Dehydrating Oranges (Dehydrator or Oven)
Dehydrating oranges turns fresh citrus into crisp slices for tea, cocktails, baking, and holiday garlands. Dry them low and slow in a dehydrator, or use the oven when you need them sooner.
Servings: 8 servings, makes 30 to 40 slices at 1/4 inch thick
Equipment
- Quart Mason Jar (Wide Mouth) for storage
- Mandoline Slicer optional
Ingredients
- 4 oranges navel, Cara Cara, or blood oranges, see notes
Instructions
- Scrub the oranges under warm running water to remove dirt and wax, then pat them dry.
- Slice the oranges into rounds 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, keeping the thickness even, and remove any seeds with the tip of a knife.
- Blot the slices on a clean towel to remove the surface juice.
- Dehydrator: Arrange the slices in a single layer on the dehydrator trays so they don't touch. Dry at 135°F for 7 to 15 hours, rotating the trays every few hours, until the slices are crisp with no tacky spots in the center.
- Oven: Arrange the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet, or on oven-safe wire racks over baking sheets. Dry at 175°F, or your oven's lowest setting up to 200°F, for 3 to 5 hours, flipping them every 30 minutes, until crisp.
- Cool the slices for 30 to 60 minutes, then condition them in a loosely packed glass jar for 7 to 10 days, shaking it daily, before storing them airtight in a cool, dark place.
Notes
Yield: One medium orange sliced 1/4 inch thick gives about 8 to 10 rounds once the ends come off, and about twice that at 1/8 inch. Fresh oranges dry down to a bit under a fifth of their weight, so 10 pounds of oranges makes roughly 1 3/4 pounds of dried slices. Mandarins give smaller, fewer slices.
Choosing oranges: Seedless oranges with thinner peels are easier to work with. Navels, Cara Caras, blood oranges, clementines, and satsumas all work. Very juicy oranges take longer to dry.
Drying time: Slice thickness, juiciness, and humidity all change the time, and thin slices on a dry day finish at the short end. For less browning, dry 1/8-inch slices at 130°F for 12 to 14 hours, flipping them every hour.
Oven drying: Many ovens won't go below about 170°F. Don't go over 200°F, and expect oven-dried slices to brown more than dehydrator slices.
Doneness: Slices should be crisp all the way to the center once they cool. Warm slices feel softer than they are.
Conditioning: Pack the cooled slices loosely in a glass jar, close it, and shake it daily for 7 to 10 days. If condensation forms, dry them for a few more hours.
Storage: Keep them in an airtight glass jar in a cool, dark, dry place. Most dried fruit keeps about 1 year at 60°F and 6 months at 80°F.
Nutrition
Serving: 4slices | Calories: 31kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 147IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 0.1mg
