How Much Fruit Fills a Dehydrator?
Get the Tray Breakdown Here

Drying fruit at home is exciting — but before you load up your dehydrator, it helps to know exactly how much fruit you’ll need to fill the trays. Whether you’re prepping apples, peaches, or grapes, the right amount depends on your dehydrator size and how you slice your produce.

✅ Quick Answer: How much fruit fills a dehydrator?
On average, 3–4 apples, 2 lbs of grapes, or 6–8 bananas will fill four dehydrator trays. The exact amount depends on fruit type, slice thickness, and tray size, but 2–4 pounds of produce usually fills a standard four-tray machine.

This guide makes it easy: I’ll show you the average amount of fresh or frozen fruit needed to fill four trays — so you can shop smarter, prevent waste, and enjoy perfectly portioned dried fruit every time.

sliced in half green grapes on a Nesco dehydrator

But for now, we're going on the assumption that you're filling FOUR full trays. I created this guide to help make that decision easier for you.

It helps to have a rough idea of how much fruit to purchase at the store!

🛒 How Much Fruit Should You Buy to Fill a Dehydrator?

My handy dandy guide helps you figure out how much to buy if you cannot afford to buy in bulk, or don't have room to store it, and prefer picking up your fruit on a weekly basis.

Maybe it's time to begin growing your own. But... most of us do not have tons of spare time to grow stuff or have room in our fridges and freezers to store it.

Before you go out and buy too much though, a little farther down the page I'll show you roughly how much fruit will fit on four dehydrator trays.

Please remember this is just a guide. It's not an exact science...

Fruit-to-Tray Breakdown: Exactly How Much Fills 4 Trays

  • Apples: fresh, 3-4 medium
  • Apricots: fresh, 5 whole per tray (20 total); frozen, 2lb bag
  • Bananas: fresh, 6-8 medium to large
  • Berries: fresh or frozen, 2lb
  • Cherries: fresh or frozen, 2lb
  • Grapes: fresh, 1lb if cut in half; 2lb if left whole
  • Citrus: 4-5 medium oranges,
    7-8 lemons or limes
  • Melon: 2lbs diced
  • Peaches: fresh, 4 whole if slicing; 16 whole if halving—but please note: you may have to use an Excalibur machine which has the ability to remove alternate trays to allow for the height of the peach, so that would drop the quantity down to 8 and two trays; frozen, 2lb
  • Pears: fresh, 4-6 whole pears; frozen, 2lb
  • Plums: fresh, 24-28 whole, sliced in half—but please note: you may have to use an Excalibur machine which has the ability to remove alternate trays to allow for the height of the plums, so that would drop the quantity down to 12-14 and two trays; frozen, 2lb
  • Rhubarb: fresh, 2lbs sliced into 1" chunks
  • Strawberries: fresh, 1-1/2 to 2lbs; frozen, 2lbs

Why Nesco Dehydrators Need a Minimum of 4 Trays

The reason why I picked how much fruit it takes to fill four full trays is this: FOUR trays are the Nesco Dehydrator brand's recommended minimum tray usage.

If you use any less than four full trays, for instance only two trays, then you are not getting the proper air circulation necessary to dry your fruits properly.

Mess-Free Drying: Do You Really Need Non-Stick Sheets?

Read more about Nesco dehydrators here. They have plenty of great accessories, such as spare trays (I purchased the four-tray starter Nesco); and they have non-stick solid sheets which are great for making fruit leathers.

The non-stick mesh sheets are great for stopping smaller pieces of food from dropping down into the tray below. When food dries, natural shrinkage occurs. Keeping the dried food on the trays means less stuff to clean up out of the bottom of the dehydrator, right? Right!

Excalibur dehydrators also have non-stick sheets for the same purposes I listed above as the Nesco dehydrator.

For the Elite Gourmet dehydrator I also own, I purchased sheets which I had to cut to size.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases. The price you pay does not increase.  Read disclosure here.

Which Brand of Dehydrator Works Best for Fruit Drying?

As mentioned in the dehydrator section, I do have an Excalibur dehydrator and a Nesco dehydrator. Also, check out my Elite Gourmet dehydrator!

I use the Nesco on a daily/weekly basis, and the Excalibur is great for proofing bread! I love the Elite Gourmet because I can SEE what's on the trays!

Smart Questions About Filling a Dehydrator with Fruit

Can I mix different fruits on one tray?

Yes, but keep fruits of similar size and moisture together. Apples and pears pair well, while grapes and bananas should be dried separately to avoid uneven results.

How thick should I slice fruit for best drying?

Slice most fruits about ¼-inch thick. Thinner slices dry faster but may stick or crumble; thicker slices retain chewiness but take longer.

How much fruit should I buy for a full dehydrator load?

Plan on 2–4 pounds of fruit to fill four trays, depending on the fruit type and cut size. Use the chart above as a quick shopping guide.

Do I need to prep fruit before dehydrating?

Yes - wash, peel (if needed), and treat light-colored fruits like apples or pears with lemon water to prevent browning. See our individual fruit page guides.

Now you know how much fruit it really takes to fill your dehydrator — from apples and bananas to grapes and peaches — so you can skip the guesswork and dry with confidence.

Ready to put that dried fruit to delicious use? Grab your free 5 Dried Food Recipes You'll Actually Love PDF (below) and try out carrot soup, minestrone soup, split pea soup, spicy beef jerky, or banana cinnamon rolls today!

Grab 5 Dried Food Recipes You'll Actually Love

5 Easy Dried Food Recipes free PDF

Here's where you can get your copy of our all new
5 Dried Food Recipes (That Actually Taste Great)
They're my all-time favorite easy dried food meals!

Get it here right now.

For Free!

You Might Like These

You Might Like These


Before You Go...

If you like the content, please give me some love by clicking on the 🩷 in the lower right-hand corner (on just about all my pages). This signals to me that you find it enjoyable and useful.

5 Dried Food Recipes That Actually Taste Good free PDF download!

And don’t forget to grab your FREE 5 Dried Food Recipes via the opt-in form — they're waiting for you! Thank you so much! (Get it here).