Category: Snacks

5 Steps to Basic Fruit Leather

• Add the ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth.
• Divide the mixture into each well of the Deluxe Air Fryer Fruit Leather Trays. Spread the mixture out evenly, making sure the edges of the tray are clean.
• Cook on DEHYDRATE according to the time listed below, rotating the trays halfway through.
• Check for your desired doneness at the minimum time listed. The fruit leather is done when they’re no longer tacky. (Each tray might dry at a different rate.)
• Cool completely before storing in airtight containers.

Favorite Flavor Combinations

Strawberry

• 2 pkgs (16 oz./454 g each) frozen whole strawberries, thawed and drained
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) orange juice
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) agave or honey
• 12–15 hrs.

Mango Pineapple

• 1 pkg (16 oz./454 g) frozen chunked mango, thawed and drained
• 1 pkg (16 oz./454 g) frozen chunked pineapple, thawed and drained
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lime juice
• 1½ tbsp (22 mL) agave or honey
• 12–14 hrs.

Cherry

• 3 pkgs (10 oz./300 g each) frozen, pitted sweet cherries, thawed and drained
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) agave or honey
• 14–15 hrs.

Peach Raspberry

• 2 pkg (10 oz./300 g each) frozen peach slices, thawed and drained
• 1 pkg (8 oz./250 g) frozen raspberries, thawed and drained
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) agave or honey
• 8–10 hrs.

How to Choose Fruit For Your Homemade Fruit Leathers

• You can use any fruit for your flavor combos. You can even add pureed cooked vegetables like carrots, beets, pumpkin, or sweet potatoes for more nutrients. Our Test Kitchen suggests considering these three things when deciding what fruit makes good fruit leather.

1. Is it a Watery Fruit?

• Cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, and raspberries take longer to dehydrate because they have more water content. You can use applesauce, bananas, ground chia, or flax seeds to thicken up your fruit purees.

2. Is it a Pulpy Fruit?

• Oranges, grapefruit, mangos, and passion fruit taste great but will give the leather a bumpier texture.

3. Does the Fruit Turn Brown?

• Fruits that oxidize quickly (turn brown) like apples, bananas, and pears turn out best when you add acidic fruit juice. Try adding lemon, lime, orange, or pineapple juice.
• If you want to try using fresh fruit, you can get started with the Strawberry Fruit Leather recipe above and use 20 oz. (575 g) fresh whole strawberries with the stems removed. (That’s about 2 ¾ cups.) Then follow the recipe and dehydrate time as shown. 
• Or try the Mango Pineapple recipe from above and use 10 oz. (300 g) fresh chunked mango (about 2 cups) and 10 oz. (300 g) fresh chunked pineapple (about 2 cups). You might be able to use a little less honey (about 1–1½ tbsp).
• With fresh fruit that’s in season, you can enjoy excellent fruit leather but be prepared for a little bit more testing. Your fruit leathers might turn out different from batch to batch depending on the ripeness of the fruit. Fresh fruits and over-ripe fruits typically have more water and take longer to dehydrate.

How to Store Fruit Leather

• Once your fruit treats come out of the air fryer, let them cool completely. For easy eating, cut strips of parchment paper and place the fruit leathers on top. Then roll them from there. This way the fruit leather doesn’t stick to itself when it’s rolled up (and they look super cute!) 

Why is My Fruit Leather Cracking?

• As you roll up your fruit leathers they might break or crack. No worries. That batch just got a little too dry. They’re still perfectly good to eat. For the next batch, try reducing your dehydrate time.