Dried lemon, orange, mandarin, or lime slices, make the perfect garnish to any drink, whether a cocktail or a mocktail! You can also use the colorful Dehydrated Citrus Slices to decorate charcuterie boards, desserts, fish dishes, and so much more.
Easy to make even without a dehydrator
There’s no need for a dehydrator to make these. Although, if you do have one, that is great also. Its a bit more no-fuss with a dehydrator, but it’s fairly simple and straighforward using the oven and baking trays.
To make them, select the citrus you want to dry. Mandarins or cuties work well, all types of lemons including vibrant Meyer Lemons, limes of all kinds, blood oranges, Cara Cara or oranges Even grapefruit will work.
Start with a sharp knife
To begin, wash the fruit well and dry very well. Slice very thinly with a sharp knife. I love my Paudin Kitchen Knife Set 3-Piece. They are easy to hold, with a great feel to the handle. Since getting our first Paudin knife as a gift, we now have purchased the 3 piece set, the boning knife, the steak knife set. I love them all!
We could talk for a while on knives, but he we go back to slicing your citrus. The goal is to slice the citrus about 1/8″ thick. The slices also should be the same thickness, for even drying.
Next, pat dry the slices with paper towels to remove any excess juice. Remove any seeds carefully.
Arrange slices on parchment lined trays. Pat dry again with paper towels. The key is getting the excess juice out of the slices before drying them. Bake in a 180-degree F oven for 2-4 hours, turning every 30-45 minutes and rotating trays in the oven several times. The time varying depends on the juiciness of your fruit and the thickness of the slices.
After removing from the oven, cool the citrus on wire racks on parchment. When completely cool, move to airtight containers for storing. I love to use my extra Bonne Maman empty jars for storing. You can store in Ball jars or any container that is airtight.
You might also give a friend or family member a jar of your dehydrated citrus slices. These dehydrated citrus slices cost a pretty penny when you buy them. Plus, they are extra special when they are made by you!
Decorate anything you like with these pretty fruit slices
I like to keep these on hand for easy decorating of cakes or charcuterie boards, for garnishing a mocktail or cocktail, or smoothie, or for adding the finishing touches to a dish that has some citrus flavors.
Everything tastes better when it looks prettier! You can garnish or add color to just about anything with these pretty colored citrus slices.
With a few of our dehydrated slices, we even made a Christmas garland.
I hope you enjoy making your own dehydrated citrus slices!
~Laura
Dehydrated Citrus Slices for Drink and Dessert Garnishes
Equipment
- parchment
- 2 baking trays
Ingredients
- 4 – 6 pieces mandarins, oranges, lemons, limes, blood oranges, or grapefruit
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℉.Wash the citrus and dry very well. Slice thinly at about ⅛" thick. Set the end of each citrus aside for another use. Dry with paper towels to remove any excess juice. Remove any seeds.
- Arrange the slices on parchment lined trays, leaving a space between each slice. Pat dry again with paper towels. Bake for 2-4 hours, turning every 30-45 minutes and rotating trays in the oven several times. The time required will vary depending on the juiciness of your fruit and the thickness of the slices.
- Cool completely before storing the slices in airtight containers.
