Learn how to dehydrate apples with a dehydrator to preserve them for later. Use them as apple chips, or use them in other foods or even crafting.
This year, we had a lot of apples! I'd picked up a food dehydrator a few years ago, but we had never used it.
My husband really wanted some apple chips. I'm not a fan of apple chips (or so I thought), but we made a full dehydrator full of them.
I was wrong. I am a fan of apple chips when they are homemade.
We made both plain dehydrated apple chips and cinnamon apple chips. Both were amazing, and they were so easy to make.
In fact, as soon as we tasted the first batch, we immediately started a second batch!
How to Dehydrate Apples With a Dehydrator
How Long Do Apples Take to Dehydrate?
Apples take about 12 hours to dehydrate. This will vary based on your dehydrator. We have two of them: one with a fan and one without.
The one with a fan worked much quicker, so definitely keep an eye on them until you learn your dehydrator.
I highly recommend keeping a notebook and taking notes for future batches.
For a quicker way to dry apples, check out how to dehydrate apples in air fryer.
Do You Have to Peel Apples Before Dehydrating?
You can if you want to. I did, but it's not necessary. We used an apple peeler, corer, and slicer, so it made prep easy.
How Do You Store Dehydrated Apples?
Dehydrated apples don't take up a lot of storage room. You'll want to store them where air can't get to them.
For long term storage, you can pack them into a mason jar. Pack them tightly to remove as much air as you can.
You can also store them in plastic bags. I highly recommend using a vacuum sealer to remove as much as as possible.
How Do You Keep Apples From Turning Brown When Dehydrating?
We'll talk about this more below, but you'll want to soak them in a mild acid before you dehydrate them. You can use lemon juice or citric acid.
Do Dehydrated Apples Go Bad?
Your dehydrated apples should last 6 to 12 months, but they can go bad. You can store them in the fridge or in the freezer.
If you store them in the freezer, they should be good for 12 to 18 months.
If their appearance looks off or they smell bad, discard them and do not eat.
Can You Over Dehydrate Apples?
Yes, you can over dehydrate apples and other foods. They will be very hard and may not taste good. They may even taste burnt.
This can be caused by high heat or leaving them in the dehydrator too long. It's important to time it correctly so you aren't checking on them in the middle of the night!
Choosing Apples for Dehydrating
Although you can dehydrate any type of apple, there are some kinds that are better than others. You want an apple that will hold its shape, so look for one with a firm flesh.
Try one of the following apple varieties for dehydrating:
- Pink lady
- Golden delicious
- Fuji
- Gala
- Cortland
- Granny smith
Prepping Apples for Dehydrating
It's important to prep your apples for dehydrating for best results. You want to cut them about 1/3 inch thick and no more than 1/2 inch thick.
I used an apple peeler, corer, and slicer to make quick work of prepping the apples. We put them through the machine and put them in a bowl of low acid water.
Then we cut the spiral and placed the cut apples on the trays. They may have been thinner than 1/3 inch, but it worked well.
How to Make a Low Acid Water Bath
To prevent browning, place the apple slices in water with a low acid. I used citric acid, but you can also use vinegar or lemon juice.
Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to a quart of water. I prefer lemon juice over vinegar.
Add 1/2 teaspoon citric acid to 1 cup of water. This is what I used because I don't think it changes the taste as much as using vinegar or lemon juice.
How to Make Cinnamon Dried Apples
Some recipes call for adding cinnamon to the soaking water. We wanted both cinnamon and plain, so we didn't do that.
Instead, I simply sprinkled cinnamon on the apples while they were on the tray. We did this over the sink so the cinnamon didn't get to the other trays below it and on the heating element.
Dehydrating Apples Tips
It's important that your apple slices are the same size. If they aren't uniform, some will dry quicker than others.
You can lay the apples on parchment paper if you think they will stick. We didn't have any sticking in one food dehydrator, but our other one has smaller holes. They really stuck to that one.
Place your cut apples in a low acid water bath to prevent browning.
Don't let the apples overlap on the trays. If they overlap, it may prevent even drying.
Sprinkle cinnamon on the apples for cinnamon apple chips.
Read the directions of your dehydrator to determine the best time to start them. Ours too 24 hours, so we started them in the evening so we didn't have to check on them all night.
We had to rotate trays every few hours. The bottom ones were drying faster, so we moved the bottom ones to the top.
Other Ways to Preserve Apples
Looking for more ways to preserve your apple harvest? Try one of these recipes:
- Canned Apple Pie Filling Recipe
- How to Make Applesauce With a Food Strainer
- How to Make Instant Pot Apple Cider
How to Dehydrate Apples With a Dehydrator Ingredients
- 10 small or 8 large apples
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or 2 teaspoons citric acid
- Cinnamon (optional)
Directions
Step #1
Prepare your low acid water bath. In one quart of water, add 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice or 2 teaspoons of citric acid to a large bowl.
Step #2
Prep your apples by peeling and coring them. Slice into uniform slices about 1/3 inch thick. Place slices in your low acid water bath.
Step #3
Spread the apples on your dehydrator trays. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.
Step #4
Let dehydrate about 24 hours.
They will feel rubbery and dry. Fold a dehydrated apple in half. If it sticks together, it's not dry yet.
Store your dehydrated apples in a mason jar or in a vacuum sealed bag.
How to Dehydrated Apples
Ingredients
- 10 small or 8 large apples
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or 2 teaspoons citric acid
- Cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare your low acid water bath. In one quart of water, add 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice or 2 teaspoons of citric acid to a large bowl.
- Prep your apples by peeling and coring them. Slice into uniform slices about 1/3 inch thick. Place slices in your low acid water bath.
- Spread the apples on your dehydrator trays. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.
- Let dehydrate about 24 hours.
Calories
78.82Fat (grams)
0.26Sat. Fat (grams)
0.04Carbs (grams)
20.95Fiber (grams)
3.81Net carbs
17.14Sugar (grams)
15.48Protein (grams)
0.41Sodium (milligrams)
5.01Cholesterol (grams)
0.00
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Going to try your recipe for the dehydrated apple slices. Love your purple hair. I was born and grew up in Ohio (little town called Mantua - south of Cleveland and north of Akron). It is always fun to come across someone who lives in your state and is maybe familiar with your area. Take care - I enjoy looking at your blog and recipes
ReplyDeletefrom Gayle Dodge (dodgegld@sbcglobal.net)
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