Simple Recipe for How to Make Dehydrated Apricots

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Learn how to make delicious dehydrated apricots using this simple step-by-step recipe. These dehydrated fruits are a delicious and healthy snacks for the whole family.

Apricots are my husband’s favorite fruit. He waits all year for the very short apricot season. This guy can point out when the first blooms should start and seems to know when the fruit stands are carrying them after a long winter. He loves fresh apricots and actually prefers them to be a little on the unripened side, as he loves tart foods.

Last year was the first year I spent a lot of time preserving foods. So when he grabbed a peck (half bushel) full of apricots and brought them home, I knew that I had to dehydrate some with my new (to me) dehydrator.

I thought it would be a lovely treat to have locally grown dehydrated apricots ready for my dear sweet husband. Ripe apricots are only available for so long in the year, so you need to grab them up while you can and while they are ripe!

Nutritional Value of Dried Apricots

Unfortunately, dried Apricots from the store lack the purity of homemade apricots. Retail dehydrated apricots often have high fructose corn syrup and unnecessary preservatives. These ingredients help to keep the apricots fresher for longer and very soft and pliable. Store-bought is a sweeter option than homemade, but I don’t want those chemicals in my body. Do you?

Apricots are very beneficial for your gut, eyes, and just your whole body.

Apricots are full of fiber which is very good for gut health and gut bacteria. It is also full of tons of vitamins and minerals. Vitamins A, C, and E are some of the major ones. Beta-carotene and potassium are also found in apicots. Apricots also have antioxidant properties which help to prevent early effects of the aging body due to free radicals. If you want more information check out these posts.

Skin and Hair Health

Nutritional Values

12 Health Benefits of Apricots

How to Use Dehydrated Apricots

Honestly, I think the best way to use these is to eat them as it is. However, they are really good in baked goods like scones, cookies, or cakes. They would also be excellent in a homemade trail mix or homemade granola bars.

You could make an apricot simple syrup with them as well to get a more powerful apricot punch than if you used fresh apricots. You would need to soak apricots in boiling hot water for 10-20 minutes and then add one part sugar to equal parts water. (For example, 1 cup sugar to 1 cups water) Then reduce by half on the stove. Delicious!

Some people like to use dehydrated fruit as a garnish on fruit cocktails, which I can see the value of in the summer! A nice refreshing drink sounds delicious!

Choosing the Right Apricot

Apricots are a pretty small fruit. Depending on the variety and time of summer, the size of the fruit could be small golf ball-sized fruit or something the size of a baseball. Either way, you need to select firm fruit with a little give. Ripe fruit will not be too mushy and not rock hard. They will also have an orange color, with no green on the fruit!

Simple Recipe for How to Make Dehydrated Apricots

The easiest way to make dehydrated apricots is to cut them and put them in a dehydrator for 12-18 hours (depending on your dehydrator, humidity, weather, etc). Boom. Done.

Awesome, let’s talk about this a little more!

After you have selected your beautiful apricots, wash them under cold water. Wash apricots to make sure to get off all the dirt, dust, and any little bits on them from the great outdoors.

You have two options at this point. You can peel them or leave them with the skin on. I did both last year and prefer not to skin them. I think it takes up too much time for not much of a reward. You could also blanch the apricots and remove the skins this way. But I don’t do that unless I have to. I went through so much ice last year.

After you have decided to peel or not to peel...

Place them on the cutting board and cut them in half. At some point in this cutting process, you will encounter the pit. Remove the pit and toss aside. If you would like, you can actually save these (and any skins you may have) and make a skin and pit syrup. I highly recommend it. You can always toss them in the freezer until you have gathered enough of the pits and skins for syrup. Many different fruits could be included here.

You have another decision here. You can leave the apricots in halves or cut them into eighths. I like to cut them into eighths because they dehydrate faster, and I get a higher yield. Apricot halves do tend to be softer, and I love the chew they give.

After cutting them, place them into a large bowl of cold water with about a 1/4 cup lemon juice. This is an important step. The ascorbic acid in the lemon juice helps to prevent browning.

No one likes brown fruit.

Now, take your juicy fruits and layer them onto your dehydrator trays in a single layer. If they touch or overlap, they will stick and be unevenly dried, which affects storage time and mold. If dehydrating apricot halves, place halves skin side down on the drying rack.

The Drying Process

The drying process really depends on a lot of different factors. You are going to need to check on your apricots after about 12 hours of dry time and estimate your time from there. You are looking for a dry and pliable apricot. Check every two to three hours after that initial 12 hours to find the perfect dried fruit for you.

Storing Dehydrated Apricots

Store your dehydrated apricots in an airtight container for up to six months at room temperature. If you put them in the freezer, they could potentially last up to a year.

Yay! Now you have the perfect homemade dehydrated apricot!

Eat away! They are a perfect healthy snack for the whole family!