How to Dehydrate Plums

Plums = Prunes, Jams, and Pies!

Hey, you're about to learn how to dehydrate plums to make prunes!

It's funny how many people don't know what prunes really are (dehydrated plums!)—but the cat is out of the bag now! :-)

Make Plums... from Prunes!

Plums are a great source of carbohydrates, and a decent amount of dietary fiber too and when dried as prunes, they are famous for their aid in our digestive systems!

Just eat a couple a day and your digestive system will be fine!

According to Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, from About.com Home Cooking, prunes have a bad reputation with younger folk, and the prune industry got together and re-named the prunes—hence the name change from prunes to 'dried plums'!

Dehydrated plums make great for snacks, muffins, cookies, breads, and granola.




Plums Nutrition Info.

Plums are high in Vitamin A, followed by Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, and Choline.

In the mineral department, plums are high in Potassium, followed by Phosphorus, Magnesium, Calcium, Fluoride, and a trace amount of Iron.

They also contain Omega-6 fatty acids too.

When they're made into prunes, they are a good source of dietary fiber. They're also low in calories and fat.

How to Dehydrate Plums for Tasty Prunes

Let's get busy learning how to dehydrate plums!

Dried plums make prunes
  1. Wash the fresh plums, slice them in half, remove the pit, and pop the back* to expose more of its surface to the air. Slice into quarters if desired.
  2. Place them on your food dehydrator trays with the cut side up to prevent drips on the lower trays!
  3. Turn on your dehydrator and set the temperature between 125°F and 135°F (or per your food dehydrator's instructions).

*NOTE:
"Pop the back" simply means to turn the fruit inside out after slicing it in half, best done by using your thumb to push the skin side inwards.

When will Dehydrated Plums be Fully Dried?

  • Drying time: between 12-30 hours and the plums will be leathery in consistency when dried. See important notes from Beverly and Don, below.
  • Remember to rotate your food dehydrator trays, for even drying.

Which Plum Tree Makes the Best Prunes?

Plum treeUsed by Permission / Canva registered user

If you have a plum tree and are concerned about how to dehydrate plums and if your plum tree is suitable for prunes, please note there are many different types of plum trees that can be used for prunes.

However, some varieties are better than others. For example, the Satsuma plum tree is a popular choice for prunes. This variety produces large, sweet fruits that are perfect for drying.

Other good options include the European plum, the Japanese plum, and the Damson plum. Experiment and see what type of plum you like best!

What is a Stanley Prune Tree?

A Stanley prune tree is a type of plum tree that produces large, sweet fruits. The fruits of this tree are often used for drying and can be made into prunes.

The Stanley prune tree is native to the western United States. It's a popular choice for gardens and Orchards because it's easy to care for and produces a large crop of fruit.

If you're looking for a tree that will produce a lot of prunes, the Stanley prune tree is a good choice!

A Note from Beverly in Washington State:

Beverly, from Washington State, wanted to add this when she was dehydrating plums: They dried way faster than stated above, which was 22-30 hours:
in 16 hours at 72% humidity and 135°F degrees, my prunes/plums were almost
to the point of "brittle!" My plums were small ~ this is perhaps a factor as well.
I will shorten the drying time to 12 hours for the next batch.

Don Hendricks on Plum Trees:

NOTE: Don Hendricks posted this great information:
My "plum" tree is a Stanley Prune tree – although it is a variety of plum, it is an Italian PRUNE - it's where prune juice comes from – not all varieties will dry into a prune!

Margaret's Tip of the Day:

Margaret posted this great idea (on our Facebook page):
I sliced my plums into thin rings and dehydrated until crisp. Resulted in a great snack to eat on the go!




A Note from Beverly
in Washington State:

Beverly, from Washington State,
wanted to add this when she
was dehydrating plums:
They dried way faster than stated
above, which was 22-30 hours:
in 16 hours at 72% humidity
and 135°F degrees,
my prunes/plums were almost
to the point of "brittle!"

My plums were small ~ this is
perhaps a factor as well.

I will shorten the drying time to
12 hours for the next batch.

Don Hendricks
on Plum Trees:

NOTE: Don Hendricks posted this
great information:
My "plum" tree is a
 Stanley Prune tree –
although it is a variety of plum,
it is an Italian PRUNE -
it's where prune juice comes from –
not all varieties will dry into a prune!

Margaret's Tip
of the Day:

Margaret posted this great idea
(on our Facebook page):
I sliced my plums into thin rings
and dehydrated until crisp.

Resulted in a great snack to
eat on the go!

Thanks for visiting how to dehydrate plums. Be sure to check out all our fruits on this page.


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Susan Gast, owner of Easy Food Dehydrating plus ePubTechReviews.com, and SusanGast.com

Susan Gast began Easy Food Dehydrating in December 2010.

Read Susan's story of what sparked her interest in all things related to "food dehydrating."

She is featured on the Mother Earth News blog, and on Solo Build It! (SBI!) who hosts this site. Read her first SBI! interview and her second SBI! interview.

Since 1980, Susan's involvement in publishing - in one form or another - led her to create ePubTechReviews which reviews a variety of products related to the publishing industry - if you're at all interested in AI and self-publishing. The website is also hosted by Solo Build It!

Susan also runs her namesake site SusanGast.com on Solo Build It! that showcases the books she has written since 2012.

Do you want to send Susan a quick message? Visit her contact page here. She'd love to hear from you!