A friend mentioned that she tried making dried orange slices, but they didn’t dry quite right. She asked how I make mine for garlands and centerpieces at Christmas time. I happened to be making a fresh batch to use as accents on my gift wrap this year, so I put together a video on Instagram and this blog post on how to make simple dried orange slices.
You can use these dried orange slices for a garland on your tree or mantel.
I also put them in a gold bowl on my dining room table for a centerpiece at Christmas time. They provide a beautiful pop of color against our natural wood table and Christmas greenery accents. If you want inspiration or ideas on how to decorate your space with dried orange slices, I have created a Pinterest board with ideas.
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Materials You Will Need to Make Your Dried Orange Slices:
- 6-8 oranges
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Paper towels
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- String
- Sewing needle
The amount of oranges that you will need depends on the project that you want to do. For gift wrap, you will need 2-4 oranges. For a mantel garland, about 4-6 oranges. For a tree garland, you will need plenty of slices to fill up and wrap around your tree.
To make gift tags and garlands, you will need string and a sewing needle to tie the oranges together.
How to Make Dried Orange Slices:
- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F.
- Cut each of your oranges into 1/4 inch thick slices.
- Using your paper towels, thoroughly pat each orange dry to remove as much excess orange juice as possible.
- Lay each slice a few inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Once your oven has preheated, place your oranges inside the oven on the middle rack and bake for 1.5 hours.
- After 1.5 hours, flip the orange slices and place them back inside the oven for another 1.5 hours.
- After 1 hour, check on the oranges to see if any slices are turning too brown. If so, remove those oranges from the oven and allow them to air dry while the remaining orange slices continue to bake.
- When the orange slices have dried, lay them on a cooling rack to dry overnight. You can leave them for a few days to continue allowing them to dry if you aren’t in a rush.
- You can repeat the baking steps in batches until all of your oranges have baked or use large baking sheets with two in the oven per batch.
- Once your orange slices have finished drying, it’s time to create your project.
- For gift wrap, cut a small piece of your string of choice, thread it through your sewing needle, then weave it through the flesh of the orange on one side coming out the other. Tie your string together around your gift to complete the tag.
- For a mantel garland, measure the width of your mantel then add 8 inches to your measurement and that will be the length of string that you will need. Cut your string, use your sewing needle, and push the needle through the orange slice. Continue until you have your desired amount. You can push them close together on the string for a fuller look or space them 2-4 inches apart. Once you have your desired amount of oranges on your string, fold the end of your string over at the very end to make a loop, then tie it together to hook a loop for hanging.
- For a tree garland, use the steps in number 12, measuring the length of your tree instead of the mantel. You can do this by wrapping your string around your tree to the desired look for a quick assessment of how much length you will need.
