Rhubarb fruit leather is one of those recipes that feels both nostalgic and surprisingly modern at the same time. It is a simple way to turn fresh rhubarb into a naturally sweet, slightly tart snack that stores well and tastes amazing. If you have ever wondered what to do with extra rhubarb or want a healthier alternative to store bought fruit snacks, this is a great place to start. The texture is soft and chewy, the flavor is bright, and you control exactly what goes into it.
This recipe works especially well during rhubarb season, but you can also use frozen rhubarb if that is what you have on hand. It is budget friendly, easy to customize, and perfect for meal prep snacks.
Orange Rhubarb Muffins with Buttermilk, Summer Rhubarb Lemonade, or Frosted Rhubarb Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting.
This is rhubarb fruit leather is one of my favorite recipes to make with rhubarb. I had picked a bunch of rhubarb in my garden to make some rhubarb sorbet with, but this morning I had fruit leather on the mind.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Naturally sweet and tangy flavor that is not overly sugary
- Simple ingredients with no preservatives or artificial dyes
- Great way to use fresh or frozen rhubarb
- Kid friendly and easy to pack for snacks
- Customizable with different fruits and sweeteners
- Stores well for grab and go snacks throughout the week
This is a very similar process like this recipe for Rhubarb Freezer Jam
You can change and mix up the types of fruit if you don't like rhubarb.
Ingredients Needed
- Chopped Rhubarb - Fresh or frozen rhubarb works here. If using frozen, thaw and drain excess liquid before cooking.
Cup of Sugar - Sugar, honey, or maple syrup all work. Rhubarb is naturally very tart, so you will need some sweetness to balance it. Start small and adjust to taste.
Lemon juice - Adds brightness and enhances the overall flavor. - See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Rhubarb Fruit Leather - Oven
Step 1: Cook all ingredients in a saucepan for 10 minutes. Use an emersion blender or food processor to puree the fruit.
Step 2: Line a cookie sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the fruit mixture onto the sheet tray. Make sure that the puree is spread out evenly on the pan.
Step 3: Cook the fruit leather at 175 degrees for 5 hours or until the fruit has become stiff. When it is ready, you should be able to peel it apart like you would with fruit roll ups.
Dehydrator Method for Rhubarb Fruit Leather
- Add the rhubarb and a splash of water to a saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat for about 10–15 minutes until the rhubarb completely softens and breaks down.
- Stir in the sugar or honey. Taste and adjust sweetness — rhubarb usually needs a decent amount.
- Blend until smooth using an immersion blender or regular blender.
- Line dehydrator trays with fruit leather sheets, parchment, or silicone liners.
- Spread the mixture evenly about ⅛-inch thick.
- Dehydrate at about 135°F until dry but still flexible, usually:
- 6–10 hours depending on thickness and humidity
- Peel off the liner, cut into strips, and roll up.
Pro Tips for Rhubarb Fruit Leather
- Use a silicone baking mat if you have one. It makes peeling the fruit leather much easier.
- Keep the layer even. Thick spots will stay sticky while thin spots can over dry.
- Taste your puree before drying. Adjust sweetness at that stage because the flavor becomes more concentrated as it dries.
- If your oven does not go low enough, prop the door open slightly to help reduce the temperature.
- For a smoother texture, strain the puree to remove any fibrous bits before spreading it.
Storage
Once fully dried, store your rhubarb fruit leather in an airtight container. You can keep it at room temperature for about one week, or refrigerate it for up to two weeks.
For longer storage, wrap individual strips in parchment paper and freeze them. They thaw quickly and maintain their texture well.
Make sure the leather is completely dry before storing to prevent mold.
Serving Suggestions
Rhubarb fruit leather is perfect as a quick snack on its own, but there are a few fun ways to use it.
Pack it in lunch boxes for an easy homemade treat.
Cut it into small pieces and add it to yogurt bowls for a chewy texture and pop of flavor.
Serve it alongside a Aldi Charcuterie Board board for a sweet and tangy contrast.
Recipe FAQs
Storebought fruit leather can contain a lot of chemicals and bad ingredients in them and this recipe has only two main ingredients. I'd rather make them at home than buying them in the store.
Store it in airtight containers or in ziplock bags. Make sure all the air is let out before closing.
A fruit bar is a type of cookie that contains chopped-up fruit mixed in with the dough or spread between layers of dough. Fruit leather is made by blending pureed fruit with sugar and then it gets dehydrated in an oven or dehydrator.
There are many different sugar substitutes in place of regular sugar. If you know the conversion for the type you use feel free to!
More Rhubarb Recipes to Try
If you tried this Rhubarb Fruit Leather or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
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Rhubarb Fruit Leather
- Prep Time: 20min
- Cook Time: 5hr
- Total Time: 5hr 20min
- Yield: 24 1x
- Category: Medium
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Purred rhubarb and sugar blended in a food processor and then turned into fruit leather
Ingredients
4 cups of chopped Rhubarb
1 cup of sugar
Zest of 1 lemon or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
1. Cook all ingredients in a saucepan for 10 minutes. Use an emersion blender or food processor to puree the fruit.
2. Line a cookie sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the fruit mixture onto the sheet tray. Make sure that the puree is spread out evenly on the pan.
3. Cook the fruit leather at 175 degrees for 5 hours or until the fruit has become stiff. When it is ready, you should be able to peel it apart like you would with fruit roll ups.
Notes
Use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the fruit after it's done cooking in the sauce pan.
Place parchment paper on the baking sheet for easy rolling and cleaning.
Sue says
How much lemon juice do you use? The picture of ingredients used says lemon juice fresh or bottled, but the recipe calls for lemon zest?
Jenna says
No, I have not tried to do this in a smoker but if you do report back please!
Kasie says
Has anyone tried to do this in a smoker? I'm curious if it would taste good? I might do it anyways don't need my oven heating up my house all day in a heat wave.
Mary says
Anyone ever try to combine rhubarb and banana to make fruit leather? I am going to experiment. I don't bake, smoothies aren't a real thing in this house, frozen bananas are piling up, so I thought leather might work?
Jenna says
Faahrenheit
Sue says
Is that 175 degrees CELSIUS or FAHRENHEIT please?
Jenna says
Thanks for the feedback Elaine! I will try making again to see if I can adjust the recipe a bit.
Elaine Marie says
I tried it. It did peel away from the parchment paper as hoped, but it took much longer to become "leather" than predicted, presumably because the recipe uses a pretty hefty amount of sugar and it was a rather humid evening when I put it in the oven.
Jenna says
I'm sorry this didn't turn out for you. The problem is probably the oven temp. It wasn't hot enough. It is best to use an oven thermometer to make sure the temperature is correct.
Steph says
The puree tasted good, like tart applesauce. We baked this for 8 hours and it was still not dry in the middle. The ends were dry but we had to throw it all away because we couldn't get it the dried part off the parchment paper. any tips to getting if off parchment paper?