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The kids go crazy for this apricot fruit leather. I used to buy fruit roll ups and fruit leather all the time but you won’t even believe how much better this tastes than store-bought!
There are only TWO INGREDIENTS, way less sugar, zero preservatives and 100% real fruit which has great natural fiber. If you have a large crop of stone fruit like apricots, peaches or plums, by golly you had better make this! I don’t usually say by golly but it is fun to say, “by golly!” 😉 The adults love fruit leather as well. It’s a wonderful snack and a great way to preserve a bumper crop of fruit.
Great news!…You can either dry your fruit leather out in the oven or in the sunshine. The sunshine method is my favorite because you can make a whole bunch at once without heating your oven in summer.
Ingredients for Apricot Fruit Leather:
5 lbs ripe sweet apricots
1/2 cup granulated sugar, or to taste
How To Make Apricot Fruit Leather:
1. Rinse apricots, cut in half and discard pits. Place on a large baking sheet cut-side-up and bake at 400˚F for 15 minutes (it’s ok to crowd the fruit snuggly in a smaller pan, just keep them in a single layer). Remove from oven and let cool until just warm enough to handle.
2. Transfer to a blender or food processor and process until a smooth puree (process in 2 or 3 batches if needed).
3. Pour puree into a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup sugar, or to taste and stir until sugar is incorporated.
There are 2 ways to dry these out:
1. How to Make Fruit Leather with Sunshine (my favorite way):
Spread puree between 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick on a large parchment sheet or plastic wrap covered baking sheet, extending the paper slightly past the rim. This recipe fills 3 large baking sheets. Set in the sunshine until no longer sticky when you poke the centers. If it sticks to the paper, let it dry longer. It can fully dry out in 1 day if it’s hot out or 2 days if warm and sunny (store indoors uncovered overnight).
Note: if you want to make big batches, you can lay out large strips of parchment paper on a portable surface and just put the puree directly on the paper without needing baking sheets. We literally used 40 lbs of apricots for fruit leather this year.
2. How to Make Fruit Leather in the Oven:
Spread puree on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and place baking sheets in a preheated oven at 200˚F for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours, depending on how thick you spread it. It’s done when it no longer sticks to your fingers when you poke the center. Note: do not place in the oven while it’s preheating or it can burn.
We slice fruit leather into strips with the backing attached and make fruit roll ups. Store at room temperature in a large ziploc or foodsaver bags.
How to Make Apricot Fruit Leather
Ingredients
- 5 lbs ripe sweet apricots
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, or to taste
Instructions
How To Make Apricot Fruit Leather:
- Rinse apricots, cut in half and discard pits. Place on a large baking sheet cut-side-up and bake at 400˚F for 15 min (it's ok to crowd the fruit in a smaller pan). Remove from oven and let cool until just warm enough to handle.
- Transfer to blender or food processor in batches and process until a smooth puree.
- Pour puree into a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup sugar, or to taste and stir until sugar is incorporated.
How to Dry Fruit Leather with Sunshine (my favorite way):
- Spread puree between 1/8" to 1/4" thick on a large parchment paper or plastic wrap covered baking sheet, extending the paper slightly past the rim. This recipe fills 3 large baking sheets. Set in the sunshine until no longer sticky when you poke the centers. It can fully dry out in 1 day if it's hot out or 2 days if warm and sunny (store indoors uncovered overnight).
How to Make Fruit Leather in the Oven:
- Spread puree on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and place baking sheets in a preheated oven at 200˚F for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours, depending on how thick you spread it. It's done when it no longer sticks to your fingers when you poke the center. Once at room temp, roll and store at room temperature in large ziploc or foodsaver bags.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
It’s so sweet how much my kids LOVE this apricot fruit leather! I hope you try your hand at this fruit leather. It’s so easy and you can give the kiddos in your life a sweet surprise :).
Like many other reviewers, my apricot leather absolutely fused with the parchment paper and will not come off.
Yes I used parchment paper. No, it isn’t over cooked. Something is off with this recipe.
Hi Crm, I haven’t been able to replicate that experience and we have made a ton of fruit leather having an apricot tree (a few actually!). Did you pre-bake your apricots in a fully preheated oven? Also, did your apricots seem unusually watery? I wonder if that could be the culprit. Another issue could be pouring it too thick which will take significantly longer to dry out properly. Lastly, make sure it’s set before peeling it off the parchment paper.
Hello, thanks for the recipe! I hope it turns out🤞I do have a question. How do I keep the flies away if I’m drying large batches outside? I feel like covering it with saran wrap would hinder the drying process.🤷🏻♀️
Hi Lilli, We took the fruit leather inside the garage overnight and then brought it back out into the sun the next day. If you’re curious, we also kept it uncovered outside and in the garage and didn’t have any issues with bugs.
This is a great simple and tasty recipe to make good use of a bumper crop year of apricots. I placed the trays on my Car dashboard and they dried in day and a half, it keep the critters away, the occasional sprinkle and worked like a charm using zero energy. My plums are ripening, so I will look up your plum leather recipe next. Perfect in every way! Thank You
That’s great! I’m glad it worked out for you.
I’m so sad because I made 6 pans and none of them turned out! They all stuck to the parchment paper. Like I can’t get it off at all.
Hi Kailey, did you possibly use wax paper instead of parchment paper? It will stick badly to wax paper. If it was parchment, another reason for sticking is overbaking where it gets too dry. You can wrap a damp towel around the rolls and let it sit for a bit which will add enough moisture for it to come off easier.
Made these in the oven at at 200 degrees it took SIX HOURS to dry. Far more than the 3 1/2 I was expecting.
Hi Tara, most likely it was more puree or too small of a pan (which resulted in a thicker layer and needed more baking time)
I had this same issue and I measured the thickness. It was only an 1/8” or less. Sad bc her recipes are almost always spot on. I’m at high elevation so I wonder if that had anything to do with it.
I have added lemon jello instead of sugar to this. We love the flavor twist. Thanks for all the explanations for getting the result right!
You’re so welcome, Elizabeth. Glad that turned out great!
what do you do with apricot leather that was purchased in a store?
Hi Katherine, I’m not sure what you mean.
Eat it.
Hi Natasha, I made it using apricots from last summer (I had blanched and frozen in sweet water). This I blended and placed on drying trays in the dehydrator. Everything good: vibrant orange color & great taste BUT unless we eat it right away it goes hard. It is still tasty but i get cuts inside my mouth like when I eat very crusty french bread. Any tips on keeping fruit leather soft? Please suggest.
Hi Helen, it helps to keep it covered with most of the air removed. If storing for longer, we love to vacuum seal fruit leather since air tends to dry it out. At the very least, it should be stored in an airtight container.
Hiya!
I’ve made a LOT of fruit leather over the years with many different fruit/veggie combos in both oven and dehydrator. I occasionally encounter a problem where fissures and cracks form in the puree as it’s drying. Still tastes great, of course, but isn’t nearly as attractive when I plan on gifting some of it. I’m wondering if anyone else has ever seen this, or knows what causes it? Thanks!
When my fruit leather has cracks, it is because the consistency/thickness of the puree is not equal on the drying rack or I’ve left it in the dehydrator too long. Still tastes good, just snaps when you try to roll it.
I add a banana to my strawberry fruit leather, it adds the pliancy I am looking for.
I was wondering if you could use nectarines with this same recipe? Love your recipes so much from one Idaho girl to another
Hi Annie, Yes you can use other fruit. I also have a plum fruit leather posted. You can use other stone fruit and even berries :). I’m curious about making it with persimmon if we have extra persimmons this year.
I made a ton of apricot fruit leather but I messed up and used wax paper ,is there an easy way to get the paper back off of it ? Thank you
Hi Jessene, it is really difficult to remove from wax paper. The best I’ve done is to wrap a lightly damp towel around a rolled up fruit leather and that seems to help some.
I wonder if filling a cookie sheet with a 1/4 inch of warm water and then dip the leather, paper side down for a few seconds will make removal easier, as you would with a jello mold.
Do you leave the skins on?
Hi Jean, yes. Apricot skins blend really well with the rest of the puree and it is not necessary to peel.
Can you use apricot jam and sugar and get the same result? Not in area where fresh are available.
Hello Debra, I haven’t really tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
My Dad’s made this recipe and it’s delicious. Thank you!
I have a question about altitude adjustments. We live in Utah and so we’re about 4,000 ft. above Sea Level, so what adjustments might you make?
One thought we had was to add plastic wrap on top since we’re also dryer than other States and areas of the World. This way it holds on to the moisture without drying out too much or quickly. Would this help?
Also, should we adjust the time and temperature to help it get done sooner? 3-4hrs. can be a long time and it’s hard to make this in the evening after a long day. Thoughts?
Thanks again for the recipe and your help. 😊
Hi Jenny, I wouldn’t recommend trying to speed dry at higher temperatures as it will change the outcome in texture and they are more likely to end up dry. Remember cooking times may vary depending on how thin you spread your mixture so you might try spreading it thinner but then you will have multiple batches that need to be dried out. You might run into issues covering in plastic wrap – It would get stuck and keep it from drying out properly and evenly.
Hey I am making this fruit leather right now! I am wondering how long it keeps good for? Do I need to refrigerate it?
Hi Hailey, it depends on how you store it. It keeps pretty well sealed in a food saver bag for a few months, that’s what we did
Hi
I didn’t see comment to my answer on how to keep bug from getting. On leather. Put it in your car. Brilliant idea. I will do this. Love your site
I will be making this week, can you tell me how long this will last? Do you refrigerate or freeze?
Hi Sarai, it depends how you store it. It keeps pretty well sealed in a food saver bag for few months, that’s what we did.
Can I dehydrate more than one baking sheet at a time in the oven?
Hi Christie, if you have room in your oven then yes. I fill up the oven racks as much as I can at one time.
I’d like to do the large outside batch of apricot leather like you did. How did you make a “portable surface?” What materials did you use to make it sturdy enough? thanks!
I think my parents used old screen doors. I’m not sure why they even had them, but they did. Even a thick card stock or cardboard would work.
Hi Natasha. I didn’t have a lot of apricots but I am trying your receipe on the fruit leather. I just placed a spoon on top in the middle and it’s still sticky. I actually have another hour to go so hopefully by then it will be done. I love your site. So easy to read and fun
I hope it turns out and you love it! Thank you for that awesome review!
Hi
Question, when drying apricots outside do we need to protect from flies bugs. I can see them getting stuck in apricot leather. What do u do?
Hi Melanir, We took the fruit leather inside the garage overnight and then brought it back out into the sun the next day. If you’re curious, we also kept it uncovered outside and in the garage and didn’t have any issues with bugs.
We’ll sometimes put a plastic netting on the pan while holding it with safety pins. This helps keeps the bugs away.
Also, we’ve put it on the porch behind the yew bushes, so if you have any plants in front of your porch. Just a thought.
Hope this helps you and anyone else who has similar issues. 😊
Hi I’m just wondering what the first step of putting them in the oven for 15 minutes is for. Is that just to dry them out a bit so the whole process doesn’t take as long? I just purée mine right from the start
Hi Tiffany, it helps to break them down a little bit but warming them also draws out flavor. You could compare it to grilled versus fresh peaches. They have deeper richer flavor once they are heated.
Hello, I’ve got problems:( My batch completely stuck to the parchments and you could not even get it off. The parchment paper only comes off in little pieces and is completely stuck to the fruit roll. I read through the comments to see if anyone else said the same thing, and yes there was, but not any help on what to do. Even at “cooled”, its still all stuck to the paper and will not come off in one piece. Just little torn pieces, if any will come off. The whole batch in the garbage:( I am a cook so not sure why this is happening and what to do. I am afraid to try this again with all the effort it takes. Can I use waxed paper or something else? Is there a certain brand of parchment you use? I don’t want to try this again and waste apricots in the process. Please help.
I’m sorry to that! The only time I had that experience was when I used wax paper which was too thin and softened from the moisture in the fruit leather, making it impossible to pry off. This is why I definitely do not recommend wax paper. We use the parchment paper from Costco. You could also use plastic wrap as an alternative.
You can also use saran wrap that has been lightly oiled (spray with cooking spray). Just make sure the edges are up on the sides, or a silicon mat works, you just don’t want to spread it all the way to the edge.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
The exact same thing happened to me just yesterday! A whole batch ruined. I’m also afraid to try it again. I kept wondering if I dried it too much or if I was supposed to spray the parchment paper. Did you ever find a good solution?
hey natasha:)
i am cooking my apricot leather now and has been cooking for at least 4.5 hours.. but still not done at all.. its late at night.. what do u sggest i do?
Hi Skye, I would turn off the oven and leave it in there overnight and check on it in the AM. You could prop the door open if you are concerned about it getting too dry.