How long to dehydrate apricots

Last reviewed July 2026.

Around 18 to 24 hours for halves at 140°F — apricots are a long-drying stone fruit, much like peaches. Extension guidance dries apricots at 140°F in a dehydrator or oven, and the average time for apricot halves is 18–24 hours (up to 36 for very juicy fruit). The finish line is the fruit, not the clock: dry until soft, pliable, and leathery, with no moist area in the center when you cut a cooled piece open.

Halve, pit, and lay them cavity-up

Cut each apricot in half and remove the pit, then arrange the halves in a single layer pit-side (cavity) up — popping the cavity open exposes more flesh to the air and speeds drying. You can slice them instead for a faster dry, but halves are the classic dried apricot and the reason the time runs long: a thick, juicy dome holds a lot of water.

Pretreat so they don't turn brown

This is the most-searched apricot worry, and the fix is a pre-drying dip. Extension guidance dips the cut fruit for about 10 minutes in an ascorbic-acid solution (roughly 3 grams of ascorbic acid per gallon of cold water) before it goes on the tray. No powder handy? A 3–5 minute soak in orange, pineapple, or lemon juice works too — those juices carry natural ascorbic acid. The dip protects color and slows spoilage; skip it and the halves darken as they dry.

In an air fryer, oven, or dehydrator

An air fryer on a dehydrate setting can dry a thin single layer of apricot slices, but the small basket and long dry time make it impractical for a big batch of halves — it's better for a snack-sized run. An oven at its lowest setting near 140°F with the door propped runs the same logic and, moving less air than a dehydrator, sits at the long end of the range. Whichever you use, the temperature is 140°F and the doneness is the same cut-and-check test — only the airflow, and so the hours, change.

Condition, then store

After drying, condition the apricots — pack loosely in a jar for several days and stir so any leftover moisture equalizes across the batch. Condensation in the jar means they need more drying. It's the step that turns a "done" batch into one that actually keeps.

Sources — read them yourself

• Utah State University Extension — Preserving Apricots (140°F, halve+pit cavity-up, 18–24 h, ascorbic/juice pretreat)
• Colorado State University Extension — Drying Fruits 9.309 (pretreatment, leathery doneness, conditioning)
• NCHFP — Drying foods at home (fruit temperatures, conditioning)

Related: peaches · pears · apples · strawberries · why fruit dries at ~135–140°F, not 165°F.

Dehydrator Score indexes published specs and marketing claims against the USDA/NCHFP record, with attribution — we test nothing and give no safety advice. For drying guidance use NCHFP or your extension office. If a source changes, the page changes — the record wins.