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Drying fruits and vegetables is a great way to preserve the fruit while keeping as many of the nutrients as possible. Plus, drying concentrates and intensifies the natural flavor of whatever is being dried. Since I had so many apples, I decided to dry some. Dried apples are sweet, chewy, and full of intense apple flavor. I like to chop them up and add them to salads, cereal, oats, trail mix, and yogurt. You could also add them to cakes, muffins, or cookies, and I think they’d be a fantastic addition to Thanksgiving turkey stuffing.
A Note on the Oven Temperature: Try to get your oven as close to 135F as possible. If the oven is too hot then moisture can leave the apples too quickly, and you’ll end up with apples that are dry outside but full of moisture inside. On the other hand, if the temperature isn’t hot enough, the apples could mold before they have a chance to dry.
How to Dehydrate Apples
You’ll need:
Apples
Lemon juice (1/4 c for every 1 c of water to soak the apples)
Water
Sweetener (optional)
Baking pans
Parchment paper
An oven that can be set between 135-180F
(1) Prep your supplies. Preheat the oven to as close to 135F as you can get it. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Prepare a large bowl with lemon water for soaking the apples by mixing ¼ c lemon juice for every 1 c of water.
(2) Prep the apples. Wash and peel the apples, then core them (an apple corer makes this an easy task). Remove any bad spots on the apples. Slice the apples as uniformly as possible into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices (if you’re more adept at it than I am, you can use a mandolin for this). Drop the apple slices into the lemon water as you go; let the apples soak in the lemon water for about 5 minutes after all the apples have been sliced.
(3) Get ready to bake the apples. Drain the apples and lightly pat them dry. Line them up in a single layer on the parchment paper, making sure that none overlap. You can sprinkle on a little sugar or stevia if you like.
(4) Bake the apples. The apples are done when most of the moisture is removed, yet they’re still pliable; the apples should feel dry to the touch, not sticky or wet. How long the apples need to bake depends on several factors, such as the type and ripeness of the apples you use, and how hot your oven is. My apples took around 10-14 hours.
(5) Condition the apples. This is necessary to equally distribute any remaining moisture in the apples, which in turn reduces the risk of mold. This can be done by placing the dried apples in a closed jar and leaving it on the countertop for 7-10 days; shake the jar once a day but do not open the jar until conditioning is done.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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Have done but not for years. Used a dehydrator but been too busy for years to do again. However this year is one of abundance with apples so must do. Here is the thing however—–I soak in PINEAPPLE JUICE. Do not turn brown, no sugar needed–they are AMAZING and –get this, found a container in back of pantry about 15 years old and the apples are just great yet!
First try was with chemicals b4 being wiser—bad thing to do.!
The Pineapple juice is so perfect–do consider it!
Do not need lemon then either–just add slices to pineapple juice while preparing them all————drain, dehydrate.
BTW, my apples are organic and I do not peel, the peel is very good fiber afterall.Good luck—afterall all food is so expensive now and getting more so. Take the time for this healthy treat—especially if can get local apples cheap.
Great tips!
Thank you. I love dehydrated apples!
I make beef jerky in my oven. I will for sure give these a try!
i ve never dehydrated apples. this is a great idea! i shud try this. soo many apples in my garden :)thanx for the tip faith!
cheers!
i love dehydrated apples, although i stubbornly refuse to eat them if no cinnamon is involved. :)
I’ll have to buy batteries for my thermometer, it just decided to die on me. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
You’re so patient waiting a whole ten hours for your apples:) They look delicious…can you send me some:)
Thanks for sharing…I’ve always wanted to do this!
I have a whole ton of apples just waiting to be used up! I love these! Panera has a Fuji Apple salad I have been wanting to recreate. It has apple chips in it.
Yummie, like the idea of making my own dry apples, the ones in the market sometimes come with lots of sugar…thanks for the idea…by the way, congrats by winning the cookbook :-)
i LOVE the idea of drying fruit in the oven – thanks for the info!
Do you think I could crack open the oven to keep the temperature close to 135F? My oven’s lowest temp setting is 170…
Chiara, Sure, you could crack open the oven door. If you do that, I recommend using an oven thermometer to make sure the temp doesn’t go too low. If you make this, let me know how it turns out! :)
Oh wow! I never heard of that!
Great idea- I would never have thought of it. Bet they make super snacks!
Oh wow, that’s great! I love dried appples!
I love dried apple rings but can never be bothered getting out the food dryer nor do I know where it is so this is great :)
Your apples turned out beautiful! This year we only got about 8 apples from our tree — maybe next year I’ll have enough to make these :)
This is a great snack! I once made apple chips using similar method. Just that I slice the apple much thinner. Love this!
Great idea! You are so right about adding to Thanksgiving stuffing – yummy!
Thanks for sharing how to do this! I’ve never tried it but would love to this year. :D
Wow nicely done! Delish!
I have done citrus and berries but not apples yet! Your pictures have inspired me!
We eat these apples all the time..Im so excited I can make them now!!!!!!!!!!!!
A great tip, thanks! I’ve never done that!
Cheers,
Rosa
I’ve thought of doing this. I was actually considering buying a dehydrator at one time. But actually i ended up making loads of applesauce lol. The apple rings are a great way to preserve the life of your apples, and pretty versatile. It was a great idea :D