This recipe for dehydrated blood oranges is perfect for stepping up your garnish game using the most famous flavorful seasonal citrus from Southern Italy: the blood orange!
I first started working with dehydrated fruits when I was in baking and pastry school in 2010. But nowadays, I mainly use dried fruits as garnishes for drinks. It’s so easy to keep them on hand for whenever you need them!
All you need to make this recipe is a small dehydrator and some fresh oranges. Before you know it, you’ll have stunning garnishes for all your drinks, like an Italian blood orange soda, a blood orange daiquiri, or a blood orange margarita! Looking for more dehydrated fruit recipes? Check out this recipe for dehydrated lime wheels or this one for dehydrated starfruit!
why this blood orange garnish recipe works:
🤩 seasonal & striking. Blood oranges are one of the most seasonal orange crops, peaking from December to April. This makes them a special treat that’s not available year-round…until you dry them yourself, that is!
🙌 easy to make. Making your own garnishes is super simple, and the bulk of the time it takes is hands-off. It’s the perfect “set-it-and-forget-it” weekend project!
🎁 perfect for presents. If you have friends and family who enjoy making their own drinks at home, this is the perfect unique gift to bring to a dinner party or holiday celebration!
🛒 ingredients
See the recipe card for the exact quantities.
🍳 instructions
1: Wash and dry your oranges to remove any dirt or impurities, making sure to really scrub them to also remove any wax coating.
2: Using a sharp knife or mandolin slicer, slice your oranges at a 1/8” thickness. If you can’t slice them that thinly, aim for a little less than 1/4” in thickness.
3: Once you have sliced your oranges, place them evenly arranged on a dehydrator tray.
4: Put the orange slices in the dehydrator and set the temperature for 125º F and set the timer for 10 – 12 hours. Alternatively you can lower the temperature to 100º F for 15 – 20 hours.
5: Once the oranges are dried, turn the machine off and allow the slices to cool completely.
6: Store the dried orange slices in an airtight container for up to one year.
Hint: Slicing your fruit as uniformly as possible helps to make sure the drying time is the same for each slice of citrus.
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🍽️ serving tips
- blood orange daiquiri – one of my favorite cocktails, the daiquiri, gets a seasonal citrus variation!
- blood orange mule – this cocktail uses vodka & blood orange juice paired with a punchy ginger beer!
- blood orange margarita – if you’re a fan of tequila, you’ll want to try this super seasonal variation of a classic cocktail!
- Italian blood orange soda – this non-alcoholic drink is fun and flavorful for the entire family!
♻️ substitutions & variations
making dried orange wheels in the oven or air fryer
- Using a dehydrator is the easiest way to make orange wheels for garnishes, but if you don’t have the cabinet space to store a dehydrator it’s still possible to make this garnish in the oven or air fryer. You can also use your countertop oven, because counter space is precious!
- Making them in the oven isn’t my favorite though, because it still takes a while, and is much more involved. I’ve also been known to forget the citrus on more than one occasion, leading to over-dried citrus slices that weren’t exactly usable (read: burned to a crisp). 🙈
in the oven
- Make sure to dry them in a single layer, and on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper if you have it! This makes for easy flipping and prevents the citrus slices from sticking to the pan.
- Drying in the oven happens faster. Generally it takes about 2 -4 hours, but sometimes longer.
- Use the lowest temperature your oven goes to. 150º F is great, but 200º F is doable. You’ll just need to keep a closer eye on the slices. You can also prop your oven door open (only if it’s electric and your kitchen is free of kids and pets, please!). This will keep your oven from getting too hot.
- Set timers to flip your limes every 30 – 60 minutes for the first two hours, then every 15 – 30 minutes for the next two hours.
in the air fryer
- Some air fryers on the market today come with a dehydrate option! The biggest downside is that some air fryer baskets can be on the smaller side, meaning you will have to work in small batches. However, this can be helpful for making just a few garnishes at a time!
- Keep an eye on the oranges and flip them every 30-60 minutes.
- Don’t overcrowd the basket.
⏱️ how long to dehydrate different citrus fruits for
Certain factors can affect how long it takes for citrus fruits to completely dehydrate. The biggest factors are:
- juiciness of the citrus – the juicier the fruit, the longer it will take to dry.
- humidity of your kitchen – if you live in a humid place, there is naturally more moisture in the air. This means it’ll take longer to remove moisture completely from the fruit, and you need to be careful to store the finished dehydrated fruits in an airtight container.
- size of citrus – if you are drying smaller oranges, it will take less time. If you are using larger oranges, it will take longer.
dehydrated oranges, mandarins, and tangerines
- oranges come in so many varieties like blood oranges, cara cara oranges, and navel oranges. The smaller the orange, the faster they will dehyrate. Oranges tend to be juicier, so they will take a little longer to dehydrate completely. Oranges are also higher in sugar content, so they are susceptible to browning at higher temperatures.
- in the oven – 170º – 200ºF ( 77º – 93ºC) for 5 – 8 hours, flipping every 30 minutes.
- in an air fryer – 120º -150ºF (49º – 66ºC) for 4 – 6 hours
🧰 equipment needed & storage tips
🫙 storage tips
Once dried, your dehydrated citrus slices have a super long shelf life! Store your finished citrus for up to a year in a tightly sealed airtight container, like glass jars such as a mason jar. You can also use food safe silica gel desiccant packets that absorb moisture, which is especially useful if you live in a humid area like I do in Florida.
Store your orange slices at room temperature, and out of direct sunlight, for the longest term storage. If properly stored, they can last upwards of a year!
If you make this recipe, please leave a review in the comments and a star rating!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I read every single comment! I also love connecting on social media, so snap a pic and hashtag it #myrecipeforfun and tag me on Instagram, TikTok, or pin this recipe on Pinterest!
Dried Blood Oranges (Dehydrated Blood Orange Wheel Garnish for Drinks)
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Equipment
- 1 Dehydrator
- 1 knife or mandolin slicer
- 1 cutting board
Ingredients
- 4 blood oranges
Instructions
CLEANING AND PREPPING YOUR ORANGES
- Wash and dry your blood orange, taking care to really scrub the skin to remove impurities.
- Alternatively you can quickly blanch them in boiling water, then dunk them in ice water, to really remove the wax coating.
- Thinly slice your blood orange using a mandolin slicer or sharp knife. Aim to cut each slice at 1/8 – 1/4 inch in thickness.
- Proceed with your dehydrating method of choice.
DEHYDRATOR DIRECTIONS
- Arrange your blood orange slices on the trays of your dehydrator.
- Place the trays into the dehydrator and set the temperature to 125ºF for 10-12 hours to keep the color of your limes, or 100ºF for 15-20 hours to make sure your oranges are brighter in color.
- Once the dehydrator cycle ends, allow the blood orange slices to cool completely to room temperature before storing.
- Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
OVEN DIRECTIONS
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange your blood orange slices on the lined baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet into the cold oven, then set the temperature to the lowest possible temperature. Usually this is 175ºF – 225º F.
- Bake the blood orange slices for 1 – 2 hours at a time, then take the baking sheet out and flip the slices so they dry evenly.
- In total, you may need up to 6 hours to fully dry your citrus.
- Once the blood orange are fully dry, allow them to cool to room temperature on a cooling rack.
- Store your cooled and dried blood orange wheels in an airtight container in a cool dark place.
AIR FRYER DIRECTIONS
- Arrange your blood orange slices on the lined baking sheet or air fryer basket.
- Place the baking sheet into the cold air fryer, then set the temperature to the lowest possible temperature. Usually this is around 200º F.
- Air fry the blood orange slices for 30 minutes at a time, then take the baking sheet or fryer basket out and flip the slices so they dry evenly.
- In total, you may need up to 4 hours to fully dry your citrus.
- Once the blood orange are fully dry, allow them to cool to room temperature on a cooling rack.
- Store your cooled and dried blood orange wheels in an airtight container in a cool dark place.
Notes
Average Yield:
1 small – medium blood orange will get you about 6 – 8 dried orange wheels.Dehydrating Notes:
- Preserving the color – If you want to preserve the color of your sliced citrus, be sure to use the lowest possible temperature you can when dehydrating. Higher temperatures will result in darker colored citrus slices.
- Convection Fan – If your oven has a convection feature, this can help cut down on time when using an oven.
- Lower your Oven Temperature – You can also prop open your oven door to lower the temperature. Never do this with children or pets in the house or when using a gas-powered oven.
Nutrition Information
The information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition facts calculator and actual nutrition facts may vary.
I made these and it made a perfect garnish for a Caipirinha! Sim!
That sounds delicious! So glad you loved this garnish! 🥰