Fruit Leather Recipe (Homemade Fruit Roll Ups)

Free: 5 Secrets To Fast Healthy Dinners

Get It Now

This post may contain affiliate links, which help keep this content free. (Full disclosure)

Forget about artificial colors, added sugar, and corn syrup… this homemade fruit roll ups recipe creates a naturally sweet snack with mostly hands-off effort! With just 5 minutes to prep and no specialty tools needed, I’ll show you my best flavor ideas and tips for creating your own easy fruit leather. My kids love this stuff, and with no added sugar, I feel good about giving it to them.

Like air fryer zucchini chips, sugar-free gummy bears, and flax seed crackers, they also use just a few simple ingredients!

What Is Fruit Leather?

Fruit leather consists of fruit purée dried to a chewy consistency. Many recipes for fruit leather contain added sugar or honey (and many store-bought versions contain added corn syrup, juice, pectin, or artificial colors), but you can easily make homemade fruit roll ups without all these ingredients.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for homemade fruit roll ups, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

• Fruit – Try berries (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries), stone fruits such as peaches or apricots, or other easy fruits like apples, kiwi, or banana. If the fruit has an edible peel, you can include it in the recipe for extra fiber and texture. See my tips below about using frozen fruit!
• Lemon Juice – Use fresh juice or bottled lemon juice to brighten up the flavor in homemade fruit leather and help the fruit retain its color. You could also use fresh squeezed orange juice.

Variations:

• More Flavor – Add spices like cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, almond extract, or vanilla to the puree.
• More Sweetness – This fruit leather recipe is sweetened with 100% fruit, but if you want more sweetness, you can add a few tablespoons of honey, or my personal favorite Besti sugar substitute (0 calories and no aftertaste!).

How To Make Fruit Leather In The Oven

This section shows how to make fruit roll ups at home, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full instructions, see the recipe card below.

1. Puree. Add all ingredients except lemon juice to a high-powered blender. Puree until very smooth. Add lemon juice and blend again until incorporated.

TIP: If the fruit gets “stuck”, dislodge with a spatula.

It can also help to pulse the blender, starting and stopping, especially at first.

2. Spread. Transfer the fruit puree to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. (Do not use foil — it will stick!) Spread into a thin layer.
3. Dehydrate. Bake the fruit roll up recipe in the oven until the center is no longer sticky to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool completely to firm up.

4. Peel. Once cooled, gently peel the fruit leather recipe off the baking sheet (leaving parchment attached, if using).
5. Cut. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut into five strips lengthwise and once crosswise to create 10 pieces total.

6. Roll. Roll into strips with parchment facing out, or carefully roll without parchment.

Can You Make Fruit Leather In A Dehydrator?

Yes, you can easily use a dehydrator to make a fruit leather recipe. After pureeing, transfer to your dehydrator’s fruit leather tray (or simply line with parchment). Dehydrate for 6-12 hours at 140 degrees F or 60 degrees C. Start testing for doneness after 6 hours.

Can You Make Fruit Leather With Frozen Fruit?

Yes, you can make fruit leather with frozen fruit! Simply defrost fruit fully in the fridge and drain off any extra liquid before pureeing.

Tips For The Best Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

Set your fruit leather up for success with these easy tips.

• Use the right pan liner. Parchment or silicone mats work best. Avoid using wax paper or plastic wrap, which are not suitable for the oven, or foil, which will stick.
• For better texture, strain the seeds if desired. If using berries or other fruits with edible seeds, you can strain them through a fine mesh sieve before transferring to the baking sheet.
• Spread evenly. Shake the baking sheet to evenly distribute the puree on the baking sheet. If fruit is not spread evenly, the fruit roll up recipe will have a lumpy texture, and the thinner parts may burn before the thicker parts are done. Try to create as thin a layer as possible without making any holes.
• Watch for doneness. Over-dried fruit leather will be brittle and crack easily, so keep testing for doneness after 3 hours.
• Fruit too sour? Add sweetener. If you use out-of-season or particularly sour fruits, add sweetener to taste. Honey, maple syrup, or powdered sugar-free sweeteners are all great options.
• Boil the puree to save time. If you want to reduce the oven time, you can cook the fruit on the stovetop first. After pureeing, boil for 5-10 minutes to allow some liquid to evaporate. This step can cut your baking time roughly in half.

Storage Instructions

• Store: Keep the homemade fruit roll up recipe in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week. However, it’s fine to take these on-the-go for the day without refrigerating.
• Freeze: Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6-8 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before enjoying.

More Healthy Snack Recipes

It’s easy to make better-for-you snacks right at home. Try my index of healthy snack recipes, or try some of my favorites below:

Fruit Leather Recipe (Homemade Fruit Roll Ups)

This healthy homemade fruit roll ups recipe needs just 2 natural ingredients and 5 minutes prep! Learn how to make fruit leather with no added sugar.

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 3 hours

Total: 3 hours 5 minutes

Servings: 10 (adjust to scale recipe)

Ingredients

Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. Preheat the oven to the lowest temperature possible (mine was 170 degrees F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Puree the fruit in a high-speed blender until super smooth.

3. Add the lemon juice and puree again.

4. Spread the smooth fruit puree onto the lined baking sheet.

5. Dehydrate fruit leather in the oven for 3-4 hours, until the center is not sticky to the touch.

6. Remove from the oven and let the fruit leather cool completely on the baking sheet.

7. Slide the parchment paper off the baking sheet (this is a good size for this recipe) onto a cutting board. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut into five strips lengthwise, then cut across all of them crosswise, to make 10 pieces total.

8. To make fruit roll ups, roll the individual strips, preferably together with the parchment paper to prevent sticking, but without is fine as well.

Readers Who Liked This Easy Recipe Also Made:

Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 fruit roll up (7 inches by 2 inches)

*Note: For low carb fruit roll ups, use keto fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 15

Fat 0.1g

Protein 0.3g

Total Carbs 3.5g

Net Carbs 2.6g

Fiber 0.9g

Sugar 2.2g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂