Paleo
VeganOven dried orange slices. Slightly sweetened oven dried orange slices sprinkled with spices and coconut sugar. Paleo and Vegan friendly! Great with cocktails, garnishing, or adding to cereals. Easy to make with a few healthy ingredients.
Every time I see an orange I think of my dad. My mom often reminds me of the story of how strange she thought he was when they first met. He just so happened to be eating an orange. Not orange slices, an orange. Meaning he ate the whole orange peel and all! Now that is a first impression!
Well, today is similar but different. I’m making oven dried orange slices (with peel on) and thinking of my dad. But hopefully, these oven dried orange slices will leave you with a better first impression than that of my mom’s. Besides, my orange slices are extra sweet. Wink Wink!
Are you smiling yet? I’m going to assume yes. Okay, let’s talk oranges. Mmmm k?
You see, ever since I started dehydrating vegetables and fruits into “fruit snacks and veggie chips,” I’ve been hooked on testing out more. But I also realize that not everyone has 8 hours to wait and dehydrate food or even a dehydrator to begin with.
Side note: I need to write a post about way to use a dehydrator. –> REMIND ME! I use this trusty dehydrator!
Back to my point. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can STILL oven dry fruits and vegetables and STILL save money.
The key to making oven dried fruits is to find really FLAVORFUL or tart fruits and then lightly sweeten them. Today’s oven dried orange slices are no ordinary orange slices. They are BLOOD orange slices. Which, to me, stand out even more with tartness and sweetness, don’t you think? Also, they usually are naturally pitted so that saves a TON Of time in kitchen when preparing these.
All you need to do is sprinkle them with coconut sugar or brown sugar, add a touch of spice (like cinnamon and/or ginger), then dry/bake for a few hours at a low temperature.
Lightly Sweetened Oven Dried Orange Slices
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 3 hr
- Total Time: 50 minute
- Yield: 15 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Lightly Sweetened Oven Dried Orange Slices
Ingredients
- 2 large blood oranges or regular oranges (thinly sliced)
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- dash of ginger and sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200F
- Wash and dry oranges and cut very very thin if possible. Lay them flat on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, mix your spices and sugar.
- Sprinkle evenly over orange slices.
- Oven dry at 200F for 2 1/2 to 3hrs. If you sliced your oranges thicker they will take longer.
- Add more spices/sugar once dried if desired.
- Store in cool dry place. Ziplock works great!
Notes
NOTES for EATING –> to make sure the rinds don’t taste bitter, cut EXTRA thin and add sugar and/or spice to edges before baking
They are heavenly! And probably the easiest trick in the book when it comes to trying to be “Martha.” — > or Martha-esque.
After you sweetened and oven dried your orange slices, you can use them as a garnish for meals or fun cocktails! Or you can do what I did and mixed them in with muesli. And yes, you can eat the peel! I promise. It’s not odd, or maybe I am just being my father daughter. Haha.
How pretty does that look? Regardless of this presentation, my key point here is this.
Don’t underestimate the power of making your own food. You can pretty much make anything healthier these days and save a buck or two while you’re at it. All you need are a few tweaks with a few ingredients and you’re good to go!
Ever tried oven dried oranges or other fruits?
P.S. Was anybody else obsessed with the real orange slice candies growing up? Um, I was! In fact, every Christmas and Easter my mom would buy us a bag of our own as “treats”. Goodness, talk about a sugar rush. Thank goodness you can eat a bag of these orange slices and not get that same candy rush, amen?!
There must be something about oranges that runs in our family. I will do my best to keep it going.
Cheers!
Hi, I’m Lindsay! Gluten Free Nutrition Specialist, food photographer and author of 
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Oh yum! This I need to try. I love dried fruit but not all the extras that come with them.
Love the story about your dad and I haven’t yet in my life eaten an orange peel! I do eat oranges every day though 🙂 I’ll definitely be trying this since I use all these ingredients anyway and they look amazing!
Well this just looks AMAZING and DELISH! I can’t believe your dad could eat the entire orange!! That’s such a cute story and I’m sure your mom just loves to tell it. 🙂
I love oven dried fruit!So I never used to eat the peel or anything like that until I worked at that Mexican restaurant. For some reason, I started eating the (garnish) orange slices whole there. And now I do. It is so weird.
I knew i liked you for a reason! 😉
So pretty! The best citrus we wait for all year!! These would look mighty fine atop my blood orange quick bread 😉
Your dad’s whole-orange eating habit sure has me intrigued! I adore oranges but have been shy to eat them whole – but I just might give it a try – when no one is looking! Though these dried slices I could eat out in the open! I have a counter full of regular oranges and 3 hours to spare – think I’m gonna start slicing! Thanks for this oven baked version of dried orange slices Lindsay!
Hope you have a lovely weekend!
I see these rimming my cocktail glasses.
i like your style!
Wait. Your dad at a whole, raw orange?! Whoa. I eat the peels of the chunks I put in my kombucha, but they’re fermented.
I love blood oranges. This looks tasty… the perfect garnish for a blood orange mimosa. 😉
These look magical. I love putting dates in the oven to caramelize them and dry them out if they’re too soft and squishy bc I hate them like that!
oh genius!
Aren’t blood oranges one of the prettiest fruits EVER?! Love them! And I really love the idea of garnishing a COCKTAIL with these slices. You’re so darn smart. 🙂 Happy Friday!!
Such a beautiful story Lindsay! I love the meaning and memories behind favorite foods. I remember those orange candies growing up but right now all I can think about s how amazing your kitchen must have smelled making these!
i have to admit, it smelled divine! <3 you
Great post! This dried orange slice menu is so cute, you’re making me want to make this.
let me know if you do!
I loved the mom & dad story!!!! My hubby used to love those orange candy gummy type slices!!!! These look amazing!
!!! Eating an orange WITH the peel? That reminds me of all those stories I hear of people eating bananas and watermelon without peeling first. I wonder if I’m missing out on something? And I’m seriously LOVING the idea of dehydrating orange slices, especially with sugar and spices. Makes me think of Christmas!
banana? oh, ya, i could never. Weird. haha
I love Blood Orange Mimosas so I’m sure I’d adore these as well. Surely, there’s a correlation.
Also, my baby brother eats lemons whole, peel and all. 🙂
I like your style!
My dad went through a phase where he dehydrated ALL the bananas 😛 we had dried bananas for MONTHS, and it was glorious. DONT’ FORGET to post about the dehydrator 😉
I’m just seeing these now.. but omg! Talk about beautiful!! These are so simple to make, but they are so pretty! Need to try these for sweetening up oatmeal.. and maybe cocktails like you suggested 🙂
Omg yes! They are so good on oatmeal! Keep me posted
This looks really interesting. I might have to try making them. I love oranges and we have a ton at our house right now.
So glad you tried them Hollie!
these are gorgeous! and i love the story about your mom meeting your dad while he was eating at an orange.
please post about the dehydrator! i keep going back and forth on buying one. would love to get that push i need. xo
Girl! you got to get on! or you can oven bake but I truly love my dehydrator! Will post that info soon. xxoo
Girllllll these are beautiful!! I have never thought to do this, but you know I’m going to try now!!
I would totally put these in my cereal that would be amazing!!!
xxoo
Kris
Thanks Kris!! I knew you’d like. And so good to hear from you. xxoo
Wow, did these ever stick. No sure what went wrong, but every slice was glued to the paper and the paper to the sheet pans. Nothing is salvageable, unfortunately.
Sorry to hear that Bill. What type of sugar did you use? Was it blood orange or regular navel orange?
Easy to make and store cupboard ingredients
★★★★★
I’m going to try these for decorating a chocolate orange Buche de Noel I’m making. I wonder if they will dry properly in my little toaster oven, as my oven is spoken for most of the time. I’ve got some Cara Cara oranges ready to be sliced and sugared . . . I’ll have to report back with the results. If the toaster oven doesn’t finish the job, the regular oven should be available in time to desiccate partially dehydrated slices. Of course, it always seems to take less time in my mind than in execution.
Hi Aidan! I haven’t tried these in toaster oven, but it would work. YOu would just have to crack the door a little bit and keep an eye on it. It might take longer. Let me know if you try it!
Will be using these in Manhattan’s with an added drop of orange bitters. Thanks for the recipe, they’re great!
★★★★★
This was the first recipe that came up when I Googled dried orange slices for cocktails, so you know I clicked (because it’s Lindsay, duh!) Looking forward to making these, and I’m sure my house will instantly transform into holiday central. 😘. Thanks, Lindsay!
Does that mean you are inviting me over for a cocktail? LOL I used these last week at the open house. An oldie but goodie!
If you’re up for some Old Fashioneds, come in over!