Homemade Dried Fruit Recipe

Serves: Depends on amount of fruit being used.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes to prep, between 3 to 8 hours depending on fruit.

Homemade dried fruit is simple to make, does not require any special equipment and is a delicious addition to your daily diet (especially with nuts and yoghurt or cereal).

You get peace of mind knowing that your fruit has not been laced with any oils (which most dried fruit from supermarkets are) and it always tastes better when it is your own!

It’s as simple as cutting, drying and storing…

TIP – Preheat the oven at 170°F before you start to prepare the fruit. The oven will be nice and warm by the time you come to use it.

• Select a nice ripe piece of fruit – Cherries, grapes, apricots, apples, peaches, pears, bananas, etc.
• Peal and wash if necessary
• Remove cores or pits.
• Cut the fruit into segments as desired – Remember to keep the sizes consistent as they have to cook together!

• Arrange the cut fruit in a single layer on non-stick baking sheets in a baking tray.
• Create as many sheets of fruit as you like to put on each oven rack.
• Make sure the pieces aren’t touching each other.
• Allow around an inch around the sides of each tray to let the warm air circulate.
• Keep the oven door open slightly and move fruit around every 25-35 minutes until the fruit becomes dry but not crispy!
• Remember that dried fruit is still slightly juicy and chewy, not crispy!

• Once the fruit has dried to your liking (it can take anywhere between 3 to 8 hours for fruit to dry depending on its type, thickness and water content) remove the trays from the oven and let stand in the open for at least 12 hours.
• Store in jars, food bags or storage containers as usual.

Please let us know how you get on with this recipe – We would love to hear your thoughts and feedback and send in your pictures!
If you have any ideas or alternatives to this recipe please send them in or make a comment in the box below!