Drying pineapple is a fantastic way to preserve it as a healthy snack. As a mother with two small kids, it’s a way I can take a sticky, generally messy fruit and make it a snack safe for the car or for on-the-go! It’s great to chop up and add to trail mix.
This particular time, I used canned pineapple! I couldn’t find any information online about drying canned pineapple – so I thought I’d just try it (the price was right!). It worked great, in my opinion. As we head into the summer we should see fresh pineapple for as low as $1 each – and when that happens ‘ll be picking some up for drying at that time.
- If using canned pineapple, use the sliced variety. Drain pineapple well. Place slices on drying trays. If using fresh pineapple, remove skin and core pineapple (these pineapple corers and slicer would be ideal!)
- Cut pineapple into even slices, about ¼ inch thick.
- Place on your dehydrator trays, dry at 130 degrees F for about 14 to 16 hours.
- You’ll know it’s done when the pineapple feels dry and leathery but is still flexible.
I dried two whole cans of pineapple and my kids had eaten it within 24 hours! They loved it.
I love how they look like little flowers. Wish I was creative enough to figure out a way to use them as “flowers” in some other application – perhaps as a cupcake topper or something?
Store in an airtight container away from sun, moisture. . .and if you want them to last for more than a day. . . away from your kids.
I referenced these books especially, which I’m guessing you can find at your local library (or Amazon):
- The Dehydrator Bible: Includes over 400 Recipes (pictured above on my table)
- The Complete Guide to Drying Foods at Home: Everything You Need to Know about Preparing, Storing, and Consuming Dried Foods (Back to Basics)
- The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 40th Anniversary Edition <– Love this one! It’s a huge book, 922 pages, it has so much information in it.
As for the type of dehydrator that you need – I think all of them are pretty great. First you can check your local thrift shops, because they are big appliances I think people get tired of storing them and donate them a lot.
I personally have the Excalibur 3900B 9 Tray Deluxe Dehydrator, Black – but it’s probably much more than the average person needs. The only reason I splurged is because I found a crazy good deal that included a lightning deal and a gift card I had. But I have to say that I do love it and it has amazing reviews for a dehydrator.
I’ve been a drying a lot of things lately! See my recent posts:
I’d love to hear from you – what do you dehydrate? How do you use your dehydrator? Have you dehydrated pineapple before? Have you used canned pineapple before?
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