peach-strawberry mix. I added about 3-4 tablespoons. You can also add ground spices and extracts at this point. Keep in mind that flavors and sweetness intensify after drying, so less is more. For light colored fruits, add about 2 teaspoons lemon juice to prevent browning. You can add lemon juice to any fruit combo just to brighten the flavor.
Puree: Many (actually, most) recipes for fruit leathers/roll-ups have you simmer the fruit on the stove first. I used to do that until I realized I didn’t really have to- and you all know I will avoid dirtying a dish if I can! So just pop it all in a food processor so you can get it nice and smooth. This picture below is actually of my raspberry batch. I did all raspberries with white sugar and almond extract. Holy heaven-in-a-food-processor:
Taste the mixture after it’s smooth and add more sweetener if you need to. You need to be able to pour this mixture, so if you puree your fruit and it’s pretty thick, just add a little liquid. You can add water, or fruit juice.
Line Pans: Okay, technically this step should happen at the beginning, but whatever. Just be sure to line your pan. You’ll notice in the photo above, I’ve lined my pan with plastic wrap. While these are going in the oven, the temperature is so low it won’t melt the plastic, BUT- DON’T USE CHEAP PLASTIC WRAP. I need to make that clear. Use good quality plastic wrap, not a bargain brand; some packages even specify for use in a microwave. Others are so flimsy and cheap that you might run the risk of them melting at such a low heat. Use good stuff and you’ll be fine. Just cover the entire pan with plastic and smooth out any wrinkles. You don’t want a ton of overhang, so trim if you need to, but make sure to leave at least an inch or two of overhang because it will kind of shrink up in the oven. Leave the edges loose (as in, don’t tighten them around the pan.) You can also use a silicone baking mat like in the strawberry batch below. Both silicone and plastic wrap work the best in my opinion. The fruit will stick to both foil and parchment so I don’t recommend those. If you do decide to try it, you need to spray it with non-stick spray or brush it with vegetable oil first. I think plastic and silicone really work the best so go with one of those.
Spread Puree: Use an offset spatula to gently spread the mixture in an even layer. The more evenly you spread, the more evenly it cooks. Keep the mixture away from the edges like in the photo below. You’ll want it about 1/8″ thick. Your puree should be thin enough that it pours, but thick enough to stay put where you spread it.
Cook: Set your oven temperature to the lowest setting. Mine is 170, many ovens will go down to 140. 170 works great, and it will be a little faster than 140. You’re basically just warming the air, helping the fruit dry faster. You can actually place the trays outside in the sun as well, but it does take much longer than the oven. And if you have a food dehydrator, obviously just follow the instructions for your machine.
This is where you will have to be patient. It takes about 6-8 hours, sometimes longer, for it to dry. If you aren’t going to be at home and you don’t want to leave your oven on, just keep the oven door shut and turn it off while you’re gone. Turn it back on when you get back and it will just keep on drying. I often make this in the evening and leave it in the oven for a few hours, then turn the oven heat off when I go to bed, and turn it back on in the morning until it’s done. You can test it by touching the center of the fruit mixture- it should not stick to your finger, and not indent when you touch it. The edges will cook faster than the center; if the edges look like they’re getting crispy, you can cut those off later, or brush them with a little water or juice during the baking process to rehydrate. Or if you overbake the entire pan, you can also brush with a little water until it’s pliable again.
See how thin that is? You can see right through it.
I never thought fruit roll-ups could be gorgeous, but this raspberry one is gor-ge-ous! You can certainly strain out the seeds before cooking, but I happen to think straining raspberry seeds is a huge pain in the rear and I love the little bit of texture it gives to the final product.
Remove: You can peel it off the plastic or baking mat while it’s still warm, it should come off easily.
Roll: You can wrap it right back up in the plastic, or cut a sheet of parchment to fit.
I like to use a pizza cutter and trim all of the edges (my kids love to eat that part) so I have nice clean lines to work with. Because I’m a freak like that. If you have a good (clean) pair of scissors, you could roll the whole sheet and then just snip all the way through the roll. If you’re like me and have 14 pairs of crappy scissors, none of which you can ever find when you actually need them, then cut into strips and then roll them up i ndividually. Or if you want large rolls of fruit, you can do it that way. I love these little one-inch segments because they’re a great size for kiddos.
Most of the little rolls will stay rolled, but if they need help, you can always attach a little piece of tape, or a twist tie to keep them all bundled up.
They make yummy little treats in lunch boxes
Or healthy snacks (for Mom and Dad too!)
Since the drying process is long, fit as many pans in your oven as you can! We love to do all different colors and flavors and experiment with flavor combinations.
It’s also a good idea to make lots because these will be gone in a heart beat.
If stored well (I like to keep them in a mason jar) these can stay fresh up to several weeks.
Or so I’ve heard. I’ve honestly never had them last more than a few days.
Okay, one day. About an hour unless I hide the jar.
You can also freeze them.
Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups
From ourbestbites.com
Ingredients
2 1/2 – 3 cups ripe or slightly over-ripe diced fruit
sweetener to taste: honey, sugar, agave, etc.
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
optional: seasonings, spices, extracts to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to lowest temperature. 140° or higher. Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Pour onto a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap, or a silicone baking mat (don’t use foil, parchment, or waxed paper), and spread to 1/8″ thick. Place in oven and bake for 6-8 hours, until center is not tacky anymore. Remove from oven and peel off of baking sheet. Cut into strips and roll in parchment or plastic. Store in airtight container or freeze.
Tips:
-All fruits will produce slightly different results. Strawberries and Raspberries are two of my favorites, that consistently produce good flavor and texture. You might have to experiment to find what works well. If you’re going to make a giant batch, you may want to test one first to make sure it works well.
– The addition of sugar or honey enhances the texture and makes the fruit roll ups a little more chewy than if you leave it out.
– If using plastic wrap, it will shrink a little as the fruit dries, so do leave a little extra around the edges. A silicone baking mat works the absolute best in my opinion.
Questions & Reviews
Do you think this would work with frozen fruit as well?
Yep, works great with frozen fruit
my mom used to make this with the italian grapes from my papa’s garden as a child. they were my favorite, but i never knew how it was done. sadly she passed away before i ever learned this skill… so thank you for posting this!!!
so absolutely excited about this. I have ALWAYS wanted to know how to make some that aren’t full of sugar. Thanks!
My life would be so much more complicated without you! Yesterday I was researching making fruit leather in the oven, and the recipes I read had me completely convinced that I needed to simmer the fruit first. You can imagine how thrilled I was to see your tutorial this AM. I’ve got three pans in the oven already – pear/grape/blueberry and nectarine/plum.
First let me say that I love love love your Asian BBQ Chicken! It was the first recipe I tried off of this site and one of the few that the whole family likes.
I had not really considered making fruit roll ups before but am definately going to now! Our family ‘fall to do’ list includes weekly baking with my kids. My daughter (who is 5) was lookng at the cookie recipes and requested that we make Cadbury Egg cookies next weekend. I’m thinking that we will follow that with the much healthier fruit roll ups!
Why do I love you gals soooooo much!? And how is it that you read my mind? You are the best!
Thanks! I had no idea you could do this w/o a dehydrator! Well now I know and now I have a new idea for school lunches! THANKS!
I found the answer to what to do with my freeze dried fruit that has started to hydrate in the can and is just a bit chewy. Totally doing this! Thank you!
ooo! Good idea! I have a couple of opened cans that are getting towards the end of their shelf life!
I have a pear tree and never know what to do with all of them when they become ripe. What would you suggest I pair with pears? :). These sound sooo yummy. I would probably be in danger of eating more of them than my kiddos.
These sound awesome! So can’t wait to try these.
I like to make fruit leather out of applesauce and a little jello gelatin dissolved in hot water. It’s a good way to use up the applesauce I’ve canned that we’re not getting to, since I can usually find people giving away apples. I like the texture of it better than other fruit combinations I’ve tried, and it’s easy when you don’t have a lot of other fruit around.
You know, I actually do have a dehydrator…I think, we might have sold it but I don’t think so. But I think I would rather do it in the oven. Larger piece that is easier to cut & roll than a circle from the dehydrator and easier to level. Will have to try this, I have some peaches left & might be looking at a bunch more fruit in my future.
Love that you made these homemade
Sara – that is totally FUNN and I give you 2 FUNN thumbs up!
I LOVE to make fruit leather at home. Apricot is my absolute favorite. YUM! In Utah, on a nice hot, sunny day they will dry outside lickity split! But it has to be one of those cookers. I hate to use the oven in the summer. One of these days I will get myself a food dehydrator. One of these days. 🙂 Thanks for sharing. I love the idea of cutting strips because a whole roll is always a bit much for just one person. (unless it’s me of course) I had never thought of that before.
FInally a recipe that is healthy. THank you! I’ve been looking for this!
Love this! My kids would be so excited to help make fruit roll ups!
Oh man- I so needed this when I had 15 lb of strawberries in April (we live on the GA/AL border), but I can’t wait to try with peaches! I love your site, btw.
I’m definitely gonna do this. I love fruit leather, but it’s a little expensive at my grocery store! And by the way, love that lunch box!! We have the exact same one! Love Williams and Sonoma!!
Oh funny- we love it too! My boys use them to tote around legos more often than lunch, lol!
this looks delicious! I just realized now that this is easy to do, thanks for the great recipe. Hugs!♥
Sara, you are the best! Definitely trying this, & I love the Star Wars lunch box thrown in there.
I didn’t realize you have a 14 month old! Our little guy will hit 14m tomorrow. Everyone we know with kids are either a year older or just born, not fair!
Awe, too bad we’re not neighbors- our little dudes could play (and eat fruit snacks, lol) together!
I’m so happy that this can be done without a dehydrator! I always thought you needed one (though I imagine if I had taken even 3 seconds to google “homemade fruit roll-ups” I could have found that an oven works just fine). I have LOADS of frozen fruit that I’ve been anxious to get out of my freezer–this might be just the thing!
Question- could you bake it on parchment paper instead of plastic wrap?
Yes, you can use parchment. Strangely enough, I’ve never done it that way! I would think it would come off the parchment just fine, but I’ve heard that it helps to spray it with non-stick spray first.
I’ve tried it with parchment (without using cooking spray), and since it is a kind of paper, it absorbed some of the moisture from the puree as it was drying. Then the parchment wrinkled up so the fruit leather was no longer smooth. Some parts were a lot thicker (in the little valleys of the wrinkles), and it dried unevenly but peeled off the paper with no problem. Maybe the cooking spray helps with this, but you might want to try a small test batch first.
I have seen tons of homemade fruit roll up recipes, but none that gave the exact directions for the oven – so THANK YOU!
I thought I’d pass this on – I saw it on another site and thought it was TOO cool! Someone used applesauce as their base for their fruit roll ups and then piped, squirted, whatever you want to call it, designs onto the leather with strawberry, raspberry, etc puree. It had swirls, spots, stars, etc and looked SO awesome!
oh, I LOVE this! I’m totally going to try that with my next batch, thanks for the fun tip!
So I was thinking about this last night. My daughter’s birthday party is coming up and the theme is the Very Hungry Caterpillar. For the treat bags, I thought it would be cool to make fruit leather with the designs that look like caterpillars. So I was thinking applesauce or peaches or something for the base, strawberries for the caterpillar heads, and kiwis for the caterpillar bodies…but will kiwis work?
Kelli, what a great idea!! I’ve made fruit roll ups before and added a little bit of plain yogurt to the mix…it was really good, but too sticky to wrap in plastic wrap, so I’m glad you mentioned transferring it to parchment paper while still warm. I will try that next time (I’m always trying to add protein to everything). I finally have fruit on 5 of my trees (okay, so they were only planted last winter…I’m not exactly patient), so I’m really looking forward to having the problem of too much fruit to know what to do with it. Wait a second, I won’t ever have that problem thanks to Sara and Kate!
What a neat idea, I’ve got a dehydrator I can try this with! Because I’m horrible at experimenting, would it be possible to post combos along with measurements for what you’ve tried? Usually when I experiment something turns into fish paste 😉
You know, it really depends on your fruit- I promise, you honestly can’t mess these up! Just add sugar until it tastes yummy, and you’re going to puree into oblivion anyway, so go for it!
ok….pureed up some strawberries and blueberries and peaches and blueberries. i MUST have done something wrong. one of the trays in the oven finished in 1.5 hours (oven on 170 and door cracked open). not only did it finish, but it broke into pieces and tasted burned. the other three are still cooking…….PLEASE HELP!!!! i have now closed the door, but am VERY upset with this…..please email me!!
Hey Tracy:
Hydration is key, as it appears that your oven and home create a very dry atmosphere. Your best bet is to periodically lightly brush with water or reserve some of the puree off to the side mixed with water to brush on your sheet. You might even consider making your batch just a slight bit thicker.
I can’t help but think this is a Fahrenheit vs. Celsius issue? 170 Fahrenheit is only about 75 Celsius so at 170 Celsius you’d definitely have a problem!
This is such a fantastic idea! Your pictures are absolutely gorgeous. You’re right, the raspberry looks amazing.
You are brilliant! Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
Cool! This looks so fun!
Such perfect timing! I have a 1/4 bushel of peaches in my fridge and I was wondering what to do with them! I am going to give this a try, thanks so much!!
I’m so glad you posted this. I was toying with the idea of fruit leather when I get a bunch of pears next week but didn’t think I could do it since my oven only goes 170 for a low and every recipe I’ve seen says 130 -140. I saw a few people say you can leave a crack in the oven if your oven goes too hot , but with a curious 9 month old crawling around my house and with no way to keep him from crawling into the kitchen I figured that wouldn’t be safe and abandoned the idea of fruit leather. I’m definately going to try it now that I know 170 works just fine!
I have lots of pears too what flavours did you make with pears?
Have you tried using freezer paper? I don’t know if this would work but one side is plastic coated, so I wonder if this would make doing roll ups quicker.
I’m not positive, but I’m fairly certain that freezer paper shouldn’t go in the oven. I don’t think the layer of plastic used is heat-safe, so that’s the only thing I’d worry about.
Perhaps Parchment paper will work. It can go in oven & freezer.
As mentioned in the post, parchment works, but it helps to spray it with non-stick spray. Plastic wrap and silicone baking mats really work the best.
Freezer wrap is coated on one side with wax not plastic.