As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Learn all about making dried peaches in a food dehydrator or in an oven. Dehydrating peaches is a simple project for adults and kids and makes amazing tasty snacks.
Dried peaches or “peach chips” are a favorite snack in our house. The best part of dehydrating peaches yourself? The process is so simple, and you only need two ingredients – ripe juicy peaches and lemon juice.
If you’re looking for other preserving options for peaches, check out our in-depth tutorial on canning peaches and freezing peaches.
Peaches come in two main types, freestone and cling. You can use either or both for this recipe, but for ease of prep, freestone is the way to go.
Freestone – when cut in half, the peach will separate easily from the pit.
Cling – the peach flesh will “cling” to the pit, making it very challenging to cut them in half. You can check out my tutorial on how to cut peaches to learn how to slice cling peaches in only 15 seconds.
Whichever variety you choose, you’ll want to select ripe peaches that are heavy and only slightly firm. If gently pressed near the stem end, you’ll want the peach to “give” a bit.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Aim for slices that are 1/4 to 3/8 inches thick. Thinner slices will dry more quickly.
- Avoid the temptation to increase the heat on the dehydrator or oven to speed up the process. Low and slow wins in the race on this one.
- 12 pounds of peaches will dry down to 2-3 pints or 1-1.5 pounds total.
- Dried peaches will last for up to a year if stored in a cool dry place.
Get my Canning e-book!
It’s 51 pages of every helpful tip and trick you could want as a brand new canner, AND it includes 13 ad-free canning recipes that are designed to take you from novice to pro.
Dried Peaches Recipe (3 Ways)
Ingredients
- 12 lbs peaches {choose ripe and firm peaches}
- 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
- 5 cups cold water
Instructions
- Fill a bowl with cold water and lemon juice.5 cups cold water, 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
- Set up a workstation with a cutting board, a paring knife, and a refuse bowl for the pits.
- Rinse peaches, cut in half, and slice thinly (~1/4 to 3/8 in).12 lbs peaches
- Place the slices in the water/lemon juice mixture for 10 minutes.
- Drain peach slices.
- Arrange the slices on dehydrator trays so that there is space around each slice, and the slices are not touching.
- Set dehydrator to the "fruit/vegetables" setting (135˚F) and dry for 6-10 hours. Rotate trays every few hours.
- The length of time they need to dry out will vary based on how many trays you have going on at once, and how thick the peach slices are.
- Peaches are done when they don’t feel wet anymore. Some slices will finish before the others on the same tray. Remove those that are done and set aside.
Notes
- The instructions call for 12 pounds of peaches but you can absolutely dehydrate fewer peaches.
- Avoid the temptation to increase the heat on the dehydrator or oven to speed up the process. Low and slow wins in the race on this one.
- 12 pounds of peaches will dry down to 2-3 pints or 1-1.5 pounds total.
- If you would like to peel peaches prior to dehydrating, this post on how to peel peaches will walk you through the process.
- Dried peaches will last for up to a year if stored in a cool dry place.
Oven-Drying Instructions:
- Follow the peeling and soaking instructions above and then place peach slices on baking drying racks set in baking sheets.
- Place in the oven at the lowest temperature possible (usually 140-170˚F) and prop open the door with the handle of a wooden spoon. This allows condensation to escape instead of just settling back onto the peaches.
- Bake for 5-8 hours.
Sun-Drying Instructions:
- Follow the peeling and soaking instructions above and then place peach slices on baking drying racks set in baking sheets.
- Cover trays with cheesecloth to prevent bugs from settling on them.
- Place outside in full sun (if possible) in temps that are 80˚F degrees or higher with humidity that is 55% or lower.
- Rotate slices every 5-6 hours. Slices can take days to dry.
- Bring trays in at night.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
