The Best Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups
These REALLY are the Best Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups! You can feel good about serving them to your kids, plus they even have some veggies hidden inside! They won’t know and I won’t tell them.
The Best Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups
I went blueberry picking and had so many berries! I put them in muffins, yogurt, on my oatmeal, I almost put them on pizza I was getting so desperate to use them up. I went to all of the trouble to pick them I sure wasn’t going to let them rot.
That’s when I decided to freeze them. Duh! However, you know when you freeze blueberries they become juicy and lose their shape. Hmmmm, what could I do with them now? Fruit Roll-Ups, a.k.a. fruit leather!! You can use all of that leftover fruit that is almost past its prime, but not ready for the compost pile. Love that! You can save money and eat healthy!
Speaking of healthy, do you know whyย fruit roll-ups are bad for you and your family? Most of the flavors have corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, monoglycerides and artificial colors. Yuck! If you want to know more about the dangers of those ingredients LOOK HERE.
These Best Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups are SO EASY! You can feel good about the ingredients and even let the kids help you make them.
Let’s get rolling!
The Fruit (& Veg)
You can use almost any fruit combination you can think of. If you decide to add a little vegetable, remember to add ones that don’t have a lot of water content. I chose Blueberries with kale, Raspberries with carrot, and just plain Applesauce. What ever fruit and vegetable combo you use, wash and rough chop. You will want about 3 cups total. Don’t worry about being super accurate, this recipe is forgiving. Remember, if you use kale be sure to remove the stems. Here are some more ideas:
- Strawberries and Spinach
- Plum and Swiss Chard
- Sweet potato and Apple
Sweetener
I didn’t add any sweeteners, however I think the raspberries could have used a little. If your fruit isn’t sweet enough you could add agave nectar, stevia or sugar, but keep in mind drying fruit intensifies sweetness, so a little goes a long way.
Spices
I like a clean fruity flavor, so I didn’t add any spice. However, you could add a little cinnamon to blueberries or lemon juice to lighter colored fruits like apples to help them retain their color. Neither spice nor lemon juice is necessary and I like the simplicity of just fruit and vegetable, so I skipped it.
Puree
I don’t think there is any need to cook the produce first, just place it in a food processor and blend until its smooth. I used my Vitamix blenderย and it worked great. If the mixture is too think just add a little water. You want to be able to pour it, but it needs to still be thick – think pancake batter.
Pans
You can line your cookie sheet with plastic, however I don’t like cooking with plastic because of the chemicals. I used a silicone baking matย and the fruit peeled off perfectly.
Spread Puree
Spread the mixture evenly.
Cook
Cook for about 6 -7 hours at 170 degrees.ย I made mine in the evening and cooked them for a couple of hours, then turned the oven off when I went to bed, and turned it back on in the morning to finish the fruit roll-ups. The edges will cook faster than the center. If they get crispy you can always cut them off or brush with a little water until its pliable.
Roll & Store
Peel the fruit leather off your baking mat and roll it up with parchment paper. I cut it with scissors, but you could use a knife. Store the fruit roll-ups in an air tight container and they will last for a couple of weeks or you can freeze them, but I bet they will be gone in a blink!
The Best Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups fruit
- 1/4 cup vegetable
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees
- Wash and rough chop fruit and vegetables.
- Puree until smooth and the consistency of pancake batter.
- Pour onto lined baking sheet (preferably using a silicone baking sheet)
- Bake for 6-7 hours
- Peel from baking sheet, cut and roll with parchment paper. Store in airtight container. Enjoy!
Nutrition
If you liked this kid friendly healthy recipe, check these out –
Almond Butter Date Ballsย [Super Healthy Kids]
Almond Honey Power Barย [Super Healthy Kids]
Oven Dried Apple Chips [The Kitchn]
Intentionally Eat and Enjoy!