5 of 1 vote

Prep time: 5

Cook time: 8

How to make homemade dried oranges and lemons? If you’ve never made one before, you’ll see how easy it is! And, personally, I think it’s super pretty to decorate a table or put in a tea or cocktail.

Slices of dried oranges and lemons arranged on a light surface.

How to use homemade dried oranges and lemons?

Wondering what to do with your dried orange and lemon slices? Here are some ideas:

Slip some into your tea to add a fragrant touch.
Add them to your mulled wine to intensify the flavors.
Decorate your cocktails with it: a slice of dried orange goes very well on an Old Fashioned or a Negroni.
Attach them to your Christmas gifts for a beautiful and homemade decoration.
Make a decoration for your table or around your napkins, like the photo below.

Festive table decoration with a beige napkin tied with twine, adorned with a slice of dried orange, greenery and red berries on a white plate. The string and berries are in the background.

How to dry oranges and lemons at home?

To start with, choose untreated oranges or lemons so that you can use them in your teas and cocktails. Don’t hesitate to use mandarins, grapefruits or even limes to broaden your palette of tastes and scents.

After thoroughly washing your lemons and oranges, cut them into slices of about 1/5 inch (4–5 mm). There’s no need to make them too thin, as they will shrink during baking.

Lemon and orange slices on a wooden cutting board.

Sliced lemons and oranges on a wooden cutting board with whole fruit in the background.

Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. You can easily prepare two baking sheets and dry them at the same time. Just make sure you space the slices well apart so as not to overload the tray.

Arrange sliced oranges and lemons on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

The next step is to dry them at a low temperature. Place them in your oven at 165 °F (75°C), no higher, and let them bake for 7 to 8 hours, turning them every hour. You’ll see, the whole house will be fragrant!

A baking sheet with dried orange and grapefruit slices carefully arranged and evenly spaced on parchment paper.

Once the slices are thoroughly dried, let them cool completely at room temperature before placing them in an airtight jar. This way, they keep for several months (I’ve even kept some for almost two years). As long as there’s no mold on them, they’re still perfect to use.

Dried oranges sliced on a white surface, arranged in a scattered pattern.

Holiday recipe ideas

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Portrait of Geraldine Leverd, author of La Cuisine de Géraldine, a blog of simple, healthy French recipes.

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