How to Make Dried Strawberries in the Oven

For those who find strawberry season much too short, dehydrated strawberries are a must-have for the pantry. There are many ways to enjoy strawberry dry fruit ranging from strawberry craisins and dried strawberry chips to toppings and baked goods. You can prepare your own dehydrated strawberries or purchase individual or bulk amounts of strawberry dry fruit to use any way you choose.

Strawberry Season

It’s almost impossible to resist buying fresh strawberries when they first become available. There’s no need to worry about purchasing too many fresh strawberries. Eat and enjoy as many fresh ones as you like and use the remainder to prepare dehydrated strawberries for use throughout the year. Oven dried strawberries are also easy to prepare and provide you with wonderfully flavorful strawberries to add to cereal, oatmeal, snack mix, or trail mix. There’s an almost limitless way to use dried strawberries.

How to Prepare Oven Dried Strawberries

To make basic oven dried strawberries, all you need is an oven, fresh strawberries, a baking sheet, and parchment paper. Wash, dry, and remove the hull/cap from the strawberries. Thinly slice the berries. A thickness of 1/8 inch is recommended. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the strawberry slices in a single layer so that the berries don’t touch each other. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees. Place a baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 2 hours, checking the berries about every fifteen minutes. Peel them off the parchment paper and flip them over about halfway through the baking time. Return them to the oven and bake until the tops are dry. For crispy dried strawberry chips leave the berries in the oven until they are dry. For chewy slices, remove the berries a little before they become dry.

Ways to Use Dried Strawberries

Strawberry craisins are a treat straight out of the bag. They become a decadent indulgence when you use them to make homemade chocolate-covered strawberry craisins. Breakfast gets an upgrade when dry strawberry slices are sprinkled over cereal, stirred into oatmeal, or used to make delicious breakfast bars. Dried strawberries can be rehydrated and used instead of fresh strawberries in most recipes.