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Sweetened lightly, Winter Squash “Fruit” Leather is the PUMPKIN SPICE of fruit leathers! But there’s no fruit in these fun, delicious leathers. Enjoy as a fun snack, healthy dessert or convenient lunch box food item!
Perfect for fall and winter, they’re Paleo, Vegan and AIP friendly.
Winter Squash “Fruit” Leather for snacks
Those of us on whole food diets always appreciate a grab-and-go snack that’s super healthy, yields energy and isn’t necessarily fruit-based. This vegetable leather is just the snack. Winter squash fruit leathers are perfect for little ones, lunches and even for grown-ups. They’re a novelty, yet they’re familiar and delicious.
Quick to whip up, pretty to wrap up and fun to eat up, Winter Squash Fruit Leather are a great and convenient snack food.
Fast to make Winter Squash “Fruit” Leather
Very little prep time is required to make this recipe, about 20 minutes total. Most of the cooking time is the passive time while the dehydrator creates the leather.
Once the leather is done, you can cut and wrap the leather with scissors. The leather rolls up nicely for easy and cute storage.
Allergy-friendly
This recipe fits most wellness diets: Paleo, Vegan, Plant-based, GAPS and AIP. Even fruit-free.
Vary the sweetener or spices to fit your diet. Those details are given in the recipe below.
Substitutions for winter squash
Can you sub the winter squash with canned pumpkin?
I don’t know. My thought is: It will work, but it won’t taste quite as good. Canned pumpkin is more bitter than freshly baked winter squash. That’s why pumpkin pie recipes use so much cream, eggs, sweetener and spices, to dilute the canned product. So I think sticking to fresh winter squash is best.
However, you could add some coconut cream and extra sweetener to canned pumpkin, and I think that would work. Still, fresh is best. If you experiment, just know that the ratio of sweetener is important, because it’s what keeps the leathers pliable as they dehydrate.
Winter Squash "Fruit" Leathers (Pumpkin Spice)
Equipment
- dehydrator
Ingredients
- 2 cups winter squash , already baked — preferably kabocha or butternut varieties; If you don't have leftover winter squash, bake a whole kabocha or butternut on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees for an hour and a half, depending on its size, or until a knife slides through the flesh easily. Poke a sharp knife through one side before baking to allow steam to escape.
- ¼ cup honey local, raw (for vegan, use maple syrup)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger ground
- ⅛ teaspoon each: allspice, cloves and nutmeg (cloves and mace are AIP friendly)
Instructions
- Place the cooked, cooled winter squash into a high-powered blender.
- Add the remaining ingredients and blend on low speed for 30-50 seconds, until the puree is smooth and the ingredients are evenly combined.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and pour the puree into the center of the paper.
- Use an offset spatula to spread the puree out to 1/4" thickness.
- Dehydrate between 95 and 145 degrees for 4-8 hours, depending on your dehydrator. The leather is done when it is tacky but no longer wet at all in the center. The leather should be pliable, not brittle.
Nutrition
Dawn says
This is a great idea! Can you make these in an oven if you don’t have a dehydrator? My oven only goes down to 175 degrees.
Megan Stevens says
You can try, if you have a way of propping the oven door open just slightly to release the moisture. Most dehydrating is done at 145 degrees or lower. If you don’t mind the open oven door then 175 may work. I’m sorry I can’t say for sure. 😉
Dawn says
Thanks, propping the door open is a good idea. It’s worth a shot!
Barb says
Do you have to bake your squash or could you maybe cube and boil it?
Megan Stevens says
Great question. This would increase the water content of the squash. It’s possible all would be made right again when it gets dehydrated. But that’s the risk: the overly watery beginning would tweak the ratio of ingredients by adding water and taking away actual measurable squash. It’s worth a try if you don’t mind the risk.
Bet Sobon says
Don’t boil the squash, you will lose a lot of the nutrients and natural sweetness of it.
LittleOwlCrunchyMomma says
Totally trying these tomorrow!
Megan Stevens says
Yay, so glad!! 🙂
Jessica from SimplyHealthyHome says
I am going to try this soon. My guys love fruit leather. This is so simple too. Thank you.
Megan Stevens says
So glad! Yes, so simple! 🙂
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
I love this recipe! I would love to make these.
Megan Stevens says
Thanks, Emily! I hope that you get to and that your family loves them as much as our family does! 🙂
linda spiker says
I am going to make these for the grand babies:)
Megan Stevens says
Yay, very fun!
Renee Kohley says
I would love to make this for the girls. I am going to get that on the homeschool list to make with my 3 year old next week.
Megan Stevens says
Very fun!
Rachel @ day2day joys says
What a great tutotial for a kid-friendly healthy snack.. I want to make some!
Megan Stevens says
🙂
Chloe says
Great idea! This looks like it would be really good.
naturalfitfoodie says
I would love to try and make this but I don’t have a dehydrator. Might give it a go in the oven. Thanks for sharing Megan!
Megan Stevens says
Great! Just prop the door open for ventilation, if you try the oven. 😉 …unless your oven goes down to 145 degrees or lower.
Jaime says
I made these yesterday and really like them. I want to make more since I have a few more from my garden. What’s the best way to store these for several weeks?
Megan says
Terrific! I just put them on the counter/in the pantry in a sealed mason jar. But you could put the jar in the fridge, too, if you were concerned there was any moisture.