Fruit Leather
Frozen mixed fruit cooked down, pureed, and dried into strips that weigh almost nothing.
- calories
- 90
- weight
- 1 oz
- cal / oz
- 90
- protein
- 1 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Day hike
- Bikepacking
- Canoe / raft
- Car camping
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Frozen mixed fruit | 600 g bag | berry blends dry darkest and hold flavor |
|---|---|---|
| Unsweetened applesauce | 1/2 cup | the binder, do not skip it |
| Vanilla extract | 1/4 tsp |
Method
- At home: tip the frozen fruit, applesauce, and vanilla into a small saucepan.
- Bring it to a boil over medium heat, then drop the heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until the fruit collapses.
- Let it cool enough to handle, then puree it smooth. Work in batches if the food processor complains.
- Spread the puree on parchment-lined dehydrator trays, about 1/8 inch thick. Thin edges burn dry and crack, so keep it even.
- Dry at 135 F for 4 to 10 hours. It is done when you press it and nothing comes off on your finger.
- Peel it off the parchment while still warm, roll it in the parchment, and cut into strips.
- No oven-free option in camp. This is finished before you leave the house.
Fruit leather is the cheapest way to carry fruit that is not mostly water. A 600 gram bag of frozen fruit leaves the dehydrator weighing a few ounces, and none of that weight is packaging or pit.
The applesauce is structural. Pureed fruit alone dries into something brittle that shatters in your hip belt pocket; the pectin in applesauce gives it enough flex to roll and unroll. Cooking first breaks the cell walls down so the puree spreads flat instead of sitting in lumps that dry at different rates. Store it in the freezer at home if it will sit for months, but on trail it is stable for the length of any trip you are likely to walk.
Packing
Roll each strip in its own parchment so the pieces do not weld together, then all of them into one bag. It survives being sat on, which is more than most snacks manage.
Variations
- A squeeze of lemon juice sharpens sweet fruit blends and helps the color hold.
- Cinnamon or a spoonful of sugar if your fruit came out flat.
- No dehydrator: an oven on its lowest setting with the door cracked, checked every hour.
https://kyraonthego.wordpress.com/2020/08/31/making-your-own-yummy-fruit-leather