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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 Fruit Roll-Ups, 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)
Ingredients
- 2 medium beets peeled and steamed until soft (optional, use ½ cup extra strawberries if you don't use)
- 4 cups fresh or frozen strawberries defrost if using frozen
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup optional or ½ cup pitted dates
- 2 TBSP fresh lemon lime, or orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°F or use a dehydrator.
- Puree the cooled cooked beets, strawberries, honey/maple syrup/dates, and citrus juice in a blender until completely smooth.
- Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats (safe at low temperatures).
- Pour/spread the mixture evenly onto the 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.
Notes
Nutrition
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What snacks do you enjoy making with your kids?
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Sadly I think I just wasted a quart of strawberries (and half a hour straining the seeds out) on this :/ tried the oven method cause there was way too much to fit on the fruit leather mat in the dehydrator, and it’s burned in spots and still hasn’t set up even overnight
Gonna do a smaller one next time and try that in the dehydrator
Could you use fermented berries for this? Or would the heat destroy the good stuff? Thank you.
I’ve had these pinned for way too long, finally made them and well… what a hit! Super tasty, and fun for the kiddos. I didn’t taste the beets at all, and because our oven dosn’t cook evenly, we sliced off the fruit leather that was finished drying, and just put the rest back in the oven to finish up. Super easy, I can see us making these often. Thanks for the great recipe!
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!
Thanks for the recipe! Is it 170 degrees celcius or farenheit?
Fahrenheit.
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?
Why hide the beets? My children and now my Gchildren LOVE beets… Okay love all veggies !!
@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 !
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?