With the holiday season around the corner, oven dried citrus is a great way to decorate or add a special touch to tea, cocktails or desserts. This post will show you exactly how to dry and dehydrate orange slices in the oven or air fryer! No dehydrator is needed, although this post includes dehydrator instructions as well.
Why You’ll Love These Dehydrated Orange Slices
- Easy Preserved Oranges: dried orange slices can be stored in a glass jar for tea, cocktails, or a healthy snack later.
- DIY Citrus Garland: create festive Christmas or Holiday decor with cinnamon sticks and dried citrus fruit!
- Step-by-Step Photos & Video Tutorial: follow along and learn about the best way to dry oranges without a dehydrator.
What Citrus Can I Dehydrate?
Oven drying citrus takes less time than drying citrus slices in a dehydrator. Most of the time is passive and it’s a relatively easy process! I have also created a guide on how to dehydrate strawberries in the oven and air fryer if you’re interested in other fruits like berries.
Air frying citrus slices is much quicker than oven drying. But you aren’t able to dehydrate as many slices at a time (because of the air fryer’s small size).
If you have an air fryer, I recommend using it over an oven. The air fryer did a better job at dehydrating the citrus and orange slices without browning them.
Baking Times & Air Frying Times:
| Citrus | Oven Drying Time (175F) | Air Fryer Drying Time (180F) |
|---|---|---|
| Dried Limes | 2-3 hrs | 45 m. – 1 hr |
| Dried Lemons | 2-3 hrs | 45 m. – 1 hr |
| Dried Cara Cara, Blood, or Navel Oranges | 3-4 hrs | 1 hr – 1.5 hrs |
| Dried Grapefruit | 4-5+ hrs | 1.5 hrs – 2 hrs |
Ingredients for Dried Oranges
As you can probably guess, we really just need 1 simple ingredient for this tutorial:
- Oranges or Citrus of Choice
📌 This can be any type of fresh orange, like: blood oranges, navel oranges, cara cara oranges, or mandarin oranges
You can also use other citrus with this same method. See the chart above (or in the recipe card below) for notes on the baking times. I’ve used these drying methods to make:
- Dried Limes
- Dried Lemons and
- Dehydrated Grapefruit Slices
Add-ins:
- Granulated Sugar or Brown Sugar: to create candied dried orange slices, sprinkle a little sugar on them prior to baking.
- Spices: you can make spiced slices by sprinkling on ground cinnamon, nutmeg or clove.
Helpful Equipment
- Parchment Paper or Wire Cooling Rack
- Paper Towels or Tea Towel
- Large Baking Sheet
- Sharp Knife (preferably serrated) or Mandoline Slicer
- Food Dehydrator, Oven, or Air Fryer
Step-by-Step Instructions
🎥 *Video Tutorial is Above the Recipe Card Below!*
Oven Instructions
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 175F (80C), or the lowest temperature your oven can go to! The lower the temperature, the better. If your oven has a convection setting, turn it on.
STEP 2: Place a wire cooling rack on a large baking tray. If you don’t have a wire rack, line a large baking tray with white parchment paper (white paper helps prevent the slices from browning or burning as quickly).
STEP 3: Wash and dry the oranges. Thinly cut the oranges with a sharp, serrated knife or Mandoline slicer into ¼”-⅛” slices.
📌 TIP: the thickness of the orange slices determines how long to cook them.
STEP 4: Place the slices in a single layer on the wire rack or the parchment. If the slices are very juicy, gently pat them with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
STEP 5: Bake the slices at 175F for 3-4 hours, flipping every 30 minutes. Adjust the baking time as needed.
Air Fryer Instructions
STEP 1: Preheat the air fryer to 180F (80C). Or to its lowest setting.
STEP 2: Line your air fryer basket with air fryer parchment paper.
STEP 3: Wash and dry the oranges. Thinly cut the oranges with a sharp, serrated knife or Mandoline slicer into ¼”-⅛” slices.
STEP 4: Place the slices in a single layer on the air fryer basket. If the slices are very juicy, gently pat them with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
STEP 5: Air fry the orange slices at 180F for 1 hour- 1 hour 30 minutes, flipping every 30 minutes.
Dehydrator Instructions
STEP 1: Preheat the dehydrator to 135F (60C).
STEP 2: Wash and dry the oranges. Thinly cut the oranges with a sharp, serrated knife or Mandoline slicer into ¼”–⅛” slices.
STEP 3: Place the slices in a single layer on the dehydrator racks.
STEP 4: Dehydrate the orange slices at 135F for 6 – 9 hours.
How to Tell the Oranges are Done Drying
Let the citrus slices cool for about ten minutes before testing them.
While the slices are warm, they may be soft and pliable. Once they cool, they’ll firm up and be easier to test.
Look for the following indicators to tell if the oranges are finished dehydrating:
- No stickiness or glossiness on the surface
- Leathery
- Slightly pliable
Dehydrated Citrus Fruit Uses
Now that you have your dry orange slices or dried citrus, you get to use them! Oven dried oranges are so versatile. They can be used in recipes, drinks or as decorations around your home. Here are a few ways to use them:
- Cocktail Garnish
- Tea: place the dried slices in a warm cup of tea for extra flavor
- Decoration: place the dried fruit in a bowl as potpourri
- For Cakes or Cupcake Decoration
- Garnish: dehydrated orange peels are a great garnish for other meals like salads
- Dipped in Melted Chocolate: for a fun snack
Storing Dried Citrus
Drying fruit is a great way to extend oranges’ shelf life, but to do so the oranges need to be properly stored.
- Let the air fried or oven dried orange slices cool completely at room temperature
- Place the dried oranges in a glass jar, like a mason jar, or another airtight container.
- Store in a cool and dry place.
How to Make a DIY Orange Garland
Dried orange slices are a great way to add some decor to your Christmas tree. You can also string the dried orange garlands up around the house as holiday decorations
What you’ll need to make an orange garland:
- Dehydrated Citrus Wheels or Orange Wheels
- Scissors
- Twine
- Large Needle
Instructions
- Cut the twine to your desired length for the garland.
- Thread the needle with one end of the twine.
- Thread the orange wheels onto the twine by poking a hole near the rind. You can also thread rosemary, other greens, or cinnamon sticks into the garland.
- Once all the citrus wheels are threaded create a knot at both ends.
Properly dried citrus garlands can last up to 2 years, so you can use them for multiple holiday seasons!
Pro Tips
- Thinly Slice The Oranges Or Citrus: cut the fruit so the slices are ¼” – ⅛” thick. Whatever thickness you opt for, make sure the slices are uniform so they cook evenly.
- Gently Pat The Slices With A Paper Towel: if your fruit is particularly juicy, gently pat the slices with a paper towel or tea towel to remove excess moisture.
- Adjust The Baking Time As Needed: the amount of moisture in the fruit and the thickness of the slices affect the amount of time needed to dehydrate the slices. Increase or decrease the drying time as needed until the slices are completely dehydrated.
- Flip The Slices Every 30 Minutes: be sure to flip the fruit periodically to prevent the slices from burning.
FAQ
Yes, orange slices and other citrus can be dehydrated in the oven.
Yes, orange slices can be dehydrated in the air fryer.
Dried citrus, like dehydrated oranges, limes, or lemons, is a great addition to cocktails or tea. Use them for holiday or Christmas decorations or as garnishes on cakes and other desserts.
If properly dehydrated and stored, dried citrus will remain fresh for years. The fruit slices should be kept in a cool, dry place in an airtight container.
If the dried citrus or oranges are sticky to the touch, it means they aren’t fully dehydrated. Continue to dry the citrus until they are dry to the touch after cooling.
More Citrus Recipes:
- Tangy Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Lemon Turmeric Tea Cake
- Brown Sugar Grapefruit Donuts
- Spiced Orange Bundt Cake
Did you make these dehydrated orange slices?
I’d love to know! Leave a star rating and comment below!
Video Tutorial
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Dried Orange Slices (Oven, Air Fryer or Dehydrator)
With the holiday season around the corner, oven dried citrus is a great way to decorate or add a special touch to tea, cocktails or desserts. This post will show you exactly how to dry and dehydrate orange slices in the oven or air fryer (no dehydrator needed)!
Ingredients
- 1 navel, cara cara, or blood orange, sliced into 1/4-1/8” pieces
- ½-1 tsp ground cinnamon, optional
Instructions
Oven Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 175F (80C), or the lowest temperature it will go to. If your oven has a convection setting, turn it on.
- Place a wire cooling rack on a large baking tray. If you don’t have a wire rack, line a large baking tray with white parchment paper (white paper helps prevent the slices from browning or burning as quickly).
- Wash and dry the oranges. Thinly cut the oranges with a sharp, serrated knife or Mandoline slicer into ¼”-⅛” slices.
- Place the slices in a single layer on the wire rack or the parchment. If the slices are very juicy, gently pat them with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Sprinkle with cinnamon or spices if using.
- Bake the slices at 175F for 3-4 hours, flipping every 30 minutes.
Air Fryer Instructions:
- Preheat the air fryer to 180F (80C), or the lowest temperature it will go to.
- Line your air fryer basket with air fryer parchment paper.
- Wash and dry the oranges. Thinly cut the oranges with a sharp, serrated knife or Mandoline slicer into ¼”-⅛” slices.
- Place the slices in a single layer on the air fryer basket. If the slices are very juicy, gently pat them with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Sprinkle with cinnamon or spices if using.
- Air fry the orange slices at 180F for 1 hour- 1 hour 30 minutes, flipping every 30 minutes.
Dehydrator Instructions:
- Preheat the dehydrator to 135F (60C).
- Wash and dry the oranges. Thinly cut the oranges with a sharp, serrated knife or Mandoline slicer into ⅛” slices.
- Place the slices in a single layer on the dehydrator racks. Sprinkle with cinnamon or spices if using.
- Dehydrate the orange slices at 135F for 6 - 9 hours.
Notes
Other Citrus Drying Times:
- Dried Lemons- Oven 2-3 hours / Air Fryer 45 mins-1 hour
- Dried Limes- Oven 2-3 hours / Air Fryer 45 mins-1 hour
- Dried Blood, Cara Cara, or Navel Oranges- Oven 3-4 hours / Air Fryer 1 hour - 1.5 hours
- Dried Grapefruit- Oven 4-5+ hours / Air Fryer 1.5 hours - 2 hours
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 37Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gSodium: 17mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g
Nutritional info is an estimate.
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when do you add the brown sugar and cinnamon ???
Hi Kay, you can apply the cinnamon and other ingredients prior to dehydrating them.