There are many fruit leather flavors you may not have heard of. Here is a basic recipe along with a bunch of exotic flavor combinations.
When I was much younger, my mother made fruit leather for us. We grew up, moved away from home, and I forgot about it for a while. I never had kids, so it never occurred to me to make it for myself. About a month ago I stumbled upon an Excaliber dehydrator at a great price. I dried some pine branches, but since it was winter, not much else. Until someone brought me a box of peaches…
Basic Fruit Leather
There are many recipes for how to make fruit leather. Fruit leather is basically pureed fruit that is spread on trays to dry out. The dehydrator makes it very easy, drying it in hours. Once you have a recipe you like, it’s easy to come up with great, nutritious snacks.
Exotic Fruit Leather Flavors
Here are some fruit leather ideas that I’ve come up with. Some are hiding veggies in plain sight, some are adding something special and some, well, they’re just plain funky!
Strawberry with Beets
Simply cook some beets and puree them together.
Peach Basil
Blend basil leaves with fresh peaches.
Caramel Apple
Everyone will love this fruit leather flavor! Just add a small amount of caramel to apple sauce. You can also add a sprinkle of coarse sea salt for another flavor boost.
Apple Pumpkin
Blend equal amounts of pureed pumpkin and apple sauce. Add a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.
Hot Grape
Puree seedless grapes (skin and all) and add a shake of ground cayenne pepper.
Raspberry Sage
Blend pineapple sage leaves with raspberries.
Strawberry Lemonade
A classic flavor made into fruit leather! Simply blend strawberries and add just enough lemon juice for a good pucker.
READ RELATED: Naturally Sweetened Homemade Hot Cocoa Recipe
Plum Fancy
Blend plums and figs for a sweet, crunchy treat.
Rainbow Fruit Leather
On a single sheet, spread 2 inch wide strips of fruit puree. Blend into one another so that they are all connected. Dry and cut across the stripes.
Pineapple Tarragon
Blend pineapple with a few tarragon leaves. Too many can overpower the pineapple flavor so take it easy on the tarragon.
Blueberry Basil
Blend blueberries with basil leaves. Simple and delicious.
Strawberry Rhubarb
Cut rhubarb in very short pieces so that the strings are cut. Cook well and blend with fresh strawberries. This will be a new favorite fruit leather flavor!
Blackberry Mint
Blend a few mint leaves with blackberry puree. Strain the seeds unless you want the crunch.
Mango Sorbet
Blend mango fruit with Greek yogurt. I use only a small amount of yogurt so the fruit leather still sets up.
Mango Habanero
For a spicy fruit leather flavor, blend a small amount of habanero (or other hot pepper) with mango.
Sweet or Savory
Whether you sweeten or not is up to you. You can add a bit of honey, stevia, or sugar to your fruit. Just be careful not to add too much liquid or it may not dry out well.
Which of these combinations sounds best to you, or will you create one of your own?
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Source: DIY Natural – Food
