A simple, traditional holiday decoration or mulling spice recipe, these dehydrated orange slices are fun for the whole family!
Who doesn’t love the fragrant aroma of sweet oranges around the holidays?
I’m always looking for ways to make my life more sustainable and less toxic. Part of that involves reducing my plastic waste and trying to choose natural materials whenever possible.
I find it fascinating that some people will use things like cranberries, popcorn and orange slices to create garlands and ornaments for the holiday season. I had been admiring the idea for several years, but finally decided this was the year I should try this for myself.
I recently purchased an Excalibur 9-Tray Dehydrator, which I love. Of course after such a big purchase, I need to get my money’s worth out of it. So I am basically dehydrating everything I can possibly think of.
But don’t get too discouraged if you don’t have a dehydrator of your own. You can definitely make these dehydrated orange slices in your oven, no special tools required!
The dehydrator or oven will do all of the hard work for you.
To get uniformly sized orange slices, I recommend using a mandoline slicer. However, that is also totally unnecessary. A sharp knife should do the job just as well, if that is all you have.
Lay oranges out on either dehydrator trays, or a baking sheet in a single layer. If using a baking sheet, I recommend putting them on a rack, so air can reach both sides of the orange slices.
If using a dehydrator (I love my Excalibur!), preheat it on the fruit setting (135F) for 5-10 minutes before putting the sheets with the orange slices on them in it. Place trays in the dehydrator and allow to dehydrate for 10-12 hours, or until oranges are dry. The time required will depend on how thickly you sliced them. Dehydrate until fully dry. They will continue to dry if left out as decorations, if you do not plan on consuming them.
If using the oven, preheat to the lowest setting of your oven. Bake until fully dry. This will entirely depend on your oven temperature. Check on them once per hour or so, and flip over each time, to ensure even drying. This should take around 4-6 hours, depending on your oven, but may take shorter or longer, so keep an eye on them.
If you’d like to use your oranges as decor items, poke a hole through one end of the orange meat and use twine to create a loop, so you can hang it on your tree or attach it to a wreath or garland.
Can I store these in a jar for use later on?
Yes, you can do that, so long as the oranges are fully dry before you do so. If there is any moisture left in the orange meat, then they will spoil in the jar. You will know the oranges are fully dry if they crunch and snap when you bend them.
How long will these last as decorations?
They should last multiple seasons if they are fully dry, but there are a few issues with that. They will attract pests while in storage, so I recommend storing them in glass jars. They will also begin to lose their color over time, so storing them in a dark, cool location is also best. And when in doubt, I recommend remaking them each year. It’s a fun tradition to start anyway!
If you give these dehydrated orange slices a try, please let me know what you think in the comments below. Also be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest so you don’t miss a recipe!
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Dehydrated Orange Slices
Ingredients
- 3 large naval oranges
- 2 ft twine if using as ornaments or to hang on a wreath or garland
Instructions
- Slice oranges into thin slices, approximately 1/4 inch thick. A mandolin slicer helps a lot here, and makes the slices more uniform, but a sharp knife also works well. Lay oranges out on either dehydrator trays, or a baking sheet in a single layer. If using a baking sheet, I recommend putting them on a rack, so air can reach both sides of the orange slices.
- If using a dehydrator (I love my Excalibur!), preheat it on the fruit setting (135F) for 5-10 minutes before putting the sheets with the orange slices on them in it. Place trays in the dehydrator and allow to dehydrate for 10-12 hours, or until oranges are dry. The time required will depend on how thickly you sliced them. Dehydrate until fully dry. They will continue to dry if left out as decorations, if you do not plan on consuming them.
- If using the oven, preheat to the lowest setting of your oven. Bake until fully dry. This will entirely depend on your oven temperature. Check on them once per hour or so, and flip over each time, to ensure even drying. This should take around 4-6 hours, depending on your oven, but may take shorter or longer, so keep an eye on them.
- If you'd like to use your oranges as decor items, use twine to string each orange slice.
