How To Make Strawberry Chips

Have you ever wanted to turn a fruit into a chips-like treat? If so then this How To Make Strawberry Chips tutorial is for you! These are very simple to make and the flavor is great. Not only is the flavor awesome but so is the color of these fruit chips, they look like red delicious apples when sliced (or a strawberry).

How To Make Strawberry Chips

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If your and your kids love freeze-dried strawberries or strawberry chips sold in the convenient, but somewhat pricey packages, you will love this recipe for Oven-Dried Strawberries. It’s a simple method for drying fresh strawberries into what are basically chips.

Oven-Dried Strawberries

These dried berries are sweet, flavorful, and contain just one ingredient: strawberries! Whenever strawberries are on sale, they’re a regular feature in our kitchen. But sometimes the kids get a little bored, so this is a fun way to change up how I offer them.

Ingredients You Need

To make this recipe, you just need fresh strawberries. You’ll want to use at least a quart or more to make sure you get enough at the end to make it worth the time it takes to bake them.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s a look at the simple process involved in making this recipe.

1. Wash, dry, and trim the stems off of your berries.
2. Use a mandoline to slice into thin, even slices.
3. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (or parchment-paper free if you use this kind of tray with ridges which helps prevent the food from sticking).
4. Bake.

TIP: Let them cool completely on the pan before eating to ensure that they’re crispy.

Why should I make oven-dried strawberries at home?

Well, first, because they can cost so much at the store! And second, because they’re easy to make! Especially when you see fresh strawberries on sale. These oven-dried strawberries are also a nice option to pack into a container when you want to serve a simple snack while on the go since they don’t need to be kept cold and they totally taste like a treat.

Can I make these without a mandoline?

If you have very polished knife skills, you totally can, but for the rest of us, a mandoline makes cutting even and think slices easy. (Just use the guide that it comes with to protect your fingers from nicks!)

Do these homemade dried strawberry chips taste the same as store-bought?

Texture-wise, these aren’t quite as dissolvable as the freeze-dried fruit, but they have a very similar flavor! They are crunchy, but easy to chew, and are just ever so slightly sticky like fruit leather. They are a healthy treat for older toddlers and big kids—and, of course, mom and dad!

How long do these oven-dried strawberries last?

Honestly, we almost always eat a batch on the day we make them, but they’ll last for about 3 days in an airtight container stored at room temperature.

Can I make this recipe in a dehydrator?

Sure! Refer to the instruction booklet that your dehydrator came with to get an idea of how long they’ll need to be in there. Mine takes about 6-8 hours to make dried strawberries assuming they’re all sliced uniformly thin.

Tips for Making the Best Oven-Dried Strawberries

• Use a mandoline to make thin, uniform slices.
• Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet or use a baking sheet with raised ridges to prevent sticking.
• Let cool completely before eating for the best texture.
• You may also like my Homemade Yogurt Melts, Strawberry Puree, my Strawberry Applesauce, and my Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie.

Oven-Dried Strawberries

You can do two baking sheets at once to get a slightly larger batch—definitely do this if you’re making these for more than one kiddo! Just be sure to swap the positions of the pans halfway through baking to ensure that they bake evenly.

Prep Time – 10 minutes

Cook Time – 1 hour 45 minutes

Total Time – 1 hour 55 minutes

Cuisine – American

Course – Snack

Calories – 10kcal

Servings – 2 (Makes about 1 cup)

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• 5-6 strawberries (stems removed)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Wash, dry, and remove the stems from the berries.
• Use a mandoline to make slices that are about 1/8-inch thick (on my mandoline, the notch is between the 1 and the 2). Spread out on the prepared baking sheet without overlapping and bake for 60 minutes. Carefully turn the slices over.
• Bake for an additional 15-30 minute or until mostly firm (and not sticky) to the touch. Remove pan from the oven and let cool on the sheet. (They crisp a little further as they cool.) Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days and store at room temperature.

Equipment

• Baking Sheet

Notes

• Use a mandoline to make thin, uniform slices.
• Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet or use a baking sheet with raised ridges to prevent sticking.
• Let cool completely before eating for the best texture.

OVEN DRIED STRAWBERRIES -A HEALTHY CHIP ALTERNATIVE!

 

Are you looking for healthy chips with a tangy taste? These Oven Dried Strawberries might just satisfy that craving!

Oven Dried Strawberries

Do you like homemade snacks?

If you do, I have a great one for you today!

Strawberry chips!!!

They are fun to make and usually healthier than their commercial counterpart since there are no added preservatives and you can control the amount and the type of ingredients you use. Not to mention the fact that they are usually cheaper to make at home.

It’s true! Another fruit I love to turn into chips are apples. Just look at the price for a bag of apple chips! In my humble opinion, apple chips are one of the easiest snacks to make, even without a dehydrator. Take a look and see how easy it is to make your own Apple Chips.

In fact, with just a little bit of time, a sharp knife, and an oven, almost any fruit or vegetable can be turned into crispy crunchy chips.

Here are just a few suggestions:

• spinach
• kale
• Swiss chard
• plantain
• beets
• zucchini
• potato
• banana
• pineapple  …and so many more!

Did you know that if you leave strawberries in the oven long enough, they too can become a fruit chip?

It did take a couple of tries before I got the chips to become crispy -more on that later. But for now, here’s how I was successful in drying out fresh strawberries and transforming them into chips.

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the strawberries: We begin this whole process of oven drying strawberries by purchasing (or picking) fresh, perfectly ripened strawberries, preferably organic and pesticide-free. Just like choosing the best strawberries to freeze, the best results can be obtained by using strawberries when they are in peak season.

Next, they need to be rinsed, hulled and dried. Please refer to the “how to” section on this DIY on Freezing Strawberries for all the details.

Place the prepped strawberries on a cutting board, and with a very sharp knife, slice evenly and thinly into approximately 1/8 inch thick (or thinner). I did not have any success with a mandolin and so I cannot recommend it for slicing strawberries.

Needless to say, the thinner you are able to slice the strawberry, the crispier and crunchier the final texture will be. The total amount of time they spend in the oven will also be reduced.

Once your strawberries have been sliced thinly and evenly, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Make sure they do not touch each other as they will stick to one another as they dry out. They are now ready for the oven!

I almost forgot to mention …preheat your oven to 350° F as you are preparing your strawberries.

Oven drying: When you are ready to place your strawberries in the oven, immediately reduce the heat to 200°F. Bake for about an hour or two or until the tops are dry. You need to check in on them every fifteen minutes or so just to see how they are getting along. There will be some variations in the total time as the amount of moisture and the thickness of the strawberry will dictate the total amount of time they need to dry out.

Flip them over and take a peak every 15 minutes or just to see how they are coming along. You may need to peel them off the parchment paper.

Before you know it, you have made yourself some strawberry chips.

Please note that if you prefer to have chewy strawberry chips, just remove them from the oven before they get to the “chips” stage.

If you prefer to use a dehydrator to dry out your strawberries, Sue over at The View from Great Island has a great article.

RECIPE ORIGINS

Despite the fact that my kids are all grown up and on their own, my husband and I still make an annual trip to go strawberry picking. This year, we came back with 16 L of strawberries. As a result, the past couple of weeks have been all about strawberries.

I recently shared that story on Instagram, here is the link to my feed so you too can follow along. I’ve also included a video clip so that you can hear the crispiness of the strawberry chip.

With all the strawberries we picked, I was able to make two batches of this Homemade Strawberry Jam. These preserves make great hostess gifts during the holiday season and they are great to use in desserts like Italian Jam Crostata or a Summer Trifle (recipes to follow).

I recently shared my technique on How to Freeze Strawberries. This is another method of preserving this wonderful fruit. They are great to have on hand for a quick smoothie or to make Macerated Strawberries to serve with my Mom’s Ciambella recipe. It really is so useful to have them readily available, especially in the middle of winter.

Since I still had a few pints of strawberries left, I decided to make banana strawberry muffins (that disappeared even before they had a chance to cool down) and with the rest, I was curious about making oven-dried strawberries aka strawberry chips.

As I previously mentioned, the first two attempts at making these strawberry chips resulted in a chewy texture. Don’t get me wrong, these still tasted great and they make a great addition to homemade Granola or sprinkled in cereals bowls.

But I was looking for a crispy texture, not chewy.

I finally got it right on my third attempt and by mistake. I had just finished baking a batch of muffins and I forget to turn down the oven temperature to the lowest setting.

When I realized I had placed a tray of thinly sliced strawberries in a hot oven, I immediately lowered the heat. When I checked in on them after an hour, the bottoms were stuck to the parchment paper but by carefully peeling them, I was able to turn them over.

Dehydrated Strawberry Chips

These dehydrated strawberry chips are the perfect thing for when you have too many fresh strawberries and you aren’t in the mood for strawberry jam.

They make a healthy snack as sweet as candy.

Tips and tricks for this recipe

I only recently discovered how easy it is to hull a strawberry without losing any of the flesh!

Hold the washed strawberry in your non-dominant hand (the left, for most people. Panel #1, below). With your right hand, pinch the leaves and stem together and pull and twist them off (Panel #2).

Insert the tip of a paring knife into the strawberry (#3). And, always cutting away from your left hand, cut a small, cone shaped segment out of the strawberry (#4).

These handy, stackable racks are great for dehydrating strawberries and other fruits in the oven or for cooking bacon. Mmmm bacon.

It’s pretty sad how the dehydrated strawberries get all shriveled up and sad looking. But the dehydrating process really concentrates the sweetness and gives candy-like sweetness to even the dullest of early season strawberries.

FAQs about dehydrated strawberry chips

Can I make these dehydrated strawberries if my oven doesn’t have a dehydrator function?

Strawberries do well in a stand-alone dehydrator, or you can use your oven on a low temperature setting (e.g. 150 degrees F).

Do I have to add lemon juice to the strawberries?

No. Lemon juice is primarily used in dehydrating to prevent browning, and there are some who say that it has antimicrobial properties.

(Side note: please don’t try to sterilize needles with lemon juice. It doesn’t work. I promise.)

What can I do with dehydrated strawberry chips?

Eat them plain. Add them to granola or trail mix. Grind super-dry dried strawberries into powder for meringues or macarons or strawberry milk.

How long can I store dehydrated strawberries?

Depending on how well they’ve been dried, dehydrated strawberries will keep in a cool location for weeks to months. If they are still somewhat soft, they’ll keep only about a week or so.

Dehydrated strawberry chips

 Prep Time15 minutes

 Cook Time4 hours

 Total Time4 hours 15 minutes

 Servings8

 Calories19kcal

Ingredients

• 1 lb (16 oz/450g) fresh strawberries
• 1 tbsp lemon juice optional

Instructions

• Wash and hull the strawberries, then slice them into 1/4′ slices.1 lb (16 oz/450g) fresh strawberries
• Optional: mix the lemon juice with 1 tbsp of water and dip the strawberry slices into the solution.1 tbsp lemon juice
• Lay the strawberry slices on a rack or on baking sheets lined with parchment or silicone mats. They can be touching but do not overlap the slices.
• Dehydrate in the oven at 175°F for ~4 hours or until they are the desired consistency. I would recommend turning them over about halfway through, especially if you are drying on baking sheets.
• Cool and then store in an air-free container at cool room temperature.

Dried Strawberries

This oven-dried strawberries recipe takes advantage of strawberries at the peak of their ripeness. Add these perfectly tasty baked strawberries to granola, oatmeal, and more.

Add strawberry chips to this protein granola or this tasty blueberry overnight oats.

Strawberries may be the most perfect fruit. They’re sweet and yet low in carbs. If color is a selling, point, strawberries take the cake.

The main negative for strawberries is the fact that the fruit has such a narrow period of ripeness. Once a strawberry hits its pick, you need to eat it and fast!

There is another way. Drying fruit preserves the majority of the nutrients, and it’s great to use in baked goods like muffins. Or you can add dried fruits to granola and other goodies.

why this recipe is a winner

• Using ripe strawberries preserves the best flavors of this tasty fruit
• Baking strawberries at a low temperature for an extended period of time keeps them from getting too dark around the edges
• No added sugars means this is a healthy, refined-sugar-free treat!

What You Need

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:

• Fresh strawberries

How to Make Dried Strawberries

The first step is crucial, preparing your strawberries.

Preparing Strawberries for Drying

Whatever oven method you’re using below, the first step in any of these processes is to prepare the strawberries for dehydrating. Here’s how to do that:

1. Wash and Dry — Begin by washing and drying the strawberries to remove any dirt.
2. Remove Stems — Use a knife to remove the stem ends.
3. Slice Strawberries —Slice the strawberries in 1/8 inch thickness.

marly’s tips

It’s important to cut your strawberry slices in uniform thickness to ensure all the pieces dry about the same time. Otherwise, you’ll need to remove smaller pieces sooner

Now that your strawberries are ready, let’s talk about the various options available to drying the strawberry slices.

I’m sharing three ways to bake strawberries:

1. Oven-dried Strawberries — use your oven at its lowest setting
2. Air Fryer Strawberries — having an air fryer gets even handier when you can use it to make this treat
3. Microwave Strawberries — microwaves are perfect to dehydrate fruit quickly.

Let’s go into more detail, beginning with how to dry strawberries in the oven.

Oven-Dried Strawberries

All you need is strawberries and a little bit of time. Here are the steps involved:

1. Prepare a Baking Sheet — Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Line up Strawberries — Place the strawberry slices on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a gap between the slices. If they’re touching they will stick together.
3. Bake — Place the pan in the oven and bake for 2 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and use forks or tongs to flip the slices. Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 1 hour until the slices are dried. Keep an eye on the berries so the edges don’t turn too dark.

Lowest Oven Settings

How low does your oven go? There seems to be a great deal of variation in the lowest temperature settings, depending on the age of your oven.

• Modern ovens have the lowest temperature set at 170°F. However, there may be a “warming feature” that will cause the oven to go between 100 – 170°F.
• Older ovens may have the ability to go to even lower temperatures.

Your strawberries will turn out great if you can get your oven between 170 – 200°F.

Oven-Dried Fruit

We’re focusing on how to dry strawberries, but there are other fruits that you can use in this process too. Such as apples, pears, mangoes, and bananas.

The trick to drying strawberries is to avoid blackened edges. That’s why we’ll cook the fruit slowly. The low temperature causes the fruit to release its juices, slowly drying them while retaining the flavor. Some of the tenderness from the fruit remains too, leaving an almost gummy-like consistency.

Oven-dried strawberries are not crisp like dehydrated banana chips. Strawberries dried in the oven have a chewy texture, which I like.

marly’s tips

Different ovens cook differently. For example, this recipe was tested in an electric oven. If you have a gas oven, cooking times and temperatures may vary.

Air Fryer Strawberries

You can dehydrate strawberries in an air fryer. I found that air fryer dried strawberries were a great way to preserve both the flavor and the color of strawberries. So, here’s how to dehydrate strawberries in an air fryer:

1. Place in Basket — Place sliced strawberries in the air fryer basket (depending on the size of your basket, you may need to do this in batches)
2. Keep Slices Separate — Make sure the strawberry slices are close but not touching.
3. Cook the Slices Without Dehydrator Settings — If your air fryer does not have a dehydrating setting, select the lowest temperature setting (around 180°F for my air fryer). Cook the slices at that temperature for 30 minutes. Use tongs to flip the berries and return it to the air fryer for another 30 minutes to an hour.
4. Cook the Slices With Dehydrator Settings — If your air fryer has a dehydrator setting, then can cook the strawberry slices for 2 hours on the dehydrator setting. Use tongs to flip the berries. Then return to the air fryer and cook for another hour on the dehydrator setting. Check the berries for doneness. Depending on your preferences, you may need to cook the slices for another hour or so to achieve the desired texture.

EASY HOMEMADE DRIED STRAWBERRIES

These dried strawberries (aka strawberry chips) are a healthy, flavorful snack to use up strawberries. You can use an oven or dehydrator to make these and they require just ONE ingredient: strawberries! No added sugar!

Whether you have a dehydrator or an oven, whipping up a large batch of dehydrated strawberries takes minimal effort and just a little bit of patience (okay, quite a lot of patience – but it’s worth it).

These dried strawberries make for a delicious healthy snack and a great addition to several larger recipes. You can even crush them into a simple strawberry powder. Plus, they’re so much more cost-effective than buying from a store. Such s a great way to preserve the summer’s bounty.

WHAT YOU NEED

And all you need for this simple DIY is ONE ingredient: fresh strawberries! The end chips are as sweet as the berries you use to dehydrate – so in-season, fresh-picked strawberries are my suggested go-to!

You will also need a sharp knife or a mandoline, a chopping board, parchment paper, and a dehydrator or oven.

HOW TO MAKE DRIED STRAWBERRIES

First, wash and de-stem the strawberries. You can chuck the stems into smoothies or compost them.

Then, cut the berries into thin even slices. You can slice with a mandolin for best results (thin even slices will be dried quicker and more evenly), a peeler, or a knife. Try not to slice any thicker than 1/8th inch maximum.

Line the slices over a parchment paper-lined baking tray or a dehydrator tray, depending on which method you’ll be using.

IN A DEHYDRATOR

Dry at 135ºF/57ºC for about 10-14 hours. The time will depend on the freshness of the strawberries and how thick the slices are, as well as the overall humidity levels on the day of drying them. Check after 10 hours and then every hour after that, until they are completely dry.

IN AN OVEN

To dry the strawberries in the oven, either dry at about 140ºF/60ºC for about 10 hours or at the lowest possible temperature for about 4-6 hours leaving the door cracked open (I use a heat-proof wooden spoon to do this). Keep an eye on the strawberries so they don’t burn as we want them to dry not cook!

The strawberry chips are ready when the slices are crisp and easily snap in 2 without bending at all.