I have always wondered if it was possible to dry cherries without a food dehydrator. Now I know. Yes, you can dry fresh cherries in the oven. It takes a few hours, but they shrivel up to look just like raisins. I like to add dried cherries to cookies, granola, oatmeal and cereal. They are so yummy and good for you.
My grocery store was having a super deal on fresh cherries, so I brought home way more than we could eat. I didn’t want them to go to waste, so decided to see if I could dry them.
A downside to using an oven to dry fruit instead of a dehydrator is that the oven method is not as energy-efficient. But, I don’t have a dehydrator so … the oven will have to do for now. If you have a couple of oven shelves and 2 or 3 baking sheets, you can dry quite a big batch of cherries at the same time. I like to line my baking sheets with Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mats for easy cleanup.
How to dry cherries in the oven.
First, you will want to rinse and dry your cherries. Then remove their pits. I don’t have a cherry pitter, so I used a knife to slice the cherries in half and manually remove the pit. If I had a lot of cherries, I would definitely want to invest in a cherry pitter. But my batch was fairly small, so it did not take me too long to remove the pits myself.
Preheat the oven to a low setting. The lowest my oven will go is 170 degrees (F). So that is what I used.
Arrange the pitted cherries in a single layer on a baking sheet. (Line your baking sheets with foil, silpat or parchment paper for easier cleanup).
Allow cherries to dry in the oven for about 6 hours or until they look shriveled, very similar to raisins. Around the 5 hour mark, I did a taste test and could tell they were almost done – but still a little bit chewy, so I left them in another hour. They turned out great!
Tips to keep in mind:
Drying cherries in the oven will take several hours. So you probably don’t want to start a batch late in the afternoon, unless you don’t mind staying up until midnight or later til they get done. You’ll need to keep a closer eye on them towards the end, and you definitely don’t want to forget to turn the oven off.
Try to keep all your cherry pieces cut to a similar size for uniform results.
Rita Spratlen says
I have never done this before. I love cherries too. I hate the price. I stopped and bought some on the road and they are still 3.99 a pound and you don’t get too many for that. I still have to buy them. So-o-o good. This sounds like a great way to do it too. Thanks for sharing.
Julie Wood says
It has been years since I dried fruit in the oven. I used to have a food deyhydrator. I like this recipe for drying cherries in the oven. I will have to try it and use the dried cherries in my cereal.
CR Williams says
Never knew you could so this.
Jerri Davis says
That is new to me I love them but do not get them often. Thank you, Jerri Davis
shaunie says
would have to say that this is amazing… are apples possible?
Nicole says
Hi Shaunie, I have not tried drying apples in the oven myself, but I know it can be done. I have seen several methods online. Some take just a couple of hours and some take several hours. The drying time really seems to depend on how thin or thick you slice your apples. I will put making dried apples on my to-do list, and if I can find a good way that is worth sharing here on my site, I will definitely put up a tutorial. Thank you for stopping by with your question. And good luck if you try to dry apples! I know it would be worth a shot, especially if you enjoy them as snacks. -Nicole
heather says
I had no idea that you could dry cherries in the oven thanks so much for sharing great informaiton.