Our family is really enjoying all of the seasonal produce available right now, especially the berries.
I always stock up on berries when I can find them from a fresh, local and organic source, and freeze and preserve them for the whole year.
Last week, a quart of delicious strawberries was hidden in the back of the fridge and by the time I found them, they had frozen slightly and were very ripe. They weren’t great for eating plain anymore, but were still perfectly good, so they became Strawberry Vinaigrette dressing and my strawberry fruit leather with (optional) hidden beets.
What is Fruit Leather?
Fruit leather is a naturally sweet snack made by pureeing and dehydrating fresh fruit. They are similar to a Fruit Roll-up, but without the artificial everything (plus, they taste better!).
These are a kid favorite at our house, and a perfect treat for summer because they can be packed for a snack without needing refrigeration for a few hours. They can be made with only fruit, but I like sneaking in the beets for a little bit firmer of a texture and some extra nutrients.
The beets also intensify the bright red color and beets have properties that make them great for detoxification and fighting inflammation.
You can make this easy and natural snack in an oven or food dehydrator in just a few hours. The recipe is so simple that kids of any age can help make (and enjoy) this fruit leather.
Strawberry Fruit Leather Recipe (with Beets)
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 16 +
Simple and nutrient-dense natural fruit leather snacks made with fresh strawberries, optional honey and sneaky extra nutrients from beets.
Ingredients
- 2 medium beets, peeled and steamed until soft (optional, sub 1/2 cup extra strawberries if you don't use)
- 4 cups of fresh or frozen strawberries (defrost if using frozen)
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup (optional) or 1/2 cup pitted dates
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon, lime or orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees (or use a dehydrator)
- Puree the cooked beets (cooled), strawberries, honey/maple syrup/dates, and citrus juice in a blender until completely smooth. If using frozen defrosted berries, the liquid will be thinner. If using fresh berries, you may have to add a couple teaspoons of water to get the mixture smooth enough to spread. The mixture should be pourable but not thin enough to run off the baking sheet.
- Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats (safe at low temperatures).
- Pour/spread the mixture evenly onto the two lined baking sheets.
- Place in oven and cook until firm and no longer sticky to the touch (3-4 hours in most ovens).
- Remove from oven and let cool.
- Cut into strips and roll up with parchment paper. Store in an air-tight container until ready to eat.
- Can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container for up to a week (fridge) or two months (freezer).
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What snacks do you enjoy making with your kids?
These are a fab alternative to the additive doused, artifical-flavour laden rolled snacks that masquerade as one of a kids’ 5-A-Day. Thanks for the recipe. Will definitely give it a go.
My oven seems to cook too high for fruit leather. It always comes out burned Do you have directions for using with a food dehydrator? I recently borrowed my dad’s for this exact purpose and there are no directions with his dehydrator. Thanks for any assistance:)
Yep, it will take longer, but just run the dehydrator until it is firm and not sticky to the touch
Maybe leave you oven cracked; when I make beef jerky I hang in oven, put oven on lowest setting and leave the door cracked
These look great, however I am unable to get parchment paper and those silicon mats are super expensive in my parts. Any ideas as to what else I could use.
plastic wrap works great!
Um. Doesn’t that melt??
Not at really low oven temps. I have done it.
What a delicious recipe! At what temperature should it be baked?
oh read it over again and found the temperature.
my mom made these from our plum tree when we were growing up — she would just leave the sheet pans right out in the sun to dry out:)
Great recipe! What do you think are other veggie options can be hidden in these? Maybe carrot?
I purée the strawberries with Kale or Swiss chard and no one ever knows 😉
Just found your site and I have to say I love it! You have a great message. As for these Fruit Leathers, I want to stuff my face with them right now! They look so soft! More like a fruit rollup!
This looks and sounds just awesome!
Will it also work with other fruit/veggies or only just berries and roots?
Thank you so much for all your great work and ideas!!
Do you think this recipe would work with leftover pulp from juicing?
It might be too dry, and not cohere properly
I’m looking forward to making this recipe! Question…Do you think adding some collagen would alter the flavor, texture and length of baking? I’d like to add more protein to their diets.. I have picky picky kids. sigh…
If you used collagen peptides it should not alter the flavor or texture
I use vanilla protein powder instead of honey or other sweeteners to get more protein into them. They have a more creamy look to them, not the nice clear dark colour you see in the pictures above but that doesn’t seem to bother my kids, they still love them. Just make sure you’re using a good quality protein powder.
These look great. A very healthy snack. So much better to make yourself than shop bought. Like you said there is no added sugar or artifical colouring. I have seen these around before but the last recipe I saw was using a dehydrator. I did comment to ask about using an oven oven and they said you have to watch out for water. Do you know about this? Did you use an oven or a dehydrator? Can other fruits be used too?
I followed the direction to the letter…I could not thicken it. Any ideas?
How long was it in the oven?
Looks yummy! Can I make this recipe with out the lemon juice or juice? If so, do the measurements stay the same? My daughter is allergic to citrus.
Yes, or you could use apple juice in its place. You may just need to add the same amount of water to get the berries and beets to blend.
Hi. I made this in a dehydrater and it tasted great, but the texture was off. One side was hard and brittle, while the other half of it, or just portions of the same tray were smooth or too mushy. What would be an appropiate cooking time for a food dehydrater that only reaches a heat of 155 degrees? And is there something different I can do for even drying? I did use frozen, defrosted strawberries, but the consisteny was not all that runny after blending……
I had to dip in water to get the parchment paper off. I did this just briefly and then put back in oven. I would never use parchment again.
I was just wondering, do you know any alternative recipes I could use for my nieces and nephew? I watch them after school (and actually homeschool my nephew throughout the day) and I’d love to be able to give them healthier snacks than what you can buy in a store, but the girls are allergic to strawberries, cinnamon, and coconut. It is kind of limiting, unfortunately, but I think they’d love these if there was something else I could make them with.
I found mine needed to cook on 120 not 170 as they burned. The second batch i made cooked between 120 and 140 deg over 2 hours but at 140 started to burn/ dry on edges and i removed from oven.
This recipe is fantastic! Lately I have been on a mission to rid my kitchen of processed foods & this one really hit the mark! I used a combination of strawberry, beet, & carrot and couldn’t be more pleased with the results. The beet in particular offered a nice hint of earthy flavouring that makes this a really special treat. I did notice however that part way through the dehydration process, some dark spots appeared in the mixture, but in the end that did not seem to affect the overall flavour or texture, so all was well. I also recommend wrapping the rolls with little bits of bright yellow curling ribbon (they looked like cute little scrolls), and made for fantastic presentation. Thanks for the recipe!
What is the reason for adding the lemon juice? Do you have any suggestions on other veggies I can hide from my grandkids like this? Thanks, love your site. I make and use your lotions.
I’m sorry, but what have I done wrong? The edges of mine were burnt, and I could only taste the beets. The parchment paper would NOT come off. Any tips?
@wellnessmama
Thank you for your blog ! Much love
Unfortunately I used wax paper and no way would the leather separate from the wax paper ?
I will try again with silicon !
Why hide the beets? My children and now my Gchildren LOVE beets… Okay love all veggies !!
I tried this recipe. It. took almost 6 hours and the leather completely adhered to the parchment paper. Are there any ways to combat this without using a silicon mat?
Thanks for the recipe! Is it 170 degrees celcius or farenheit?
Fahrenheit.
We made fruit leather for my youngest son’s third birthday party. We don’t have a dehydrator and it took longer than a day in the oven! They were super delicious and had no added sugar! So fun. The kids loved them and the smell in the oven was so tempting!