These Homemade Chia Seed Fruit Roll-Ups for Kids are an easy, no-added-sugar snack made from just fruit, lemon juice, and a sprinkling of chia seeds. They bake low and slow until perfectly chewy, and they make a great option for lunchboxes or snacks. With only a few ingredients and no special equipment needed, this recipe is a fun way to make a familiar snack at home.
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As a dietitian and a mom, I love having snacks prepped and on hand for the week. But let’s be honest, these definitely take far longer to make then store-bought options. So although they’re a ton of fun for kids and fairly simple to pull together, they do take about 4-5 hours to fully bake and dry out. I recommend saving them for a Sunday prep session. Pop the tray in the oven, go spend some time with your kids, and come back later to a batch you can roll up and have ready for the week ahead!
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Ingredients for Homemade Fruit Leather for Kids
Here’s everything you need to make these homemade fruit leather roll-ups. I’ve provided three different flavour options here – Strawberry Apple, Blueberry Apple and Mango.
For Strawberry-Apple
- Strawberries
- Apple
- Lemon juice
- Chia seeds
For Blueberry-Apple:
- Blueberries
- Apple
- Lemon juice
- Chia seeds
Mango
- Mango chunks
- Lemon juice
- Chia seeds
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here’s how to make these easy fruit roll-ups for kids!
Add the frozen fruit and lemon juice to a medium pot and heat over medium-low until the fruit softens and begins breaking down, about 10 minutes.
Once the fruit is soft and has started breaking it down, turn off the heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth or add to a blender, allowing a bit of room at the lid for the steam to come out.
Add the chia seeds to the puree fruit and stir into mix.
Pour the blended fruit onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and spread it into a thin, even layer. Bake at 190 degrees F for 4.5-5 hours, until the fruit leather is fully dried, no longer shiny, and no longer sticky to the touch.
Hint: When spreading out the fruit mixture, if the edges are too thin, they’ll dry out much faster than the centre. I like to spread the purée slightly thicker around the edges and a touch thinner in the middle so everything finishes drying at the same time.
Substitutions
- Fruit: You can use almost any frozen fruit. Mango is naturally sweet and works well. Blueberries and strawberries are classic. Raspberries create a tangier roll-up.
- Chia seeds: Hemp hearts work well too.
- Add-ins: A small splash of vanilla can be a nice addition.
Here is what the mango chia fruit roll ups look like!
Variations
- Mixed Berry Roll-Ups: Use a combination of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
- Mango Peach: Sweet, soft, and perfect for toddlers who like milder flavours.
Equipment
- Immersion blender or regular blender
- Baking sheet
Storage
Store the sliced and rolled fruit leather roll-ups in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. The fridge helps keep them a bit softer, whereas I found at room temperature they got a little hard for kids. For longer storage, place the rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks. When ready to eat, let soften slightly at room temperature, it actually doesn’t take very long for them to soften up!
Toddler tip
The finished strips should be soft and slightly chewy, but not wet or sticky. This texture makes them easier for younger kids to manage safely. Although these fruit roll-ups have some chia seeds added to them, I recommend still pairing them with some protein or fat for a little more lasting power for your child. These fruit roll ups go great with some cheese, or a little yogurt or avocado.
FAQ
Yes. Fresh fruit works the same way, just make sure it’s soft and fully broken down before blending. If the fruit isn’t very juicy, you may need to add a splash of water to help it cook down.
It should look matte, not shiny, and feel dry rather than sticky when you lightly press the centre, and definitely shouldn’t feel soft or mushy. If the edges dry faster, you can trim them off and return the tray to the oven until the middle finishes.
Not really. Fruit leather needs low, slow heat to dry evenly without burning. The best way to shorten the total time is to spread the purée in a very even layer so it dries at the same rate across the pan.
Recipe
Homemade Chia Seed Fruit Roll-Ups for Kids
Equipment
- 1 Immersion blender or regular blender
- 1 baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberries or blueberries, or mango chunks frozen
- 1 apple peeled, chopped, about 2 cups (omit apple for mango version)
- ½ lemon fresh squeezed, about 2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the frozen fruit, chopped apple (omit apple for mango variation), and lemon juice to a medium pot and heat over medium-low until the fruit softens and begins breaking down, about 10 minutes.
- Once the fruit is soft, turn off the heat and blend the mixture until completely smooth using an immersion blender in the pot or transferring to a blender. If using a blender, leave a bit of room at the lid for steam to escape. Stir in the chia seeds.
- Pour the blended fruit mixture onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and spread it into a thin, even layer.
- Bake for 4.5-5 hours until the fruit leather is fully dried, no longer shiny, and no longer sticky to the touch. Remove the tray from the oven and let the fruit leather cool completely. All ovens are different! I suggest checking the fruit leather at 4 hours to see how it is feeling, and then continue checking every 30 minutes.
- Slice the fruit leather into strips (I find using a pizza cutter is helpful). Peel the cooled fruit leather off the parchment, and roll each strip with clean parchment if you want the classic fruit roll-up look!
Notes
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Megh says
These turned out so good. Kids will love them!