Quick Answer: How to Dry Cherries at Home
The best methods to dehydrate cherries at home are – using a food dehydrator, using an oven, microwaving, sun drying and freeze-drying. For those who live in tropical climates, drying your cherries in the sun is the best option. If you only need a small number of dried cherries right away, you can use a food dehydrator to dry them.
Cherries, a fleshy drupe, can be acquired from cultivars of a multitude of species. The Vitamin C-rich fruit incorporates antioxidants, enhances athletic performance and drastically reduces body soreness.
Drying cherries is a necessary step to get rid of any moisture which can cause mold in the fruit.
There are a multitude of alternatives for dehydrating cherries; how do you pick the simplest one?
Don’t worry; we’ve put in hours of testing and practice to come up with five simple ways to dry cherries.
How to Dehydrate Cherries Using a Food Dehydrator
Time needed: 20 hours.
Using a food dehydrator to dry your cherries is the most common method used by people. This is because it’s quite easy and straightforward.
However, you will need to keep a watch on your cherries during this process to ensure they don’t overheat and burn.
Optimum temperature: 165 degrees Fahrenheit
- What will you need?
1. Fresh Cherries
2. Colander
3. Beer/wine bottle
4. Chopstick
5. Dehydrator trays - Wash the Cherries
Wash the cherries and rinse for a few minutes in a colander. The stems should be removed and discarded.
- Pit the Cherries
Place a cherry on the bottle’s opening, stem end up (but with the stem already removed). With the chopstick, give it a good thud.
The pit of the cherry will fall into the bottle, while the rest of the cherry will stay in its original place. - Arrange the Cherries
Place the cherries on the dehydrator trays so that each piece of fruit has some room around it.
Make sure you spread these cherries so there is proper air circulation as they dry. - Dry the Cherries
Preheat the dehydrator to 165 degrees Fahrenheit or 74 degrees Celsius. If your dehydrator doesn’t go this far, use the highest temperature you can.
Dry the cherries for 2 to 3 hours at this temperature. Reduce the temperature to 135 degrees Fahrenheit and dry the cherries for another 10 to 20 hours, depending on their size.
The cherries should feel completely dry but leathery and pliable. - Cool the Cherries
Allow them to cool for 20 to 30 minutes on the trays. Split one of the cherries in half after it has cooled down.
There should be no moisture apparent on the break’s surface. You can watch how Leda does this entire dehydrating process here.
Dehydrate Cherries Using an Oven
Time taken: 6-9 hours
Optimum temperature: 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
What will you need?
- Fresh Cherries
- Colander
- Baking sheets
- Drinking straw
- Parchment paper
Using an oven to dehydrate your cherries is amongst the speediest ways to do so. You will be able to consume dried cherries within a few hours itself.
However, you will need to keep a watch on your cherries during this process to ensure they don’t overheat and burn.
Wash the Cherries
Wash the cherries well. To drain, place them in a colander. Remove and discard the stems.
Pit the Cherries
Between your forefinger and thumb, hold a cherry steady. The fruit’s stem end should be facing up. Get a straw made of plastic.
Punch out the pit of the cherry with this. The pit will remain inside the straw. Rep the procedure with another cherry.
You can either empty the straw or get a new one as needed.
Set your Oven
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set the temperature to 170 or 200 degrees Fahrenheit. It is recommended to use your oven’s lowest setting.
Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
Arrange the Cherries
Arrange the cherries on the baking sheet so that they do not cross one another. If you’re using sliced cherries, place them sliced side up on the tray.
Dry your Cherries
Bake for 6 to 9 hours, or until the cherries are wrinkled and leathery in appearance.
Since halved cherries dry out faster than whole cherries, keep an eye on them from time to time.
Cool the Cherries
You won’t know if the cherries are dehydrated before they’ve cooled. Split one of the cherries in half after it has cooled down.
There should be no moisture apparent on the break’s surface.
Dehydrate Cherries Using a Microwave
Time taken: 30 minutes
What will you need?
- Fresh Cherries
- A Microwave plate
- Colander
- A Plastic straw
- Baking gloves
Wash the Cherries
Wash the cherries well. To drain, place them in a colander. Remove and discard the stems.
Pit the Cherries
Between your forefinger and thumb, hold a cherry steady. The fruit’s stem end should be facing up. Get a straw made of plastic.
Punch out the pit of the cherry with this. The pit will remain inside the straw. Rep the procedure with another cherry.
You can either empty the straw or get a new one as needed.
Break into Thin Slices
You should cut the cherries into smaller sections. Go for thin slices but don’t overdo it or else your dried cherries will come out squishier and gummier than you expect.
Wash your Microwave Plate
Since you will be putting your fruit directly on the spinning plate of the microwave, make sure it’s clean and dry.
You can use a microwave-safe silicone mat, such as a Silpat, if you have one, though it might not fit nicely into your microwave.
Dry your Cherries
Place the fruit slices on a microwave plate with enough space between them to allow them to breathe, at least an inch or two.
Set a Timer
Keep a timer for 30 minutes and allow the cherries to cook.
Check the Cherries
Return 30 minutes later to flip the cherries. You could have your baking gloves on because the cherries will be hot.
Make sure you are constantly checking on your cherries so that they don’t overheat and burn.
Cool the Cherries
Let the dried cherries cool down. Split one of the cherries in half after it has cooled down.
There should be no moisture apparent on the break’s surface.
Dehydrate Cherries Using Sun-Drying
Time taken: 3 to 4 days
Optimum temperature: Sunlight
What will you need?
- Fresh Cherries
- Colander
- A Plastic straw
- Cooling racks
- Cookie sheets
- A Cheesecloth
Sun-dry your cherries if you have plenty of time and don’t require them urgently. This is the safest method for dehydrating your cherries at home.
Wash the Cherries
Wash the cherries well. To drain, place them in a colander. Remove and discard the stems.
Pit the Cherries
Between your forefinger and thumb, hold a cherry steady. The fruit’s stem end should be facing up. Get a straw made of plastic.
Punch out the pit of the cherry with this. The pit will remain inside the straw. Rep the procedure with another cherry.
You can either empty the straw or get a new one as needed.
Arrange the Cherries
Place the cherries on cooling racks to allow air to flow around them freely. Place the racks on baking sheets.
Place the Cheesecloth
Get a clean cheesecloth and drape it over the racks loosely. This will drive insects away from the cherries.
Dry the Cherries
To dry the cherries, find a warm, dry, and sunny place. Turn the cherries now and then to ensure that they dry uniformly on both sides.
At night, remember to bring the trays inside. The next day, lay them out to dry in the sun.
Within 3 to 4 days, the cherries should be dry enough to eat.
You can watch Michael sun-dry his cherries here :
Dehydrate Cherries by Freeze Dry
Time taken: 35 to 38 hours
What will you need?
- Fresh Cherries
- Dry ice
- Trays
- Paper towel
Freeze dry your cherries with the simple steps outlined below. You won’t need to keep a constant watch on your cherries while they freeze-dry.
Wash the Cherries
Wash the cherries well. To drain, place them in a colander. Remove and discard the stems.
Pit the Cherries
Between your forefinger and thumb, hold a cherry steady. The fruit’s stem end should be facing up. Get a straw made of plastic.
Punch out the pit of the cherry with this. The pit will remain inside the straw. Rep the procedure with another cherry.
You can either empty the straw or get a new one as needed.
Arrange your Cherries
When freeze-drying, you can usually put down a good, single sheet.
You should light load instead because cherries take a long time to freeze dry.
Freeze Dry the Cherries
Fill a tub or a bucket halfway with drying ice. Fill the dry ice bucket with trays of cherries. Allow for a day and a half of freezing.
Watch Sharon explain the intricacies of freeze-drying cherries here:
The Importance of Conditioning Dried Cherries
Even after the cherries are correctly dehydrated, there may still be some residual moisture in the fruit that you can’t feel.
This shouldn’t be enough to keep the fruit fresh and mold-free for a long time. If you do what’s known as “conditioning” the dried fruit, you’ll get a tastier, better product.
Fill glass jars with the dried, cooled cherries, filling them just 2/3 full. Cover the jars with plastic wrap. For one week, shake the jars a couple of times a day.
This re-distributes the cherries, as well as any remaining moisture. If there is some condensation on the jars’ tops, the fruit isn’t completely dried and should be dehydrated for a few hours.
After conditioning your dried cherries, store them in airtight containers away from direct light and heat.
It is fine to fill the jars entirely at this point; the 2/3 filling was just for the conditioning process when you needed to shake the parts around.
The Right Way to Store your Dried Cherries
If you store dried fruit properly, it will last longer. Put your cherries in airtight containers after drying and conditioning them.
Containers with screw-top lids are preferable. They will protect the cherries from the air, moisture, and other toxins thanks to the close lids.
Keep the containers somewhere cool and dry. Ensure that they’re kept out of the sun and away from the humidity.
You can freeze-dried cherries if you have a large quantity and want to preserve them for a more extended period. For this, you can use vacuum-sealed freezer bags.
While freezer burn is a problem for certain foods, dried cherries freeze fare much better.
Our Take on which Method is Best
For those who live in tropical climates, drying your cherries in the sun is the best option. If you only need a small number of dried cherries right away, you can use a food dehydrator to dry them.
Drying cherries are done using drying racks, ovens, and microwaves in areas where sunlight is scarce.
If you don’t want to risk the cherries burning, you can also use drying racks to dry them in bulk.
FAQs
The precise answer to that question is highly dependent on storage conditions. Dried cherries should be kept in a cool, dry place.
After opening, store dried cherries in an airtight container or heavy-duty plastic bag to extend their shelf life.
Dried cherries will keep their best quality for around 12 to 18 months if stored properly but will be healthy for longer.
The freezer time indicated is for best quality only; dried cherries kept frozen at 0°F for an extended period will stay indefinitely.
The best approach is to smell and inspect the dried cherries: discard any that have an off odor or appearance, and discard any that have mold on them.
Bottom Line
We’ve gone through five simple ways to dry cherries for various purposes. Hopefully, this guide has aided you in understanding how to dry fruits like cherries at home.
If you find this article helpful, please share it with your friends and family, and feel free to leave any questions in the comments section below!