Dried citrus slices have many uses.  I have seen numerous crafts on Pinterest using dried citrus slices in Christmas ornaments, potpourri, garland and more.  My favorite use for dried citrus slices is to garnish cocktails.  Other food uses includes adding them to a charcuterie or dipping the dried fruit into chocolate.

Dried citrus slices are easy to make, but they will take time to dry in a 200 degree oven.  All citrus can be dried, however, the bake time will vary by the size and thickness of each slice.  Bake times will vary from two to fours hours depending on the citrus, slice thickness and stove calibration.  Limes, lemons and tangerines will dry in approximately two to three hours.  Oranges and grapefruit will dry in three to fours hours.

I love drying oranges and grapefruit because of their bold colors.  A lime’s bright green hue tends to dull during the drying process, however, they do make lovely margarita garnishes.  Now that I have shared a couple of uses for dried citrus slices, let’s get to the recipe!

How to Dry Citrus Slices for your Holiday Cocktails and Crafts

Dried citrus slices are an inexpensive and fragrant way to garnish cocktails, add zest to a charcuterie and creatively integrate into crafts.

  • 1 lime
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tangerine
  • 1 orange
  • 1 grapefruit
  • Wash citrus. Thinly slice citrus using a sharp knife. Remove seeds from the sliced citrus.
  • Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place citrus slices on the parchment paper. Once the baking sheet is fully covered, place in the oven’s center rack.
  • Depending on the citrus type, the bake time will vary. Thinly sized limes, lemons and tangerines will dry in two to three hours. Oranges and grapefruit will dry in three to four hours.
  • Halfway through the bake time, open the stove and flip the citrus slices.
  • After the slices have dried for their designated time, remove them from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
  • Allow the citrus slices to cool for a couple of hours before adding to cocktails. Cool citrus slices for 12-24 hours before using in crafts. Store any remaining citrus slices in airtight containers.

Tools used to make Dried Citrus Slices:

Cutting board

Sharp knife

Large cookie sheet

Parchment paper

I hope that you enjoy this dried citrus recipe as much as I do!

Depending on the amount of citrus that you plan to dry, you may need one additional baking sheet.  During the baking process, you will love the gorgeous citrus aroma in your home.   If you do not use all of your citrus immediately, you can preserve them in an airtight container.  Do not layer the dried citrus on top of each other.  Place a parchment sheet between the dried citrus slices.

As I mentioned earlier, I love garnishing my cocktails with dried citrus.  Dried oranges look especially lovely in my Cranberry Orange Margarita Cocktail.  For additional garnish inspiration, click here to see my Candied Cranberries recipe.