Homemade Fruit Leather: Naturally Sweet

Fruit leather can be a nutritious and convenient snack, especially when it comes from your own oven or dehydrator. Instead of buying the boxed variety full of unpronounceable ingredients, try making homemade fruit leather with your seasonal favorites. It's surprisingly easy when you've got the right kitchen tools.

First, do you need a dehydrator to make homemade fruit leather? Not necessarily, although there are some reasons to consider buying one. They are relatively inexpensive, don't take up much space, and use less energy than your oven. If you cringe at the thought of turning on your oven this summer, check out dehydrators.

However, your oven can work quite well for making homemade fruit leather. Use the lowest temperature setting possible, and consider making leather overnight rather than during the heat of the day.

Use parchment paper or silicone baking mats to line your pans, and plan to make a double batch of leather. Buying two mats is worth it: they'll cost less in the long run than buying roll after roll of parchment paper, and you will be glad to have them when it's time for holiday baking.

You'll also need a food processor or blender to puree the fruit. Start with what you have, but if you're looking for a recommendation, we can help. The Breville All-in-One is a fantastic multitasking food processor.

There are dozens of variations of homemade fruit leather out there, and you can make your own based on your tastes. Some recipes call for lemon juice, which can help the fruit retain its color. Many recipes include anywhere from a tablespoon to a cup of sugar, but some don't call for any added sugar. We're inclined to start with as little sugar as possible and taste the puree to see if it's sweet enough as-is. Considering how much kids love sour gummy candy, we expect they won't mind if the leather is a bit tart.

Ready to try making your own homemade fruit leather? Check out a few of the most appealing recipes we discovered.

Strawberry Lemonade Fruit Leather

Strawberry lemonade is perfect for summer, and this version doesn't even have any added sugar. Instead of lemon juice, this recipe on Elana's Pantry calls for lemon zest. It's a smart way to get the lemon flavor without the need to offset the sour bite with sugar.

Mango Fruit Leather

We love the bright yellow color of this mango fruit leather. In Kelly's post on Just a Taste, she demonstrates how to use an offset spatula to spread the puree. This helps ensure it's not too thick and will dry evenly. Kelly also uses a silicone baking mat, and then transfers the leather to waxed paper for easy rolling and storage.

Watermelon Fruit Leather

Another recipe that screams summer is this one from Baked By Rachel. While you'll need to strain the liquid from the watermelon solids, you can use the juice in smoothies, punch, or even watermelon sherbet. This recipe includes added sugar, but we'd still taste the puree to see if we need more sweetness to satisfy our tastes.

Spiced Sweet Potato Apple Fruit Leather

Keep this fruit leather recipe from Savory Lotus handy for when fall rolls around and apples are in season. The ingredients require more prep work, but what a great treat for cooler weather. Plus we like the extra nutrition from adding sweet potato to the mix.