Homemade Fruit Roll Ups: With 3 wholesome ingredients you can easily make homemade fruit leather. These easy 3 ingredient, healthy fruit roll ups are the perfect lunch box treat.
Friends, I have a confession to make.
My kids have never had a store bought fruit roll-up, or a pop-tart for that matter.
Now don’t go thinking I am better than you, because they have had PLENTY of donuts, frozen pizzas, and potato chips.
But when I can make a fruit roll up with only 3 ingredients with 5 minutes of work, that gives my kids a serving of fruit instead of sugar–to me it is a no-brainer.
Homemade Fruit Roll Ups
Just like homemade larabars, homemade drumstick ice cream cones, and homemade chewy granola bars, I love that when I make homemade fruit rolls, I can be in control of the ingredients.
Fruit. Maple Syrup. Lemon Juice.
Check out the list for a store bought fruit roll-up per the Betty Crocker website: Apple Puree, Corn Syrup, Polydextrose, Dried Corn Syrup, Sugar, Maltodextrin, Palm Oil. Contains 2% or less of: Pear Puree Concentrate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Fruit Pectin, Monoglycerides, Malic Acid, Vegetable and Fruit Juice Added for Color, Dextrose, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Acetylated Monoglycerides, Natural Flavor.
I like my ingredient list a WHOLE lot more--don’t you?
Sorta like my homemade gogurt recipe–just fruit and yogurt, no added dextrose, malic acid, sodium citrates, etc, etc.
If you are thinking to yourself, but I buy organic fruit leather–that’s great.
BUT this recipe for homemade fruit roll ups will save you MONEY!!!
I make fruit roll ups at home for the same reason I make homemade larabars–not complicated and saves me a lot of money!
How to Make Healthy Fruit Roll Ups without a Dehydrator
Let’s break down this recipe for fruit leather down. And really, it’s not a recipe, more of a process!
STEP ONE: Puree 3 cups of fruit (your choice, but see my notes about fruits to avoid) with 1 tablespoon sweetener and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. The lemon juice will help to preserve the fruit and brighten the flavors. For the sweetener, I use maple syrup, but honey or sugar will work. Of course, you can omit the sweetener altogether if your fruit is really ripe.
STEP TWO: Spread your pureed fruit out into a thin layer (about 1/8 inch thick) onto baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
STEP THREE: Bake at the lowest temperature your oven will go for 4-8 hours. (150-180 degrees) You will know your fruit roll-ups are done cooking when they are not sticky to the touch. (Timing varies based on oven and moisture in fruit). I cooked my fruit roll ups at 170 degrees and they were ready in 5 hours.
STEP FOUR: Cut into 1 inch strips using kitchen scissors. If you use parchment paper, you can leave the fruit roll on the parchment paper, if you baked your fruit leather on a silicone baking mat, peel off before cutting into strips.
STEP FIVE: Roll up the fruit roll-up and secure with a sticker or piece of tape. If you didn’t use parchment paper to bake, use a strip of craft paper or wax paper to roll up the fruit leather.
STEP SIX: Let your kids (or yourself) enjoy!
Variations on Homemade Fruit Leather
There are endless varieties of flavors you can choose when making fruit roll ups. I personally like to use a mixture of berries, but mangos peaches, or kiwi would work as well. You can even use applesauce in your fruit mixture.
I would not recommend using fruit like bananas–because they would brown significantly, but if you try it and it works, let me know!
Can you use frozen fruit to make fruit roll-ups?
YES!! You can use frozen fruit to make homemade fruit roll ups, just defrost fruit and drain off any excess liquid. And then proceed with recipe as directed.
How thick should you make homemade fruit leather?
The trick to making homemade fruit roll-ups is to spread the fruit mixture out into a thin, but not too thin layer. Basically, you want to use a spatula to spread out the mixture into about 1/8 inch thick without leaving any holes. You don’t need to get out a ruler, just spread out your mixture as thin as you can while being sure the mixture is even.
It is also a good idea to leave a small border from side of pan to your fruit mixture, so the fruit roll-ups don’t dry onto the edge of the pan, making it harder to remove your fruit leather easily once dried.
How long can you keep homemade fruit leather?
Keep homemade fruit-roll ups in a tightly sealed container up to 2 weeks.
Are Fruit Roll Ups allergy friendly?
By making fruit roll ups at home, they are not only good for you thanks to the huge dose of fruit, but can fit any dietary restrictions. Homemade fruit roll-ups are free from the top 8 allergens and are gluten-free, naturally sweetened, paleo, and vegan.
A few more pointers on how to make fruit roll-ups at home:
- Do NOT use plastic wrap or wax paper to line your baking sheet with. I know others will tell you at this low of a temperature it is safe, but if you don’t have high quality plastic wrap, you are risking your plastic melting into your fruit roll-ups. Play it safe. A silicone mat or parchment paper that is designed to bake with is the only way to go.
- I love to use fun stickers and craft paper to roll up my homemade fruit roll-ups to make this homemade treat feel more special.
- If you have a child with a sensitive digestive system that needs to avoid seeds, use any fruit you like to puree and then run through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds, or use peaches, applesauce or mangoes to avoid any small seeds.
- You want to cook the fruit roll-ups at the lowest temperature your oven will go. For me that was 170 degrees, but some ovens go to 150 degrees. The cooking time varies greatly due to moisture in fruit and oven temperature. I would check your fruit roll ups at 4 hours and if really wobbly, not check again until 5 hours. The total cooking time an range from 4 hours to 8 hours. My fruit roll-ups typically take 5 hours.
More Lunch Box Perfect Recipes
- Ranch Veggie Wrap
- Gluten Free No Bake Granola Bars
- Easy Bean Burritos
- 2 Ingredient Homemade Gogurts
- DIY Butterfly Snack Bags
Homemade Fruit Leather
Ingredients
- 3 cups fruit see notes
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 140 degrees (or as low as your oven will go). Prepare a lined baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or a silcone baking mat.
- In a food processor or blender, puree fruit with sweetener and lemon juice until perfectly smooth.
- Pour pureed fruit evenly over baking sheet.
- Place in oven and bake for 4-6 hours, until set and no longer sticky to the touch. ***See note
- Allow to cool, then remove from baking mat or parchment paper.
- Cut into 1 inch strips and roll up in parchment paper or wax paper and secure with tape or a sticker to make it cute.
Notes
- Be sure to spread your fruit mixture thin, but without any holes--so an even layer about 1/8-1/4 inch thick.
- I used 2 cups Strawberries and 1 cup Blackberries for this recipe.
- You can use frozen fruit. Just defrost first in a strainer over a bowl in the refrigerator to remove excess water. Drain well and pat dry before proceeding with the recipe.
- It can take up to 8 hours to cook these fruit roll-ups if your fruit has high moisture content and your oven is set at 150 degrees. I have only ever had to bake my fruit roll-ups for 5 hours. But you may need longer. Check every 30 minutes and remove from oven when no longer sticky to the touch.
To Make Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups You May Need
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Hi, I really want to make these, but I was wondering if I could use frozen fruit?
Yes absolutely, just defrost the fruit first..I recommended defrosting in a strainer over a bowl in the refrigerator to remove excess water. If not, drain well and pat dry before making.
Great, thank you so much!