Piña Colada Fruit Roll Ups

Transport yourself to a tropical paradise with these homemade Piña Colada Fruit Rolls!

Bursting with the bright flavors of pineapple and coconut, these fruit leathers are a great way to enjoy the classic cocktail flavors in a portable snack form. Though, it should go without saying that these fruit leathers are non-alcoholic (even if you tried, the alcohol would evaporate away during the drying process).

Making fruit leathers at home is surprisingly simple and allows you to control exactly what goes into your snacks. These homemade fruit roll-ups are made with real fruit: no artificial food coloring or texturizing agents.  The dehydration process concentrates the natural sugars and flavors, resulting in a chewy, intensely flavored snack. 

These fruit rolls are a great lunch box addition, hiking snack, or anytime treat when you’re craving something sweet but wholesome.

While the drying time requires patience, the actual hands-on preparation is minimal. Just simmer, blend, spread, and wait for the magic to happen!

Ingredients

• Pineapple: If you live in a part of the country that has access to fresh, ripe pineapples, then you’re more than welcome to use them. We, however, do not. So we use canned pineapples instead. Picked at the peak of ripeness and packed in 100% pineapple juice, canned pineapples are the better option.
• Shredded coconut: We use unsweetened organic shredded coconut in this recipe. Nothing added, no additional sugars. 
• Lemon juice: Brightens flavor and adds pectin to help with the final texture of the fruit leathers.

How to Make Fruit Roll Ups—Step by Step

1. Open the can of pineapple and add the fruit & juice to a small saucepan with the lemon juice. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the pineapples have softened. 
2. Use an immersion blender or carefully transfer the pineapple into a blender or food processor and process until completely smooth. Spread the puree on a lined baking sheet or solid dehydrator tray, then sprinkle the shredded coconut over the top. The trick to fruit leathers is to spread the puree so the edges are a little thicker than the middle—it will dry from the outside in, so this helps to ensure it will all finish at the same time.

3. To dry in the oven: Place the baking sheet in the oven at the lowest temperature the oven can go (usually 160°F). Prop the door open with a wooden spoon to allow moisture to escape (be careful if you have curious pets or children!).
   To dry in a dehydrator: Place the puree in the dehydrator and set it to 135°F.
4. Dehydrate for a few hours* until the fruit leather is no longer tacky and can be peeled up in one piece with no wet or soft spots (approximately 4-5 hours in an oven or 7-8 hours in a dehydrator). 

*These times are just guidelines—the exact time will depend on the thickness of the puree, the humidity level in your house, etc. It’s best to judge doneness by look and feel, not just by time.

Helpful Tips

• This recipe can be easily scaled up to fill all the trays in your dehydrator. As written, it will fill one 10″x12″ tray (we use these in our Cosori dehydrator) or one half-sheet baking pan.
• Gently warming the pineapple with the lemon juice releases natural pectin, which helps give the fruit leather that perfect stretchy, elastic texture.
• If you’re making these in an oven, a silicone bake mat is a game-changer! It makes peeling your finished fruit leather effortlessly smooth.
• An offset spatula is your best friend for evenly spreading the pineapple mixture.
• Create slightly thicker edges than the center when spreading your puree. Since fruit leather dries from the outside in, this ensures everything dehydrates at the same time.
• After spreading the puree, clean up the edges by turning your offset spatula on its side and using it like a squeegee to create neat borders.
• For any edges that become too crisp or brittle during drying, dabbing with a damp paper towel adds just enough moisture to restore flexibility.