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How to Make Dried Apples in the Oven

Homemade oven dried apples recipe. A delicious, healthy and easy to make snack that are dried slowly in the oven with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Homemade oven dried apples recipe. A delicious, healthy and easy to make snack that are dried slowly in the oven with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

There is more to autumn than Pumpkins of course and after a few pumpkin recipes I felt a little bit over the pumpkin thing so I started looking at another fall harvest star:  The Apple!

Dried apples are a great healthy snack for when you’re on the go. They’re sweet and crunchy, perfect for kids or adults! They are an easy snack that everyone loves.

One of my favourite snacks are dried apple rings but they can be expensive to buy!  They are easy to make yourself but a little time consuming to make. I like mine with a little cinnamon.

When it comes to making dried apples, you have two options: dehydrator or oven. If you don’t want to spend the money on a dehydrator, try this recipe for oven-dried apples.

Homemade oven dried apples recipe. A delicious, healthy and easy to make snack that are dried slowly in the oven with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Homemade oven dried apples recipe. A delicious, healthy and easy to make snack that are dried slowly in the oven with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

The Best Apple Varieties to use to Make Dried Apples

The best apples to use for drying are tart and crisp, with flesh that holds its shape. Good cooking apples like Pink Lady, Cameo and Cortland work well. Granny smith apples and fuji apples make really delicious dried apples too.

My personal favourite type of apple for drying is Royal Gala apples, they are a crisp and sweet apple that dries really well.

Avoid Red Delicious and Golden Delicious as their flavor is not assertive enough and they don’t dry well.

Use a Mandoline for Even Apple Slices

It is important when making dried apple slices that the thickness of the slices are thin and even. Thin slices will dry out faster, so watch the thickness of your slices. If you want crispy apple chips then go thin and cook longer. If you want soft dried apples then thicker and for a shorter time is the way to go.

An inexpensive mandolin slicer can help! It is well worth the investment if you enjoy making these healthy snacks. The thinly sliced fruit will dehydrate much more quickly than thickly cut pieces will. 

You can also use a sharp knife but you aren’t likely to get the thin and event cuts we are looking for in your sliced apples.

You can also use an apple peeler to remove the skin if you life, but it is fine to leave it on.

Homemade oven dried apples recipe. A delicious, healthy and easy to make snack that are dried slowly in the oven with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Other Methods for Making Apple Chips (Dried Apples)

There are a few different ways to dehydrate apples to make homemade apple rings. These methods include:

Air Drying is a slow and low-tech method. I have no experience with this method as oven drying is faster and safer.

Oven Drying is faster than Air Drying and can be done at a higher temperature so it takes less time to dry the fruit. This can take anywhere between 2 to 10 hours depending on how you want your finished product. Scroll below for my apple chips recipe.

Dehydrating Apples with a Dehydrator takes between 12 and 24 hours and tends to produce apples that are more leathery than oven dried apples.

A food dehydrator uses fans and vents that moves dry warm air over your ingredients placed on dehydrator trays, causing the moisture to evaporate. This low heat keeps enzymes and nutrients intact while removing moisture that causes bacteria growth.

A dehydrator is a great way to make dried fruit and keep the oven free for baking other food.

Another option is to use an air fryer if you have one.

Homemade oven dried apples recipe. A delicious, healthy and easy to make snack that are dried slowly in the oven with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

How to Store Dried Apples

Dried apples that have been completely deydrated can be stored for up to a year if placed in an airtight container and kept in a cool, dark place. A mason jar is a good storage choice.

They should not be refrigerated as this will cause them to become hard and unpleasantly chewy.

That said, because the yield of each batch of dry apples is small, it’s possible you might eat all your dried apples the day you make them. Most ovens can’t fit more than two baking sheets.

Homemade oven dried apples recipe. A delicious, healthy and easy to make snack that are dried slowly in the oven with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Looking for More Recipes Made with Apples?

If you are looking for more ways to use up all your apples instead of making apple pies, check these apple recipes out:

Classic German apple cake, Apfelkuchen, is moist and buttery. It’s a simple and rustic cake made with fresh apples – a perfect fall dessert.

These Old Fashioned Apple Fritters are made with a cakey batter incorporated with juicy apples and glazed. They’re an easy-to-make fall treat.

Save a few apples for Thanksgiving! Apple & Sage Stuffing for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. The introduction of sweet apples to this crisp on the top stuffing creates a delicious sweet-savory balance to a classic stuffing recipe enhanced with sage.

cored apple slices

Oven-Dried Cinnamon Apple Rings

Ingredients:

7-8 Apples
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Cinnamon

Directions:

Wash the apples then core and slice them into 1/4 inch rings.  Using a Mandolin makes this process a lot easier.

Discard top and bottom rings with the most skin on them.

Oven-Dried Cinnamon Apple Rings

Prevent browning by dropping apples into lemon water – place the apple rings in a bowl with the lemon juice and 2 cups of water.

Dry the apples on a clean kitchen towel or paper towel then lay slices in a single layer on wire racks over baking sheets.

If you inexplicably only have one wire rack despite the fact that you are constantly baking (ahem…) I tested the method using parchment paper and the results were nearly identical.

Sprinkle the slices with cinnamon to taste.

Oven-Dried Cinnamon Apple Rings

Dry the Apples in the oven for 2-10 hours on low heat (140 degrees F), with the door held slightly ajar with a spoon, skewer or similar, turning the slices occasionally.  Dry longer for crisp slices, and less for soft slices.

Remove the dehydrated apple slices from the oven and allow to cool completely before storing in sterilized airtight jars in a dark cool place.

Oven-Dried Cinnamon Apple Rings

Cinnamon Apple Rings

Ingredients

  • 7-8 Apples
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • Cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Wash the apples then core and slice them into 1/4 inch rings. Using a Mandolin makes this process a lot easier.
  2. Discard top and bottom rings with the most skin on them.
  3. Prevent browning by dropping apples into a bowl with the lemon juice and 2 cups of water.
  4. Dry the apples on a clean kitchen towel then lay slices on wire racks over baking sheets.
  5. Sprinkle the slices with cinnamon to taste.
  6. Dry the Apples in the oven for 2-10 hours on low heat (140 degrees F), turning occasionally. Dry longer for crisp slices, and less for soft slices.
  7. Remove the slices from the oven and allow to cool completely before storing in sterilized airtight jars in a dark cool place.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1 grams

Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

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Homemade oven dried apples recipe. A delicious, healthy and easy to make snack that are dried slowly in the oven with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

How perfect would a jar of these dehydrated apples make as a hostess gift?  I mean, that is, if you don’t eat them all before you pack them up! They make such a great snack, it’s a problem.

Homemade Oven-Dried Cinnamon Apple Rings. A delicious, healthy and easy to make snack with all those autumn apples!

loucheryl

Saturday 12th of September 2015

Looks really tasty and HEALTHY!

Susan T.

Friday 4th of September 2015

This is such an awesome, healthy snack and they look super pretty too!

Victoria Ess

Friday 24th of October 2014

This is brilliant! I can't wait to try to make these, as they'd be a perfect healthy snack.

Barb

Wednesday 1st of October 2014

I am a cinnamon loving gal so this combo looks soooo good! I never thought to make them at home. Thanks for sharing. Visiting via "MerryAboutTown" linky party.

DARLENE W

Saturday 27th of September 2014

These look so good, my M-I-L made some a few weeks ago they went fast

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