Dehydrated Apples- A How To Guide
Dehydrated apples is definitely a staple snack for our family. Not only are they just plain delicious, they are a healthy snack that can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike! It’s a guilt free snack that you can feel good about feeding to your family, no nasty preservatives or harmful ingredients here! They are so convenient to grab for a quick snack when you are on the go, or even to take with on a hike. Dehydrating your apples is such a simple process and is even fun to get your kids involved! I’m hoping you’ll give it a go. You won’t be disappointed!
How To Use Dehydrated Apples
There are many different ways to enjoy these apples besides on their own as a snack of course! Some ideas include…
- adding to homemade granola
- rehydrating for use in baking muffins and pies
- steeping for tea
- grinding into apple powder to add natural sweetness to oatmeal
Sourcing Bulk Apples
Fall provides a good opportunity to find some great deals if you buy in bulk. You just need to know where to look. Checking with local orchards or farmer’s markets in your area is a good place to start. For example, there is a local market where we always take advantage of their “discounted apples”, which are not the prettiest or uniform in size, but who cares!? We can find a 45lb box for only $16 of organic Honey Crisp apples! Azure Standard. is also a great option to consider. I have found they have a much cheaper bulk price than any of the big box stores.
Equipment
If you don’t already have one, I would highly recommend investing in a dehydrator. The Nesco Dehydrator Gardenmaster Digital Pro is a relatively affordable option and is what I personally use for all of my dehydrating projects. I love that you can choose to buy more trays to stack on top of each other (up to 20 high!) to accommodate larger batches. Nesco has many different versions to choose from at different price points. There is also the Excalibur Dehydrator, which is a bit more pricey, nevertheless I’ve heard great reviews about it.
This apple peeler corer slicer tool really makes quick work of slicing your apples. It makes perfectly thin apple spirals perfect for dehydrating and does all the peeling and coring for you while you crank the handle. If you have a tendency to cut yourself with a normal peeler like me, then this is definitely a must have tool to have around for big apple preserving projects. Also, don’t forget to save those apple scraps to make apple cider vinegar!
Can I Use My Oven as a Dehydrator?
Yes, you most definitely can! Set your oven temperature to the lowest setting, which is around 170 degrees on most ovens. This is a higher temperature than you want to dehydrate with so make sure to keep your oven door propped open to let some heat escape. Make sure to regularly check apples for dryness and rotate trays on oven racks if using multiples. Apples should be fully dehydrated after 1-2 hours.
Storing Dehydrated Apples
Store your dehydrated apples in a glass jar with a lid or a plastic zip lock bag. If you are storing dehydrated apples long term, it is a good idea to vacuum seal them. Moisture is your enemy here, so if you live in a humid climate I would highly recommend adding oxygen absorbers. I personally live in a dry climate and heat with wood in winter months so I have never had an issue with my dehydrated food going bad due to moisture, so keep that in mind when deciding on storage options.
How To Dehydrate Apples
Equipment
- Dehydrator
- Apples Peeler Corer Slicer or a mandoline; or cut thin 1/4 inch slices with a knife
Ingredients
- 5-6 Apples
- 2 TBLS Fresh Lemon Juice to prevent browning
- 2 Cups Water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine fresh lemon juice with water and stir.
- Wash apples and begin processing apples using your Apple Peeler Corer Slicer. If you are using a mandoline or a knife, peel apples and slice about 1/4 inch thick. See note 1 below
- Add slices to the lemon water solution to soak for at least 5 minutes before transferring to the dehydrator.
- Arrange apple slices on the dehydrator. Try to keep them from overlapping as best you can. See note 2 below
- Set your dehydrator at 135 degrees for 12 hours. Halfway through the dry time, rotate the trays to allow for more even drying. See note 3 below
- Once apples are fully dried and cooled, store in an airtight glass jar. Enjoy! See notes 4 and 5 below.
Video
Notes
- Dry time will vary depending on the thickness of your slices anywhere between 8 and 16 hours. The thicker your slices the longer it will take to dehydrate, so I always suggest erroring on the thinner side when cutting your apples. Don’t forget to save your apple scraps to make apple cider vinegar!
- If your slices overlap on the dehydrator a little bit, that’s okay. Your slices with shrink down as they dry out.
- It is a good idea your to rotate your trays about half way through to insure even drying. If you don’t do this, it isn’t the end of the world, but you may end up needing to run your dehydrator longer, and some apples with turn out harder than others.
- It is a good idea to periodically check apples for doneness to prevent “over drying”. You want your slices to have a slight bend to them. You know they are over dried if they are brittle and crack when bent. This is totally fine to eat though of course! I just personally like the texture of the apples when they have a slight bend. If over dried, this is a good opportunity to blend into apple powder!
- If you are removing your dried apples from the dehydrator when it is still warm, let your apples cool for 10 minutes before transferring them into storage containers to prevent moisture build up. It’s not a huge hurry to remove apples from the dehydrator. You can leave your apples in the dehydrator until the next day if you are unable to get to them right when they are done.
