Ripe but firm strawberries are suitable for drying. The berries should not be overripe or watery. Large strawberries are easier to cut, but small ones will work just as well. Before you start drying, the strawberries need to be thoroughly washed and stemmed. Place the strawberries on a towel and let them dry. Wet strawberries take longer to dry and are less resistant to cutting.


You need to cut the strawberries into slices. The thickness of the plates depends on where you plan to use the berries. For tea, it is better to cut thinly, about 3 mm. The cutting knife must be sharp, otherwise the strawberries will release juice. I use a paring knife or a thin serrated knife.


In order to cut strawberries a little thicker (5 mm), you can use not only a knife, but also various devices, for example, an egg slicer or a knife like this for slicing tomatoes. All plates are the same thickness, which means they will dry equally.

Don't cut all the strawberries at once. It’s better to chop and arrange some of the berries, then chop some more. The number of strawberries you need will depend on the thickness of the slices and the number of trays in your dryer.


Place the sliced ​​strawberries in the trays in one layer to prevent the slices from sticking together. Dry the strawberries for about 12 hours. It is difficult to indicate the exact time, because... Each dryer has its own characteristics. During the drying process, it is recommended to change the trays several times, so the berries will dry more evenly, and you can control the process.

The variety of berries is so pleasing in the summer that you want to preserve their aroma and taste for a long time. Some people make jam from them, freeze berries, prepare marshmallows or candied fruits. However, the berries can also be dried. It is very easy to do this at home.

Preparing the berries

Dried strawberries are an excellent vitamin preparation for the winter. These berries can be consumed on their own, you can add them to tea or compotes, or to a variety of baked goods. It is also worth mentioning that when dried, the berry retains many beneficial properties. Dried strawberries contain numerous vitamins, minerals and other beneficial substances.

First you need to select high-quality berries and prepare them for the further process. Only ripe specimens without a single flaw are suitable for drying. Try to choose varieties so that the berries are sweet and dense. Soft and watery varieties already lose their shape during washing and become completely unsuitable for drying.

We carefully wash the ripe berries under running water and remove the leaves. Then place them in one layer on paper towels to allow the strawberries to dry a little. Then we cut each berry into thin plates 5 mm thick. Try to keep the plates the same thickness. You can cut it both lengthwise and crosswise. After the berries are prepared, you can proceed to the drying process.

Drying methods

Prepared strawberries can simply be dried in the open air. Perhaps this is the simplest and most proven drying method. It is quite possible to use the method of our grandmothers: you need to string each plate on a thread and hang it to dry. It is advisable to dry it outside if possible. As a rule, the berries are dried in this way for 3-4 days.

You can also air dry strawberries in another way. To do this, you will need a flat surface, which must be covered with several layers of newspaper. It is better to put white thick paper on top of the newspapers. This is necessary so that the paint from the newspapers does not absorb into the pieces of berries. Place strawberry slices in one layer. If you use this recipe, remember that the plates need to be turned over periodically so that the strawberries dry evenly on both sides. After 3-4 days the berries will be ready.

By the way, on the first day you will need to replace the paper soaked in juice.

If you want to speed up the process, you can dry the berries in the oven. Strawberries cut into slices should be placed in one layer on a baking sheet, which must first be covered with baking paper. Fruits need to be dried at a temperature of 50-60°C. At higher temperatures they will begin to brown. Therefore, if you have a gas oven, it is recommended to constantly monitor the temperature.

After an hour and a half, remove the berries from the oven, turn them over and let them cool completely. After this, place the baking sheet back in the oven and dry the strawberry plates on the other side for another hour and a half. For better drying, the oven door should be opened slightly.

Nowadays, you can use a more modern and faster method. For example, dry the berries in an electric dryer. We place the prepared pieces in one layer on special trays of the device. Set the temperature to 55°C and turn on the electric dryer.

If the house does not have an electric dryer for berries and vegetables, then it is quite possible to use a regular microwave oven. Place the prepared pieces on a flat dish. It is recommended to first cover the dish with baking paper or a thick paper napkin. We also cover the top of the berries with thin paper. We set the power to 600 W and turn on the timer for exactly 3 minutes. After that, open the door and remove the top paper.

It is quite possible to use an air fryer to dry strawberries. The prepared pieces should be placed on a tray and the temperature should be set to 45°C. During drying, open the lid slightly to allow excess moisture to evaporate. The drying process in such a unit will take a maximum of two hours. After an hour of such drying, the temperature should be increased to 60°C. At the same time, there is no need to turn the strawberries over during the process.

Small strawberries can be dried whole. Peeled and washed berries must first be dried a little in the sun. It is advisable to dry them in the sun for 24 hours. Afterwards you can place them in the oven and dry them at a temperature of no more than 50°C. A well-dried berry decreases in size and does not stick to your hands at all.

Storage and use

Dried strawberries must be stored properly, otherwise they may become moldy. The ideal storage place is a glass container with a tight lid. In this form, the berries can be stored for up to two years.

Dried strawberry slices can be crushed in a coffee grinder and the powder can be added to baked goods. As a result, the cupcakes or pies will be a pleasant pink color and acquire an extraordinary aroma. Strawberry powder goes very well with classic charlotte. An infusion of dried strawberries is used during seasonal colds. This drink strengthens the immune system and has a positive effect on health.

To learn how to dry strawberries, see the following video.


Our experience of drying strawberries in the Ezidri dryer.

We took hard, slightly unripe strawberries. It is not recommended to dry crushed strawberries, but they can be turned into wonderful ones. We washed them and removed the tails. We cut 5 mm plates into slices. Placed on trays in a single layer and dried for approximately 9 hours. The pieces of dried strawberries became brittle and did not stick to the fingers. Drying 13 times.

Dried berries are placed in an airtight ceramic or glass container, or in a gauze bag, and placed on a shelf in a dry room. It is necessary to ensure that the container is not exposed to sunlight. When properly stored, the berries retain their taste for 2 years.

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Strawberries are a healthy treat for kids and parents. Eating and variety of dishes depends on the imagination of the hostess. Dried berries are added to cocktails, tea, and used as dessert. You can prepare puree soup, confectionery powder, boil jelly, add them to yogurt and ice cream. Anything with strawberries will be incredibly delicious. Dried berries can be crushed into powder and used as a flavoring in baked goods.


Confectionery powder made from dried strawberries.
Beautiful and undamaged berries are washed, cut into small longitudinal slices and sent to an electric dryer. After drying, the strawberries are crushed in a blender, coffee grinder or food mill. The result is an aromatic powder, which is used to prepare flour products, sweets, and drinks. You can sprinkle the powder on finished cakes and pastries, or cook delicious oatmeal.

A few pieces of dried berries are added to the teapot along with the usual tea leaves and covered with warm material for infusion. Fragrant and fortified tea with a delicate taste and aroma improves immunity, which is important during the off-season and winter.

Strawberries retain all their beneficial substances after drying. But how nice it is to drink strawberry tea on a winter evening, eat a cake or pie with strawberries and enjoy the taste of summer. Strawberries should be present in the diet all year round, because one small handful of berries will protect the body from diseases. Whatever one may say, strawberries in winter are the healthiest and most delicious dried berries.

You can dry strawberries for the winter using either the berry or the leaf. Dry berries will be a delicacy for tea, and dry leaves will become the tea itself. The biggest problem is drying the berries.

How to dry strawberries

It is difficult to dry juicy berries. A person who decides to make supplies for the winter by drying faces many dangers. The slightest oversight - and the berries will rot or become moldy. At the same time, if you artificially create too high a temperature, you can lose many valuable substances for the sake of which reserves are produced.

  • Preparatory stage.The main condition is not to wash, because berries soaked in additional moisture can become sour, ferment, rot or mold. For clean housewives, this condition often seems unacceptable. However, drying berries requires a special approach and look at the harvesting procedure.

This method requires the most time and attention. You have to constantly monitor the weather and transfer berries from outside to indoors and back. For this reason, it is better to lay them out on fabric or paper, which are placed on an easily portable wooden or metal base. Fabric and paper should not be dyed, as the dye may adversely affect the beneficial properties of strawberries or wild strawberries. It is better to use unbleached brown paper or gauze.

This is an easier and faster way to produce dry berries. After the preparatory stage, the fruits are laid out on a baking sheet and placed in the oven. The process begins with a temperature of 40 degrees. In this mode, the berries are dried for 2-3 hours. Then you need to take out the baking sheet, turn the berries over and continue the process for another 2 hours, but at a temperature of 60 degrees.

The times given here are approximate. It all depends on the size and condition of the fruit. The degree of readiness can be judged by color and grains. Initially light red fruits change color to bright burgundy. At the same time, the grains become bright and shiny.

Dried strawberries are placed in a glass jar, cloth bag or paper bag. Do not forget that not only people like such a tasty product. Various insects will definitely be interested in them, because dried strawberries, and especially wild strawberries, emit a strong smell. It can be visited by ants, cockroaches, moths - small butterflies like moths, which prefer to eat cereals, flour and dried fruits instead of fur coats. For this reason, the most reliable way to store aromatic berries is glass jars.

Harvesting leaves

Strawberry leaf is used for:
  • flu;
  • sore throat (rinsing);
  • stomach cramps;
  • gastritis;
  • peptic ulcer;
  • liver diseases;
  • pancreatitis.

The leaf has a particularly beneficial effect on the digestive system.

It is usually recommended to harvest the leaf while the plants are flowering. However, this rule is not absolute. It’s just that during this period the plant is most active and filled with maximum beneficial properties. For strawberries and wild strawberries, the period of fruit ripening is not fundamentally different from flowering, so you can collect leaves both during flowering and during fruiting. But after the fruits are ripe, it is undesirable to collect the leaves, since they lose their beneficial properties.

To dry, you need to collect the leaves so that they do not need to be washed. After collecting, it is enough to place them somewhere in a dry place, but away from direct sunlight. It is better to store them in a closed glass jar. They are less popular with various insects. However, the moth may well lay eggs in them, and cockroaches may choose them as a refuge.

Where can dried strawberries be used?

Dried strawberries, despite following the drying regime, lose some of their beneficial properties. However, it retains the aroma and richness of taste.

Dried strawberries and strawberries can be used in:

  • pies as a filling and part of the dough;
  • making ice cream;
  • formation of various cocktails;
  • making homemade sweets with berry filling.

All these delicious culinary masterpieces can be combined with strawberry leaf tea. Since the leaves are useful, but do not have a bright berry aroma, you can add black currant, linden, lemongrass, and raspberry leaves to tea. Based on this tea, you can create a cocktail with dried berries and ice cream.

Strawberry leaves: beneficial properties (video)

Here are just a few examples of how small plants with fragrant fruits can be used. If you also prepare for the winter, for example, black currants pureed with sugar, then your ability to create culinary works of art will increase several times.

Home-dried wild strawberries are used to make cakes, desserts, and drinks. By adding a few berries to tea, you can enjoy not only the wonderful taste, but also the aroma of a forest clearing.

In folk medicine, an infusion of dried berries and leaves is used internally for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, urinary system and as a general tonic, and also externally for the treatment of wounds, ulcers, and acne.

In order for the berries to be preserved for a long time, it is very important to prepare them correctly.

Strawberries are not washed before drying, they are simply cleaned of debris.

How to dry strawberries in the oven

If you prefer the oven, the cooking process will proceed as follows.

The oven is heated to 35°C. The fruits are spread evenly in one layer on a baking sheet and placed in the oven. The berries will dry within an hour.

After this, the temperature in the oven can be increased to 60°C and the strawberries can continue to dry in the oven. Typically this will take another couple of hours.

This is the most affordable way to dry these berries for the winter at home.

How to air dry strawberries

The process of drying strawberries in the fresh air will take a little longer and require some effort.

The fruits must be laid out in one layer, but loosely, on some natural fabric.

Strawberries should be outside all daylight hours. As soon as dusk comes, the berries should be brought home.

The duration of drying the berries in the fresh air will be 2-3 weeks.



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Small wild berries can be dried with twigs, collected together with leaves into bouquets. They need to be washed in cool water, tied into bunches and hung with the berries down in a ventilated, shaded place. When the strawberry bouquets are dry, you can break them and put them in jars for storage.

How to dry strawberries in an air fryer

In an air fryer, drying takes place in a special mode at a temperature of 45-60 degrees and medium blowing speed.

When using an air fryer, you are not responsible for the process, but the device. Place your groceries and calmly go about your business.

The drying time in a convection oven is several times shorter than in an oven, since air circulation is extremely active. However, the air fryer is not designed for moisture drainage, so leave the lid ajar in any way convenient for you, for example, by inserting a toothpick or skewer.

The disadvantage of an air fryer is the size of the container, which is significantly smaller than the size of the oven. You will have to dry it in several passes. About 0.8-1.2 kg of berries are placed in the air fryer, although after drying the finished product, 0.3-0.5 kg comes out.

The undoubted advantage of the air fryer is the speed of operation (3-4 times higher than that of an oven) and the absence of heat in the kitchen.

How to properly dry strawberries? They are placed in a 2-3 cm layer on a sieve and processing begins at 40-45 degrees, at the end of drying at approximately 60 degrees.

How to dry strawberries in an electric dryer

The range of electric dryers is quite wide, and therefore their operating principles are different. It is worth reading the instructions carefully, since the drying time for strawberries can range from 6 to 12 hours.

Place the berries on clean trays in one layer, preferably without touching each other.

Turn on the electric dryer and set the temperature to 50-55 degrees. Check periodically and, if necessary, rearrange the pallets.

Properly dried berries do not stick together, easily crumble and separate from each other, do not release juice and do not stain your hands.

Dried strawberries are dark red in color and their grains become shiny.

You can store prepared berries in bags made of natural fabric. But it is best in tightly sealed dark glass containers. It is this kind of container that will best prevent damage to raw materials by codling moths and other pests.

The shelf life of berries is no more than two years. At the same time, if the raw material begins to become damp, it is recommended to dry it again.