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!
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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!
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😍 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
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📖 Recipe
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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.
Aleesha says
Beautifuly written with heart and soul and very informative, thank you
Amy says
My oranges started out hard and dry and I put them in a sealed Tupperware. A couple weeks later and they aren't moldy but are now tacky feeling. I'm wondering if they aren't sealed enough in the Tupperware 🙁 They smell like warm orange juice, just like they did when they were hard and dry. Is there any fixing this or do I have to start over with fresh oranges?
Hilda Sterner says
I recommend storing the fruit in glass jars instead of Tupperware after making sure that they are completely dried and cool so that condensation does not cause the fruit to go bad. I'm not sure what warm orange juice smells like, 😬 but I would say try one and see if it still tastes good, if not, you could always spit it out. If they're still good, you can dehydrate them some more to get them dry again.
Amber Romano says
Hi! Some of my orange slices are a little thicker. I plan to jar them for summer pots and give them as gifts in about three weeks for Christmas. Will the larger ones with a little moisture left in them be ok for that period of time
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Amber, I usually use a mandoline to slice the oranges so that all the slices are the same thickness so that they dry at the same time. If the slices art tacky, even after drying, then they can start to mold. You can always dehydrate them further at the lowest setting so that they don't burn. I hope that helps!
Vickey says
Easy breezy
Michelle Woonton says
how do you store them and for how long
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Michelle, I usually store them in mason jars. They last for months if not years. As long as they are dry and crispy and don't have any moisture remaining in them, they'll last a very long time.
Vippisue says
Do you use brown sugar AND cardamom on yours or just cardamom?
Hilda Sterner says
95% of the time I just dehydrate the slices as is. However, if you want to add brown sugar, you can sprinkle them with some cardamom as well. Really, it's a matter of preference.
Zuzanna says
Another wonderful idea is to dip dried orange segments in melted chocolate and give as gifts! Or enjoy for a delicious treat
Hilda Sterner says
I was recently in Whitefish, MT and they were selling a small jar with maybe 10 slices and some other spices and dried fruit for $25 a jar...
Marie Taylor says
If I like to eat them as is should I peel them first?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Marie, It's really up to you! I eat them as it too but I don't eat the peel.
Marie Taylor says
Thank you
Amy says
To retain color of the oranges do you soak or put anything on the slices before putting in the dehydrator? (I have read that a mixture of water and cornstarch?). Any advice? Thanking you in advance! 🙂
Hilda Sterner says
I've never heard that and have never had to use anything to retain the color. It works fine without any additional steps.
Kelly Methey says
Can’t wait to try this! I would never have thought to do it without your “recipe”! Thanks!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Kelly! I guess I'm glad I shared the "recipe." 😉