How to Make One Ingredient Fruit Leather

Fruit leather is one of the easiest things you can make with your dehydrator. Use fresh fruit or frozen fruit; use combinations of fruit; the possibilities are endless.

To make this recipe, you are going to need:

Fruit (fresh or frozen)
A medium to large stock pot
Spoon for stirring
Ladle
Dehydrator
Fruit leather trays or parchment paper
Jars and flat lids with rings for storage

I love using frozen fruit when I am cleaning out my freezers. Recently, I made peach fruit leather with bags of peaches that I meant to freeze dry but had forgotten about. You can check that video out over on YouTube!

Step 1: Thaw and Cook the Peaches

Place the frozen peaches in a pot on low heat. Allow them to thaw and cook until they are soft and the juices have released into the pan.

Step 2: Blend with Immersion Blender

Grab your immersion blender and blend the peaches into a smooth puree. Don't worry about peeling your fruit; it will be blended in, and you won't even notice it.

Step 3: Optional Sweetening

Taste the puree and decide if it needs a touch of sweetness. If so, add honey or your preferred sweetener. Get creative by adding spices if you desire!

Step 4: Cook to Desired Consistency

Continue cooking the puree until it reaches your preferred thickness. I like mine thick enough to not run off the dehydrator trays.

Step 5: Prep Dehydrator and Parchment Paper

Get your dehydrator ready. Cut parchment paper to fit your trays. 

Step 6: Fill Trays with Puree

Start filling the dehydrator trays with the peach puree. Remember to make it thicker on the edges and thinner in the middle to ensure even drying. I like a good 1/4 inch thickness.

Step 7: Dehydrate

Set your dehydrator to 135 degrees and let it run for 4 to 8 hours. The time can vary based on the water content in your puree as well as the humidity in your house, so keep an eye on it. If you want to speed up the process, rotate the trays halfway through. It is done when it is no longer wet and is pliable.

Step 8: Roll, Cut, and Store

Once the peach puree has dehydrated and reached that perfect leather consistency, it's time for the final act. Roll it up with the parchment still on, and use kitchen scissors to cut it into individual portions.

Step 9: Store in Jars

Store your homemade fruit leather in jars on your pantry shelves. Typically, it can last up to 12 months, although it's unlikely to stick around that long once your family gets a taste!

And there you have it, a step-by-step guide to creating your own scrumptious fruit leather. Enjoy the process and have fun creating a variety of flavors!

I made a pear raspberry once; it was so good!

There is an entire month on the topic of dehydration in This Prepared Life Community. We'd love to see you there.