Making dehydrated apples is a great way to preserve your favorite apple variety to use all year long.
You can add diced dried apples to oatmeal, yogurt, cereal for a eat them as a dried fruit snack. Food dehydrator recipes are the best when you want to preserve seasonal fruit to enjoy all year long.
Diced apples are one of the best foods to dehydrate for snacks.
Imagine stocking your pantry with all of your favorite fruits and vegetables for the entire year.
Dehydrated apples can be used in many of your favorite apple recipes or eaten as a dried fruit snack.
I will use these dehydrated diced apples to make individual oatmeal packets.
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Ingredients
You only need two ingredients to make these dehydrated diced apples.
- A favorite fresh apple variety.
- lemon juice or a fresh fruit product like Fruit Fresh or citric acid.
Directions
Making dehydrated apples is very easy.
All you need to do is cut the apples into the size you want, dip them in the fruit protectant and load the dehydrator trays with the apple pieces.
Step 1: Mix the Fruit fresh following the directions on the container or mix equal amounts of lemon juice and water in a large bowl.
Step 2: Scrub, peel and core the apples.
Step 3: Slice the apples into ¼ inch thick slices and then dice the apple slices into about ¼ inch cubes. Immediately put the diced apple pieces into the bowl with the Fruit Fresh and toss to cover all sides to prevent browning.
Step 4: Arrange the apple pieces on the dehydrator trays in a single layer leaving some space between the pieces so they do not stick together as they dry.
Step 5: Turn the dehydrator on. If your model has a temperature control set the temperature to 135 F. degrees. If it has a timer set the timer for 6 hours to start. Check the apple pieces every couple of hours until they are done.
Step 6: When the diced apples are done let the apple pieces cool before storing and conditioning in a glass jar for one week.
How do you know when the apples are done dehydrating?
Dehydrated diced apple pieces are done when they are dry through the center and slightly tacky to the touch.
When checking the pieces for doneness squeeze one of the larger pieces. If it is dome it will feel dry. If you feel any moisture in the center of the piece continue dehydrating and check again in one hour.
How do you store dehydrated apples?
Dehydrated diced apples should be stored in an airtight container out of direct light. I like to store all of my dehydrated fruits and vegetables in glass mason jars that have been vacuum sealed.
How long will dehydrated apples last?
Properly stored dried fruit and vegetables stored in an airtight container out of direct sunlight in a dark cabinet will last at the minimum one year.
When you take the extra steps (vacuum sealing) to remove all of the air from the container fruit and vegetables can last as long as 20 years if stored properly.
How to rehydrate dried apples?
Rehydrating dried fruit like these dried diced apples is very easy to do. Simply pour hot water over the dried apple pieces in a bowl.
Allow the apple pieces to soak in the hot water for 20 minutes or until the are soft. You can use the rehydrated apple pieces the same way you would fresh apples.
Recipe FAQs
Any type of fresh apple can be dehydrated. Pick an apple variety that you enjoy eating fresh. Choose the type of apple for the recipes you plan to use them in. Honeycrisp and Gala are two of my favorite apple varieties to dehydrate.
Properly dehydrated apples can be stored in any airtight container. Mason jar, or plastic bags can be used. If you want to store the dried apples long term you can vacuum seal them into vacuum sealer bags or mason jars.
You can use dehydrated apples as a dried fruit snack or the dried apples can be added to your recipes. Reconstituted dried apples can be used the same ways as fresh apples to make apple pie, apple sauce or any other recipe that calls for fresh apples.
Properly dehydrated apples can be stored for 6 months in an airtight container. If you store the dehydrated apples in a vacuum sealer bag or jar you can extend the shelf life of dehydrated fruits for many years.
Recipe Expert Tips
- Fresh apples: 5 lbs. of Honeycrisp apples will make about 4 cups of dehydrated diced apple pieces.
- Pretreating methods for apples to prevent browning: Prepare the pretreatment mixture following the directions on the container and place in a large bowl. If using lemon juice as the pretreatment method mix a fifty-fifty solution of lemon juice and water. The lemon juice will add a lemon flavor to the dried apple pieces. I prefer using the Fruit Fresh because it does not change the flavor of the dried apples.
- Peeling the apples: Peel the apples using a vegetable peeler or an apple peeler.
- Cutting the apples: On a cutting mat or board with a sharp knife cut the peeled apples. Stand the apple up with the stem up. Cut the apple evenly in half. Lay the flat cut side of the apple half down and cut the apple in half again. Cut the seeds and hard core from each ¼ piece of apple. Cut each quarter piece of apple into long slices and cut the slices into ¼-1/2 inch cubes. Place the diced apple pieces into the bowl with the prepared pretreatment solution. Toss the apple pieces to coat all sides. Repeat with with all of the apples you have diced.
- Plastic Dehydrator Tray Liners: It is highly recommended to use plastic dehydrator tray liners when dehydrating diced apples. The pieces will fall through the dehydrator trays with out them.
- Dehydrating times: The amount of time it takes to dehydrate diced apples will depend on a few things. The temperature and humidity in your home, the size the apples are cut and if you are using a dehydrator with a set temperature will all make a difference. Check the apple pieces every couple of hours.
How to use dehydrated diced apples?
Use the dried diced apples in your favorite recipes. Add them to your breakfast oatmeal, top a bowl of yogurt or eat them as a dried fruit snack.
You can add dried diced apples to homemade granola or add them to some banana muffins.
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How To Dehydrate Diced Apples
Equipment
- Plastic Mesh Dehydrator Tray Liners
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. Apples (peeled, cored and diced)
- 1 tablespoon Fruit Fresh (or lemon juice and water to prevent browning)
Instructions
Prepare the pretreatment method
- Mix the Fruit fresh following the directions on the container or mix equal amounts of lemon juice and water in a large bowl.
Prep the apples
- Scrub, peel and core the apples.
- Slice the apples into ¼ inch thick slices and then dice the apple slices into about ¼ inch cubes. Immediately put the diced apple pieces into the bowl with the Fruit Fresh and toss to cover all sides to prevent browning.
- Arrange the apple pieces on the dehydrator trays in a single layer leaving some space between the pieces so they do not stick together as they dry.
- Turn the dehydrator on. If your model has a temperature control set the temperature to 135 F. degrees. If it has a timer set the timer for 6 hours to start.
Dehydrating the diced apples
- Dehydrate the diced apples for 6 to 8 hours. Check the apple pieces every couple of hours until they are done.
- When the diced apples are done let the apple pieces cool before placing in a glass jar.
- Condition the dried apples by storing them in a glass jars for one week. Every day shake the jar and check for moisture. If moisture forms return the apple pieces to the dehydrator and dry them completely before repeating the conditioning step.
- Store the dehydrated diced apples in an airtight container out of direct light.
- 4 cups of diced dried apple pieces.
Video
Recipe Expert Tips
- Fresh apples: 5 lbs. of Honeycrisp apples will make about 4 cups of dehydrated diced apple pieces.
- Pretreating methods for apples to prevent browning: Prepare the pretreatment mixture following the directions on the container and place in a large bowl. If using lemon juice as the pretreatment method mix a fifty-fifty solution of lemon juice and water. The lemon juice will add a lemon flavor to the dried apple pieces. I prefer using the Fruit Fresh because it does not change the flavor of the dried apples.
- Peeling the apples: Peel the apples using a vegetable peeler or an apple peeler.
- Cutting the apples: On a cutting mat or board with a sharp knife cut the peeled apples. Stand the apple up with the stem up. Cut the apple evenly in half. Lay the flat cut side of the apple half down and cut the apple in half again. Cut the seeds and hard core from each ¼ piece of apple. Cut each quarter piece of apple into long slices and cut the slices into ¼-1/2 inch cubes. Place the diced apple pieces into the bowl with the prepared pretreatment solution. Toss the apple pieces to coat all sides. Repeat with with all of the apples you have diced.
- Plastic Dehydrator Tray Liners: It is highly recommended to use plastic dehydrator tray liners when dehydrating diced apples. The pieces will fall through the dehydrator trays with out them.
- Dehydrating times: The amount of time it takes to dehydrate diced apples will depend on a few things. The temperature and humidity in your home, the size the apples are cut and if you are using a dehydrator with a set temperature will all make a difference. Check the apple pieces every couple of hours.
Nutrition
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Check out my Food Dehydrating Recipes page to find directions to dehydrate other fruits and vegetables.
Janice Neuschwanger
I buy dried apple chunks that are coated with cinnamon and sugar. They are costly and I would like to try preparing my own. Do you know how I might make them? Would I coat them with cinnamon and sugar before drying or follow your recipe to dry them and then add the cinnamon and sugar?
Arlene Mobley
Hi Janice why don't you do a small test batch with half coated before dehydrating and half coated after dehydrating? I think you will get better coverage if you coat them before drying but the sugar may get very hard. It will depend on the texture you are looking for. I did dehydrate sliced apples with cinnamon on them. That works very well.