How To Dehydrate Apples

Learning how to dehydrate apples is super simple. You can use an oven, a dehydrator, or even the power of the sun. Dehydrating apples allows you to preserve them through the long winter months and into the spring. But more importantly, dehydrated apples are crisp, sweet, and delicious. Let’s get drying!

Teach me how to dehydrate apples by sun-drying them!

Sun-dried apples are a traditional method for dehydrating. If you live in a suitable climate and have a stretch of nice sunny, dry days, this method is guaranteed to produce delicious and flavorful apple slices. The weather has to be juuuuuust right to successfully sun dry apples—you need low humidity, warmth, and sun.

Pros:

• Straight-forward. Beginners who are just learning how to dehydrate apples shouldn’t have too much trouble with this method.
• Not much equipment needed. Sun drying requires the least amount of equipment.

Cons:

• Hard to control. To properly dry your apples in the sun you need to live in a hot, dry climate. The sun also has to reliably shine for several days in a row. This makes sun drying hard to control—we all know we can’t control the weather! This is especially hard for those of us who live in an area with high humidity or damp fall.

If your weather is right, here’s what to do to sun-dry your apples:

Step 1: Slice your apples

Core and slice your apples. You’re aiming for pieces that are thin enough so they dry, but not too thin or you run the risk of them becoming too crunchy. We recommend a mandoline slicer to easily cut consistent slices from your apples!

Once your apples are sliced, you’ll want to treat them for browning prevention with either lemon juice or Ball® Fruit Fresh.

Step 2: Spread your apples

Spread the apple slices in a single layer on a cooling rack set on top of a rimmed cookie sheet.

Step 3: Let the sun dry your apples

Please the apples in the sun somewhere they will get good air circulation and are out of reach of pests. We often use insect netting over our trays to keep bugs out. Dry for several hours to several days, until apples are dry and pliable.

Tell me about dehydrating apples in a dehydrator.

When you’re just learning how to dehydrate apples, you might want to try using a dehydrator. While it does require special equipment (ahem, a dehydrator), it takes all the guesswork out of the process, making drying apples fool-proof! Using a food dehydrator is the most hands-off method for drying apples.

Pros:

• Simple. This dehydrating method is probably the easiest for a beginner because it’s a very controlled environment, and you can choose your temperature.

Cons:

• Special equipment required. This method could be the most expensive if you need to purchase a food dehydrator before you begin.

If you have a dehydrator, here’s what you’ll do:

Step 1: Prep the apples

Start by coring and slicing your apples. You want the pieces to be thin enough that they dry, but not so thin that you run the risk of them becoming too crunchy. Super thin apple slices also tend to stick to the tray of your dehydrator.

After all your apples are sliced, remember to treat them for browning prevention.

Step 2: Load the apples

Once your apples are sliced and treated for browning, lay them in a single layer on the dehydrator trays. How many trays you need depends on how many apples you’re drying! You may need to make them in batches depending on how much your dehydrator holds.

Step 3: Dehydrate the apples

Dry the apples in the dehydrator at 160°F until dry and pliable. How long that will take depends on several factors, including your dehydrator’s make and model, the thickness of your apple slices, and the humidity in your environment.

As a general rule of thumb, set your dehydrator to around 160°F and check on the apples after a few hours. Keep an eye on them and check for doneness every hour or so. You’ll know they’re ready when they’re pliable, with no visible moisture.

Also keep in mind that dehydrated foods always seem softer when right out of the food dehydrator. To really test the crispness, let the food cool first, then test.

Teach me how to dehydrate apples in the oven!

Dehydrating apples in your oven is a good middle ground if you want a more controlled environment than sun-drying, but don’t want to purchase a new appliance for your kitchen. Most of us have an oven at home, making this method a great choice if you aren’t all-in on dehydrating as a preservation method yet.

Pros:

• Accessible. Most of us have an oven, which makes this method pretty easy for someone learning how to dehydrate apples.

Cons:

• Risk of burning. The problem you might encounter with oven drying is that not everyone’s oven goes as low as 160°F. If you’re in this boat, you might have to check on your apples more frequently to ensure they’re not drying too fast or baking instead of dehydrating.
• Ties up your oven. If you’re drying multiple trays of apples, this could tie up your oven for hours, which is fine in some kitchens, but maybe not if you are a heavy user of your oven.

To dry apples in the oven, here are the simple steps to take:

Step 1: Preheat your oven

You want to preheat the oven to 160°F. If your oven doesn’t go that low, set it to its lowest possible temperature instead. Plan to check on your apples several times for burning if the temp is higher than 160°F!

Step 2: Prepare your apples

Core and slice your apples. Your apple slices should be thin enough to dry, but not too thin or you risk burning them. We use our mandoline slicer to make easy work of the slicing!

After everything is sliced, treat the slices with lemon juice or Ball® Fruit Fresh to prevent browning.

Step 3: Fill your baking sheets

Spread the treated apple slices in a single layer on a wire baking rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. How many trays you can fill will depend on how many apples you want to dehydrate. Depending on your oven capacity, you may need to work in batches.

Step 4: Dry your apples

Bake the apples at a low temperature in the oven for several hours, until dry and pliable.

It may be tempting to increase the temperature to dry the apples faster, but we don’t recommend it! In the best case, this will cause your apples to steam and cook instead of dehydrate. In the worst case, turning the temperature up will cause your apples to dry way too quickly on the outside, while leaving the inside soft and wet. This is a recipe for mold during storage. Slow and steady is the key to delicious dehydrated apples.