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Fruit Roll-Ups

These easy homemade fruit roll-ups are made with ripe fruit, a little applesauce, and lemon juice, then dehydrated in the Ninja Flip Oven until soft and flexible. They're a simple way to preserve summer produce and make naturally sweet snack for lunchboxes, meal prep or busy days.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cooling time 10 minutes
Servings: 3 11x11 inch Trays
Course: Snack
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups ripe fruit, sliced
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 1-2 tabs honey or agave optional depending on sweetness of fruit
  • small pinch of salt optional

Equipment

  • Convection Oven or Ninja Flip 8-1 Oven
  • Flat sheet pan
  • Silicone baking mat or parchment paper
  • Blender or Food processor
  • Off set spatula
  • Parchment paper
  • Kitchen scissors or pizza cutter

Method
 

  1. Prepare the fruit - Wash the fruit, remove any pits or and seeds, and cut the fruit into slices or chunks.
  2. Blend the Fruit Purée - Place the nectarines, unsweetened applesauce, lemon juice, and optional pinch of salt in a blender or food processor.
    Blend until the mixture is completely smooth.
    Taste the purée before adding honey or agave. The fruit flavor and natural sweetness will become more concentrated as the purée dehydrates, so add sweetener only when the mixture tastes noticeably tart.
    Blend again after adding any sweetener.
  3. Place an 11-inch square silicone baking mat on a flat sheet pan that fits inside the Ninja Flip Oven. Pour one batch onto the baking mat or parchment paper - approximately one-third of the fruit purée. If using a full 13x18 baking sheet use half the puree.
  4. Spread the Purée Evenly - Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the purée into a thin, even layer. Aim for approximately ⅛ inch thick. Try not to spread it so thinly that the pattern of the silicone mat is clearly visible through the wet purée. A paper-thin layer may become crisp or brittle before the timer finishes. Make the outer edges only slightly thicker than the center because the edges tend to dry more quickly.
  5. Tap Out the Air Bubbles - After spreading the purée, gently tap the pan against the countertop several times. Tapping helps release trapped air bubbles, smooths the surface, and allows the fruit mixture to settle into a more even layer. If you see any remaining bubbles or raised areas, gently smooth them with the offset spatula.
  6. Dehydrate - Place the prepared tray in the Ninja Flip Oven. Select the Dehydrate setting and set the temperature to 135°F. Set the timer for 3 hours. The Ninja does not need to preheat on the Dehydrate setting, so the prepared tray can go directly into the oven.
    If using a convection oven, set the temperature to 140 degrees F and spread the puree 1/8 of an inch thick. Set the timer for 4 hours.
  7. Rotate the Pan Halfway Through - After approximately 2 hours, rotate the pan 180 degrees. Turning the pan halfway through helps compensate for any warmer areas inside the oven and encourages the fruit leather to dry evenly.
  8. Begin Checking at 3 Hours - My fruit leather was ready around 3 1/2 hours in the Ninja. If using a convection oven begin checking around the 4 hour mark. The exact time may vary depending on the moisture level of your fruit and how thickly the purée was spread. Do not rely only on the timer. Check the texture and appearance before deciding whether the fruit leather is finished.
  9. Test for Doneness - the fruit leather is ready when the center is no longer wet. There are no shiny pools of purée. The surface feels dry but remains flexible. It peels cleanly from the silicone mat. It bends without cracking or breaking. It feels slightly tacky but does not leave wet fruit on your finger.
    If the center still feels wet, continue dehydrating in 15-minute increments.
  10. Let It Cool - Remove the pan from the Ninja and let the fruit leather cool completely. Fruit leather can feel softer while it is still warm. Allowing it to cool before cutting makes it easier to judge the final texture and prevents it from stretching or tearing.
  11. Cut the Fruit Leather Into Strips - Once the fruit leather has cooled, cut it into long strips using kitchen scissors, a pizza cutter, or a sharp knife. You can cut the fruit leather while it is still resting on the silicone mat. Make the strips as narrow or wide as you prefer. I made them 1 inch wide.
    Carefully lift and peel each fruit strip away from the silicone mat. The fruit leather should release cleanly without leaving wet purée behind. Place the strips on parchment paper. The parchment prevents the fruit leather from sticking to itself after it is rolled up. If you dehydrated the fruit puree directly onto parchment paper, skip this step and just cut into 1 inch strips and roll up.
    After cutting, start at one short end, roll the fruit leather and parchment paper together.
    Place the finished fruit rolls in an airtight container after they have cooled completely.
  12. Repeat With the Remaining Purée - Repeat the process with the remaining purée. The full recipe should make approximately three separate batches using an 11-inch square pan or 2 batches using a 13x18 inch baking pan in the convection oven.

Notes

If using fruit with skins like peaches or nectarines, there is no need to remove the skins. The skins blend into the purée and create small reddish flecks throughout the finished fruit leather.
The original Ninja pan may have a slightly raised section that makes it more difficult to spread liquid purée evenly. I used a flat replacement pan so the mixture could remain level while dehydrating.
Do not pour all the purée onto one tray. If the fruit layer is too thick, the edges may finish drying while the center remains wet and sticky. Keep the remaining purée covered in the refrigerator while the first tray dehydrates.