My kids love fruit rollups and fruit snacks. Every time they ask for them I cringe a little bit – it’s just sugar and dye! Then I realized I could make homemade fruit rollups with no added sugar.
There’s something undeniably nostalgic about fruit rollups from the chewy texture to the fruity flavor. While store-bought options are readily available, I can control the ingredients, the flavor, and level of sweetness when I make fruit rollups at home.
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Homemade strawberry fruit leather is made with just one ingredient, fresh strawberries. There’s no sugar added, no preservatives, no artificial colors, nothing. Just pure, simple, and delicious fruit. Why would I want to give my kids fruit roll ups filled with preservatives when I can give them one with 100% real fruit? As an added bonus, it’s gluten free.
How to Make Fruit Roll Ups
The kids and I made Strawberry Fruit Roll Ups with some berries in the freezer. We thawed them and used them in this recipe for homemade fruit leather. OMG! They were great and the kids loved them. Actually, I ended up making a run to the store for more strawberries because the kids ate the first 2 trays of fruit leather before I could get any photos. If that’s not a testament to how good they are, I don’t know what is.
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Ingredients and Tools to Make Fruit Roll Ups at Home
My family loves strawberry fruit rollups, (some people refer to the homemade version as fruit leather), but this recipe can be made with any fruit. The only ingredient you need for the best fruit rolls homemade version is 1 pound of fruit. That was easy, right? You can easily substitute any kind of fruit and make the fruit roll up of your choice. Mango, pineapple, apple, black cherry, etc. You could even combine two different fruits of similar consistencies for a true flavor explosion.
These strawberry fruit rollups are made from puree so a blender or masher of some kind is really the only tool you need. A food dehydrator is helpful, but if you don’t have one (like me) use your oven on the lowest setting to dehydrate the fruit.
Bonus: Your house will smell like strawberries all morning. Fruit rollups and air fresheners in one!
Prepare the Fruit
Wash the strawberries thoroughly and remove the stems. If you’re using other fruits, ensure they are ripe and free from any blemishes. Remove any stems, seeds, cores, etc. Cut the fruits into one inch thick pieces for easier blending. Blend until smooth.
Homemade Strawberry Fruit Roll Ups
Perfect on the go snack that's healthy, gluten free, and has only one ingredient - fruit!
Ingredients
- 1 pound strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175ºF.
- Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Trim the tops of the strawberries and place in a food processor or blender.
- Puree strawberries until smooth. Taste test for desired level of sweetness.
- Divide the puree evenly between the two pans. Use an off-set spatula to spread the puree evenly to about an 1/8 inch thickness.
- Bake for 3 to 4 hours. Rotate the position of the pans (top/bottom rack) every hour.
- Fruit roll ups are done when the puree is dry to the touch and the bottom is dry.
- Remove the roll ups from the oven and allow to cool.
- Place a piece of wax paper on top of the roll ups. Peel off the wax paper and the roll up together.
- Cut the sheet into long strips and then roll up the strips.
Notes
Baking time will vary greatly. Check the roll ups after 3 hours have passed. Then every 10 minutes afterward until roll ups are dry to the touch and still pliable. If roll up gets too dry, you can eat the roll ups as fruit crisps or rehydrate by brushing on water with a pastry brush, then dehydrating again.
How to Store Homemade Fruit Roll Ups
Once the fruit rollups are dry, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely. Carefully peel the rollups off the parchment paper or silicone mats. Cut the rollups into desired sizes and shapes. For classic fruit rollups, cut them into rectangular strips and store them in an airtight container. I love homemade fruit rolls for road trip and hiking snacks.
Homemade Fruit Roll Ups FAQs
Packed with natural flavors and nutrients, homemade fruit rollups are a healthier alternative to those you find in the grocery store. Experiment with different fruits, flavor combinations, and even spices to create your own signature fruit rollups. Whether you prefer the classic strawberry fruit leather or want to explore other fruit options, your family will love these convenient on-the-go snacks. Let me know which fruit rollups you try making at home.
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Skip to Recipe
Yours look much better than the store-bought kind 🙂
Thanks Rachel. They are healthier too.
I really want to make something like this with my daughter. You know though I feel like I would just rather buy them. Lazy me!
Now I need to make a run to the strawberry stand 🙂 Question – do you place the racks on the lowest part of the oven or do you place them in the middle and just keep rotating your pans every hour?
I placed them in the middle and upper middle. I rotated them every hour just to be sure they had even heat. I have a convection/conventional oven and that helps out. Just be sure to set the oven temperature as low as it will go.
Forgot to mention, this would be great to do at the same time I make bread because I let my bowl of dough rise on top of my oven set to about this temperature.
Thanks for stumbling Ashley. It’s so simple and delicious. It’s hard to believe there are only strawberries in the roll.
Let me know how they turn out
They are so easy Ronda. Let me know how they turn out.
I’d love to try this- what fun!
Thanks Jessica
I agree. Fresh summer berries would be sweeter than what you can get in the store.
I never liked the store bought roll ups because of all the artificial ingredients in it. So, I was so delighted when I came across your recipe. It was super easy to make and didn’t take too long. I tried it with fresh strawberries and It was delicious. But, My favorite was when I made it with mixed berries. Will be making it again.
This was so good!! I made it with my niece and we had fun making and then eating it 🙂 much better than the store bought kind!! Thank you for the recipe and all the tips 🙂
Are you the type of person who loves celebration parties? Well, this dessert is for you. Homemade Strawberry Fruit. This perfect refreshing dessert is really fun to make.