Homemade Fruit Leathers

Fresh strawberries are delicious in the summer!

If you are looking for a calorie-dense snack that is portable for backpacking, hiking, or camping trips but also healthy, try making these strawberry fruit leathers. 

To make these tasty snacks I like using a combination of unsweetened applesauce and strawberries. The strawberries give it a pretty color and a seeded texture. The unsweetened applesauce adds liquid and a little bit of sweetness. Just two, simple ingredients to make homemade fruit leather!

This recipe is made in a countertop dehydrator. If you’re going to make jerky, fruit leathers, or dehydrated camping meals often, a dehydrator is worth the investment.  A dehydrator prevents the need to turn on your oven, and you can set the timing on a dehydrator and forget about it for several hours.

Since these snacks are homemade, you won’t have wrappers to toss away. You can compost the unused strawberry scraps and you can use a nonstick baking mat to dehydrate these treats. #ZeroWaste

Ingredients:

• 3 cups blended strawberries

• 2 cups unsweetened applesauce

Directions:

• Remove the stems from the strawberries and place them in a blender

• Add unsweetened applesauce and blend until smooth.

• Pour the strawberry/applesauce puree onto a dehydrator sheet with a layer of wax paper or a reusable baking sheet. Use a spoon or spatula to spread the mixture in an even layer. You don’t want the mixture to be too thin or too thick – this is where the experimenting comes into play!

• Place the sheets in the dehydrator set to 135 F degrees for 3-4 hours or until the fruit leather is dry to the touch, and no longer sticky.

• Cut the fruit leather into strips and roll up and store in an airtight container

This snack can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for several months and is perfect for your next outdoor adventure.