Ever wondered how to turn fresh citrus into the most gorgeous dried citrus in your oven? If so, I can't wait to share my ultimate guide on How to Dry Citrus in the Oven with you as well as some of my favorite ways to use dehydrated citrus!
Every time I post a recipe with dried citrus involved, I get questions asking how I made my dehydrated citrus slices without a dehydrator. While this process is rather time-consuming (3-6 hours total) it's VERY easy because most of that is hands-off time just waiting for the citrus to dehydrate.
What citrus can I dehydrate?
While any citrus can be dehydrated, for this post I used the following:
- Dried Lemons (2-3 hours)
- Dried Limes (2-3 hours)
- Dried Blood Oranges (3-4hours)
- Dried Cara Cara Oranges (3-4 hours)
- Dried Navel Oranges (3-4 hours)
- Dried Grapefruit (5+ hours)
Steps to dry citrus in oven
One: Preheat oven to 200F convection settings
The first step to making perfectly dried citrus is to set your oven at the right temperature.
For my oven, 200F is the perfect low temperature to bake my citrus wheels. However, if your oven can go lower you can set it all the way down to 170F for similar results (though it will take a bit longer to dry out the citrus).
By setting the oven at a low temperature, you are essentially very slowly dehydrating the citrus slices over a period of 3-6 hours by drawing out all of the moisture.
Also, I always recommend using the convection settings in your oven if available. A convection oven has a fan at the back which helps to evenly circulate the steam.
This is ideal for dehydrating fruit so the moisture is removed evenly and it actually makes the process faster!
Two: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a wire rack
It's important to use parchment paper or an oven-safe bakeable wire rack on top of a baking tray or else the citrus may stick to the pan while dehydrating.
If neither of these options is available, you can always lightly coat a pan with oil to avoid this problem.
However, I prefer not to use oil when drying fruit in the oven so I always recommend parchment paper when available. I always use If You Care parchment paper since it is compostable!
Three: Thinly slice the citrus
This step is crucial to perfectly dried citrus! I recommend using a mandoline so you can guarantee the fruit is sliced evenly. However, if you have great knife cutting skills using a very sharp knife also works.
Four: Add to tray & bake 3-4 hours or more
Once the citrus has been sliced, add it to the parchment-lined tray (or tray coating with oil/ with a wire rack) and place the citrus so it is at least ½ inch apart between slices.
Then, bake the citrus anywhere from 3-6 hours. I highly recommend removing the tray at the two-hour mark and flipping the citrus as well as rotating the tray in the oven for the best results.
Some ovens run a little hotter or colder, so make sure to only remove the citrus wheels from the oven once they are completely dried and all the moisture has been removed.
Otherwise, they will mold and now keep as long as they should. It's also important to note that the larger the citrus, the longer it will take to dehydrate. That means lemons and limes are likely going to be done before larger fruits like oranges and grapefruit!
What can I do with dried citrus?
There are SO many ways to use dried citrus, but here are a few of my favorites:
1: As a cocktail garnish
Try using dried grapefruit in Grapefruit Rose Paloma
Add a dried blood orange on top of a Blood Orange Mint Mimosa
Dehydrated limes make a great garnish to a Tequila Smash cocktail
Dried orange slices are amazing in this Cranberry Gin Fizz
2: As a dessert topping
I love using dried lemons on layer cakes like my Lemon Lavender Cake
3: Add dried citrus to tea for flavor
It adds a citrus essence that is truly so enjoyable!
4: Make citrus sugar!
I absolutely love making citrus sugar! You can use it in many baking recipes if you want to add in extra citrus flavor. I especially love doing this with lemons and have used it in my Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Donuts for even more lemon flavor.
Dehydrated citrus sugar also can be used as a garnish around the rim of cocktails.
5. Make a citrus garland as decor
This is especially popular to do during the Holidays with orange slices and cinnamon. However, I personally feel it can be a great decoration year-round!
6. Dip it in chocolate & eat
Don't forget to add a little flaky sea salt on top! The combination of citrus, sweet chocolate, and sea salt is absolutely divine.
How to store dried citrus:
If you have properly dehydrated your citrus (aka no moisture remains) then they can actually last for several years! I have some that have lasted up to 3-5 years that I use as decorations.
I find dried citrus is best within one year if you are using it on baked goods, in teas, and as a cocktail garnish for the best flavor.
When storing, make sure to store my citrus wheels in a closed container or zip-loc bag in the fridge or dark cold space in your home. This will help the citrus last longer and keep the radiant bright color longer.
I hope this guide on How to Dry Citrus in the oven helps you make these gorgeous citrus wheels from the comfort of your home. Enjoy!
-TSG
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Dried Citrus
Ingredients
- 2 Lemons cut into ¼ inch slices
- 2 Limes cut into ¼ inch slices
- 1 Blood orange cut into ¼ inch slices
- 1 Cara Cara Orange cut into ¼ inch slices
- 1 Navel Orange cut into ¼ inch slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200F and make sure to set to convection oven settings. Then, line a tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- Use a mandoline or a very sharp knife to slice the citrus into slices no more than ¼" in width. If the slices are thicker, they will take longer to cook.
- Place the citrus slices onto the parchment lined tray and bake anywhere from 3-6 hours depending on the size of the citrus. Lemons and Limes take the least amount of time followed by oranges and lastly grapefruit which will take the longest.
- After about 2 hours of baking, flip the citrus so the side facing the parchment paper is now exposed. Also, rotate the tray so that the citrus that was closest to the glass is now in the back of the oven. Continue this process every 2 hours as needed.
- Once the citrus has no more moisture and is brittle to the touch, remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- Use as a cocktail garnish, topping on a baked good, or blend into a citrus sugar. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please see blog post for cooking times for citrus as well as tips on how to use dehydrated citrus wheels
- Dried citrus wheels can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for several years assuming all the moisture has been removed. I prefer using them within a year of making if using for an edible purpose such as a cake topping or cocktail garnish.
- Follow these same steps to make dried citrus in a dehydrator, but dehydrate for 6-8 hours at 135F.
Miriam says
That's a great idea! I have mine in the dehydrator for approx. 10 hours dried and they were also completely dry. I threaded a part as decoration and they suddenly softened again, maybe because of the humidity? The house is a little older and the windows are not so well insulated, but actually we have no problems with moisture in the house. The other part that I kept in the glass is still very dry and hard. Do you have an idea what could be the reason or has it ever happened to you?
Megan says
The only thing I can think of is that condensation from the windows got on them and made them wet/soft, but I'm honestly not sure as it has never happened to me, but I also have never hung them by a window.
Sue says
Love oven dried citrus wheels for tea. These are wonderful & easy to make. Thanks for sharing recipe.
Megan says
You're so welcome!
Maureen says
I can’t wait to try this. The instructions are simple to follow and the pictures are beautiful ! Question can I use these in a simmering pot ?
Megan says
Enjoy! I would probably say it's better to just use fresh citrus in a simmering pot.
Hanne says
Love this treatment of citrus!
Lettie Booysen says
Thanx it was very helpful
Megan says
You're so welcome!
Vera says
What if you don’t have a Convection setting on your oven?
Megan says
You can still dry them at a low temperature, but it may take several hours extra then the times I have listed.
Steve Roth says
I tried this with lemons and pink grapefruit. They are too bitter for me and it took 9 hours at 170 degrees to dehydrate
Megan says
Sorry to hear it didn't work for you. Did you use convection settings? It sounds like you did not if it took that long which is crucial for this recipe to work in the time frame listed. It's also crucial to cut the slices thinly or it will take too long and they will burn. Also, as mentioned in the blog post, grapefruit will take much longer than lemons to dehydrate. They also will both be slightly bitter naturally as no sugar is being added to them. Hopefully that helps if you decide to try again!
Kellie says
So they’re supposed to ultimately be hard when finished. Not chewy?
Megan says
Yes- you don't want any of the flesh to be soft or they aren't done.
Jay says
Beautiful photos and a great tutorial. Thanks!
Megan says
Thank you and glad you enjoyed them!!
Nike says
Thank you very much for this recipe!
Jennifer Freund says
Thanks so much for this recipe
Megan says
You're so welcome!
rach says
Made a bunch for Christmas gifts for my cocktail loving friends! Very easy and they make a pretty gift.
Megan says
Love that! I'm sure they will love adding dried citrus to their cocktails 🙂
Kelli says
I was hoping you’d share the citrus sugar recipe!
I have satsuma trees… can I dry those? 🍊
Megan says
I've never tried it, but as long as you can slice them it should work!
Laura Susan Fattahi says
Very easy instructions (great idea to use the mandolin) and they turned out perfectly on the first try!
Liz says
This is the perfect activity while our whole house is down with the winter sickies. My kids brought in some oranges from our trees, we sliced some for this and have some in a simmer pot with cloves. Definitely helping us feel a little better while we weather this bug at home:) Thank you!
Megan says
So happy you enjoyed it- feel better soon!