How to dry orange slices in the oven for decoration

Let’s learn how to dry orange slices for your Christmas decoration in the oven with a few simple steps! Take the Christmas season to slow down life in making your own beautiful decor today.

Natural Christmas Decoration

In order to give our home a cosy vide during the holidays I love to have some kind of Christmas decoration. Dried orange slices are a great way to use natural materials in your decor. They look cute, smell amazing and are 100% biodegradable.

I love knowing that if my baby catches some decor when we look away for a few seconds she won’t chew on some glitter or plastics. If you have older children this is a nice activity to decorate your home together.

How do you prepare your orange slices to dry them in the oven?

Orange slices will dry everywhere where it’s warm and dry. You can choose to hang them above a radiator and wait some days, but the oven definitely speeds up the process.

Slice your oranges into thin 2 inch slices (0.5cm). You can use regular oranges but you can also switch it up with blood oranges, lemons, limes and grape fruits for some cute different colors.

Dry the orange slices decently before adding to the baking tray. This step is optional but getting out as much liquid as possible will speed up the baking process. I like to use a clean cloth to dry them off but you can also use paper towel.

Place them next to each other on a baking tray. Using baking sheets are optional however it can happen that the slices develop a pattern kind of like a burger with barbecuing if you don’t use baking sheets and don’t turn them often enough.

How to bake the orange slices

You can place multiple trays into your oven. Bake them at 100°s C or 200°F with circulating air. If you have an oven where you can keep a wooden spoon in between the door to let moist escape you can do that too. Otherwise the moist air will escape when you turn it every 30 minutes.

It really depends on your apples and your oven as well as how many trays you use on how long you need to bake them. Mine were ready at 4 hours but it might go quicker or take longer. You can make a break if you need the oven and continue drying them off when you are ready again. If you bake them longer they will get a darker color, as if you stop earlier.

Storing dry orange slices from the oven

Depending on how dry they are you can store them in a closed glass for a very long time even for years. You can know if they are dry enough if they break with a crack when you bend them. Another option is hanging them somewhere dry but keep in mind that they will collect dust eventually.

If you want to dry the orange slices in the oven for consumption I would be very mindful how you store them and if they are truly dry enough that they don’t catch mold. In this case you best use them within the next few weeks in your teas or baking.

How to used oven dry orange slices for decorating

Orange slices look pretty on their own. You can make a little ‘bracelet’ with them and hang it somewhere. Personally I think that they go best together with fir branches from your Christmas tree. I also dried apple slices and used them together to make natural Christmas decor for this season.

Whatever you choose to do with them, keep in mind that they don’t only look beautiful but also smell amazing!

Recipe of oven dried orange slices

What is your favorite self made Christmas decor? Share it in the comments, I would love to read all about it!