How To Dehydrate Cherries In The Oven

I have four cherry trees in my back yard. Four cherry trees and a pear tree (to be exact), and it’s a little intimidating. Mostly because I don’t care for cherries, so I decided it’s time to get a little creative. I decided I was going to dehydrate cherries in the oven.

I only picked a few yesterday, as many are too high up for me to reach and most are not ready yet. I have a few ideas on what I want to do with the trees: pies, fruit leather, smoothies, muffins, and dehydrating. I decided to use this method to dehydrate the cherries after successfully using it to make Pear Fruit Leather.

Why dehydrate cherries in the oven?

I wanted to dehydrate them because 1. I didn’t want them to go bad and 2. I wanted to put them in things like granola bars and salads. I also figured dehydrating them will make them last a little longer (did I mention I have four trees). I used the oven because I don’t own a dehydrator.

To pit the cherries I used this handy dandy OXO Cherry Pitter, it was so much easier (and quicker) then using a glass straw; which is what I did last year.

I didn’t have many cherries to start with, but that was okay. This was a trial run anyway, I didn’t want to waste any (just in case).

After pitting the cherries, I pre-heated the oven to the lowest it would go. In my case, that’s 170 degrees. On a baking pan, I laid down a slip mat sheet and arranged the cherries on top. I placed them in and nine hours later, I finally took them out.

They don’t look too appetizing when they come out of the oven. They look more like sun dried tomatoes.

I’m storing these in a glass mason jar (and will be adding to it later), I’m not too sure on how long it will last but I’m hoping it will keep a couple of months anyway. If you need a refresher here is what I did:

How To Dehydrate Cherries In The Oven.

You will need:
Cherries
Cherry pitter
Oven
Baking sheet
Slip mat or parchment paper

How to do it:

Heat your oven to the lowest setting (mine was 170). Line parchment paper (or the Silpat) on a baking sheet and arrange cherries.

Bake for 9 nine hours.

It is possible that if you halved the cherries, it would cut some of the drying time out.

Recipes you can make with dehydrated cherries:

Cherry Granola Bars

Homemade Granola

Salads

Have you ever dehydrated fruit?

FREE Recipe Binder

Are you constantly wondering what's for dinner?

When I don't meal plan I feel behind, and we usually end up ordering take out. This recipe binder will keep you organized and make life a little bit easier.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

First Name

Email Address

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

I'd like to receive the free email course. I want my recipe binder Powered by ConvertKit

Randa Derkson

I believe that the kitchen is the heart of the home. Whether it’s discussing your day, sharing the highlights of your trip, or just having quality time with a loved one; lives are brought together at the kitchen table.

More Posts By Randa »