In this post, learn how to make dried orange slices to use in traditional Christmas decorating as well as in holiday recipes. No fancy equipment required!
Dried orange slices are such a beautiful addition to your Christmas decoration plans and making them is a great activity for the family to do together for the holidays. The key, which is not my strong suit, is patience. Perfectly dried orange slices are easy to make, but they do take the better part of a day, so make sure to plan ahead before drying your slices so that they’re ready when you need them and the dehydration process is fully complete.
Get recipe ideas for using dry orange slices: DIY Mulling Spices
Supplies Needed for the Drying Process
You’ll need:
- Navel oranges (I used two to fill a cookie tray)
- A rimmed baking sheet
- Parchment paper or a silpat for lining your baking tray
- A wire rack for cooling after you dehydrate
- Your oven
I wouldn’t suggest using a non-stick spray for your oranges if you intend to use them for decor at all because you don’t want a greasy residue being left on everything they touch. Completely dry orange slices are best! If you prefer to use a dehydrator, you absolutely can, but since not all people have one, we’ll be using an oven for today’s tutorial.
More Christmas kitchen inspiration: Crock Pot Mulled Cider Recipe
How to Dry Orange Slices in the Oven
Cookie-sheet oven drying is a great way to to tackle this drying and preserving project. Your house will have an amazing candied orange peel aroma and it’s an easy, inexpensive, and memorable project to do by yourself or with the whole family. The trick to getting perfectly dry orange slices is to use a very low heat setting, which is of course why these take so long. Oranges have a lot of water in them and that takes time to dry out. It’s quite different from baking cookies, but still just as cozy.
Whatever you do, don’t raise the temperature of your oven hoping to speed the process up a bit, your peels will almost definitely burn and discolour and you may experience a lot of warping. So take your time, have some patience, and enjoy the delightfully orangey scent filling your home that day.
More natural decorating: DIY Foraged Christmas Door Swag
Preparing Oranges for Drying
To dry the oranges, slice them carefully and evenly into rounds of no more than 1/4 inch thick using a very sharp knife. 1/8 inch is better if you can manage it. Arrange the sliced oranges on your parchment lined baking sheet so that each slice has plenty of breathing room and no slices are touching each other.
Bake at 180-200 degrees, depending on how low your oven will go, for about 4 hours, rotating the trays every hour or so. Begin checking for done-ness after about 3 hours and remove your orange slices when they’re fully dry and slightly crispy.
More holiday home ideas: Simple Christmas Decoration Ideas Using Things You Already Have Around the House
Beautiful Results
You can see that mine are definitely imperfect, and I did end up with some darker spots on the oranges, but I almost think that adds to the authentic look. There were no food dehydrators back in Victorian times when dried orange slices were so popular for Christmas decor, so I’m going to assume theirs were slightly imperfect too. I love the stained-glass effect of the dried fruit in the middle of each slice.
Read next: The Easy Way to Deseed a Pomegranate
Variations to Try
If you get inspired to decorate your home with dried orange slices, you can also try this same technique with dried lemons, dried limes, or even dried grapefruit. A red and green lime and dried blood orange garland would be perfect a Christmas decoration for your mantel.
More dried fruit ideas perfect for baked goods: How to Make Dried Apple or Pear Slices
How to Use Dried Orange Slices
Elegant dry orange slices are a classic symbol of Christmas and they can be used in so many different recipes, crafts, and decor ideas. Mulled wine is a comforting warm beverage and these orange slices are perfect to have on hand when you’d like to make a batch for family and friends. You can add orange slices to garlands, wreaths, or you can just hang them right on your tree! They also make a beautiful gift topper tied up with ribbon and a sprig of fresh cedar, pine, or spruce.
More old-fashioned DIY Christmas fun: How to Make Scented Pinecones
How to Add Vertical Ribbon to a Christmas Tree
Whether you prefer a spool of burlap for a cozy, rustic look, grosgrain ribbon, shining satin ribbon, plaid ribbon, or elegant velvet ribbon, this technique will elevate your Christmas decor this holiday season. The best part is that it’s deceptively simple and easy to do!
Get the how-to: How to Add Vertical Ribbon to a Christmas Tree
5 Reasons Why Your Christmas Decor Doesn’t Look Quite Right
Do you ever feel like for some reason that you can’t quite put your finger on, your holiday decor doesn’t look quite right? If you find yourself feeling more frustrated than jolly when it’s time to pull out the Christmas decorations and deck the halls, you might be making one of these common Christmas decorating mistakes.
Get to the bottom of it: 5 Reasons Why Your Christmas Decor Doesn’t Look Quite Right
Christmas Tree Decorations: Tricks for an Immediate Boost to Your Decor
With a few tricks and tactics, you can take your tree from boring and uninspired to elegant and awe-inspiring, often by reusing a lot of what you already own. You may just need to use your existing Christmas decor and tree ornaments in a different way. In this article, I’ll outline a few easy-but-impactful ideas to try on your tree this year.
Learn the tricks: Christmas Tree Decoration Tricks for an Immediate Boost to Your Decor
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.