This Strawberry Fruit Leather couldn’t be any easier to make and it’s the perfect use for summer strawberries! 

Strawberry Fruit Leather from weelicious.comPin

This recipe is made in a countertop dehydrator. If you’re going to be making fruit leather often, a dehydrator is worth the investment. It prevents the need to turn on your oven, and you can set it and forget it for several hours. If you don’t have a dehydrator, here’s a recipe post on how to make fruit leather in the oven!

Strawberry Fruit Leather from weelicious.comPin

Fruit leather is one of our favorite snacks to make! There are so many different flavors options – just choose your favorite fruit and go for it! We’re constantly testing out new version, but Strawberry Fruit Leather is usually our go to. Fresh summer strawberries with just a touch of honey or agave in a fun-to-eat strip? What could be better?!

If you don’t have strawberries, maybe you have another fruit that will work for fruit leather! We make Peach Fruit LeatherPersimmon Fruit Leather and Pineapple Fruit Leather Video often and they’re the perfect on the go snack. Or put them in a lunch box and your kids will be so stoked when they open it up! 

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I love making my own fruit leather because it’s a great way to use up excess fruit from the season plus it’s so much healthier than the version you get at the store that has lots of added sugar and preservatives! You can feel good about sending your kids off with this healthy snack and they’ll feel good about how fun it is to eat!

Fruit leather can be stored for a few months at room temperature, so make a big batch and have snacks ready to go! Although I will say, even though it lasts for a few months, ours are  usually gone much faster than that!

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Strawberry Fruit Leather – Dehydrator Method

4 from 5 votes
Servings: 1
Author: Catherine McCord
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients  

  • 3 cups strawberries
  • 1 tablespoon honey or agave, optional

Instructions 

  • Remove the stems from the strawberries and place them in a blender. Drizzle a bit of honey or agave if you want to sweeten them up a bit. This is optional, and if your berries are very sweet, you can skip additional sweetener. Blend until smooth. 
  • Pour the strawberry puree onto a dehydrator sheet. Use a spoon or spatula to spread the mixture in a completely even layer. You don’t want the mixture to be too thin or too thick – this is where the experimenting comes in to play! 
  • Place the sheets in the dehydrator set to 135F degrees for 3-4 hours, until the fruit leather is dry to the touch, and no longer sticky. 
  • Cut the fruit leather into strips and roll up in parchment paper. Fruit leather can be stored at room temperature for a few months, although we never let ours sit around that long! 

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 20kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @Weelicious or tag #weelicious!

About the Author

Catherine is a mama of three. A Kentucky girl living in California. Here’s what I know: all kids can be great eaters and mealtime must be easy. I create simple, healthy recipes the whole family will love.

Comments

  1. Catherine- what a horrible recipe. We only had the fruit leather in the oven for 2 out of the 2-3 hours recommended, and it was fried to a crisp. My kids were so disappointed and I wasted all of my money on the ingredients and parchment paper. Change your recipe before you waste more people’s time and money.

  2. I was just going to make up some tonight because my son and I went strawberry picking on Sunday. When we’ve done it before, it’s really thin. Do you just add more to make it thicker? And, does the honey change the consistency?

  3. No, the foil curls up and sticks to the fruit leather. Use parchment paper, or the silicone inserts that come with a food dehydrator!

  4. hi,
    I wanted to know that can you use foil instead of parchment paper while making strawberry fruit leather

  5. oooommmmgg im going to try this at home were live the cost 35.00$ that’s a lot thanks :::::::)

  6. ooommmggg!!!! im going to try this at home yyaaayyy they cost a lot over here 45.00$ that is a lot for one pack of pure sugar don’t think soooo

  7. […] from Weelicious made one recipe 15 times and had varying results based on the juiciness of the strawberries she purchased (juicy ones from […]

  8. […] putemHomemade Strawberry Fruit Leather | Weelicious.com. […]

  9. Is the solution to the fruit leather browning a lot around the edges to turn the oven down? Does the entire leather have to be not sticky when ready (even the centre)?

    Just trying to perfect it.

    Thanks 🙂

  10. I have the EZ drayer which I dry fruit, vegetable, meat and… fruit Leather.
    no need to worry about burning anything… If you like to make healthy food for your children…. this is worth the money!
    my kids take it as snacks everywhere
    By the way… I don’t add any sugar/hunny to the fruits. it perfectly sweet!
    You can also mix fruits and make fruit Leather.

    this is an example of a machine, nit the one I have but you can see the idea:
    http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-FD-60-Snackmaster-Express-Dehydrator/dp/B000LNVUJQ/ref=lp_1090752_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1409032673&sr=1-2

  11. how do you keep your parchment paper looking so pretty on your fruit leather? mine turns so brown.

  12. I just made my first batch. I took it out of the oven as soon as it stopped being sticky. Its edges are a little brown and it is crisp. I hope it softens overnight like you say. I really want it to work. Do I just leave it out or do I need to store it somehow? Thanks 🙂

  13. When you dehydrate fruits the flavor becomes extremely concentrated. So if you have super sweet strawberries you definitely don’t need sweetener, but if they’re on the tart side the resulting fruit leather will be very tart so in that case I would add some sweetener. 🙂

  14. Do you have to use honey/other sweeteners or would it work if I just used strawberries? 🙂

  15. […] Strawberry Fruit Leather from Weelicious […]

  16. […] purchasing Weelicious by Catherine McCord, I’ve been eying her Strawberry Fruit Leather recipe. Always skeptical, I end up cutting up the fruit and eating it raw, rather than wasting it […]

  17. This was AMAZING!!! 😀 I think due to the different temperatures at which our ovens cook, the best way to do this is to keep checking on the leather every 20-30mins or so. I caught mine browning at the edges at 1.5 hrs, with the centre still squishy, so I lowered the temp and kept it going for another hour and it’s turned a beautiful dark red. Love it!! I even ate the slightly browned sides. It tasted like strawberry honey crisps! 😀

    Thank you, Catherine! Loved fruit leather from the store as a kid.. And was always deprived by my mum cuz of the colouring.. Now i know how to make this! And my dear daughter can enjoy em! 😀

  18. Just made this and it worked out well! I took some suggestions from other reviews and poured the mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat. I rotated the tray several times and dryed it for two hours. Then I turned off the oven and let the tray sit for awhile. The drying process was perfect, but I think I’ll make more mixture next time because it ended up to be thin and the edges crisped up. Thanks for the recipe!

  19. I’ve only done it once, but I think it was too juicy, I used frozen strawberries, and had to add some water to get it to puree correctly, but I think I added too much, and it was too thin, so it spread over the whole pan, and burnt… I’m hoping to try again, so we’ll see how that goes! I baked it for 2 1/2 hours, before that the rim was done, but the middle was still liquid.

  20. 3 cups of strawberries, before pureeing! Also, it doesn’t really matter how much puree you make. The trick is to get it completely even!

  21. I tried this recipe, as well as watched the video. The first batch didn’t come out so well, ended up burning the whole thing. In the the recipe it calls for 3 cups of strawberries but in the video, it looks like you’re using more than 3 cups. So is that meant to be 3 cups of pureed strawberries or 3 cups of dry strawberries.

  22. Catherine, I saw you on the chew last week and ever since then I’ve been on your website. I love it! I have an 18 month little girl and love to make everything for her…your recipes have been so helpful and your videos are helpful and so fun! Anyway I made the fruit leather this morning..grocery store organic berries…3 hours…and got a small patch of actual fruit leather..the rest burnt bitter nastiness!,! I will try again next weekend!

  23. my leather is stuck to the parchment paper! how do I get it off? it looks and smells delicious but I cant eat it since I cant peel it off the paper.

  24. Do you think I can take frozen strawberries (that I froze fresh last summer) out and thaw them and use for this? I am just worried that they will be too juicy?

  25. I have a batch of this in the oven now. I added fresh guava to the strawberries! The liquid was delicious!! Can’t wait to see how it turns out. My entire apartment smells divine!

    Question: Does this need to be stored in the refrigerator?

    Thanks!

  26. I love this. I’m trying it now 🙂 Can’t wait to eat some. I’m going to be pinning lots of your recipes. Thanks.

  27. Oh no, Epic fail on my first attempt. I used thawed frozen strawberries and a couple fresh ones, and the whole thing burned to a crisp within 1.5 hrs. The kitchen smelled so good too!

  28. So happy to find this recipe and you make it so simple and easy to do! I have never made my own fruit leather before but I am happy that I can do that now. Just think of all the chemicals you won’t be putting in your body by making your own!

  29. […] If you do not have a dehydrator, you can make the roll-ups in the oven by following Catherine McCord’s method on her blog, Weelicious (Click HERE). […]

  30. […] exactly common. So below is my attempt to recreate an oven-only recipe for Fruit Leathers from Weelicious (which, btw, is an awesome […]

  31. I have been struggling to get apricot leather to work in my dehydrator. (I pureed apricots, honey, dates and water) I had no problem with raspberry, it was perfect, but the apricot sticks to the parchment paper each time. Any ideas?

  32. So I’ve now made this recipe 3 times, have finally figured out how to make a perfect batch with my oven, and my 5-yr old tells me “I only like them a little, don’t make them anymore!” Turns out he doesn’t care for the bumpy bits (strawberry seeds). Grrr… back to the drawing board to figure out how to either strain out the seeds or what other berries to use (I include applesauce in my version).

  33. Made one batch using parchment paper and one batch on silpat. The silpat worked PERFECTLY. The parchment permamently stuck and only after dampening the paper was I able to scrape any fruit off. Read somewhere else that leathers work best on silpat or plastic wrap (it won’t melt at low temps), but for parchment, the paper needs to be well oiled first.

  34. If it is still liquid or mushy underneath the top layer then it isn’t finished yet! Also try spreading it more evenly. Isn’t experimenting fun?!

  35. I’m on my fifth batch & you are right – they all turn out a bit differently. I’m wondering though, if I should take it out of the oven when it is not “wet” or sticky even if I can still feel liquid underneath the top layer? Will it harden up out of the oven? There seem to be big pockets of “wetness” underneath the top layer.

  36. Oh No! Fruit leather can be a little tricky, and it takes some getting used to. Did you make them in the oven or the dehydrator? How long did you let it cook? How thick was your layer of puree? It should be fairly thin, but not see-through.

  37. Well, my first try resulted in a batch burned around the edge, about 4 inches, and the center still almost liquid under the surface skin. Don’t think I’ll try this again…can’t afford to waste money on berries that end up going to waste.

  38. […] If you do not have a dehydrator, you can make the roll-ups in the oven by following Catherine McCord’s method on her blog, Weelicious (Click HERE). […]

  39. i cant wait to try this was thinking tho what about if you used cookie cutters on it rather then just strips?

  40. i just tried making the leather fruit with 2 big boxes of strawberries and the fruit is now crispy and stuck to the paper. So bummed. I am pretty sure it was parchment paper…
    oh, i cooked it for 3-4 hours because it was sticky in the middle but dry on the edges. argh!

  41. Have these in the oven now… been in just under 2 hours and they’re getting the “black spots” of burn as people above posted about. I used sprayed parchment. I’ll try again and use the plastic cling wrap I think. My fruit mixture is apples, frozen strawberries, a little honey.

  42. […] favorite solution though is to make fruit leather.  I first got the idea from this post on Weelicious.  And actually, the first time I made it, I used fresh strawberries and agave […]

  43. Okay, tried this yesterday. I got it all set up, put it in our old wedgewood oven for about 45 minutes before we decided we wanted to go to the farmer’s market (again) So I turned the oven off, figured I’d turn it back on and do the rest of the drying later. When I came home about 2 hours later, it was dryer than when we left. I decided to just let it sit in my oven overnight and it was totally dry before I went to bed! This morning it is perfect and ready to roll. I’m going to try it next time just sitting in the oven without baking at all. Fair warning, my oven is old and the pilot light keeps the small oven portion warmer than modern ovens do!

  44. I think that I left them in too long. As it is crispy:( I want to try it again, but do not want to waste anymore strawberries.

  45. Attempted this two weeks ago with strawberries from the farmers market and honey…it just burned in my oven. I may have used a larger pan and so the layer was maybe too thin. I just put my second attempt into the oven with more fruit this time. Right after I did this I realized were going to make a 5 hour trip tonight to Michigan…I’ll have to somehow bring the leather on the parchment with us in the car so that it can soften up over night! Hmmm!

  46. We tried this with red cherries that we picked from the orchard and agave syrup instead of honey. Worked out really good. I agree that getting the layer as even as possible is best. Great recipe!

  47. Katherine, you definitely don’t want to use wax paper. The wax will melt! Some recipes suggest plastic saran wrap, but I don’t suggest that either because of the potential for toxicity. Parchment paper works very well!

  48. I Just made a batch with wax paper not realizing that I would not be able to get it separated from the paper…I guessI should have used parchment paper…..it is stuck to the paper….guess I will be going back to the farmers market to get more berries….did anyone else have this problem???

  49. Thank you Kristen! I’m about the make a batch right now and I was wondering about the best way to spread it.

  50. I baked four sheets of leather this weekend with mixed results. The most successful batch resulted when instead of spreading the puree onto the sheet with a spatula, I POURED the puree onto the sheet. I then held the parchment paper in place as I gently tilted the tray back and forth to achieve a thin, even layer. I found that with the spatula spreading method, I could never achieve a perfectly even layer which caused burning and other inconsistencies. The batch that I used the pouring and tilting technique had a consistent thickness and did not burn at all. It looked totally “perfect” like store bought leather and was soft enough to roll! It really is true that you must let the leather sit overnight to soften up before attempting to roll it.

  51. These turned out great, thanks for the recipe! How do u recommend storing them? Do they need to be refrigerated?

  52. When is your cookbook coming out? I’ll be FIRST in line to purchase. Can’t wait 🙂

  53. I pureed the seeds, i did the same exact thing like the strawberries so just follow those directions and sub pomegranate for strawberries 🙂

  54. Hi there! We love fruit leather at our house, too! I just saw your facebook posting about using pomegranates…any chance you could explain a little bit about what you did? Did you use the juice and the seeds? Did you just puree the seeds? What did you do about those pesky little bits of white membrane? So excited to try this!

    Melissa

  55. I first wanted to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE your website!! You have really helped me in the kitchen with my family! Thank-you for doing this!! I wondered if grapes would work or do you think it is too watery?

  56. Now, I’m getting ready to do my second and third batches. Fig leather and blueberry/raspberry leather. So excited about how much my kids love this. And, it’s so easy to do.

  57. This was absolutely AMAZING! I cannot believe how good it was. I whipped up a batch last night of dried mango, dried apricot, and raisins and dried in a 250 degree oven for 1.5 hrs. My kids ate it for breakfast and lunch today and I even love it. Thanks so much for this idea! So easy.

  58. I am soooo excited that I came across your site. I was chosen to host a home party by healthy child healthy world and I was looking for organic foods to serve that would inspire the mom’s to make at home. I honestly cannot wait to make your recipes, especially this one, it was really easy and tastes amazing! Thank you for all your work and devotion!!! I hope everyone catches on to your healthy food movement 🙂

  59. I was wondering if you could use one of the reusable Silicon mats instead of the parchment paper? I cant wait to try this my daughter absolutly loves fruit snack stuff! So excited!!

  60. After examining a few of the blog posts in your wsbtiee now, and I really like your means of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark wsbtiee list and can be checking again soon. Pls check out my wsbtiee as well and let me know what you think.

  61. I wouldn’t be able to tell because it depends upon the fruit. My consistency was just a thick puree of strawberries, the weren’t runny. I guess you can say like applesauce but a little more thin.

  62. I know you said the juicier berries take longer, so you just have to watch it, but what do you think the starting consistency should be like? Is it very runny or is it more like a jarred applesauce consistency?

  63. OK I’m so excited about this I’m gonna burst! Quick question – does step 6 happen in the fridge, or on the counter? Covered, or uncovered? THANKS!!! THIS IS GREAT!!!

  64. I got so excited when I say this! Can’t wait to try it. We have 5 kids and I know they’ll love this!

    A local store is have a GREAT sale on strawberries. I’d love to stock-up. Do you think I could puree them and then freeze some extra batches tell I’m ready to cook them? Thanks!

  65. If you refrigerate them, they will get more moist. Just put them in Ziploc bags or a Tupperware for 2 weeks to a month but I doubt they will last so long – we love it!!

  66. Since these are completely all natural, do you have to refrigerate them? How long will they keep fresh after making them?

  67. I had to do the same thing this last time that I had made them! And I have made them over 10 times! Everyone loves it – they can’t get enough of it!!

  68. Made some last night. I must not have spread it as evenly as I had thought because the edges began to brown before the middle was set. I pulled it out of the oven, let it sit over night, cut the done portion into strips, placed the undone portion back into the oven this morning…I will call it a success. The true success is that the kids, and my hubbie, loved it!

  69. You can store them in ziplock bags or tupperware. They are good for about 2 weeks to a month if they even last that long! 🙂

  70. How is this stored after it is made? How long is it good for? Can’t wait to try it! Just wondering if small batches are best. Thanks alot.

  71. I just gave some to my 9 month old. He loved it! He has no teeth, but eats only table food. Only you know what will be good for your own child. Use your best judgement and think about how you present it to them to optimize success. I broke it up into very small pieces for my son. I hope your daughter likes it!

  72. My 14 month old loves fruit leather, but he has all his teeth and is accustom to textured and chewy foods. I started out breaking it up on his tray, but now he eats it on his own when we are out and about. I like two parts strawberries and one part pears.

  73. Ya she’ll eat it so fast! As long as they have teeth, they can eat it. If you are worried about choking – just give it to them in small pieces 🙂

  74. Do you think this is for older children and not toddlers? I have an 18 month old and thought this sounded wonderful for her but didn’t know if it would pose a choking hazard. Has Chloe eaten any?

    Thanks!

  75. You can definitely use mangos! – You can always just add a little more honey to the puree and then put them in the oven. Anything pureed will work 🙂

  76. Hello! What are some other good fruits to use here-would rasberries/blueberries be too tart? What about mango? As long as it’s blendable in the cuisinart is it pretty much a go? Thanks!

  77. How long does it take it in the dehydrator? That is such a great idea but most people don’t have a dehydrator – which is why we used the oven. I think I’m going to use the dehydrator and see how they turn out too!

  78. This is awesome! I have been making fruit leather for sometime, but I’ve only used apples and not berries. I would always have to add a little water to get the mix a little juicier. Also, I’ve never used the oven, which is what I love about THIS recipe (besides the berries!). However, if batches continue to burn or get a little more crisp than you’d like, use a dehydrator. I have a 4 tray dehydrator and keep them in the fridge. I’m trying it this way tomorrow! 🙂

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