Dehydrating Peaches

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Dehydrating peaches is so easy with my step-by-step guide and a great way to preserve fresh peaches to use in delicious recipes like peach crisp and peach cobbler.

Dehydrating Peaches

Dehydrating peaches is the easiest way to preserve fresh peaches this summer so that you can enjoy your favorite peach recipes year-round. I mean, would anyone turn away a bite of peach cobbler in the middle of winter? These particular peaches were FREE from a tree in my mother’s yard. She had about twice this many and sent me these for my own preserving. Today, I’m getting another box about this big as well.

But it isn’t just peaches I enjoy dehydrating. Oh no, my dehydrator has been going nonstop this week as I make tomato chips to snack on and dehydrated ground beef. But we need to get it while we can and put it up for when we need it later!

Keep reading to learn exactly how I dehydrate peaches. It is very simple but truly, dehydrating fruit is one of the simplest and old-fashioned ways to preserve a harvest of any kind of fresh fruit. I especially love that once it is done, the dried food doesn’t take up any room in my refrigerator or freezer. 

All you need is fresh peaches and a dehydrator, although I’ve also included below instructions on how to make dehydrated peach chips in the oven. Now let’s get started!

Fresh peaches for dehydrating peaches recipe.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Fresh peaches
  • Fresh or bottled lemon juice (optional)

Step-by-Step Guide to Dehydrating Peaches

Add equal parts lemon juice and water to bowl.

If you decide to pre-treat, mix up a bowl with equal parts lemon juice and water.

This is about 2 cups of the mixture.

Peel and cut peaches into slices.

Peel and cut up your peaches into slices. Remove and discard any bruises or bad spots.

You can slice them thick or thin, it is up to you. Usually, when I purchase dried peaches at the grocery store, the peach chips are just peach halves. However, I prefer to do mine in slices.

The thicker the slice, the longer it will take to dehydrate, but I don’t think they take a really long time either way.

Bruises and “bad spots” on fruit are areas that are more susceptible to bacteria so we want to get rid of these before we do our preserving.

Place peaches into lemon juice mixture.

As you are peeling and slicing your peaches, just drop them in the lemon juice mixture.

Strain peaches before placing on dehydrating trays.

Once you have enough to fill up a dehydrator tray, strain them out and load up the tray.

Peach slices on trays.

Like this.

If you’re not pre-treating, just peel and place the sliced peaches on the trays.

Yes, these are white peaches. They taste amazing but the color drives my Mama crazy because when folks just look at a dish you baked ’em in, they look like apples.

Dehydrated Peaches

Keep going until you have all of your dehydrator trays filled with fruit slices and then dehydrate at 135 degrees for 8 to 12 hours.

Make sure they are dry and then allow the dry peaches to cool completely. Store them in mason jars or whatever airtight container jumps out at you first from the cabinet.

Dehydrating Peaches (and recipes!)

Enjoy!

Storage

Store your dehydrated peaches in a sealed container in a cool dark place like a pantry. They’ll last for up to 12 months.

Recipe FAQs

Do you need to pre-treat the fruit before dehydrating it?

I generally do not pre-treat my fresh fruit with lemon juice before dehydrating it, which is why it’s an optional ingredient. That includes apples, bananas, and even peaches. Pretreating can help lessen browning (I haven’t seen much of a difference though) but browning is a cosmetic thing and that doesn’t bother me.

I am doing it in this case because I don’t know when I’ll get around to using these peaches (hopefully in the next two years) and they are going into my “deeper” food storage. When you dehydrate peaches, you lose a little bit of the vitamin C and by giving them a little bath in this mixture first, it adds a little more vitamin C so this helps balance it out.

What food dehydrator do you use?

I have two dehydrators, both are Excalibur: the Excalibur 9 Tray Deluxe and the Excalibur 5 Tray Deluxe Dehydrator. I have used other dehydrators in the past and have found Excalibur to be the most efficient and absolute best for the job. They dehydrate all trays and all sides of every tray faster and more evenly than other ones I have used.

 I do feel a dehydrator is a great investment for a family because it will allow you to easily preserve fresh fruits and veggies that you grow yourself, are gifted, or that would have otherwise gone bad before being consumed by ye olde family. My dehydrator is as important to me as my refrigerator. More so even, because the food I preserve in my dehydrator doesn’t require electricity to remain fresh.

How do you dehydrate peaches in an oven?

It’s not as quick or efficient as using a dehydrator, but here’s how to dehydrate peaches in the oven:

  • Place your peach slices on wire racks and place them on top of the oven racks.
  • You then want to set the oven to its lowest temperature (120 to 125 degrees hopefully) and ensure the fan is running. Airflow is key to dehydrating peaches. Keep an eye on the peaches, as they might take anywhere from 6 to 12 hours to dehydrate.
  • If your oven doesn’t go this low, set it to its lowest temperature and leave the door slightly ajar for that essential airflow.

What do you do with dehydrated peaches?

Here are some ideas for what to do with your dehydrated peaches:

You’ll find that dehydrated peaches, even once they are rehydrated, retain a greater flavor punch and sweetness that really amps up the peach flavor in any dish far more than fresh or canned peaches do.

For more posts on dehydrating, check out:

Dehydrating Peaches

Dehydrating peaches is so easy with my step-by-step guide and a great way to preserve fresh peaches to use in peach crisp and peach cobbler.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: peach
Servings: 3 jars
Calories: 31kcal

Ingredients

  • fresh peaches
  • lemon juice, optional

Instructions

  • If you'd like to pre-treat your fruit to lessen browning and increase vitamin C, pour equal parts lemon juice and water into a bowl and stir together.
    lemon juice, optional
  • Peel and slice peaches, cutting off and discarding any bruises or bad spots.
    fresh peaches
  • If pre-treating, place peach slices in the lemon mixture after cutting up while you continue to prepare the fruit.
  • Strain peaches out of the lemon juice mixture and load onto dehydrator trays.
  • Dehydrate at 135 degrees for 8-12 hours or until dried. Allow to cool and then store in mason jars or plastic bags until ready to use. Best if kept in a cool dark place, such as a pantry.

Nutrition

Calories: 31kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 

“When you encounter a rock in the stream of life, flow around it and keep on moving.”

~Unknown. Submitted by Virginia LaBore. Click here to submit your favorite quotes!

Similar Posts

22 Comments

  1. My family loves dehydrated fruit. Thank you for the recipes. Cannot wait to get some fresh peaches and dehydrate them.

    1. You certainly can. It will require more monitoring and a bit more work on your part but it is certainly possible! I don’t have instructions up on how to do that right now but I’m sure they are available online.

      1. my wife used her oven for years to dehydrate until we got a dehydrator, but in smaller batches . you just have to monitor temperature and times closer.

  2. Christy, Do you use the O2 absorbers in your jars of dehydrated food? Thanks for all the information you provide. I would like you to share more info on dehydrating different foods.

  3. I love my dehydrator and really should use it more often. Just found a great deal on 90% ground beef. 1.98 a pound! Thanks for all you do Christy!

  4. Believe it or not, Michigan grows some amazing peaches! I’m going to have to give this a try. Lord knows I have enough canning jars to stock all my shelves and all your readers’, too. Seems I just can’t seem to let myself let go of a good jar! Christy, do you dehydrate apples the same way? I wonder if melons would work. In our area of Michigan they grow something called a Howell melon. It’s like a super-sweet cantaloupe, but they only last a couple of days after picking.

    1. Drying watermelon works and I’m trying cantelope now! Don’t see why other melons wouldn’t work!

  5. I was inspired to buy a food dehydrator after reading your tomato chips recipe and watching all the things you have done with your dehydrator. Right now I have pears and blueberries dehydrating. Tomorrow it is time to make more tomato chips (we are out again) then I plan on trying the peaches.
    P.S. my tee shirt arrived several days ago fits just right! Thank You and to your momma too!

      1. ….Yes they did shrink into little bitty pieces but they sure are tasty! I mixed some up in a jar of dry roasted peanuts yummy. I am going to try making some granola later on I am really enjoying my new dehydrator and all the possibilities! Hope your having a good morning and thanks for the Life Savers inspirations.
        Ephesians 2:8

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe or Post Rating