Homemade healthy fruit snacks and veggie chips are perfect for a healthy snack or lunchbox treat. These low sugar snacks are super easy to make and delicious! Kid friendly and vegan too.
I remember it like yesterday. The after school snack time and crazy amount of extracurricular activities. My favorite was dance (jazz class to be specific). My neighbor and I would rush out of school, throw on our tights, jazz shoes (ya, I was cool), and then head down the road to the local dance studio. It was there we would spend a dollar (gosh I wish things were still a dollar) on a bag of fruit snacks and a Clearly Canadian Fruit Water. Anybody remember those? Oh man, it was good! It was also sugar water and sugar fruit candy. Seriously, no wonder I was always balls to the walls energetic at dance time! Then would totally crash after. Ha!
Nowadays it’s my husband who craves the fruit snacks, especially after long rides. Hello glycogen depletion!
Sure, there are healthier fruit snacks out there these days, and there are naturally dried fruits, but they are not cheap. In fact, I went to go buy some organic unsweetened dried cherries and bananas at the store and they cost $10. Yes, $10 for a bag. WOWZA!
But this is where my sherpa wife/Martha syndrome comes in.
Can’t we just make homemade healthy fruit snacks? Wouldn’t that save us loads of added sugar and money?
Ah ha moment here ya’ll!
Yes, yes we can! And it is easy peasy.
You can make these homemade healthy fruit snacks two ways; in the dehydrator or in the oven.
I like to coat my fruit with coconut oil or coconut butter first, then add a spice, like cinnamon! They smell amazing and have a chewy fruit snack texture that’s great to add to oatmeal, baking, or in a trail mix.
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Lower Sugar Homemade Healthy Fruit Snacks
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 10 hrs
- Total Time: 10 hrs 5 min
Description
Lower Sugar Homemade Healthy Fruit Snacks
Ingredients
- 2 bananas or plantains
- 1 bag frozen or fresh unsweetened dried cranberries or other fruit of choice
- 2–4 tbsp melted coconut butter or oil
- cinnamon
- *I love using sweet spreads cinnamon roll coconut butter melted in this recipe.
Instructions
- Slice your bananas and combine with berries into a large bowl. Coat with the oil and cinnamon.
- Lay flat on parchment paper or in a dehydrator.
- For the dehydrator, place on low for 8-10 hrs at 135F. If you want to try this in the oven, then crack the door open a little bit and keep the oven on low at 140F for 6 hrs or so.
- You can keep them there longer if you want them more crispy, less chewy
Aren’t they pretty?! I also think they would be great as gifts. To bad I didn’t think of that until AFTER the holidays. Haha.
Looking for more homemade healthy snack ideas to save you money?
Try these homemade Snap pea chips.
Or Spicy wasabi roasted peas with nut butter!
Okay tell me, what was your favorite afternoon snack growing up?
Have you tried homemade fruit snacks or veggie chips yet? You so need to!
Cheers!
