Three Little Dehydrator Fruit Leather Hacks That I 💗

I love making fruit leather on my dehydrator, and through trial and error, I’ve learned a couple of things that make it really quick, painless, and tidy.

1) Don’t use sugar, use honey.  

Sure, you can make fruit leather with just the fruit, and it’ll be fine (I guess, if that’s the kind of person you are), but it won’t last as long, and it might also not taste quite as delicious. Remember, sugar also acts as a preservative in foods like this, so you’ll get at least another month or so of shelf life out of your leather. I dunno, maybe you don’t need shelf life.  Maybe you eat your fruit leather right away, at 2am, while binge watching survivalist YouTube videos.  Not that I would blame you. 

But maybe you want it to last a little longer, and taste a little nicer, and oh, maybe not crystallize and get all weird if it sits for a little while.  Yes, fruit leather sweetened with table sugar will do this.  Instead, use honey.  Like 1 tbsp per Magic Bullet of puree (getting to that part). There, now your leather is in no danger of getting odd crunchy bits of crystallized sugar on its surface. You’re welcome.

2) Spray your fruit leather tray with food grade silicone. 

Looks scary, is harmless.

Some people use oil.  Myself, I like to use all the advantages that modern technology can offer me while it still lasts. Maybe someday we’ll live in a world where food-grade silicone spray isn’t readily available, but by then, I probably won’t be able to use my awesome Presto dehydrator anyway, so fuck it.

This will help you unleash your newly dried, possibly somewhat sticky creation from its mold in one piece, which makes it much prettier. Also, having one side coated in a very light sheen of silicone makes it easier to unroll after it’s been stored for a bit.

2) One Magic Bullet™ (or other generic version) 18 oz. blender cup full of puree is the perfect batch size for one tray of fruit leather. 

Swear to God, watch…

See? Boom. Spread it around with a spatula and kinda even it out. Done. Now make a few more trays.  (Incidentally, I discovered that a little less than a half-flat of beautiful Salinas strawberries make exactly four trays of puree. Shove the rest of them into your face while they’re still fresh, preferably while making the puree. I mean, don’t do that. Maintain good food safety practices instead.) Leave them on 135°F for like 10 hours. Eat your delicious, super easy fruit leather over the coming 4-6 months (if stored in a cool, dry place, in a mason jar with oxygen absorbers) while you think of me.

Happy Surviving.