Here’s a simple and frugal way to make a long lasting, healthy, snack that everyone (not just the kids) will absolutely love! I call it fruit salad “yummy yummy” fruit leathers, or rolls, or wraps… Don’t take this recipe for granted as it really is that good – I promise you. The combination of all the ingredients in this special fruit salad fruit leather recipe works amazingly together and even people (like my wife) who can’t stand certain fruits like watermelon which is part of this treat will not believe how well they all go together.
I've also made an "How-to" video to complement this post – just scroll down to the end.
This recipe is particularly useful for preserving a glut of fruit or a great way to save a left over fruit salad from going to waste.
Whilst fruit rolls/leathers can be made in a standard oven, a good dehydrator is the best option (image above)
In my fruit salad leather recipe I have included a few odd fruits not usually thought of as fruit leather ingredients and they are pomegranate and kiw
i fruit both have seeds which are imbedded in our final product. Now before you think “yuk” instead of “yum” let me assure you these seeds will not detract from the taste and texture of the fruit wrap in the slightest; in fact, the seeds from the pomegranate and kiwi fruits add a pleasant crunch to the wrap and also give it extra fibre plus nutrients to make this snack even more healthy!
Speaking of special fruits, the only other point I should mention is about bananas and the use of them in this recipe. I don’t usually include bananas in my fresh fruit salads but when I make these fruit salad leathers I do add bananas for two main reasons: to help bind the fruit leathers together, and to give a little extra sweetness. I roughly use 1 banana per litre of fruit salad.
Equipment you will need
Blender or food processor – to make the fruit salad puree.
Wax paper or ParaFlex non-stick sheets (or other brand non-stick sheets) – to pour the puree onto.
An icing cake knife or large spoon – to smooth the puree out onto the sheets.
A dehydrator (or oven on a really low heat) – to dry the puree into fruit salad leathers. I have an expensive Excalibur dehydrator but you can now get cheaper versions which are quite similar on eBay – also, read this great review of a generic brand dehydrator by Steve on our forum.
Scissors – to cut the fruit leathers into strips or shapes if you wish.
Ingredients
3 x pears (ripe and soft)
3 x apples (cored and skinned)
2 x mangoes flesh
1 x small pineapple
½ x pomegranate (large)
4 x kiwi fruits (skinned)
½ a small pawpaw
½ a rock melon
2 x cups of watermelon (cubed)
1 x cup of grapes (seedless)
2 x bananas (large)
Method
Feel free to have it for a standard fruit salad first and then use the leftovers to make the fruit leathers. If you do decide to do this then simply cut all the fruit (except the bananas which I’d leave out personally) into bite sized pieces and top with the pomegranate seeds – serve as is or with freshly whipped cream or ice-cream.
For the fruit salad leathers don’t forget the bananas and basically all that’s required is the fruit to be pureed in a blender or food processor – you should drain off any excess liquid before pureeing so the end mix is not too runny.
Puree until all of the fruit is totally combined and mixed together into something that resembles baby food (it should be pourable and thick but not too runny) if you find the mix is too watery then add more banana until the mix is thick.
Pureed fruit spead evenly on a dehydrator tray and wax paper (image above)
With your dehydrator trays on a bench place ParaFlex sheets or wax paper cut to size onto the trays (if using an oven just use standard oven trays).
Pour the pureed fruit salad onto the centre of the sheets and carefully smooth out the puree until it covers the full area with about 1 inch from the sides and is about ¼ inch thickness (about 4 or 5 mils) evenly all over.
Place the trays into the dehydrator (or oven) at a temperature of 57 °C (135°F) and allow about 14 hours for the fruit leathers to dry.
You will know when the fruit leathers are dry as they will be leathery to touch (not soft), easy to remove/peel from the sheets, and only very slightly tacky (if at all).
Once the fruit leathers have cooled, you can then store them whole wrapped in wax paper or put into containers in the pantry. The fruit salad fruit leathers can also be cut into strips or shapes with a scissors and placed into zip-lock bags etc.
Fruit leathers should keep for several months in the pantry but they will most likely be eaten much faster than that…
The finished fruit leathers/rolls – Yummy Yummy! (image above)
These home-made fruit salad rolls are not just awesome to eat but they also make great gifts like at Xmas time. Unlike lollies or fruit juice, there's no added sugar in this recipe and with the extra fibre from the full fruit and seeds (pomagranate & kiwi) these fruit salad fruit leathers are super healthy for children's lunches.
Video – How to Make Fruit Salad "Yummy Yummy" Fruit Rolls/Leathers
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I hope you enjoy making your own fruit salad fruit leathers/rolls – it's very easy to do and lots of fun also.
Mark Valencia – Editor SSM
Look, and see the Earth through her eyes…
