Growing up as a child of the 80’s, fruit roll-ups were one of those quintessential items. I mean, what was lunch without a vivid green and blue, sugary sweet roll of fruity deliciousness?
And fruit roll-ups are made with fruit so they are good for you, right?
Riiiiight.
When the key ingredients include corn syrup, dried corn syrup and sugar…well, let’s just say I try to stay away.
Even long before we became a whole-food/high-nutrition household, these types of treats scared me. Despite the strong childhood connection I have with these treats, I do not recall ever having purchased these for my children.
Undoubtedly my children have partaken in these sugary delights at some point, at some party or school event…but I, personally, have never purchased these for my children.
Fruit leather, that is a different story all together.
Generally items I can rely on, fruit leather provides the yummy goodness of fruit rollups without all the extra junk.
Even so, fruit leather, especially organic no sugar-added fruit leather can be quite expensive; so when my husband gifted me with a dehydrator for our anniversary, I was excited to be able to make things such as these at home.
The trick to getting fruit leather to turn into fruit rollups is in the thickness of the spread.
Too thick and they won’t bend.
Too thin and they turn crisp.
For me, the ideal roll-up comes from a spread that is less than 1/4 inch, but greater than 1/8 inch in thickness.
With no added sugar, honey or anything…these fruit roll-ups are just sweet enough to please the most intense sweet tooth, yet just healthy enough to please the pickiest of moms. Make these with organic fruit to ensure the best in nutrition and taste.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 c Strawberries (fresh or frozen), hulled
- 1 c Sliced Peaches (fresh or frozen)
- 1 c Pineapple chunks (fresh or frozen)
- 1 c Mango Chunks (fresh or frozen)
Instructions
- Blend ingredients together until mix is completely smooth. Spread puree onto silicone mat and dehydrate at 135f for 8-10 hours.
- To make in the oven: Spread fruit puree onto parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake at the lowest setting with the oven door slightly ajar for 6-8 hours.
- Once cooled completely, you can store these in a tightly-sealed glass jar.
- Makes 2 trays/8 servings.
Wow, Sunny, folks are going to love these!! Admittedly, I’ve never been a fan of fruit rollups or leather, as I’d much prefer to eat my fruit whole, in a smoothie, etc., but many folks are fans. Awesome recipe, dear!!
xoxo,
Shirley
Great recipe!! We love to make dehydrated fruit leather. We just made some banana fruit leather and banana chips in our dehydrator 🙂
Thanks, Heather! I am thoroughly enjoying my new dehydrator. Banana chips are a definite favorite.
xoxo
I concur with Shirley, but now that I think of it, what a wonderful way to preserve fruit to have when the fresh variety isn’t available. Also, great way to get fruit into kids who seem to prefer food in shapes and colors but won’t touch an apple or grapes. You did good!
Thank you, Linda!