Don’t toss those leftover orange peels! Use your leftover orange peel to make dried orange peel powder quickly and easily using your dehydrator.
If you have an orange tree in your yard or, on your property, you are well aware of the abundant harvest.
My neighbors have tangelo trees that hang over the back wall into my yard – bingo! Every winter, they give me permission to pick the citrus hanging over the wall. This past winter, I must have had over 40 pounds of citrus at one point.
As much as I love tangelos, you have to find a way to use them quickly or they will turn on you fairly fast.
You Eat Oranges, Why Not Keep the Peel?
If you are using oranges, why not keep the peel? It’s a great way to use up the entire fruit without throwing the peels in the wastebasket. You can keep the orange peels to use for homemade citrus cleaner. But one of my favorite ways to use orange peels is to dehydrate them and transform them into orange peel powder.
Orange peel powder is great to add to cold process soap and homemade body scrubs. Not only does it add a gentle color, it also adds some texture.
Homemade Orange Peel Powder
Instead of tossing your orange peels, throw them on your dehydrator trays and give them 7-8 hours of drying time.
- First, wash and dry the oranges – keep the orange/tangelo peels.
- Place the peels on your dehydrator trays, allowing ample space between them for air circulation.
- Set the dehydrator for 130 degrees F, and dehydrate the peels for 7-8 hours. Check on them periodically to determine if they may need more/less time.
- Once the peels are dry, place them in your spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Or, if you have a larger amount, toss them in your Vitamix and pulse until they turn into a fine powder. Store in a cool, dark place until ready to use.
Dried orange peel powder can be used in smoothies, or combined with salt for a yummy citrus seasoning for seafood. If you make cold process soap, you can also use it in soap recipes as an additive too.
Keep your dried orange peel powder in a dark, cool place (cool pantry, or refrigerator works well).
Have you ever thought about keeping your orange peels to make dried orange peel powder?
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