How To Dry Plums (Not Your Mother’s Prunes!)

Learn how to dry plums that definitely DO NOT taste or feel like typical store bought prunes. Our family can’t get enough of these chewy-tart delicious snacks – and they are healthy for bones, too!

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Of all the fruits I preserve, whether by freezing, canning, or drying, dried plums are my absolute favorite.

While the dried plums might not look like much, they have a wonderful sweet-tart flavor with a nice chewy (not wet) texture that makes a perfect snack that my kids have loved as much as I do.

Oh, I know what you’re thinking, “Is she talking about prunes?”

Um, not really.

All I can say is that while they are technically prunes, they are also NOT prunes – not the store-bought prunes we all think of.

They don’t have that off-putting wet, squishy texture, smell, or that distinctive prune-like flavor.

Everyone who tastes them agrees, too – these are not like store-bought prunes.

(And I don’t care that the companies who make prunes got together a few years ago and decided to call prunes “dried plums.” The dried plums I make don’t taste anything like their packaged product, so I still call their product prunes!)

The Surprising Health Benefits of Dried Plums

Dried plums are a good source of fiber, antioxidants, and contain psyllium for digestive health, among other things.

But more important than those benefits are the current studies that have shown that eating dried plums daily can have an impact on bone health.

I was so excited when I learned this since I loved them already – well, my version that is!

And if that weren’t enough, there are even a few studies that have indicated that they may even reverse bone loss – which is kind of amazing.

Bring on all the dried plums!

Which plums make the best dried plums?

I think all plums will make a better dried plum at home since you’re able to dry them to reach a firmer product.

But that sweet-tart flavor I love comes from Italian/European “prune” plums which are naturally drier and more tart than traditional round plums (also Damson plums, which are a bit tarter, but we still love).

These plums are an elongated rather than round plum and are usually a purple color.

When you dry these European style plums to a still pliable, yet fully dry, stage they are like small pieces of fruit leather.

Some people may think they look odd (my teenage daughter’s friends would all comment on how they looked – and not in a good way, lol), but they are packed with wonderful flavor.

Drying plums is also one of the easiest preservation methods there is.

I can fill a food dehydrator in about half an hour and then it’s a matter of checking, turning, and bagging the plums as they dry over the next 10 or so hours.

The hands-on time is ridiculously minimal.

How to Dry Plums

Supplies Needed

• Italian/European Style Plums (sometimes called “prune plums”) – though you can use regular plums, too – see FAQ below for more details.
• Cutting Board – I use an over-the-sink cutting board exclusively for this and other preserving tasks as any juice goes into the sink and any pits or seeds are easily moved to a bowl below.
• Sharp Knife
• Electric Dehydrator – I use an Excalibur model that’s no longer available – this is the current 5-tray model (for an oven option, see the FAQ section)

Easy Steps to Dry Plums

1. After washing, slice the plums in half all the way around the pit.

2. Grab each half of a plum and twist gently to separate the halves. Remove and discard the pit.

3. Place halves cut side down on the dehydrator tray.

You can place them cut-side up for less sticking if you want, but I can fit more in my dehydrator with cut sides down. The sides also don’t shrink together with gives me a flatter product that’s easier to store.

It’s OK to pack them close together.

4. Dry according to manufacturer’s recommendations (I use an Excalibur dehydrator which I run at the maximum temperature of 145 degrees).

Depending on the size of the plums, start checking them in 4 to 6 hours, turning trays as needed for even dehydrating.

Once they are looking more dry, flip them over to complete drying (they’ll release from the trays the drier they are – leave them if they are too moist).

Check every 2 hours, removing and packaging up any that are fully dry – showing NO moisture when touched, but are still pliable- and leaving the rest to complete drying.

PRO TIP: If your plums have been drying for only a few hours before it’s bedtime, it’s fine to leave them to dry all night (you can lower the temperature if you aren’t sure). If they’ve been drying most of the day but aren’t done yet, just turn the dryer off for the night, check the plums in the morning, remove any fully dried plums and then continue drying.

Storing Your Dried Plums

When fully dried (see tip below if you’re unsure), pack the plums in glass jars or freezer baggies (using the straw trick to remove as much air as possible).

You have a couple of options on where to store them:

1. In a cool damp area at room temperature. I store my baggies in our cupboards and have never had a problem with them molding, probably because we really prefer them on the drier side.
2. In the freezer. My brother-in-law (who first introduced me to dried Italian plums) doesn’t dry his as long as I do, so he stores his in the freezer, just to be sure. He will eat them straight from the freezer and then leaves the bag to thaw at room temperature to eat the rest.

Dried plums will easily last up to a year and maybe more. But to be honest, that just doesn’t happen in our house.

Each year I try to dry more plums than ever in an effort to have them longer than two to four months and we usually eat the last dried plum by May or June at the latest (but that’s only because we’re now empty nesters – when the kids were home we were lucky to keep them until January!).

No matter how we try, it’s hard to eat just one. Or even two…six…whatever. Go ahead and try these – I dare you to eat just one!

More Easy Preserving Recipes

This recipe was originally published in 2012, updated in 2018 and again in 2022.

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