Create your own foot-long fruit roll snacks with this dirt cheap recipe that uses only 2 ingredients! This recipe can be prepared in a food dehydrator or an oven. We use the Nesco dehydrator on the fruit setting.
How to Make Your Own Foot long Fruit Roll Up Snacks
This has got to be the easiest homemade fruit-roll snack ever created! Dump half the jar of applesauce into a bowl, add 1 package of any flavor gelatin that you’d like, we used Raspberry in our first batch.
Whisk the mixture together until the gelatin is fully incorporated.
Pour the mixture onto parchment paper that has been placed on a large baking sheet or on food dehydrator trays.
We cut ours out to fit the trays of our food dehydrator, some dehydrators actually come with “Fruit-roll” trays, but I’ve found that lining the tray with parchment paper cuts the drying time in half (literally) as opposed to using the specialized tray, plus it makes it easier to cut the snacks into long strips when they’re done.
Just trace the insert tray with a pencil and cut it out.
Use the back of a spoon to spread the fruit mixture evenly on the tray.
Repeat the process with the other half of the jar of applesauce and the other package of gelatin.
If you’re using a food dehydrator- you’ll have about 2 3/4 of full trays. If you have a little extra, you can make wild flavors by combining them. If you’re using a cookie sheet, you’ll have 1 huge tray.
Place in the food dehydrator (ours took exactly 4 hours), but just follow the directions for your particular unit. If drying in the oven, place in the oven on the lowest heat setting available (usually 200F), for 3-6 hours or until the fruit is no longer tacky to the touch.
Cool, cut into long strips, roll, and place in a covered jar- if they last that long! Ours NEVER do!
These homemade footlong fruit roll snacks are a favorite in our house, they go rather quickly, but they’re super inexpensive to make and travel well too!
Foot-long Fruit Snacks
You’ll Need:
1 (46oz) Jar of Unsweetened Applesauce
2 (3oz) Boxes any flavor Gelatin (your Choice)- this will work with sugar-free as well
Parchment Paper
- Line a baking tray or food dehydrator tray with parchment paper. If using a food dehydrator tray, be sure to cut out the small circle in the middle.
- Pour half the jar of applesauce into a medium-sized bowl, add 1 (3 oz) package of any flavor gelatin that you prefer.
- Whisk the mixture together until the gelatin is fully incorporated.
- Immediately transfer the mixture onto parchment paper that has been placed on a large baking sheet or on food dehydrator trays.
- Use the back of a spoon to spread the fruit mixture evenly on the tray.
- Repeat the process with the other half of the jar of applesauce and the other package of gelatin.
- Place in the food dehydrator (ours took exactly 4 hours), but just follow the directions for your particular unit.
Oven Directions:
If drying in the oven, place in the oven on the lowest heat setting available (usually 200F), for 3-6 hours or until the fruit is no longer tacky to the touch. Cool, cut into long strips, roll, and place in a covered jar- if they last that long! Ours NEVER do!
Budget101 Breakdown
1 Jar Unsweetened Applesauce (Store brand) $2.18
2 pkg Gelatin .20 each (purchased on sale) .40
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Total Cost $2.58
This can be made even cheaper by watching for sales on gelatin and applesauce. Note! If you are opposed to using gelatin for whatever reason, you can use plain fruit to make homemade fruit leathers.
Tried this recipe? Mention @Budget101com or tag #Budget101
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my two boys would love this snack and i think if letting them choose the flavor would make it even more enjoyable. thank you.
i’m on break right now at school – can’t wait to get home to try this. thanks, jane
how long can these be stored?
a couple weeks, easily.
this looks yummy and easy to make..my two boys would love this..thanks
i have lemon and strawberry drying in the oven now – on cookie sheets. i’ll let you know how it turns out – jane
How did it turn out, I’ve never tried lemon!
The lemon tasted great – like lemon meringue, but the mixture was not smooth in spite of whisking. I wonder if heating the apple sauce in the micro wave prior to mixing in the gelatin would result in a smoother product? Also the fruit acid seeped through the parchment and oxidized the metal baking sheet.
The oven is obviously not the best way to do this. I’ll have to try it on my drying screens or acrylic trays with some adjustments for the oven or use a dryer.
Hmmmm…. I wondered if the lemon/apple mix would be too acidic, I’ve really got to try that one! It’s not overly “smooth” anyway, it has kind of a grainy texture to it like most fruit leathers. It’s not exactly the same texture as a store fruit Roll up because it’s not made with syrups, it’s made with real fruit.
I’m going to try it again with more attention to uniform thickness – I may have spread it out too thin, and I might be able to add a pinch of soda to counteract the excess acidity from the lemon. I
ll let you know how it turns out
this is great. thanks for sharing.i will also have my kids help with making this.i love when me and the kids can spend time together making memories.
absolutely the greatest! thank you
i made these and my kids love them. they are just about gone.
wow, this is amazing! i’ll have to try it soon.
perfect for the kids lunches at school-thanks for posting!
this sounds great, but any suggestions for not using the chemical laden gelatin? we are pretty much an organic food family… i avoid all those chemicals, but really want to make these!
Yes, you can follow this recipe instead:
Budget101.com – – Drying Fruit Leathers | Make Your Own Fruit Roll Ups
you can use most any fruit for roll ups. my grandchildren love plain strawberry, no sugar added. strawberry with banana is my favorite.
also unsweetened applesauce added to other fruit is delicious.
toss it in the food processor and pulse until smooth. spread onto dehydrator tray lined with parchment paper.
dry until no longer sticky to touch, about 4-6 hours. Be sure to make the outer edges thicker than the middle.
This will store for several months in a mason jar or when vacuum sealed.
I agree, strawberry leathers/fruit rolls are the best!! We also make Real Fruit Leathers using pureed fresh fruit, those recipes are here:
Real Fruit Leathers
Budget101.com – – Drying Fruit Leathers | Make Your Own Fruit Roll Ups
Cinnamon Apple Fruit Leather:
Budget101.com – – Cinnamon Apple Fruit Roll Snack | Homemade Fruit Leathers
Orange Julius Fruit Roll
Budget101.com – – Orange Julius Roll-Ups | Homemade Fruit Roll Ups
Raspberry-Rhubarb Fruit Leather
https://www.budget101.com/general-recipes/236-snack-raspberry-rhubarb-leather.html
i will have to use the oven. do you find this works as well?
i have got to try this, my 10yr old will LOVE it!! Thanks for sharing.
i think i will give this a try for my grandkids they would love them
i just put a pan in the oven. i’m looking forward to seeing how this turns out!
i can’t wait to try this out. my kids love fruit roll ups.
this sounds very easy to made i think the kids will love it and i love the price.
i am wanting to make this in my oven. i don’t have any parchment paper. is that going to be a huge problem?
i do have freezer paper. (i know oven and freezer are totally different) i also have tin foil. would that be better?
thanks for any advice. also welcome to any tips with doing it in a gas oven. have a great day!!!
Probably way too late for an answer, but since freezer paper has a good slick coating on it, that might work. I would think the fruit would seep through plain parchment paper.
Now you have this summer to give it a try.
oh how I miss my dehydrator!
My grandkids are here for the summer so I think we may just have to make this
Thanks
This looks really good for my granddaughter. It looks like it would be easy to make. I’ll give this a try this weekend.