Fruit Leather
Frozen fruit cooked down, pureed, and dried into strips that weigh almost nothing.
- calories
- 110
- weight
- 1.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 92
- protein
- 1 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 25 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 25 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
- Bikepacking
- Day hike
- 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 puree smoothest |
|---|---|---|
| Unsweetened applesauce | 1/2 cup | the pectin is what holds the sheet together |
| Vanilla extract | 1/4 tsp |
Method
- At home: put the frozen fruit, applesauce, and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil.
- Drop the heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until the fruit has broken down completely.
- Cool it, then puree in a food processor. Work in batches if the bowl is small.
- Spread the puree on parchment-lined dehydrator trays, about 1/8 inch thick and even edge to edge.
- Dry at 135 F for 4 to 10 hours. It is done when you can press it and your finger comes away clean.
- Peel it off the parchment while it is still warm, then cut or tear it into strips.
- On the trail: open the bag and eat. Nothing to cook.
This is one of the few trail snacks worth making from scratch, because the store version is mostly sugar and corn syrup and this is mostly fruit. The applesauce is not filler. Apples are high in pectin, and that pectin is what turns the puree into a flexible sheet instead of a tray of brittle flakes.
Thickness decides everything. Too thin and the edges go crisp and crack before the middle is dry; too thick and the center stays tacky and will mold in the bag. Spread it even and check the middle, not the rim. Fully dried leather is shelf-stable for weeks, which is what makes it a real resupply item rather than a day-one treat.
Packing
Roll each strip in a square of parchment so the pieces don't weld together, then stack them in one bag. Keep it out of the top of a hot pack lid or you will get a single brick.
Variations
- A tablespoon of lemon juice sharpens the flavor and keeps the color from going brown.
- Cinnamon or a spoonful of sugar into the puree before it goes on the trays.
- No dehydrator: spread on parchment on a sheet pan and hold your oven at its lowest setting with the door cracked. It takes longer and burns easier.
https://kyraonthego.wordpress.com/category/dehydrating