Homemade Fruit Leather Is Easy To Make With 1 Canned Ingredient

Fruit leather is the all-natural, healthier version of a fruit rollup. Chewy, sweet, and made from only blended fruit, it's a perfect snack for kids or adults on the go. And with one canned ingredient, you can make simple fruit leather at home, customizing it to your liking. All you need is a can of applesauce and a dehydrator or oven, and you're ready to make DIY fruit leather.

The base of fruit leather is blended fruit, and sometimes a sweetener is added. Applesauce is perfect because the fruit has already been cooked and blended into a puree. There are chunky applesauce options, but smooth is best for creating a pliable sheet of fruit leather. No sugar-added applesauce is ideal for this recipe, because as the moisture leaves in the dehydrator, the sugar concentrates, making the leather sweet without any added sugar. Applesauce is an excellent replacement for oil or eggs in baking, so if you have a partially used jar in the fridge, this is a great way to use it and reduce potential food waste. Plus, you can amp up the flavor by mixing in cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom, or even a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Applesauce fruit leather will remain in the dehydrator for about 2-4 hours at 145 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the thickness of the layer and the sauce. Without a dehydrator, it's possible to use an oven, cooking at the lowest temperature with the door slightly ajar for about the same amount of time.

Outside of applesauce, there are a few other options for making easy fruit leather without the chopping or cooking of fruit. Any type of fruit butter is the perfect choice here because, unlike jam or jelly, fruit butter is actually pureed fruit. Pear, plum, fig, or apple butter are great candidates to be transformed into fruit leather — and if possible try to use a no-sugar-added option. Fruit butter normally does have some added sugar, so if using this option, it will result in a sweeter fruit leather

As one of those ingredients that sit in the cupboard for a while, canned fruit can be given a new life by being transformed into fruit leather. This option will involve another step, but it still cuts down the time of making fruit leather from fresh fruit. There are plenty of fruits that work well here, including peach, pear, pineapple, and even mixed fruit cocktails. Depending on the brand, some will be packaged in a sugary syrup — be sure to rinse before pureeing.

And now, fruit leather with a fall twist: Use a can of pumpkin puree for seasonal fruit leather. To achieve the desired texture that is rollable and pliable, opt for a mix of half apple sauce and half pumpkin puree with a mix-in of pumpkin pie spices and a touch of honey. And yes, you can use pumpkin butter for a sweeter option.