When I go grocery shopping and walk past the snack aisle I am always shocked by how many different fruit roll-ups there are, not to mention the fruit snacks. Trust me, I understand how good they taste…like candy, but that us essentially what they are. Have you ever looked at how much sugar they add? My guess is that the manufacturers feel they have to add so much sugar because they are probably using fruit that isn’t truly ripe as the basis of their product.
I am so thankful that I have an Excalibur dehydrator. They are pricey, but I eased some of the hurt by buying a Factory Refurbished model ($199 vs. $299) which still has a 10 year warranty! I use my dehydrator a lot and have been using it a ton lately because there are such wonderful organic strawberries at my local farmer’s market.
Making fruit roll-ups couldn’t be easier. Simply wash the berries, remove the stems, place them in your Vitamix high speed blender (I squeezed in an orange for extra flavor, however doing so is not necessary), blend until smooth, sweeten if necessary (you can use dates, maple syrup, stevia, honey), and blend again to incorporate the sweetener.
Pour the mixture in batches on to your dehydrator trays lined with non-stick drying sheets, spread with an offset spatula (This tool is such a help…I first learned about this trick from Kristen Suzanne’s blog) as thin as you’d like making sure that it is evenly spread and there are no holes, and dehydrate at 125 until firm to the touch. I spread my roll-ups to about 1/8″ and they dehydrate within 3-4 hours. If you would like to keep the roll-ups “raw,” dehydrate at 115 degrees (it will take longer). You can also make the roll-ups thicker, it will just take longer to dehydrate.
Once you remove the roll-ups from the dehydrator, allow them to come to room temperature and carefully peel them from the non-stick sheet. Line the back of the roll-ups with parchment paper, cut them to size, and roll them up! I store my roll-ups in glass jars.
Recently I have used this method to make a ton of different flavors; mango, pineapple, apple cinnamon, and white peach. I was so pleasantly surprised by the pineapple fruit roll-ups…they were AMAZING!!! I can’t wait to make my next batch and have been dreaming-up all sorts of flavor combinations.
*TIP – try to keep the roll-up “batter” as thick as possible and do not add extra liquid if possible. You will find that certain fruits are less watery than others i.e. mangoes produce a thicker batter than apples do (the result is much more watery). Dehydrating time will change depending upon which fruit / fruit combo you use.
If you do not have a dehydrator, you can make the roll-ups in the oven by following Catherine McCord’s method on her blog, Weelicious (Click HERE).
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Please note that I am a Vitamix affiliate…and I wholeheartedly endorse the use of their wonderful product.
These look amazing; thank you so much for sharing (and thank you for offering the oven baked option–I am wishing for a dehydrator, but I don’t have one yet)!
wow so easy…i want a vitamix…and an excalibur! birthday come quickly…well actually don’t…Deirdre
Those are 2 of my top 3 favorite kitchen tools…last one is my food processor. Those three are revolutionary in the kitchen!
These look mouthwatering, what a great way to avoid eating the brand name ones that may have hidden ingredients! Do you have recipes for any other flavours?
I don’t have specific recipes, but that is the great thing about making these…you don’t need a recipe per se. I.e. when I made the mango roll-ups all I did was emulsify the mangoes in my high speed blender and then dehydrate them, same with the pineapple. I also made some with a combo of mango and strawberries. You will find that each batch will be a slightly different texture and might take a little less time OR longer to dehydrate depending upon the water content of the fruit. The pineapple and apple versions I made took the longest to dehydrate. Have fun playing with a bunch of different varieties!
I may try making some with grapes, however since I know they will be REALLY watery fresh out of the Vitamix, I may put the mixture in a saucepan on the stove to reduce a bit first…just an idea I am toying around with.
These look so great! I used to love fruit roll-ups. I can’t wait to try these!
Beautiful roll ups! I tried making some once in my $30 Ronco dehydrater, it didn’t go so well. I recently got a Vita and next on my appliance investment wish list is the Excalibur. Can’t wait to give it another go!
You will LOVE the dehydrator 🙂
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Am looking for a savory veggie roll up recipe instead of a sweet fruit roll up. Have you ever made one?
I haven’t, but that is a great idea 🙂
I’m using this for my own blog this weekend! I do a segment called “Pinterest”, I hope you check it out 🙂
That sounds fun…I look forward to seeing it.