How to Make Dehydrated Oranges

Dehydrate oranges? If you’ve ever tasted dehydrated oranges and enjoyed them, you’re probably wondering how to make them at home. They’re sweet and flavorful, making them a wonderful treat to have. If you have a dehydrator, you can easily prepare dehydrated oranges as much as you’d like to.

They’ll come in hand when you’re making different beverages and preparing assorted recipes. You can even snack on them between meals for a light, healthy, and refreshing alternative to traditional candy. Here are tips on how to dehydrate oranges. 

1. Choose the Right Oranges to Use

Before you work on dehydrating the oranges, you’ll need to choose ripe ones. Visit your local grocery store’s produce section to check for ripe oranges that are ready to eat. If the skin of the orange is smooth without bruises or marks, it’s likely ripe and ready to use. 

Ripe oranges tend to weigh more than those that aren’t ripe, so that is something else for you to keep in mind. You can check the weight of the oranges you’re selecting while you’re at the grocery store.

2. Wash Your Oranges Before You Use Them

Always make sure you’re washing your oranges before you’re dehydrating them. The washing process is simple. You can place the oranges in a large strainer bowl and sit them under the faucet in your sink. 

Allow the water to run over the oranges for at least two minutes. Grab one orange at a time to gently wipe its exterior with the water before placing it into a separate, dry bowl. Never use soap on your oranges! You can quickly get rid of any bacteria on the fruit by washing with warm water.

3. Slice the Oranges 

Once you’ve thoroughly washed your oranges, use a clean paper towel to pat them dry and get rid of excess water before you start slicing into them. Use a sharp knife to make thin slices. You don’t want to have large chunks of oranges. The thinner the piece, the faster your oranges will dehydrate, and the crispier they’ll become. The goal is to cut your oranges into slices that are about ⅛ to ¼ an inch thick.

4. Use a Dehydrator Tray

Grab a dehydrator tray and begin placing thin pieces of your oranges on it. Do not overlap the orange slices. Instead, keep the slices in a single layer to allow them to dehydrate properly. 

Once you have the slices on the tray, you can dehydrate them at 165 degrees for a maximum of three hours. Depending on the size of your oranges, they may be fully dehydrated within two hours. Be sure to check the oranges before removing them from the dehydrator tray to see if they’ve reached your desired consistency.

I have been using my Nesco Dehydrator for years but I plan to upgrade to the Excalibur this summer. Be sure to check out my post – Food Dehydrators: What You Need to Know.

5. What to Do With Dehydrated Oranges

After waiting a maximum of three hours for the oranges to dehydrate, you can allow them to cool down and then begin using them. Dehydrated oranges taste great as a snack, but you can use them as an ingredient for other recipes.

Eat as a Snack

When you’re craving candy but don’t want to eat it because it’s unhealthy, have some dried oranges. The sweetness of the oranges will satisfy your craving for that sugary taste of candy, but you’ll eat something good for yourself because it contains plenty of vitamins and nutrients.

Add Chopped Pieces to Trail Mix

You can chop pieces of the dehydrated oranges and add them to a bowl full of other ingredients, such as peanuts, raisins, and almonds. It’s the perfect way to make a healthy, flavorful trail mix at home instead of buying it at the store. The orange pieces will taste great with the added crunch that comes from the nuts in the trail mix.

Use in Different Beverages

Bring flavor to different beverages by adding dehydrated oranges to them. If you’d like to drink more water, but you hate the plain taste of it, consider adding a few slices of dehydrated oranges to it. The oranges will enhance the taste of your water within seconds, making it more enjoyable for you!

Besides adding the oranges to water, they’ll also taste great in different types of tea, such as green tea and black tea. You can add them to a hot or cold cup of tea. Even if you’re a fan of carbonated beverages, these dehydrated oranges can add more flavor to them. A hint of orange goes well with many things.

Ground the Orange Slices and Use in Different Recipes

You can ground the dehydrated orange slices, store the ground pieces, and then use them in different recipes that call for a hint of orange or orange zest. For example, ground dehydrated orange slices taste great in chocolate chip cookies and fruit-flavored baked loaves of bread. If you’d like to add a hint of orange to anything you’re making, consider using some of the dehydrated oranges.

How to Store Your Dehydrated Oranges

Once you prepare the dehydrated oranges, it’s essential to know how to properly store them to keep them fresh. You’ll need an airtight container for storage purposes. Make sure the container is large enough to hold all the dehydrated oranges that you have. Place your slices into the container. It doesn’t matter if you place some on top of one another. Be sure to seal the container with a lid to keep them fresh. 

You don’t need to refrigerate the dehydrated oranges. They should remain fresh for up to six weeks. The period of freshness depends on how dry they are and how well you store them.

How to Dehydrate Oranges 

If you’ve ever tried dehydrated oranges and enjoyed them, know that you can make them at home in no time by following simple steps. It only takes a few hours to get your fresh, ripe oranges dehydrated and ready to use in beverages and meals. 

When you eat dehydrated oranges, you’re reaping the benefits that oranges have to offer. They can strengthen your immune system, boost collagen production, and relieve constipation. If you’re ready to enjoy the sweet taste of dehydrated oranges, follow the steps above to make them with ease.

More on Dehydrating: 

• DIY Dehydrated Chicken Feet for Dogs
• Ground Beef Jerky Recipe
• Dehydrating Apples at Home
• Homemade Dehydrated Onions and Onion Powder