Dehydrated Strawberry Chips

Dehydrated strawberry chips are a simple snack with the concentrated, candy-like sweetness of strawberries. They’re easy to make with a dehydrator or your oven, and all you really need are strawberries.

Pack them in lunchboxes or take them to the office for the mid-afternoon munchies. They’re proof that not everything in life is immoral, illegal, or fattening!

About dehydrating

Drying or dehydrating food is a way to remove moisture through natural or artificial methods to preserve it. You can dry food using the sun or air or mechanically with your oven or dehydrator. Drying at lower temperatures takes longer, but it preserves the flavor, color, and nutrients in the food.

Dehydrating strawberries preserves the burst of summer strawberry flavor when you have too many strawberries and aren’t in the mood for more strawberry jam. Though I might convince you to make jam so you can make these homemade strawberry heart pop tarts.

Are you into dehydrating and preserving foods? Check out other dried fruit from the Ugly Duckling Bakery archives including these dehydrated apples, dried cherry tomatoes, and dried citrus for cocktails.

Recipe tips and tricks

I am always so eager for strawberries just about mid-January, when the apples and pears are past their prime. Dehydrating strawberries is a perfect use for these strawberries.

If you’ve got perfectly ripe strawberries, use them in a spring salad with strawberries and goat cheese or try them in my strawberry apple pie, unsweetened strawberry applesauce, homemade strawberry pop tarts, or make a strawberry gimlet. Or use those strawberries along with all the other summer fruit to make this rainbow fruit tray or rainbow fruit tart.

How to hull a strawberry

I only recently discovered how easy it is to hull a strawberry without losing any of the flesh! Hold the washed strawberry in your non-dominant hand. That’s the left hand for most people (Panel #1, below). With your right hand, pinch the leaves and stem together and pull and twist them off (Panel #2).

Insert the tip of a paring knife into the strawberry (#3). Rotate the strawberry so you are always cutting away from your left hand, and cut a small, cone shaped segment out of the strawberry (#4).

Recipe tips and tricks

Slice the strawberries into quarter inch thick slices. It doesn’t matter if you slice them length-wise or cross-wise, use a mandoline or use a knife. Just try to slice them evenly.

Dip them into the lemon juice solution if you like. Lemon juice is primarily used in dehydrating to prevent browning, but there are some who say that it has antimicrobial properties.

Lay the strawberry slices on a rack or on baking sheets lined with parchment or silicone mats. They can be touching but do not overlap the slices.

Stackable racks are great for making oven-dried strawberries and other fruits or for cooking bacon. Mmmm bacon.

Dry your strawberry chips in your oven on the dehydrating setting at 175 degrees Fahrenheit or the lowest setting possible if your oven doesn’t have a dehydrating function. Dry your strawberries for about 4 hours or until they’re as dry as you like. Turn them over about halfway through, especially if you are drying on baking sheets.

Let cool and then store in an air-free container at cool room temperature.

What to do with dried strawberry chips

• Eat them plain.
• Add them to homemade granola or trail mix.
• Grind super-dry dried strawberries into powder for meringues or macarons or strawberry milk.
• Add dehydrated strawberry chips to salads like fruit salads or this rainbow salad bowl.

Recipe FAQs

Related snack recipes

Check out other simple snacks and fancy appetizers from the Ugly Duckling Bakery like: