Orange Fruit Leather Recipe (2024)

Go To Recipe

Orange Fruit Leather Recipe (1)

Last Updated on March 3, 2022 by Anne-Marie

Making this homemade orange fruit leather recipe is easier than you think! Can be made in an oven or a dehydrator.

Orange Fruit Leather Recipe (2)

Why this recipe works

Would you like to learn how to make an homemade fruit leather recipe? It’s easier than you think!

When I was coming up with my fruit leather recipe, I kept in mind parents trying to pack their child’s lunch with healthy snacks and worried about food allergies and less than wholesome ingredients.

So, I’d thought I’d help out by making a easy sugar free fruit leather made with my favorite clementine oranges.

I also wanted to create an easy homemade fruit leather recipe, so that kids and parents (or a grandparent or babysitter) could make these together as a fun cooking activity.

I hope you have as much fun making (and eating) the fruit leather as I did.

This easy Orange Fruit Leather recipe also makes a great homemade gift for teachers, friends or relatives, too!

Orange Fruit Leather Recipe (3)

Flavoring the orange fruit leather

When you know how to make fruit leather, you know what’s exactly what’s in it! This homemade fruit leather is basically citrus, spices, and a natural sweetener.

My Orange Fruit Leather recipe was influenced by some Indian candies brought home one day. I could taste that there was ginger and orange in it, but I couldn’t figure what was the other spice.

I was going through my spice cabinet one day when I found it – cardamom! I knew the combination with a bit of lemon would be a wonderful addition to this recipe for homemade fruit leather.

I sweetened the orange fruit leather with monk fruit powdered sweetener, which is a natural, no calorie sweetener. I love cooking with monk fruit sweetener since it works just as well as sugar and leaves no bitter aftertaste.

Even though clementine oranges are naturally sweet, I knew that adding the lemon, cardamom and ginger could make the orange fruit leather a bit bitter.

But if you don’t want to use the powdered monk fruit, you can use honey or another sweetener.

I also use powdered monk fruit in my Strawberry Fruit Leather Dehydrator Recipe.

Orange Fruit Leather Recipe (4)

Do you need a fruit leather dehydrator?

I’m sure you’re thinking that you’ll need a fruit leather dehydrator to make fruit leather recipes. Yes, you can make them in the oven. But I feel using a dehydrator is easier for two reasons:

1) a fruit leather dehydrator uses less energy and 2) the fruit leather recipe takes 6 to 8 hours and you may need the oven for something else like making dinner!

A basic dehydrator costs around $40-70 and once you have one, you’ll find uses for it, believe me.

I have a Nesco American Harvest Food Dehydrator and have used it for over 10 years for fruit leather, beef jerky, and drying fruit and mushrooms. I’ve bought extra trays and fruit leather trays for my dehydrator.

However, with a little planning – like those nights you’re using your Instant Pot or slow cooker – using your oven is fine for orange fruit leather recipes.

I also found that if you go the oven route, having silicone baking sheets for your baking pans is a must! I feel that fruit leather could stick to parchment paper or wax paper.

How long should you bake homemade fruit leather?

The trick to making the sugar free orange fruit leather recipe is figuring out how long to cook it. If you’re baking it in your oven, it depends on how low you can set it. (My oven goes down to 170 degrees F.)

However, my fruit leather dehydrator goes lower (165 to 115 degrees F). Since it has a fan, the fruit leather is dehydrated in a much smaller enclosed space.

So my advice is to check your hydrated fruit leather at the five hour mark. If the top is sticky, come back in an hour. If it’s not sticky, see if you can peel it off all the way.

If the center of the orange fruit leather is still sticking to the mat/tray, put it back in the oven/dehydrator and check back in 30 minutes.

Orange Fruit Leather Recipe (5)

Timing will depend on so many variables such as the moisture of the clementine oranges, the weather and humidity in your home, how well your equipment is working, etc. So I can’t give you hard and fast rules for times.

However, if you do overcook your fruit leather, it’s still edible so don’t throw it out! Break it up and turn it into orange fruit leather chips.

I sprinkled and dipped them in yogurt – so delicious! I may “accidentally” make orange fruit leather chips again!

Making fruit leather rolls

If you want to get fancy, you can make fruit leather rolls.

However, if you’re using a fruit leather hydrator, the round trays make it hard to cut the orange fruit leather into fruit leather rolls.

So, while the orange fruit leather is still warm, place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Then roll up the fruit leather tightly.

Then using clean kitchen shears, cut the roll into four pieces. Tie each one with kitchen twine.

The orange fruit leather rolls won’t be perfect. Instead, they’ll look like old fashioned “foot roll up candy” that are just right for placing in lunch boxes.

Store homemade fruit leather in baggies or airtight containers.

More easy homemade gifts

Add fruit rolls as part of the!

Here are more easy homemade gifts you can made as teacher or holiday gifts:

Easy Fudge Recipe

Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Bark Candy

Easy Microwave Brittle

Easy Homemade Dog Treats

Candied Pecans Recipe

DIY Coffee Scrub

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Yield: 8 ROLLS

Orange Fruit Leather Recipe

Orange Fruit Leather Recipe (6)

Want to learn how to make fruit leather? This homemade fruit leather recipe is easier than you think!

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time8 hours 10 minutes

Total Time8 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 cups peeled and segmented clementines
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons monk fruit powdered sweetener
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch sea salt

Instructions

  1. If using an oven, set it to the lowest setting (probably 170 degrees F).
  2. Place all ingredients in a high-performance blender or food processor. Blend on high until fruit is frothy, about 20-30 seconds.
  3. Pour liquid into a medium saucepan. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the blender or food processor bowl with a spatula to get everything into the saucepan!
  4. Bring liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Keep liquid boiling over medium heat. Stir frequently with a whisk. Cook for 10 minutes until the liquid has thickened into a puree. (It should be like runny applesauce.)
  5. If using a dehydrator, pour it into 1 or 2 trays. Bake for 8 hours or so until the puree is no longer sticky and you can peel it off the trays without it sticking.
  6. When it’s still warm, peel it off and wrap the fruit leather in parchment paper, if desired.
  7. If using an oven, place a silicone baking mat on an 11 x 17 baking pan. Pour orange puree on silicone baking mat and spread evenly with an offset icing spatula. Leave a half-inch of room around all sides.
  8. Bake for 8 hours or so until the puree is no longer sticky and you can peel it off the silicon mat without it sticking.
  9. When it’s still warm, peel it off and wrap the fruit leather in parchment paper, if desired.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate Affiliate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 roll

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 58Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 18mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 2gSugar: 11gProtein: 1g

Nutritional information is automatically calculated per the ingredients list. Serving size may not be accurate. Please double-check with your preferred nutritional app for the most accurate information.

Originally published February 2016. Updated with new pictures and information.

Orange Fruit Leather Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make orange peel leather? ›

METHOD
  1. Dehydrate the Orange Peel in an oven, dehydrator or just in the air.
  2. Crush the orange peel into small pieces.
  3. Sieve the pieces to get only the smallest pieces.
  4. Mix the alginate, glycerin, coconut oil and the orange pieces in the water.
  5. Store in a cool place for 24 hours to let it become a paste.
Jan 8, 2023

What fruits are good for fruit leather? ›

These fruits are great for making fruit leather:

Apple, apricot, banana, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, cranberry, grapefruit, grape, kiwi, lemon, nectarine, orange, peach, pear, persimmon, pineapple, plum, pumpkin, raspberry, rhubarb, strawberry, and watermelon.

Why is my fruit leather bitter? ›

Most fruit or combinations of fruits can be used to make fruit leathers. Canned fruits can be mixed with pretreated fresh fruits. However, grapefruit and lemons are not recommended because they become bitter when dried.

Can you turn orange peels into leather? ›

These findings show that recycling organic orange peel waste as vegan leather material has the potential for further development. This article could be the basis for creating environmentally friendly materials and advancing the fake leather industry.

How do you make orange peel texture? ›

Orange peel is a “splatter” type texture that involves spraying plaster in a pattern over your readied walls. This means that you're going to need a gun and air compressor to get a good spray going. Technically, you can do it by hand, too, but this method is best left to the pros.

How long does homemade fruit leather last? ›

Chances are the fruit leather will not last long enough for storage. If it does, it will keep up to 1 month at room temperature. For storage up to 1 year, place tightly wrapped rolls in the freezer.

Should you refrigerate fruit leather? ›

For best storage it is recommended to put the rolled leathers in the refrigerator or for longer storage in the freezer. If there is any moisture in the fruit leather at all, they may mold when stored at room temperature for very long.

Why is my fruit leather not drying? ›

To dry fruit leather, the water must move from the fruit leather to the surrounding air. If the surrounding air is humid, then drying will be slowed down. Avoid drying fruit leather during rainy or humid weather.

What are the disadvantages of fruit leather? ›

But fruit leathers can contain high concentrations of pesticides. That's because the agricultural chemicals are sprayed on the fruit from which they are made. Different types of fresh fruit vary considerably in the amounts of residue they contain.

Why is my fruit leather brittle? ›

If the leather is brittle and cracks as it is peeled, it has dried for too long. It is still edible but will be difficult to roll. Once removed from the mat, place the fruit leather directly onto a piece of parchment or wax paper.

How do you keep fruit leather from cracking? ›

If your fruit leather is brittle and cracking easily, that could be a sign that it's too dry. If you are having trouble peeling the fruit leather from the pan, try moistening it to help prevent it from cracking.

Is homemade fruit leather healthy? ›

Fruit leather is a healthy, colorful snack that's perfect just about anytime. While store-bought fruit leather is convenient, making your own allows you to control the amount of added sugar (read: none) while also using up any ripe or overripe fruit you have on hand.

Can you overcook fruit leather? ›

Can you overcook fruit leather? Cooking fruit leathers for too long will give you a brittle, candy-like snack instead of a bendy, leathery texture. It should still taste good, but it may be harder to eat.

How do you make orange leather Brown? ›

How can I darken leather quickly? If you want to learn how to stain leather darker, try using an oil, such as neatsfoot oil, coconut oil, or mink oil. Apply the oil to a clean white cloth, then rub the oil-covered cloth back and forth over the leather surface. Take care to evenly apply the oil.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Errol Quitzon

Last Updated:

Views: 6178

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (59 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Errol Quitzon

Birthday: 1993-04-02

Address: 70604 Haley Lane, Port Weldonside, TN 99233-0942

Phone: +9665282866296

Job: Product Retail Agent

Hobby: Computer programming, Horseback riding, Hooping, Dance, Ice skating, Backpacking, Rafting

Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.