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
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.
heather says
I had no idea that you could dry cherries in the oven thanks so much for sharing great informaiton.
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
Jerri Davis says
That is new to me I love them but do not get them often. Thank you, Jerri Davis
CR Williams says
Never knew you could so this.
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.
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.