If you've never made dehydrated oranges, you're in for a treat! Unlike other dried fruits, dried orange slices have so many uses! They can be used as embellishments on gifts, to add flavor to soups, or as mulling spices. I always include them in my fall charcuterie board!
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
I feel silly even calling this a "recipe." After all, it has one single ingredient, fresh oranges! However, I also don't want anyone out there to miss out on this cool way of preserving citrus, especially oranges.
When I first started dehydrating fruit, I gifted my niece some dehydrated orange slices when I visited them in Chicago. Ninva loved them so much that she and my sister got on their laptop and ordered a food dehydrator.
Judging by their reaction, I thought others may want to know how to dehydrate oranges too. Dried orange slices have a long shelf life and also make a great pick-me-up snack!
Once you own a dehydrator, you can make pineapple chips, dehydrated apple chips, dehydrated watermelon jerky, and dried lemons!
Jump to:
😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- If you don't have a dehydrator, I provide instructions for drying orange slices in the oven.
- If you hike, dried orange slices can be tossed in a Ziploc bag and taken along for a quick boost of energy.
- This dried oranges recipe can be applied to various citrus, including limes, lemons, tangelos, and my personal favorite, blood oranges. So if you grow citrus, dehydrate them and enjoy them all year long!
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Oranges: Seedless oranges are best to dehydrate. Not only are they easy to cut with a mandoline, but the orange slices come out prettier. And, you won't have large holes in the slices where the seeds were. Smaller oranges fit on the surface of the mandoline blade better than larger oranges.
- Other Citrus Fruit: This method of dehydrating oranges can also be applied to other citrus fruits. Think lemons, limes, tangerines, and grapefruit.
🔪 Helpful Tools
- You will need a dehydrator to dehydrate the orange slices.
- Although not absolutely required, a mandolin slicer makes slicing the oranges so much easier.
- If you don't have a mandoline, a sharp knife is helpful.
🍊 How to Make Dehydrated Orange Slices
Step 1: Slice oranges with a mandoline so that they are anywhere from ⅛" to ¼" in thickness. Keep in mind that the thinner they are, the less time they'll need to dehydrate
Step 2: Arrange orange slices on the dehydrator trays, leaving room for air circulation.
Step 3: Set the dehydrator to 135 degrees (fruit/vegetable setting). Start checking the orange slices after 2 hours. Sometimes it's helpful to flip the orange slices to the other side halfway through the process.
Pro Tip: Depending on the thickness of the slices, it can take anywhere from 3 to 7 hours for the slices to completely dry.
Step 4: Once the orange slices are completely dehydrated and no moisture remains, cool them completely, then store them in mason jars.
🎛 How to Dry Oranges Using the Oven
Slice the oranges into thin slices, somewhere between ⅛" and ¼" thick.
Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
If you want to make the orange slices even sweeter, you can sprinkle the slices with some brown sugar and your favorite spices. If you know me at all, you know that I used cardamom.
Bake the orange slices in the oven at 200 degrees F for 3 to 4 hours, depending on their thickness, until the orange slices feel dry and not tacky.
What Can You Do with Dried Oranges?
Use dried orange slices as holiday decorations, especially as garland, in a wreath, or to decorate your Christmas tree. You can also use the dried orange slices in a potpourri mix.
Add orange slices to simmer pots, soups, stews, or syrups. You can also use the dehydrated orange slices in beverages. Just make a slit on one end of the slice and slip it over the rim of your favorite cocktail!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can! Dried oranges have an intense citrusy flavor and can be eaten as a healthy snack.
Orange slices can take anywhere from 3 to 12+ hours to dehydrate. The time will depend on the thickness and the temperature setting.
Dried orange slices can last for years when stored in an airtight container or a mason jar. As long as the oranges are dried properly, they should last for years.
Make sure the oranges are not tacky after dehydrating. Check the jar throughout the week to make sure the orange slices stay crisp and dry and don't show any signs of mold. If they begin to soften or stick together, dehydrate them further.
Yes, you can make oven-dried orange slices. Slice the oranges into thin slices (⅛" to ¼") and arrange them in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven at 200F for 3 to 4 hours.
You may also want to try my candied orange slices recipe!
🥘 More Uses for Dehydrated Oranges
Dehydrated oranges have so many uses! They are easy to prepare and naturally delicious. Here are some more ways to use them:
- Add them to zucchini stew or any stew that calls for lemons.
- Dried oranges are perfect in iced tea, lavender lemonade, or samovar tea.
- Flavor ice water by adding a few dehydrated orange slices.
- Dried orange slices are a match made in heaven in most cocktails.
- Use a few dehydrated orange slices to flavor lavender syrup or an elderberry shrub.
- You can also use the orange slices along with cinnamon sticks to embellish gifts and to make a garland for the holidays.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Whenever possible, use firm oranges. They are easier to slice, especially when using a mandoline, and will require less drying time if they're not overly juicy.
- Another reason to use small oranges when possible is that once the oranges are dried, they can fit inside the mason jars more easily, including jars with regular-sized mouths.
- Blood oranges are by far the most beautiful when dehydrated. If you can get your hands on some, I highly recommend it!
- Although it's often suggested that you should dehydrate oranges at a lower temperature for a longer length of time, I prefer using the fruit setting, which is 135 degrees F. Instead of taking 12 hours or longer, the dehydrating time can be cut down to 3 to 6 hours, depending on how thick the orange slices are.
- I also dry the end pieces that I slice off the oranges and use them to make orange powder, which I substitute in place of orange zest in baked goods.
🍎 More Dehydrator Recipes
Did you make this recipe?
📖 Recipe
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Dehydrated Oranges (dehydrator and oven directions)
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Slice oranges with a mandoline so that they are anywhere from ⅛" to ¼" in thickness. Keep in mind the thinner they are the less time they'll need to dehydrate.
- Arrange orange slices on dehydrator trays, leaving room for air circulation.
- Set the dehydrator to 135 degrees F (fruit/vegetable setting). Start checking the orange slices after 2 to 3 hours.
- Depending on the thickness of the slices, it can take anywhere from 3 to 7 hours for the slices to completely dry. Sometimes it's helpful to flip the orange slices over to the other side halfway through the process.
- Slice the oranges into thin slices (⅛" to ¼") in thickness.
- Arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in the oven at 200° F. for 3 to 4 hours, depending on the thickness.
Nutrition
Notes
- Whenever possible, use firm oranges. They are easier to slice, especially when using a mandoline, and will require less drying time if they're not overly juicy.
- Another reason to use small oranges when possible is once the oranges are dried, they can fit inside the mason jars easier including jars with regular-sized mouths.
- Blood oranges are by far the most beautiful when dehydrated. If you can get your hands on some, I highly recommend it!
- Although it's often suggested that you should dehydrate oranges at a lower temperature for a longer length of time, I prefer using the fruit setting which is 135 degrees F. Instead of taking 12 hours or longer, the dehydrating time can be cut down to 3 to 6 hours depending on how thick the orange slices are. I also dry the end pieces that I slice off of the oranges and use them to make orange powder which I substitute in the place of orange zest in baked goods.
Vic says
Easy recipe. Great tips. Thank you
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Vic, appreciate the review!
Lisa Hernandez says
Can I use these on a cake?
Hilda Sterner says
Absolutely!
Dee says
What a wonderful way to make hiking sweetly enjoyable! Thank you
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Dee. I appreciate your review.
Jeanette says
I've been wanting to try this. Thank you for all the great information.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Jeanette, I appreciate it!
CJ says
Thank you Hilda's Kitchen for the wonderful tips on how to dehydrate the oranges... someone gave me a whole box and it's just me and didn't want to waste any.... I love this. MUCH APPRECIATED.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you CJ!
Conny says
Hi thanks for all the good advice. I want to use my orange slices to decorate the Christmas tree and some garland but I do not want to draw any bugs to my tree. Will these dried oranges attract bugs?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Conny,
I've never had an issue with bugs being attracted to the orange slices. Just make sure they are completely dehyrdeted and no longer tacky.
Sharon says
Can I dehydrate orange sections instead of using a mandolin and make slices?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Sharon, I've never dehydrated orange sections and would imagine it would take quite a while to do. If you don't have a mandolin to make the slices you can use a sharp knife, as long as the oranges aren't too juicy.