Enjoy a sweet and fruity treat with these homemade fruit roll ups – no sugar necessary! All the fun of unwrapping the rolled-up treat like you get at the store, but with wholesome ingredients. Pack them in the lunchbox or have a sweet treat any time!
After you’ve been reading food labels for a while, you start to become a bit immune to the junk that agribusiness puts in their “food-like products.” Despite this, every now and then I do a double-take and only one word can accurately describe what’s going through my brain:
“Really?!”
This happened to me while reading the list of ingredients on a package of strawberry fruit roll-ups, which started with corn syrup, dried corn syrup, and sugar.
I mean, really?! Do manufacturers really think that they can put all that sugar and additives into a cute little package and think we consumers will turn a blind eye and assume they’re healthy because they say “fruit” on the box?
Yes, they do – because they keep doing it!
If something has “fruit” in the name, I think real fruit should be the number one ingredient. Which means it’s time to make my own fruit flavored snacks.
HOMEMADE FRUIT ROLL UPS
With those labels in mind, I’ll keep making my own fruit roll ups because:
- They’re easy to make.
- They taste sweet and fruity and delicious
- It’s a frugal way to have a healthy snack
- It’s a great option to use up extra fruit
Seriously folks, if I knew how easy it was to make homemade fruit roll-ups, I would have done this AGES ago to stick in my kids’ lunch boxes.
FRUIT ROLL UPS RECIPE INGREDIENTS
You only need one ingredient to make this fruit roll ups recipe: fresh fruit!
- Fresh fruit, washed and dried, and pitted if necessary
- Fresh Lemon juice (optional, if using light-colored fruits, for a more pleasing color)
The fun part about making your own homemade fruit roll ups is that you get to choose your favorite fruit flavor combinations. Strawberry is a classic flavor, of course, but what about a raspberry mango fruit roll up, or a strawberry rhubarb, or an apple peach? Yum!
You can use frozen fruit to make homemade fruit roll ups, but you’ll want to thaw and drain it first.
INSTRUCTIONS HOW TO MAKE FRUIT ROLL-UPS
Step 1. Blend fruits (and lemon juice, if using) in a blender or food processor until smooth. If the fruit contains seeds (like strawberries or blackberries), you can press the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove them.
Step 2. Line a baking sheet with either parchment paper, wax paper, or a silpat mat. If you’re using parchment paper, allow just enough to overhang so the fruit roll-ups are easy to remove later.
Step 3. Pour the fruit puree onto the lined baking sheet to about ⅛″ to ¼″ thickness for fruit roll-ups. Gently tap the sides a few times to remove the air bubbles and ensure the fruit mixture is level.
Step 4. Place the tray in the oven and turn the heat to approximately 140-150F. If your oven doesn’t have a setting this low, see the additional recipe tips below.
Step 5. Allow the fruit puree to cook for 4-12 hours, checking every 4 hours for doneness. The fruit roll up is done when it is dry and smooth to the touch, not tacky, and set in the center, and easy to remove from the parchment paper or mat.
Step 6. Remove the fruit roll up and use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut it into strips about 4-6″ in length and 1″ in width. Roll each strip up into a spiral.
Step 7. Store fruit roll-ups in the refrigerator in an airtight container or snack bags for up to one month.
FRUIT ROLL UP RECIPE TIPS
To get your oven to the correct temperature for this fruit roll up recipe, use these tips:
- Use a meat thermometer (traditional, not instant read) to help you gauge the temperature of the oven.
- If your oven is digital, set the temperature to the lowest setting, and crack open the door.
- If your oven is not digital, turn the nob until it turns on. In both cases, check the thermometer every 15 minutes or so until you’re close to 140F.
- You might have to open the door/close the door to try to maintain the temperature, so it’s best to do this on a day at home when you don’t need the oven for anything else.
To make fruit roll ups that are easy to wrap up, I recommend baking the fruit puree on parchment paper. Once it is dried and cooled, you can cut strips through both the fruit layer and the parchment paper, and roll both up together, making fruit roll ups that look similar to what you buy in the store (but way better!).
You can also cut your fruit roll ups into longer strips to imitate another store-bought treat, fruit by the foot.
FRUIT ROLL UPS FAQS
What is the difference between fruit roll-ups and fruit leather?
In case you didn’t know, the only difference between fruit leather and fruit roll-ups is the thickness of the fruit when you put it in the pan. Thicker fruit gives you leather; thinner fruit gives you fruit roll-ups. Learn how to make your own fruit leather here.
Are sweeteners added to homemade fruit roll-ups?
You might find other recipes out there that add sweeteners or other ingredients to the pureed fruit, but you don’t need anything extra to make your own fruit roll ups. You could add a drizzle of honey if you feel like it needs just a little sweetness.
The only exception would be the lemon juice, and it’s only needed when you want to preserve the color of the fruit, like in apricots, peaches, or apples, so it doesn’t turn a not-so-lovely shade of brown when it’s dried.
Are fruit roll ups healthy?
The ingredients list on the fruit roll ups from the store starts out with three kinds of sugar, so I’d have to say definitely not! These healthy fruit roll ups, on the other hand, have simple fresh fruit instead, a much healthier choice.
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Fruit Roll Ups
Enjoy a sweet and fruity treat with these homemade fruit roll ups – no sugar necessary! All the fun of unwrapping the rolled-up treat like you get at the store, but with wholesome ingredients. Pack them in the lunchbox or have a sweet treat any time!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4-12 hours
- Total Time: Varies
- Yield: 24 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Instructions
1. Blend fruits (and lemon juice, if using) in a blender or food processor until smooth. If the fruit contains seeds (like strawberries or blackberries), you can press the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove them.
2. Line a baking sheet with either parchment paper, wax paper, or a silpat mat. If you’re using parchment paper, allow just enough to overhang so the fruit roll-ups are easy to remove later.
3. Pour the fruit puree onto the lined baking sheet to about ⅛″ to ¼″ thickness for fruit roll-ups. Gently tap the sides a few times to remove the air bubbles and ensure the fruit mixture is level.
4. Place the tray in the oven and turn the heat to approximately 140-150F. If your oven doesn’t have a setting this low, see the additional recipe tips below.
5. Allow the fruit puree to cook for 4-12 hours, checking every 4 hours for doneness. The fruit roll up is done when it is dry and smooth to the touch, not tacky, and set in the center, and easy to remove from the parchment paper or mat.
6. Remove the fruit roll up and use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut it into strips about 4-6″ in length and 1″ in width. Roll each strip up into a spiral.
7. Store fruit roll-ups in the refrigerator in an airtight container or snack bags for up to one month.
