Need a quick and easy snack that’s still satisfyingly crunchy? These dried strawberries are about to be your new snack-time savior.
During the summer months, I’ve always got a glut of strawberries. And, even with all the TikToks showing me how to preserve them, my strawberries seem to go bad faster than I can eat them! I hate waste, so in this situation, I turn to these delicious strawberry chips. Not only are they super easy to make, dried strawberries only need one ingredient – strawberries!
Dehydrated strawberries make a satisfying healthy snack all on their own, but they’re also great for sprinkling into oatmeal or yogurt, mixing into trail mix, granola and parfait, decorating your morning smoothie bowl, or dipping into chocolate.
What You Need
It’s a one-ingredient recipe! For the best dried strawberries, you’ll need ripe fresh strawberries (preferably freshly picked). You’ll also need a mandolin or very sharp knife, a chopping board, parchment paper, and a dehydrator or oven.
How to Make Dried Strawberries
Wash the strawberries and remove their stems. Then, cut them into thin, even slices. I love using my mandolin for this, but be very careful and protect your fingers if you’re using it!
Place the slices of strawberry on a parchment paper-lined tray. You don’t need a dehydrator for dehydrating strawberries – your oven will work just as well. Here are my two foolproof methods to dry strawberries.
In a Dehydrator
Dry at 135ºF/57ºC for about 10-14 hours. Dehydrating time will depend on the freshness of your strawberries and how thick the slices are – as well as the overall humidity level in your home.
Check your dried strawberries after 10 hours and then every hour after that until they’re completely dry.
In an Oven
Dry the strawberries at the lowest oven setting – this is usually around 170°F/75°C – for about 4-6 hours. Make sure to leave the oven door cracked open with a wooden spoon or other heat-proof tool. Keep an eye on them – we want the strawberries to dry, not cook or burn.
If your oven can go as low as 135-140ºF/57-60ºC, then dry them for about 10-14 hours (as you would in the dehydrator) – and check after 10.
The timings will depend on how thick your strawberry slices are, so be sure to adjust if you cut slightly thicker slices or thinner ones.
How to Tell When Strawberries Are Done
Your oven-dried strawberries will be ready when the slices are crisp and easily snap in two without bending at all. Bendy strawberry chips will need more time in the oven/dehydrator.
How to Store Dried Strawberries
Like most preserved food, dried strawberries are a great way to keep fresh fruit edible for longer. These strawberries will keep for months in an airtight container at room temperature. Just be sure to keep it in a cool, dark place so they retain their crunchy texture.
Allow them to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. To keep them fresh and crispy, give your container a shake once a day to keep the fruit from sticking. You’ll also want to make sure your container is at room temperature and completely dry – moisture can ruin their texture.
Recipe Notes
- Keep It Even: If your strawberry slices are different shapes and sizes, they will not dehydrate at an even pace. So I recommend using a mandolin – it gives you even slices every time.
- Keep an Eye On It: This is especially important if it’s a big batch. Watch out for smaller pieces of strawberry drying out first; with a couple of hours to go, keep checking the strawberries and removing any that are drying faster.
- No Foil: Put the aluminum away! Foil restricts airflow in a dehydrator, so the strawberries will take longer to dry and the machine may malfunction. Opt for parchment paper or a silicone mat instead.
- Keep the Oven Open: If you’re using an oven – keep the door open just a little. This will help the airflow and ensure your strawberries dry evenly.
- Keep it Cool: Allow your dried strawberries to cool completely before enjoying or storing them – this will keep them crispier for longer.
More Delicious Snacks
If you try this dried strawberries recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Dried Strawberries
Suggested Equipment
- Dehydrator or oven
Instructions
- Wash and de-stem the strawberries. You can chuck the stems into smoothies or compost them.
- 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 1/8 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 DehydratorDry 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 The OvenTo 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.Allow them to cool down completely before transferring to an airtight container.
How To Store
- If completely dried out, then these can last for months in an airtight container at room temperature. Mine are usually all used up within a couple of months though.
Notes
- It’s important to slice the strawberries as evenly as possible– which is why a mandoline can be a massive help. This will help them dry out evenly.
- The smaller “end” bits of the strawberries may dry out first and will need to be removed from the oven to stop them from “cooking” while the larger bits continue to dry.
- Avoid using aluminum foil to line the oven tray, as the strawberries will stick to it. A silicone baking sheet or parchment paper are the best options.
- Drying fruit in the oven can be a bit tricky if your oven doesn’t reach very low temperatures. Make sure to keep the oven door slightly ajar with a heatproof utensil. This will allow for better airflow and will help the steam to escape the oven for them to dry quicker.
- Allow them to cool completely before eating, to ensure that they’re crispy.
Leanne
You have so many awesome and easy to follow recipes! I can’t wait to try this one! Maybe I can talk my daughter into taking me out to the pick your own strawberry patch this week! A great thing to make and keep the dehydrator running 24/7 so we can enjoy these in the cold winter months when store bought taste like plastic! Thank you for the inspiration! Toronto, Canada
Support @ Alphafoodie
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Leanne. I hope you got the dehydrate some strawberries 🙂
Case
I love putting strawberry slices in the dehydrator and waking up in the morning to crunchy strawberry chips. A+ recipe
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Thank you for your comment 🙂