We recently purchased an Excalibur brand 9-tray food dehydrator. This article explains how to dehydrate apples using an Excalibur Food dehydrator.
The initial process of preparing the apples for dehydration will be similar with other food dehydrators, but the time required to dehydrate may differ by machine. (If in doubt check your manual.)
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I bought a 5-pound bag of Ambrosia apples from the grocery store.
This is how many apple chips I got out of that 5-pound bag.
And below are the simple steps to make your own apple chips.
How to make Apple chips in a Dehydrator (the Excalibur Food Dehydrator)
Step 1: Wash the Apples
Wash the apples under clean water.
Step 2: Core the Apples
This handy apple core tool made this a very quick and easy process.
It is the one with the red handle in the picture below.
You line it up over the center of the apple, and push straight down on the red handle.
Once I’m through to the bottom of the apple I give the handle a little twist then withdraw the tool from the apple.
The apple core stays stuck inside the device.
Then the you press the lever on the handle, opening it up and you can drop the core into a bowl.
In the picture below I’ve used a yellow arrow to show where you press to open up the tool (almost like a hair curling iron).
If you want to simplify the process of removing apple cores, I recommend this apple corer by Newness Focus on Stainless Steel (a link to Amazon).
Step 3: Slice the apple into 1/4″ rings
This was the most time-consuming part of the process because I sliced the apples just using a knife, and not a mandolin slicer or anything like that.
It was difficult (for me anyway) to consistently slice each piece about 1/4″ thick. I ended up with some thicker, and some thinner.
But in the end, it all worked out just fine.
So you don’t have to get too fussy over this.
I may research a good fruit slicer for the future to speed up this process. (If you have any suggestions for fellow readers please comment at the bottom.)
Step 4: Place apple slices in a single layer on the dehydrator trays
Take your freshly sliced apples and place them in a single layer on the food trays.
My 5-pounds of apples took up about 8.5 of the 9 trays on the Excalibur.
You could sprinkle cinnamon on the apples, but I’ve only tried them plain so far.
Step 5: Put the trays into Excalibur Food dehydrator and close the lid
Make sure you set the lid on properly. (The “lid” is actually an end piece, and not a top piece.)
In the picture below it shows the trays full of apple rings.
After I took the photo I put the “lid” on.
Step 6: Set Temperature dial to 135-degrees Fahrenheit
The Excalibur Food Dehydrator has a nicely labelled temperature dial where they list suggested temperatures for certain foods.
They suggest 135-degrees Fahrenheit for fruit, and this has worked well for me.
The recommended temperature to dehydrate apples in the Excalibur is 135-degrees F.
Step 7: Set Timer to about 10 hours (can range from 7 – 15 hours)
I have found the instruction manual for the Excalibur Food Dehydrator to be very useful.
How long to dehydrate apples
The Excalibur Food Dehydrator’s manual recommends that you dehydrate apples for 7 – 15 hours.
That is quite a range.
The first time I made apple chips I dehydrated for 7 hours and then needed to put them in for an additional 2 hours. They were dried, but a little chewy. (More like apple chews versus apple chips.)
The next time I dehydrated apples I set it for just over 10 hours.
The apples came out crispy: more like a chip.
If you asked me “how long to dehydrate apples?” My answer would be try 10 hours for crisp chips, or less time for chewier apple rings.
If your dehydrated apples are not crispy, you’ll need to dehydrate them longer, or next time try slicing them thinner.
Step 8: Enjoy your homemade apple chips
After the wait, you can enjoy your tasty, dehydrated homemade apple chips.
Money-saving Tip
You can save money on fruit by looking for “orchard fall” fruits (fruits that they picked up off the ground at an orchard), or by checking the clearance rack at your grocery store.
The Excalibur 9 Tray Food Dehydrator
We bought the 9 tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator on the recommendation of our friend.
We figured we’d go with the 9 trays instead of the 5 trays.
If we are going to dedicate the time to prepare the food and use the electricity to dehydrate the food, we might as well get a size that’ll provide us a good bounty.
The model we chose – the 3926T – has a 26 hour timer and auto shut off.
We are very happy with our purchase so far.
What can you make in an Excalibur Food Dehydrator?
We have made beef jerky in our dehydrator.
We’ve made the apple chips, and there are other fruits you can dry.
Other fruits you can dry:
- apricots
- bananas
- berries
- cranberries
- peaches
- pears
- and lots more
You can also dry herbs and spices in a dehydrator.
Do you ever buy fresh parsley and cilantro, only to have them go bad in your fridge.
If this sounds like you, you could dehydrate them to make your own dried herbs and spices.
(Imagine the homemade, customized blends you could come up with.)
Vegetables you can dry include:
- carrots
- celery
- onions
- peas
- peppers
- and any more
You could dry your garden vegetables and create soup blends.
Then re-hydrate with water or vegetable stock when it’s time to make dinner.
The Excalibur instruction manual also claims you can make Yogurt and cottage cheese with the dehydrator. I haven’t done this yet, but it sounds interesting.
Did you know:
Reducing Food Waste is considered the third most important and effective solution to help reverse global warming.
Reducing food waste is a big way that you as an individual can have an impact.
For more information, click here to read about Reducing Food Waste at Project Drawdown.
Do we like our Excalibur Food Dehydrator?
So far we love our 9-tray Excalibur.
It has effectively dried our food, and it is easy to clean.
The one downside to it is the sound.
It is louder than I expected. It creates a droning background noise that is similar to a range fan above your stove (or maybe slightly louder).
The last time I made apple chips I put the dehydrator into a downstairs, unused bedroom so I didn’t have to hear it.
But for me the sound it creates isn’t enough to deter me from recommending the Excalibur.
I do recommend the Excalibur to friends that are looking for a quality dehydrator.
If you’re in the market for a quality dehydrator, I suggest you give the Excalibur a look.
If you want to check out the price of this popular food dehydrator, you can…
Click here to see current price.
I hope you enjoyed this article on how to dehydrate apples in a food dehydrator.
If you have any stories or suggestions on other foods to dehydrate please comment below. I’m sure other readers would love to learn from you.
Thank you
Tim from LearnAlongWithMe.com
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I used a mandolin for slicing my apples. I have a Kevlar glove, so I can use my hand to handle the fruit. Easier than the tool that came with it. Can’t wait to eat my fruit.
Hi Sheila, thanks for commenting. You know I’ve never heard of a Kevlar glove. But that seems like a great idea. We’ve discussed getting a mandolin slicer but we’re a little nervous about cutting ourselves. A glove like that would be beneficial. Thanks again.
I use a Johnny Apple Peeler. It auctions to the counter. Slices and cores simultaneously. You can also peel at the same time but I leave the peels on.
I will have to check that out. That sounds like a timesaver. Thanks for sharing with us.