Got a collection of dried fruit sitting in your cupboard that you want to try rehydrating? We can show you how to rehydrate dried fruit so that you can easily use it for all of your favourite recipes again!
It’s easier than you might think, and it doesn’t take long. Before you know it, you will have all of your favourite fruits ready to use and enjoy.
Dehydrated fruit is simply fruit that has had the moisture removed from it to make it crunchy and last longer. While it’s a popular snack, it’s important to remember that dried fruit is full of natural sugars, as well as nutrients and fibre, and lots of these fruits are high in antioxidants.
You can dehydrate all kinds of fruit, including:
Apples
Bananas
Currants
Strawberries
Raspberries
Apricots
Figs
Mangoes
Blackcurrants
Much more
All of these different fruits can be rehydrated if you would like to, so they can be enjoyed in more ways than one.
For those wondering, you can freeze dry fruit at home with just a handful of tools, so if you really love fried fruit, why not give it a try yourself?
Any food that is high in sugar should be enjoyed with caution, as it can impact your health in a very direct way. From increasing your chances of developing cavities in your teeth to getting diabetes, sugar should be consumed in moderation. Dehydrated and dried fruit is good for you in reasonable quantities.
Not only that, but dehydrated fruit is high in calories, too. Calories are found in everything you eat and drink, and we need them for our bodies to work. However, if your caloric intake is higher than your output, you will start to put on weight over time. So, as delicious and healthy as dried fruit can be, be careful not to overdo it, and control how much you have.
To rehydrate fruit, you need to give the fruit moisture to soak up. This can be done using different liquids to suit your preferences and needs, which gives you some fun ideas to play with. Below, we will go through what you need to do to rehydrate fruit.
The most obvious option when it comes to rehydrating dried fruit is to simply use water. This is quick and easy, and you don’t get any additional flavour into the fruit with simple water. As such, it’s great if you want to keep flavours true to life, and use the fruit in more mild recipes where you don’t want a stronger flavour.
Follow these steps to rehydrate your fruit:
Get your fruits of choice and put them in a bowl. If you are planning to rehydrate different kinds, separate them into different bowls, as they may all need different lengths of time rehydrating.
Once separated, simply pour water over them, making sure that the fruit is completely submerged.
Leave the fruit submerged until it looks nice and juicy again. The time will depend on the size of the fruit pieces, with smaller pieces only soaking for around 30 minutes to an hour, and larger pieces soaking for up to two hours.
When the fruit is sufficiently plump and ready, drain it from the liquid and pat it dry with some kitchen towel or something similar.
Now you can use the fruit however you like!
NOTE: you can use cool water or boiling water, but boiling water is perfect if you intend to use the rehydrated fruit for oats or a similar dish.
The second option is to use a juice of your choice to rehydrate your fruit. You will do this following the same steps we outlined above, but you will need to select a juice that will work with your chosen fruit. For example, apple juice is the perfect choice if you want to rehydrate pears or apples, and orange juice is the number one choice for peaches, apricots, and similar fruits.
Consider the flavour profiles and what you like (and what you are going to use the fruit for), and make an informed decision. If you aren’t sure what to pick, just think of all our favourite flavour combinations, and go from there. You are allowed to have some fun with this!
Finally, you can use alcohol for rehydrating. This can be anything from wines to spirits – whatever works best for you and your recipe needs. Alcohols like rums and brandies can be a delightful combination if you have the recipe to match.
Simply follow the same steps for dehydrating the dried fruit with water, and you will get fruit with a hefty kick. Just remember to keep this fruit away from children.
If you rehydrated too much dried fruit and end up with leftovers, you can easily store them for later use. Depending on when you are planning to use it, you can either keep it in a sealed container in the refrigerator, or you can freeze it.
In the fridge, you can expect the fruit to last around a week, and it will last indefinitely in the freezer. However, the fruit’s quality will deteriorate over time, so we recommend you use it within three months if frozen to get the best results.
Rehydrated dried fruit is more difficult to store compared to dried fruit, and it does have a shorter shelf life. Because of this, it’s best to determine how much you are going to need and now go above that. Since the rehydration process doesn’t take long, you can easily ready some more if you find yourself short.
Before you rehydrate your fried fruit, consider if you want to use it in any of the following ways or one of the options listed here:
Add it to recipes like flapjacks, shortbread, cakes and more
Blend it into a powder and add it to meringues
Blend it into a power and coat glass rims for cocktails
Blend it into a powder and sprinkle it over desserts
Enjoy a handful as-is
If you do decide to rehydrate your dried fruit, consider using it in things like:
Your morning oats
Chia seed puddings
Granola bars (or any other kind of bar you love)
Your favourite cookies
Various breads
Sweet summer cakes
Muffins
The options are endless, so you can have a lot of fun with your rehydrated dried fruit. The method you use to rehydrate the fruit can also play a role, with fruits that have been rehydrated in alcohols fantastic for fruit cakes or even cocktails if you’re feeling adventurous.
Rehydrating dried fruit is easy, and can be done with water, juice, or different kinds of alcohol to get the results you’re after. Just pick the option that works best for you and your recipe needs, and follow the same steps.
At Natural Health 4 Life, you can find a variety of healthy and delicious snacks to satisfy your sweet cravings. From our dried fruit salads and fruit and nut mixes to delicious pitted dates, banana chips, or crystallised ginger chunks, you won’t run out of healthy treats any time soon.
We also have a variety of blogs to keep you in the know about what we do. With articles on which dried fruit has the least sugar, glazed fruit vs candied fruit, what candied fruit tastes like, and how long dried fruit will last.
Now that you know how to rehydrate dried fruit, which fruit are you going to rehydrate first? Is there a recipe you have in mind? We would love to hear from you, and how your rehydration goes!
