Domestic Dreamboat

  • Recipes
  • Special Diets
  • Kitchen Basics
  • Meet Carissa
    • Get in Touch - Learn How to Contact Domestic Dreamboat
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Resources
  • About

search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Resources
  • About

×
You are here: Home / Snacks and Appetizers / How to Make Dried Fruit without a Food Dehydrator

How to Make Dried Fruit without a Food Dehydrator

Modified: Apr 12, 2024 · Published: Sep 13, 2014 by Carissa · This post may contain affiliate links · 11 Comments

Making dried fruit without a food dehydrator is easy. You need an oven, and some time and you'll get preservative-free, no-sugar-added dried fruit.

Jump to Recipe Save RecipeSaved! Pin Recipe

Guess what I did! That's right, I made my own prunes!

Last weekend we went to Costco, and I apparently I forgot I was leaving on a 3 week long trip in a week, and bought a 5lb box of prune plums. Or maybe I thought I could eat 5lbs of prune plums in a week. Turns out that I cannot. Also turns out that I  am the only one in the house who will eat them.

Needless to say, Thursday rolled around and I was left with about 4lbs of prune plums. Always hating to be a waster, I figured I'd better do something with them. I thought making my own dried fruit would be pretty easy, and I was right.

How to Dry Prunes

Our moms made dried fruit all the time - I know mine did. Well, that and some beef jerky that was a major fail. Seriously - even the dog wouldn't eat it!

But back then, food dehydrators were all the rage. I don't have one, and though they're still available, I am not ready to invest in yet another kitchen appliance that takes up so much space!

As it turns out, your oven is all you need. BUT - it does take a long time, which means your oven will be occupied for hours on end, so make sure you don't need to use it for anything else.

💬 Reader Review

"LOVE, luv this method, and you for sharing, THANK YOU"

-LORI

How to Dry Prunes

How to prepare plums to make dried fruit:

Prunes can either be dried pitted, or left with the pits in place. I decided to pit mine since I find unpitted prunes annoying and inconvenient. A  quick Google search didn't lead me to any magical super fast method of pitting plums, so I used the old trial-and-error method.

My first try turned out pretty successful. All I did was cut a slit lengthwise down the prune, being careful not to cut it totally in half. Then I stuck my fingers in and pulled out the pit. It was easy since these (maybe all?) plums are freestone, meaning the flesh doesn't cling to the pit.

I thought it would take forever to pit those 4lbs of plums, but it actually only took about 15 minutes. I ended up drying them whole.

If you're trying other fruits, you might try preparing them in the following ways:

Plums: pits removed (see details above), whole 

Cherries: pits removed, whole

Blueberries or cranberries: whole

Apples or pears: core removed, thin slices or rings

Bananas: thinly sliced

Strawberries: stem and core removed, sliced or quartered

Tropical fruit (mango, papaya or pineapple): thinly sliced

How to Dry Prunes

The materials needed to make dried fruit:

The next decision I made was whether to dry them straight on the baking sheet or a rack. I went with a rack. I decided it might be faster since the air could circulate better.

Seeing all the juice that dripped from the plums, and consequently burned onto the rack, I'm glad I made the decision I made. Otherwise, they probably would have stuck on the sheet pretty well.

If you're using smaller fruit (like cherries or blueberries), you may not have that option, since they will fall through a rack. Try lining the sheet with a silicone liner or parchment to prevent sticking.

How to make dried fruit in your oven:

Drying fruits and vegetables should be done at low temperature - about 200°F. I also decided to use the oven in convection mode, in hopes the job would be made faster.

Since I didn't try regular baking mode too, I'm not sure if it was faster or not. But I do know that drying my plums, to the point of still being slightly soft and "juicy" took about 8 hours. Smaller fruits (like cherries or blueberries) should done slightly faster. Same for fruits with less water (apples).

Since all ovens (and other factors) are different, and the rate of drying will depend on the size and juiciness of the fruit, as well as the humidity in the air, keep a close eye on your fruit. I checked mine closely every hour to see how they were doing (and took pictures, see above). This means you need to be home and available the whole time they're in the oven. Take them out when the fruit is as dry as you want it.

How to Dry Prunes

One thing to remember with homemade dried fruit is that it is preservative free, which means it will not last as long as store-bought dried fruits. In fact, if you leave them at room temperature for extended periods of time, they will likely mold. If you know you won't eat your dried fruit quickly, store it in the freezer.

Dried Fruit Nutrition Notes:

The nutrition information of your dried fruit will depend on the fruit that you choose to dry. Since this recipe only includes the fruit, and no additional ingredients (like sugar), you can be sure that eating 1 piece of the dried fruit will provide you with the equivalent nutrients of 1 piece of the fresh fruit.

However, since dried fruit has much of the water removed, it is often less filling than fresh fruit, and can result it us eating more of it.

How to Dry Prunes

Dried Fruit in the Oven

Carissa Serink
How to make your own preservative-free, no sugar added dried fruit in your oven, without any special equipment.
5 from 2 votes
SaveSaved! Pin Print
Prevent your screen from going dark
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 8 hours hrs
Total Time 8 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
Course Snack
Cuisine Universal

Equipment

  • Baking sheet
  • Baking Rack

Ingredients
  

  • Fruit pits or cores removed (if applicable) and sliced (if applicable)
instacartGet Recipe Ingredients

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 200°F, using the convection mode if available.
  • Lay fruit onto a baking rack set over top of a rimmed baking sheet. If fruit is too small for a baking rack (like cherries, blueberries or cranberries), bake directly on a baking sheet that is lined with a silicone baking liner or parchment to prevent sticking.
  • Baking time depends on the fruit you are using. Check on the fruit every hour or so. Remove fruit from oven when the desired dryness is reached. Allow fruit to cool, then store in airtight bags or containers. If you plan to store the fruit for a long period of time, keep in the freezer to prevent mold.
Keyword dairy free, dehydrated fruit, dried fruit, fruit, gluten free, no sugar added, vegan
Tried this recipe?Please remember to Leave a Review!
(Visited 7,264 times, 3 visits today)

More Nut Free

  • Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallion on plate cropped
    Smoky Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions
  • A slice of gluten-free Corn Tres Leches Cake on a small white plate.
    Gluten-Free Corn Tres Leches Cake
  • Easy Weeknight Moo Shu Pork in a flour tortilla on a square, white plate.
    Easy Weeknight Moo Shu Pork
  • A homemade Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal Muffin broken in half on a small white plate.
    Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal Muffins

Comments

    5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Siri says

    September 11, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    Thank you for sharing this, and with the helpful pictures! My uncle dropped of a grocery bag full of these delicious plums, and they are far too many to eat before they get too soft. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Candy says

    February 19, 2016 at 2:15 am

    Could you process these in port to ensure that they do not go mouldy perhaps

    Reply
    • Carissa says

      February 19, 2016 at 8:45 pm

      I really don't know...would help inhibit mold I guess, but I have no idea how it would turn out.

      Reply
  3. Paul Osborne says

    July 30, 2016 at 11:25 am

    I am certainly going to try this, with five plum trees i was wondering how to preserve them.

    Reply
  4. Kristy says

    August 15, 2016 at 1:04 am

    Have you tried them after they have been frozen? Do they taste the same? I am looking to do this but will have to freeze them all until I see my mom as they are for her.

    Reply
    • Carissa says

      August 15, 2016 at 7:24 am

      Yes, they taste the same after being frozen. That is what I did with my dried plums, as I don't eat them very quickly. Just take a few out when you're ready to use them and let them thaw at room temperature.

      Reply
    • mary says

      August 27, 2021 at 1:07 pm

      I prefer them dried then frozen - they are delicious, actually better than just dried or fresh. I also puree the frozen plums

      with applesauce - equal amounts - and use the puree as a fat substitute when making zuchinni cake.

      Reply
  5. Cyndi says

    August 15, 2016 at 1:52 pm

    When you used the convection setting did you crack your oven door open to release some of the moisture?

    Reply
    • Carissa says

      August 15, 2016 at 1:54 pm

      I didn't, because I was worried about possible burns with my small children. But I know keeping the door open a crack is common. Worked for me without however, so I'd say either way is fine.

      Reply
  6. Sandy says

    September 26, 2016 at 11:49 pm

    I bought a dehydrator, also froze plums whole, cooked over-ripe plums, made fruit leather and for our next adventure, will put plums in gin and sugar for a year. My friend's father does this every year. Heat 26 oz gin gently, dissolve 2 cups of sugar ( I will try one batch with berry sugar and the other with coconut sugar), put whole plums in jar, make sure plums are covered and store jar for year. Pour off liquid, drink and use plums on ice cream etc. Enjoy!!

    Reply
  7. Lori says

    October 11, 2016 at 9:04 am

    LOVE , luv this method,and you for sharing, THANK YOU,,lol,Lori

    Reply

Hi, I'm Carissa!

I'm the face behind Domestic Dreamboat. I love to cook, I love to eat, and I love to stay healthy. Thanks for joining me in my homemade journey!

Learn More

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Threads

What's Trending

  • Korean beef and mushrooms over rice in a black bowl.Quick and Easy Korean Beef and Mushroom Bowls
  • Homemade spreadable butter on wheat bread.How to Make Spreadable Butter
  • Overhead photo of salmon noodle casserole in a glass baking dish.Salmon Noodle Casserole
  • Homemade Rhubarb soup in a white bowl.Rhubarb Soup
  • Closeup photo of Air Fryer Vietnamese Spring Rolls on a plate.Air Fryer Vietnamese Spring Rolls (Cha Gio) with…

Footer

↑ back to top

Policies

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Opt-Out Preferences
  • Cookie Policy
  • Imprint

Newsletter

Sign Up!

About Me

  • Contact
  • About Carissa
  • Work with Me

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2014-2025

241 shares
Manage your privacy
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Statistics

Marketing

Features
Always active

Always active
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Manage options
{title} {title} {title}

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.