So I've made Raspberry Peach Fruit Leather. And then I made Mango Fruit Roll-Ups. But I'm not going to rest on my delicious fruit snack laurels! No! I've been floating around ideas and trying to think of something that would work during winter and then it hit me: banana fruit leather. So I made it and it was good. And then I made it again and it was still good. Good enough to share, in fact.
How To Make Banana Fruit Leather (With No Dehydrator!)
- Before you start, you will need 4 ripe bananas. You'll need to pre-heat your oven to 175°F and spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. (Don't spray on too much—you don't want oily banana fruit leather.)
- Peel your bananas and cut them into large chunks.
Now you need to puree your bananas. I like using an immersion blender, but a food processor or regular blender is fine. Make sure there are no large banana pieces. It needs to be smooth!
Try not to eat the puree. It's delicious! It's almost like banana pudding. (Okay, not really. But I try to convince myself it is.) Pour the puree onto your greased baking sheet. Hopefully your baking sheet is in better shape than mine—oh, the shame!
Using a spatula, spread the puree to cover the baking sheet. It's really important to make sure it's spread evenly, otherwise you'll end up with parts that are crispy and parts that are chewy. If this happens, it's not the end of the world though—the crispy bits are good too.
Bake at 175°F and keep an eye on your fruit leather's progress. Mine took 2 ½ hours to cook. (If parts on the edges are done and the center is still wet, you can cut those parts off and return the baking sheet to the oven.) When the fruit leather is done, you should be able to easily lift it from the pan—it should be pliable, but not wet. Use a pizza cutter or kitchen scissors to cut into strips or shapes.
Your fruit leather is unlikely to last very long. It's just that good! But if you do have leftovers, you can wrap it in plastic and store it for 1 month at room temperature or 1 year in the freezer. (Note that I haven't actually tried storing my fruit leather this long, but that's what the National Center for Home Food Preservation says.)
Carol says
I didn't realize fruit leather was that easy! It looks so good. Great idea with banana, this I have to try.
The Type A Housewife says
Thanks! Fruit leather is definitely easy to make, as long as you have patience! 🙂
Julie says
Have you tried beef jerky this way? I don't have a dehydrator, but hate paying more per ounce for beef jerky than a steak! I've been meaning to give it a try.
The Type A Housewife says
Nope, we don't eat meat! 🙂 But I think it would work in the oven, but it would probably have to be in there a loooooong time. You should try it and blog about it!
Julie says
How is it that I always forget you don't eat meat! My brain is fried. Maybe its because its the only thing I can really eat right now..... so sad. I miss carbs.
The Type A Housewife says
Ha! I love carbs (and cheese!)--I know so many people doing the paleo diet right now and I really pity all of you. 😉
Kim of Mo'Betta says
I haven't thought about using bananas! I keep saying I'm going to make fruit leathers, but have yet to do it...and I have a dehydrator!
The Type A Housewife says
Oh, you need to make fruit leather immediately--you have no excuse! 😉 I've made a few different kinds, but I really love the banana one because you don't have to add any sweeteners. I don't know if you've ever had Trader Joe's Banana Flattened, but it tastes exactly like that.
Laura @ Gluten Free Pantry says
This looks great. I am going to have to try it-I spend way too much on fruit leather at the store for my toddler!
The Type A Housewife says
It's so much cheaper to make it yourself--you can use so many different fruits and you don't even need a dehydrator! I used to buy fruit leather all the time and the cost really adds up.
Mary Beth Elderton says
Fabulous! I can't wait to try this!
The Type A Housewife says
Thank you! I hope you like it! 🙂
ElfRenee says
Sounds awesome!!
gem says
Wow--that's so cool! My boys love bananas. Will need to try that the next time I buy a bunch!
The Type A Housewife says
Let me know how it turns out for you! 🙂 I think this was my favorite fruit leather so far--it's really sweet!
Grumpy Grateful Mom says
I've never seen banana fruit leather before. I think my kids would love this! You make it look easy! Though I'm sure I could still find a way to mess it up. 🙂
The Type A Housewife says
It is easy! And the only real way you could mess it up is by not spreading the fruit on the sheet evenly--that's the hardest part. But if you don't, you end up with crunchy fruit leather & it still tastes good. 🙂
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
That is WAY easier than I thought it would be! WAY easier.
Amy says
Wow, that is a whole lot easier than I thought it would be!!
Lori Popkewitz Alper says
What a simple recipe. My kids will absolutely love it! No dehydrator is a big plus. What other fruits do you think would work?
The Type A Housewife says
During the summer when they were in season, I did a raspberry peach fruit leather that was really good. Mango works out well too. Pretty much any fruit that you can puree without it being too liquid-y. The more moisture in the puree, the longer it has to spend in the oven. Banana fruit leather is definitely the quickest to make!
All Natural Katie says
You are a genius! This sound delicious and so easy! My husband doesn't like dry bananas, but I know he will love this. Keep the fruit leathers coming!
The Type A Housewife says
I don't like dried bananas either! They have a strange texture--I don't know how to describe it. Too starchy maybe? But with this, even if it ends up being more crunchy than leathery, it's not that texture that the banana chips have.
I think I'm tapped out on fruit leather ideas until more fruit is in season again. 😉
Canadian Mom Blogger says
That sounds great! I am going to try it.
{Not Quite} Susie says
Thanks for this! I'm totally hooked on fruit leather so this is awesome. 🙂
The Type A Housewife says
I eat fruit leather all the time too & it is so expensive--I have been saving a lot of money since I started making it myself!
BusyWorkingMama says
Gahhh...I wanna make this! I have about 5 bananas awaiting a foul end on my counter. We're not really banana people. YUM! Just yum!!
The Type A Housewife says
Make it! It's so easy and it's really good! You can also freeze the bananas to use them in bread, muffins, or smoothies. Our bananas rarely last that long because we love them. 🙂
mscarm says
hmmmmm.... looks tasty & interesting. will try this out and let u know the end results. 🙂
The Type A Housewife says
I hope you like it!
[email protected] says
Wow! this is great!
Åsa says
I've never heard of fruit leather before! How do you store it? Is it completely dry?
Kiersten says
There's additional information about how to store it on the page linked in the last paragraph, but you can wrap it in plastic wrap or wax paper and it keeps for up to a month. It's almost completely dry, but there's enough moisture left in it so that it's chewy. Like jerky, but made with fruit instead!
Åsa says
I've spent a few day now drying sliced strawberries, carrots, peppers and courgette. A great way to keep dinner at a minimum weight when hiking. So I'm very exicted about this idea as a treat for the kids! Thanks! 🙂 Åsa from Sweden
Kiersten says
I hope they like it! 😀
Tabea says
Great idea!
When you say 175 degrees... do you mean fahrenheit or celsius?
Kiersten says
It's fahrenheit. It cooks at a low temperature for a longer amount of time. 🙂
Julie says
Do you add any liquid at all to the bananas when you puree? I have pureed bananas before, but never got them as smooth and fluid as yours. Thanks for the recipe!
Kiersten says
No--no liquid at all! My only suggestions would be to try pureeing them longer or use riper bananas. If neither of those work, maybe try adding water or juice a tablespoon at a time until it's a little bit thinner?
Amber says
This is perfect! I had too many bananas going mushy in my fridge, I didn't even have to blend them they mushed at the touch of a whisk
Kiersten says
Well that is a sign that you need to make fruit leather! 😉 I hope you liked it!
Daria says
I have just put it in my oven:) It looks great on the photos, so I hope my leather will also turn out great.:)
Kiersten says
I hope it turned out well! 🙂
laura says
Lord!! you should be more specific, I was baking this by 175C°!! but I was able to save the leather after reading that you meant Fahrenheit :S Hm :/ buy the recipe is good! thank you!! ^^"
Kiersten says
Since almost all of my readers are in the US, I list baking temperatures in Fahrenheit. Sorry about that!
laura says
yeah well, have to keep that in mind for your other recipes 😉 anyways it turned out pretty good 🙂
Carlie says
I have been wanting to make fruit leather for so long - and I can't believe I haven't tried before. It was so easy! I added an apple as well and it was delicious! I was wondering what you used to "grease" your baking sheet? I used aluminum foil, and that was not the best idea I've had so far, it took quite a while to pick it all off. Thanks!!
Kiersten says
In the past, I have used either cooking spray or oil in a Misto, but I recently discovered that parchment paper works REALLY well for fruit leather. It wrinkles a bit, so it's not as pretty, but you can just lift the whole piece of paper out of the baking sheet when it's done and use kitchen shears to cut through the fruit leather and paper together. Then you can roll it up and it won't stick because of the parchment backing.