Rewind to childhood with Healthy Fruit Roll Ups! This homemade rendition uses only four ingredients (fruit, honey, lemon, & vanilla) and is a simple bake-and-wait recipe.
Childhood snacks for the win
When you were a kid, did you have one specific snack that you begged your mom to get during each trip to the grocery store? There always seemed to be something that all the kids had in their lunches at school that I wanted to have too.
I vividly remember a couple of years where the snack of choice was one thing and one thing only: Fruit roll ups. Everyone had them, and it was always a treat to see one staring at me when I unzipped my lunchbox! Fruit by the foot, and things got even more exciting, as all of my friends would try to race each other to see who could eat the whole string the fastest.
Oh, to be young again!
Now that I'm a full fledged adult, I tend to stick to "adult" snacks (in my case, whole foods!), but every once in a while a pang of nostalgia hits and I'm left standing in the junk aisle of the store, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Roll Ups, and Gushers staring back at me.
This time, however, instead of filling my cart with icky processed snacks, I decided I would head home and put myself to the task of making my very own version.
The result? Four ingredient healthy fruit roll ups!
Ingredients used to make homemade fruit roll ups
Let me tell you something. This recipe couldn't be easier. With only four ingredients involved, it's a fool proof option made of all-natural ingredients that come together to be the most childhood flashback-inducing snack ever!
- Fresh fruit (your choice... I did 2 cups strawberries and 1 cup raspberries)
- Honey
- Lemon juice
- Vanilla
Tools you'll need to make this snack
You'll only need a handful of items to make fruit leather roll ups. Out of all of the tools, one of the most important is the food processor! However, if you don't have one handy, a blender will definitely work.
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Cutting board
- Cutting knife
- Food processor
- Spoon or spatula for spreading
For measuring, you'll need to be able to measure out 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, and 1 cup.
How to make healthy fruit roll ups right at home
Fruit roll up snacks are actually way easier to make than you may imagine. All you really have to do is blend the ingredients together, and then you just spread them out into a flat layer on a baking sheet and let them cook in the oven!
To start making your magic fruit ropes, preheat the oven to 170F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Clean the fruit, cut off the stems, and place it in a food processor. Process until smooth.
Next, transfer the processed fruit to a small saucepan and add the rest of the ingredients. Heat over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 10 minutes, pour the mixture onto a baking sheet and smooth it out until it's even. It doesn't have to go all the way to the edges of the baking sheet, but you'll want the layer to be fairly thin.
Bake for 4 hours, or until no longer sticky to the touch.
Let cool completely before cutting into strips and rolling, and then store at room temperature.
Switch things up with your favorite fruit
I love to use strawberries and raspberries in my fruit roll ups because the flavor combo just happens to be my fave. But honestly, you can experiment with whatever fruit you'd like!
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Grapes
- Bananas
- Apples
- Oranges
- Peaches
Essentially anything will work, and you can get creative with different combos!
Depending on what you use, you may need to adjust your baking time a bit. Just keep an eye as it cooks, and you'll be fine.
Extra tasty fruit dessert recipes to try
In the mood for some more fruit snacks and desserts? Here are some of my favorites that everyone will love. Go for the Strawberry Crisp first - it's just too good!
- Healthy Mini Apple Pies
- Paleo Strawberry Shortcake
- Healthy Strawberry Crisp (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
- Triple Layer Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
If you tried this recipe or any other recipes on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Follow @erinliveswhole on Instagram and tag me in any of the recipes you make so I can repost them!
Healthy Fruit Roll Ups
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 170F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Clean fruit, cut off stems, and place in food processor. Process until smooth.
- Transfer to small saucepan and add honey, lemon juice, and vanilla. Heat over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 10 minutes, pour onto baking sheet and smooth until even. Does not have to go all the way to the edges of baking sheet, but you want it fairly thin.
- Bake for 4 hours or until no longer sticky to the touch.
- Let cool completely before cutting into strips and rolling. Store at room temperature.
Nutrition
Notes
- Cook the blended fruit on the stovetop before spreading. After blending, transfer the purée to a small saucepan with the honey, lemon juice, and vanilla and heat over medium for 10 minutes. This step helps concentrate the flavors and gets rid of excess moisture so the roll ups dry out properly in the oven.
- Spread the mixture fairly thin and even on the baking sheet. It doesn't need to go all the way to the edges, but keeping it an even thickness is important so that it all dries out at the same rate. Thicker spots will take longer and may stay sticky!
- Let them cool completely before cutting and rolling. This one is non-negotiable! If you try to cut them while still warm they'll fall apart. Give them enough time to fully set, then slice into strips and roll them up.
Kate says
Question - do you only spread it out on one baking sheet pan? I’m 3 hrs in and I touched the center and it’s still mushy. Wondering if I was supposed to allocate it out to multiple different baking sheets instead of just one.