You know those ✨perfectly dried slices of fruit✨ you always see in cocktails at fancy bars, delicately balanced on top of pastries and cakes, or perfectly tucked into a seasonal cheese board? Turns out, you can make them at home!! But the thing is, how you prepare your dried persimmons matters! I’m breaking down the step-by-step process in my dehydrated persimmon recipe, because believe it or not, there are many paths to your dehydrated persimmon destination. 🗺️
I’ve done a lot of dehydrating over the years, I first started experimenting when I was in culinary school and looking for creative garnishes. Since then, I’ve perfected recipes like my dried starfruit slices that are absolutely perfect for adding that last minute WOW factor to your recipes.
And in my experience, I’ve found that your end goal directly impacts HOW you dry your foods. Whether you’re going for a more rustic “fruit leather” type of dried persimmon, or you want something more elegant and fancy (like these stunning blood orange garnishes), I’ve got you covered! I’m walking you through my step-by-step process for getting exactly the kind of dehydrated fruit you’re after.
👀 the secret sauce…
✨ the flavor: This recipe is all about The Intrigue Flavor Factor, and The Wow, Mom! Flavor Factor, too. It’s a fresh fruit presented in a whole new way, using texture and taste to keep you on your toes!
🎯 the method: The process is as easy as 1-2-3. Slice, dry, and store! But HOW you do these matters. More on that below…
🏆 the win: You get perfectly preserved persimmons (say that six times fast) that are ready to be used as drink garnishes or ingredients in other recipes! And yes, you can totally eat them on their own, too!
what are The Flavor Factors?
The Flavor Factor Framework is my lil set of “flavor guideposts” for cooking with confidence! Less following recipes to a tee, more trusting your instincts, getting creative in the kitchen, and becoming a more intuitive cook! 👩🏻🍳
🥅 TL;DR: what’s your end goal?
How you slice and dry these persimmons depends on your end goal for them. Do you want to snack on them plain? Or do you want to use them as garnishes for food and drinks?
If you want to snack on your persimmons and don’t care how they look, you can slice them a bit thicker and dry them at a higher heat (up to 135º F!). They will dehydrate quicker, too, in about 8-10 hours.
If you want to use your persimmons as a garnish and want them as vividly colored as possible, slice them thinner and dry them at a lower temperature for longer (between 110º and 120º F, max). They may take up to 18 hours to dehydrate fully.
📚the backstory of developing this persimmon post
(aka everyone’s favorite part of food blogs!)
For the first batch of persimmons pictured above, I sliced them thicker and dehydrated them at a higher temperature. This worked really well if my goal was to use the persimmons in other recipes or just for snacking. For instance, these would be perfect in a trail mix or a granola or even rehydrated for something like a simple syrup or a liquor infusion!
But I wanted to make them prettier and more usable for drink garnishes too, so I went back to the drawing board. ✏️
This time I sliced the persimmons even thinner like an eighth of an inch as soon as I could get them in in some cases, they were sliced a bit unevenly, but this ended up not mattering much. I also dehydrated them in a lower temperature for a longer period of time. This is a trick I picked up when working on my dehydrated lime recipe (I wanted to keep the green color of the limes intact instead of having them turn darker in color).
The key here is to use a lower temperature and a slower period of time, so for this next batch of persimmons, I dehydrated them for about 15 hours total. The result was absolutely stunning, sort of stained glass. The persimmons that retained their vibrant orange color and were absolutely perfect for garnishing drinks and other recipes. Can you imagine these on top of a cake or cupcakes?!
🛒 ingredients needed for dehydrated persimmons
See the recipe card for the exact quantities.
🍳 how to make dried persimmons
1: Wash, dry, and slice your persimmons.
2: Arrange them on a dehydrator tray and place inside your dehydrator. Dry the persimmons for 12-15 hours, until completely dried out and no longer moist.
3: Remove your persimmons from the trays then allow them to cool.
4: Store your dried persimmons in an airtight storage jar away from heat and light.
💡tips & tricks for getting it right
ℹ️ troubleshooting tips
- choose organic – in recipes like this that use the whole fruit, including the peel, it’s best to choose organically grown fruit. That’s because they’ll have less harmful residue on them. Organic or not though, fruit usually has a wax coating that you will need to wash off.
- slice evenly – slicing the fruit uniformly is key in getting evenly dried persimmons. If you have slices that are thicker, and then some that are thinner, they will take different amounts of time to dry completely. If you’re not very confident in your ability to evenly slice persimmons by hand, use a mandoline slicer, which is perfect for getting very uniform slices. 1 medium-sized persimmon will yield about 7-9 slices, depending on thickness.
- soggy – if you notice that your persimmons are starting to become soft again after a day or two, this means that they were not fully dehydrated. Don’t worry, you can put them back in the dehydrator for a few hours to re-dry them.
- keep dry – to help lengthen their shelf life, you can use a food safe desiccant pack to help absorb any moisture. This is super helpful if you live in a humid environment, or if you wanna safely store your persimmons longer-term.
- remove from tray– once done drying, carefully remove your persimmon slices from the tray, then allow them to cool completely. If you allow them to cool on the tray, they can stick to the tray and be a little difficult to remove, especially if they are super thinly sliced!
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🧐 how to tell when dried persimmons are done
Depending on your dehydrator, the moisture in your fruit, and the amount of fruit in your machine, it could take up to 18 hours for your persimmon slices to be completely dried, especially when using a lower temperature.
When the persimmons are completely dried, they will no longer be sticky or moist. The edges will have started to slightly curl, depending on how hot and how quick you’ve dehydrated them.
If you use a higher temperature in a shorter period of time, they will be very curled up in appearance.
If you used a lower temperature and a slower period of time, they will just be curling at the edges.
🍽️ how to use your dried persimmon slices
- garnish – use your fun and fruity slices to garnish your favorite drinks, like a persimmon soda pop or persimmon cocktail. Of course, you can also use them to garnish a baked good that has persimmon, too!
- snack attack – you can eat these persimmon slices as is! The peel of Fuyu persimmons is very thin, and it’s safe to eat the whole slice! These make an excellent and interesting addition to a cheese board or grazing table spread!
- granola or snack mix – you can also chop up the dried persimmons and mix them into your favorite granola recipe or trail mix for snacking!
♻️ customize your dehydrated persimmon
- sprinkle with flavor – spritz your persimmons with some citrus like lemon, lime, or orange juice, then sprinkle on some seasonings such as cinnamon sugar, cardamom, or sumac. Garden fresh herbs would also be a fun addition, such as fresh thyme, homemade rosemary salt, or brushing them with basil infused syrup!
🧰 equipment needed & storage tips
🫙 how to store dehydrated persimmons
When properly stored in an airtight container and away from direct heat or sunlight, these persimmon slices will keep for up to 6 months (or a year if you are diligent about keeping moisture at bay)! You can store them in the fridge for extra insurance, too.
If you see any black spots or any fuzzy growth, it’s sadly time to toss your persimmons. 🙈
👩🏻🍳 can you make dried persimmons in the oven?
Don’t have a dehydrator? I haven’t personally tested this recipe in the oven, but I have dried citrus in the oven, so I can give you my best tips for attempting this successfully.
- Set your oven to the lowest temperature it will go to (usually 170º – 200º F).
- Use a wire rack laid inside of a sheet pan, this will keep the persimmons elevated off the baking sheet, helping to prevent them from becoming too hot.
- Prop your oven door open if possible to help let excess moisture escape and keep the temperature low.
- Rotate your pans every 30-60 minutes, to help keep the heat even and avoid any hotspots in your oven for a prolonged period of time.
- It will take anywhere from 6 – 8 hours for your persimmons to fully dry. They will be darker in color than persimmons dried in a dehydrator, and they will be more curled up, too.
If you make this recipe, please leave a review in the comments and a star rating!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I read every single comment, and each rating is helpful to other readers, too! 🥹
I also love connecting on social media, so snap a pic and hashtag it #myrecipeforfun and tag me on YouTube, TikTok, Threads, or pin this recipe on Pinterest!
Dehydrated Persimmons (Dried Fuyu Persimmons)
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Equipment
- 1 airtight storage jar
- 1 knife & cutting board or mandoline slicer
- food-safe desiccant packs optional, to assist with keeping fruit dried in storage
Ingredients
- 2 persimmons Fuyu variety. Firm-ripe is easiest to slice; very ripe will be sweeter but can take longer to dry.
Instructions
- Prep persimmons. Wash your persimmons thoroughly, taking care to gently scrub any wax coating or residue off of your persimmons.2 persimmons
- Slice fruit. Carefully slice your fruits as thin as possible— between 1/8” and 1/4” — and as evenly as possible. If you slice into a seed, gently remove it and keep slicing.
- Dehydrate. Arrange your persimmon slices on the dehydrator sheets, leaving just a little space between them. They will shrink as they dry. Dry the fruits in your dehydrator at 110 – 120º F for 12 – 15 hours.*
- Cool. Once the fruits are dried, allow them to cool completely to room temperature.
- Store. Stack your persimmon slices into an airtight jar for storage. For extra insurance against moisture, you can use food safe desiccant packs in the jar.
Notes
🧐 how to tell when dried persimmons are done
*Depending on your dehydrator, the moisture in your fruit, and the amount of fruit in your machine, it could take up to 18 hours for your persimmon slices to be completely dried, especially when using a lower temperature. When the persimmons are completely dried, they will no longer be sticky or moist. The edges will have started to slightly curl, depending on how hot and how quick you’ve dehydrated them. If you use a higher temperature in a shorter period of time, they will be very curled up in appearance. If you used a lower temperature and a slower period of time, they will just be curling at the edges.ℹ️ troubleshooting tips
- choose organic – in recipes like this that use the whole fruit, including the peel, it’s best to choose organically grown fruit. That’s because they’ll have less harmful residue on them. Organic or not though, fruit usually has a wax coating that you will need to wash off.
- slice evenly – slicing the fruit uniformly is key in getting evenly dried persimmons. If you have slices that are thicker, and then some that are thinner, they will take different amounts of time to dry completely. If you’re not very confident in your ability to evenly slice persimmons by hand, use a mandoline slicer, which is perfect for getting very uniform slices. 1 medium-sized persimmon will yield about 7-9 slices, depending on thickness.
- soggy – if you notice that your persimmons are starting to become soft again after a day or two, this means that they were not fully dehydrated. Don’t worry, you can put them back in the dehydrator for a few hours to re-dry them.
- keep dry – to help lengthen their shelf life, you can use a food safe desiccant pack to help absorb any moisture. This is super helpful if you live in a humid environment, or if you wanna safely store your persimmons longer-term.
- remove from tray– once done drying, carefully remove your persimmon slices from the tray, then allow them to cool completely. If you allow them to cool on the tray, they can stick to the tray and be a little difficult to remove, especially if they are super thinly sliced!
