Homemade fruit leather is an easy way to give your family a healthy snack, and even sneak in some veggies too! Find out how to make this delicious fruit leather with a bunch of zucchini and just a few strawberries!
My son loves all things strawberry. Fresh, frozen, in a smoothie, you name it and he will eat it! What he hasn’t developed a love for yet is zucchini…
However, we have so much of it coming out of our garden (free food!) and now that I know more about the health benefits of zucchini, I knew I really needed to find some way to make zucchini for him that he would willing eat on a regular basis.
It only took me one try to perfect this amazing strawberry zucchini fruit leather recipe. It’s so good that I’ve already made 3 full dehydrator batches because my son and husband are eating it so quickly!
Strawberry Zucchini Fruit Leather Recipe
Not only is this recipe easy and delicious, but it’s a great way to preserve large or surplus zucchini so you don’t waste any of these ridiculously good-for-you veggies.
I can guarantee you this recipe will be an instant favorite and would be shocked if it lasted the day! I filled my 5 tray Excalibur dehydrator 3 days in a row with this stuff and they still wanted more!
In additions to being so good for you, it’s also cheap! An entire batch of this homemade fruit leather (which filled my dehydrator) only cost $4 since the zucchini was free.
If you don’t have a garden of your own, ask around. It’s likely you know someone who is just looking for a place to discard all their extra zucchini. Snatch that up and make fruit leather!
We have ours stored in a large mason jar with a silica packet at the bottom to ward off mold. I’ll let you know how long they last once we have any that make it more than a day or two!
Strawberry Zucchini Fruit Leather
Ingredients
- 20 cups of diced zucchini I don't peel or de-seed the zucchini
- 64 ounces organic 100% fruit juice any flavor works, but for this recipe I choose a mixed berry blend
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 cups fresh or frozen organic strawberries
Instructions
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Dice the zucchini and place it in a large stock pot.
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Pour juice over zucchini to cover. Note: Zucchini floats, so it won't actually be covered. I pour until the pieces float up a bit.
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Bring mix to boil, continue boiling until the pieces are translucent. Note: They may be slightly discolored depending on the type of juice you used.
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Scoop pieces out and process through a food processor in batches: 5 cups of zucchini, 1 cup of strawberries, 1 tbsp honey.
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Blend until smooth.
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Prepare your dehydrator trays will silpat mats or parchment paper.
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Pour mix onto trays and smooth to 1/4 inch think. Make them as even as you can, with slightly thicker edges. (If the edges are slightly thicker, they won't dry out and get crispy)
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Repeat until all ingredients are used.
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Dehydrate at 120° until dry (about 12-18 hours).
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Check the fruit leather periodically to make sure it's not getting crispy.
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Remove from dehydrator once fully dry and cut into 2 inch wide strips.
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If you used parchment paper, just role up the strips and secure with a bit of tape. Then store in a jar! (Be sure to add a silica pack to avoid mold. Keep jar out of reach of kids if you are including a silica pack!)
Recipe Notes
You can make this recipe in any juice and fruit combination! Enjoy!
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