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Rolled fruit leathers are homemade fruit roll-ups with nothing in them but fruit — two flavors from one method: tangy cherry-nectarine with a naturally bright red hue, and Cole's favorite, sweet peach-banana with vanilla. The fruit is simmered soft, blended smooth, dried thin, and rolled into scrolls that live happily in the car, the sports bag, and the school snack box.
Pro Tips
- Blanch the stone fruit two to three minutes in boiling water, then shock it in ice water — the skins slide right off, which is far faster than peeling raw peaches with a knife.
- Simmer the fruit a full 30 minutes, mashing with a potato masher every 5–10 minutes; the periodic mashing breaks the fruit down and cooks off water so the leather dries instead of staying sticky.
- Spread the purée with slightly thicker edges — about 30% thicker around the rim — because edges dry out faster than the center and will crack if they're thin.
- Dry at 170°F for 10–12 hours (or 8 hours in a dehydrator) and check the pan as you near the end; pull it when the center is tacky-free but still flexible.
- Cut with a pizza cutter on parchment or wax paper and roll the paper right into the scrolls — the paper keeps the leathers from sticking to themselves in an airtight container.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a dehydrator to make fruit leathers?
No — a 170°F oven with the purée on a silicone mat or plastic wrap does the same job in 10–12 hours. A dehydrator finishes in about 8 and is the tidier option if you make them weekly.
How do I peel peaches and nectarines for fruit leather?
Blanch them for 2–3 minutes in boiling water, then plunge them straight into an ice bath. The skins then slip off in your fingers, and you just halve and pit them.
What fruit combinations work best?
The two written here — cherry-nectarine with almond extract and peach-banana with vanilla — are proven. The rule of thumb from the recipe: pair one tangy fruit with one ripe, sweet one for balance.
Can I use overripe or bruised fruit?
Yes, and you should — bruised, overripe fruit is sweeter and softer, perfect for simmering into purée. Ask a farmer for a discount on a big box of it at the market.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- 1.
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees
- 2. Special Tools: Dehydrator (optional but recommended)
- 3. Allergens: No allergens in recipe ingredients
- 4. Blanch stone fruit in pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes.
- 5. Immediately place fruit in an ice water bath.
- 6.
- Peel skin off, cut in half, and remove pits.
- 7.
- Place peeled halves with other fruit and water in medium sauce pan and bring to boil over medium heat.
- 8.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, using a potato masher every 5-10 minutes to break up and soften the fruit.
- 9.
- When finished cooking, add flavor extract and blend until smooth.
- 10.
- Pour onto baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or plastic wrap (we recommend the plastic sheet of your dehydrator if you have one).
- 11. Use a spatula to add thickness to the edges—the edges will dry too fast if they are not slightly thicker than the center (slightly thicken about 30% of the width at the edges).
- 12.
- Bake at 170 degrees for 10-12 hours (watch your pan as you near the finish, your edges may finish cooking first) or dehydrate for 8 hours.
- 13. Use a pizza cutter to segment the fruit leather into the size of your choosing.
- 14. Lay out on parchment or wax paper, roll up, and store in an airtight container.
