Recipe: Make Homemade Fruit Leather (2024)

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July 18th, 2011 25

By Katie Goodman
Fruit Roll-Ups are fun treats, but they’re not exactly something I want my kids eating every day. I recently experimented with making homemade fruit leather. It’s so good!
Recipes like this are perfect for when you have lots of less-than-prime fruit on hand that needs to be used up fast. In this instance, I had a combo of peaches and cherries that would soon be heading south.
Give this 100% fruit snack a try next time your kids have a sweet craving. You can control the amount of sugar or use none at all.

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Ingredients

4-5 large peaches (5 1/2 cups chopped)
2 1/2 cups fresh cherries
1 cup water
Sugar or agave, to taste

Directions

Step 1: Wash and dry the fruit.
Step 2: Slice the peaches in half, starting at the stem, and cut through till you reach the pit. Cut all the way around the peach. Then, twist the two halves to separate them. Remove and discard the pit. Slice and chop the peaches.

Step 3: Using a cherry pitter, remove the stems and pits from the cherries. Discard the pits and stems.

Step 4: Combine the peaches and cherries in a medium-sized sauce pan. Add the water. Place over medium heat on the stove. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
Step 5: Remove the lid and mash the fruit using a potato masher.
Step 6: Taste for sweetness and add sugar or agave according to your personal tastes. You may not need to add any if your fruit is very sweet. Start with no more than 1 tablespoon of sweetener at a time and adjust until you’ve reached your perfect sweetness.

Step 7: Add mixture to a food processor and puree until very smooth.
Step 8: Line a rimmed baking sheet(s) with parchment paper. You may need more than one sheet depending on its size. I used two 15 1/2″ x 10″ baking sheets. Pour the puree onto the lined baking sheet until the mixture is 1/4″ thick. For fruit roll-up-like thinness, use two 15 1/2″ x 10″ baking sheets and pour at a thickness of ⅛”. For a thicker, fruit leather style, use one pan and pour at a thickness of ¼”.
Step 9: Bake the sheets in a preheated oven at 150 degrees for 8-10 hours, or until the puree is dry and leather-like. When ready, the puree will no longer be sticky and will have a smooth surface.
Step 10: After the fruit leather has dried, it is easily peeled away from the parchment paper. Store it rolled in the parchment in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

About the Author:

Katie Goodman blogs at goodLife {eats} where she shares what she finds good in the kitchen and in life through recipes, family memories, and yummy photography. She also works as a freelance food writer and photographer for various sites. Outside of cooking, Katie loves reading, gardening, visiting family, and attending the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she resides with her husband and two children.

rachellesays:
July 18th, 2011 at 11:33 am

how long is this good for in the fridge?
Katie | GoodLife Eatssays:
July 18th, 2011 at 12:18 pm

It should last about a week in the fridge, though it’s usually gone long before that in our house.

See Also
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Candysays:
July 18th, 2011 at 12:56 pm

Just wondering if you have tried this with any
other fruits.
Katie | GoodLife Eatssays:
July 18th, 2011 at 1:12 pm

I have not personally used other fruits yet, but I have had homemade fruit leather that others have made. You can use apricots, apples, etc. Any fruit should work just use the same proportion of fruit for the recipe. If using berries like raspberries, you would probably want to strain the seeds out first.
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchensays:
July 18th, 2011 at 5:54 pm

I never knew how easy this was to make at home, thanks Katie!
Réginasays:
July 19th, 2011 at 5:47 am

I’ve made it with whatever fruit I have at hand, but without cooking and without sugar, which attracts moisture and prevents long term storage. Fresh fruit can be pureed in a blender without adding water.
I’ve used different fruit leathers (apple/blueberry, apple/strawberry, prunes, pears etc) to make edible Christmas cards: cut elongated triangles with pinking shears and stick them to a blank card with a tiny drop of water as trees. They were a great hit.
Tracysays:
July 19th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
See Also
The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking: 80 Low-Carb Recipes That Offer Solutions for Celiac Disease, Diabetes, and Weight Loss|Hardcover

I never realized how easy this is! What a wonderful and fun-to-make snack!
Aggieasays:
July 19th, 2011 at 5:08 pm

This is great Katie! Wow, I had no idea I could make this at home like this!
Sue Rickettssays:
September 19th, 2011 at 8:57 pm

Hi,
Just asking about the paper you used. I’ve read in some other recipes that you use plastic wrap. I am not aware that there are types of plastic wrap you can use in the oven. Can you clarify this? Also when you say parchment paper could I just use baking paper?
Thanks,
Sue
Daniellasays:
November 14th, 2013 at 3:16 am

Terrific website you’ve gotten right here.
Jessica Faith Schwarzottsays:
June 23rd, 2014 at 10:08 am

so, my oven doesn’t go any below 170 degrees, so I set the timer at 6 hours and i’ll just continue to check on it periodically. my house smells amazing though!
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