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In This Post
- Why You’ll Love My Fruit Leather Recipe
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How To Make Fruit Leather
- Recipe Tips And Tricks
- Storage Instructions
- More Healthy Snack Recipes
- My Tools For This Recipe
- Fruit Leather Recipe (Easy!)Recipe card
- Recipe Reviews
Forget about artificial colors, added sugar, and corn syrup… this fruit leather recipe creates a naturally sweet snack with mostly hands-off effort! With just 5 minutes to prep and no specialty tools needed, I’ll show you my best flavor ideas and tips for creating your own homemade fruit rollups. My kids love this stuff, and with no added sugar, I feel good about giving it to them.
Why You’ll Love My Fruit Leather Recipe
- Sweet, fruity flavor – You can choose the fruit! Strawberry is my favorite, as it reminds me of the (processed) ones I enjoyed as a kid.
- Soft and chewy texture – I was equal parts shocked and pleased to discover that this works with fresh fruit, but it really does!
- No special equipment – You don’t need a dehydrator or anything unusual.
- Quick prep – It only takes a few minutes of your time, and your oven does the rest.
- Perfect way to use up extra fruit – Drying it out into fruit leather preserves it for longer, so I often make these when I know the fruit won’t last.
- Healthy choice over store-bought versions – No processed ingredients or added sugar, just real fruit! It’s also naturally gluten-free, and can be low carb with the right fruit if you need the option.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for homemade fruit roll ups, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
Many recipes for fruit leather contain added sugar or honey (and many store-bought versions contain added corn syrup, juice, pectin, or artificial colors), but you can easily make it without all these ingredients. All you need is:
- Fruit – I use strawberries most often, but you can also use mango (and use any extra for a mango salad), other berries (blackberries, raspberries), stone fruits such as peaches, plums, or apricots, or others, like apples, kiwi, or bananas. If the fruit has an edible peel, you can include it in the recipe for extra fiber and texture. No matter what kind you use, you’ll need one pound for this recipe, which is about 2 to 3 cups of fruit.
- Lemon Juice – Just a teaspoon of either fresh or bottled lemon juice to brightens up the flavor and helps the fruit retain its color. Lime juice works fine, too. You could use orange juice for extra sweetness, but it doesn’t work quite as well for color retention.
Variations:
- More Flavor – Add spices like cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, almond extract, or vanilla to the puree.
- More Sweetness – This fruit leather recipe is sweetened with 100% fruit, but if you want more sweetness, you can add a few tablespoons of honey, or my personal favorite Besti sugar substitute (0 calories and no aftertaste!).
- Frozen Fruit – Simply defrost it fully in the fridge and drain off any extra liquid before pureeing.
How To Make Fruit Leather
This section shows step-by-step photos together with the instructions, to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Puree. Add all ingredients except lemon juice to a high-powered blender. Puree until very smooth. Add lemon juice and blend again until incorporated.
- Spread. Transfer the fruit puree to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. (Do not use foil — it will stick!) Spread into a thin layer.
- Dehydrate. Bake in the oven (or see dehydrator instructions in the tips below), until the center is no longer sticky to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool completely to firm up.
- Peel. Once cooled, gently peel the fruit leather recipe off the baking sheet (leaving parchment attached, if using).
- Cut. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut into five strips lengthwise and once crosswise to create 10 pieces total.
- Roll. Roll into strips with parchment facing out, or carefully roll up without parchment. (They stick together without the paper, though.)
Recipe Tips And Tricks
Fruit leather is easy to make (I mean, how complicated can 2 ingredients be?), but I picked up a few tips and tricks from my experience making it:
- If the fruit gets “stuck” in the blender, dislodge with a spatula. It can also help to pulse the blender, starting and stopping, especially at first.
- Parchment paper or silicone mats work best for lining the pan. Avoid using wax paper or plastic wrap, which are not suitable for the oven, or foil, which will stick.
- For a smooth texture, strain the seeds. If using berries or other fruits with edible seeds, you can strain them through a fine mesh sieve before transferring to the baking sheet. I usually skip the step, as I like the texture of the seeds, but you do you!
- Shake the baking sheet to evenly distribute the puree. If the thickness of the puree is uneven, the fruit roll up recipe will have a lumpy texture, and the thinner parts may burn before the thicker parts are done. Try to create as thin a layer as possible without making any holes.
- Watch for doneness. Over-dried fruit leather will be brittle and crack easily, so keep testing for doneness after 3 hours.
- Fruit too sour? Add sweetener. If you use out-of-season or particularly sour fruits, add sweetener to taste. Honey, maple syrup, or powdered sugar-free sweeteners are all great options.
- Boil the puree if you need to save time. If you want to reduce the oven time, you can cook the fruit on the stovetop first. After pureeing, boil for 5-10 minutes to allow some liquid to evaporate. This step can cut your baking time roughly in half.
- Feel free to use a dehydrator if you have one. After pureeing, transfer to your dehydrator’s fruit leather tray (or simply line with parchment paper). Dehydrate for 6-12 hours at 140 degrees F or 60 degrees C. Start testing for doneness after 6 hours.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep the fruit leather in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week. However, it’s fine to take these snacks on-the-go for the day without refrigerating. I do it all the time!
- Freeze: If you want to keep these for longer storage, place them in an airtight container in the freezer. They’ll last for up to 6-8 months this way, though the color can fade a bit over time. Thaw overnight in the fridge before enjoying.
More Healthy Snack Recipes
It’s easy to make better-for-you snacks right at home. Try my index of healthy snack recipes, or try some of my favorites below:
Baked Kale Chips
Dairy Free Coconut Yogurt
Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
Smoked Salmon Cucumber Bites
- Blender– This thing is a workhorse. It’s super powerful, so it doesn’t get stuck easily and gets the fruit super smooth.
- Baking Sheet– Perfect size for this recipe, and easy to clean.
- Silicone Mats– Easy to reuse, and the fruit leather releases nicely from these.
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Recipe Card
Fruit Leather Recipe (Easy!)
This healthy fruit leather recipe is the homemade version of fruit rollups. It's so easy to make with real, fresh fruit – and no added sugar!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 3 hours
Total: 3 hours 5 minutes
Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com
Servings: 10 (adjust to scale recipe)
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Ingredients
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
Preheat the oven to the lowest temperature possible (mine was 170 degrees F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Puree the fruit in a high-speed blender until super smooth.
Add the lemon juice and puree again.
Spread the smooth fruit puree onto the lined baking sheet.
Dehydrate fruit leather in the oven for 3-4 hours, until the center is not sticky to the touch.
Remove from the oven and let the fruit leather cool completely on the baking sheet.
Slide the parchment paper off the baking sheet (this is a good size for this recipe) onto a cutting board. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut into five strips lengthwise, then cut across all of them crosswise, to make 10 pieces total.
To make fruit roll ups, roll the individual strips, preferably together with the parchment paper to prevent sticking, but without is fine as well.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 fruit roll up (7 inches by 2 inches)
- Nutrition info is based on using strawberries, and will vary depending on the type of fruit used.
- If you’re watching sugar intake, simply use low carb fruits, such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
- Time to dehydrate in the oven can vary depending on the type of fruit you use and how much water content it has.
Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.
Calories15
Fat0.1g
Protein0.3g
Total Carbs3.5g
Net Carbs2.6g
Fiber0.9g
Sugar2.2g
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
Course:Snack
Cuisine:American
Keywords:fruit leather, fruit leather recipe
Calories: 15 kcal
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Fruit Leather Recipe
