To make a dried orange garland, slice oranges 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, press the juice out with a towel and dry the slices at 200°F for about 3 hours (thin) or 4 hours (thicker), flipping them halfway. Let them cool and firm up, poke two small holes near the rind of each slice, and thread them onto jute twine. Four oranges are enough to start. Dry them all the way through and store the garland somewhere dry, and it comes back out next December looking almost the same.
Dried Orange Garland: How to Make One That Lasts
What do you need to make a dried orange garland?
A dried orange slice garland needs very little, and most of it is already in your kitchen. Some links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through them, Etheric Echoes earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.
- Oranges. Navel oranges are the usual pick. The Toasted Pine Nut used 4 navel oranges and suggests choosing ones with a thicker skin, since the rind holds the slice together.
- A sharp knife or a mandoline such as the OXO Good Grips Chef’s Mandoline 2.0 (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure., plus a cutting board.
- Paper towels or a thin tea towel to blot the juice.
- A baking sheet (a sheet pan is fine) lined with parchment paper, or a wire rack set on top of it.
- Twine. Jute twine (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure. is the classic look. Baker’s twine or a thin ribbon work too.
- Something to make the holes: a toothpick, a wooden skewer or a blunt yarn needle.
- Extras, if you like: cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, wooden beads or a few sprigs of greenery.
It is one of the cheapest Christmas decorations you can make, and an easy DIY craft for a slow afternoon. The best part is the house smelling like oranges the whole time they bake.
How thick should you slice the oranges?
Between 1/8 and 1/4 inch, and the same thickness every time. Nearly every tutorial agrees on that much, and it matters more than the oven. Thin slices dry faster, stay brighter and let light through when you hang them in a window. Thicker slices hold together better and look fuller, but they take longer and brown more easily.
Paper and Stitch lost her whole first batch because the slices were too thick. Every batch after that worked once she went down to 1/8 inch or thinner. A serrated knife works if you saw gently rather than pushing straight down. A mandoline makes the even slices almost automatic.
Once the oranges are sliced, lay the rounds on a towel and press out as much juice as you can. The Toasted Pine Nut says this one step shortens the bake, because slices that go straight in from the cutting board are still full of juice.
How long do you dry orange slices in the oven?
At 200°F (93°C), plan on about 3 hours for 1/8 inch slices and about 4 hours for 1/4 inch slices, flipping them halfway through. Those are The Toasted Pine Nut’s times, and most tutorials land close by. Paper and Stitch found 1/8 inch slices took 4 to 5 hours in her oven, and puts 1/4 inch slices at 4 to 6 hours, with 6 as the most it should ever take at 200°F.
| Slice | Oven heat | Time | Flip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 inch | 200°F | about 3 hours, up to 5 | halfway, or every 30 to 45 minutes |
| 1/4 inch | 200°F | about 4 hours, up to 6 | halfway, or every 30 to 45 minutes |
Lay the slices on the baking sheet in a single layer. Edges can touch, but don’t let them overlap. Ovens run hot and cool in different spots, so Eryn Whalen rotates the pans when she dries two sheets at once, and flips every 30 to 45 minutes. Homestead and Chill dries at 200 to 225°F and found 215°F the sweet spot in her oven: 200 was slow and 225 browned them.
Hearth and Vine has an easy trick: after the 4 hours, she turns the oven off and leaves the slices inside overnight to finish drying as it cools. It saves an hour of standing by the oven.
Why did my orange slices turn brown?
Too much heat for too long. Usually that means the slices were cut too thick. A little caramel color is normal in the oven. Dark brown edges mean the oven was too hot or the slices stayed in after they were done. Cut thinner, keep the oven at 200°F or lower, flip more often, and pull each slice off the sheet as soon as it is dry instead of waiting for the slowest one.
Can you dry orange slices in an air fryer?
Yes, if your air fryer goes low enough. Two Cloves Kitchen air fries orange slices on parchment at 180°F for 60 to 90 minutes, flipping every 30 minutes, and notes that if your air fryer only goes down to 200°F you should start checking at 45 minutes. If yours has a dehydrate setting, Farmers’ Almanac uses it at 135°F and says orange slices take a full 8 hours (start checking at 6).
An air fryer basket holds only a few slices at a time, so it works best for a short strand, a handful of ornaments or topping up a garland that came up a few slices short.
Is it better to dry oranges in the oven or a dehydrator?
It is slower, but the color is better. Homestead and Chill sets her dehydrator to 130 to 135°F (the fruit setting) and most slices are dry in about 8 hours. Her dehydrator slices come out lighter, close to the color of the raw fruit, and she finds oven slices always turn out a little browner. Starting lighter also means the garland still looks good after a few years of darkening.
The oven wins on speed. If you want a garland this weekend, use the oven. If you dry citrus every year, a dehydrator lets you set it at bedtime and string slices in the morning.
How do you know the orange slices are dry enough?
Press the thickest part of the flesh. A done slice feels firm and dry, not gummy, and it won’t bend. Let them sit for 15 minutes out of the oven, as Paper and Stitch suggests, because they crisp up as they cool. If they are still sticky after that, they go back in.
This is the step that decides whether the garland lasts. Fit Foodie Finds says if you can still bend a slice easily, it will eventually mold. DIY Projects goes one step further and rests the dry slices in a glass jar with a loose lid for 7 to 10 days, shaking it once a day, because dried fruit can feel dry outside and still hold moisture inside. If fog shows up on the glass, that batch goes back in the oven before you string it.
How do you string a dried orange garland?
Cut the twine as long as you want the garland, plus extra for tying. Then pick one of two ways:
- Two holes, straight line. Homestead and Chill pokes two small holes in each slice near the rind, an inch or so apart, then runs the twine in through one and out the other, so the slices hang in a neat line. DIY Projects says to go through the thick peel band, because a hole in the papery center splits the first time the slice hangs.
- Tied on, one at a time. Blesser House pokes one hole with a straightened paper clip or toothpick, threads a 3 to 4 inch piece of twine through it, knots it, then ties that piece onto the long strand. It takes longer, but every slice stays exactly where you put it.
A large-eye blunt yarn needle (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure. makes the first way much faster, since a regular sewing needle will not take jute twine. DIY Projects prefers a blunt needle because it makes a clean round hole instead of a slit.
How far apart should the slices be?
That is up to you. Slices touching edge to edge look full. A few inches apart, the garland looks lighter and stretches further with the same oranges. DIY Projects builds a repeat of slice, eucalyptus sprig, cinnamon stick and bead, and aims for one full repeat every 10 to 12 inches so the pattern reads from across the room.
How many oranges do you need?
It depends on the spacing and the extras. The Toasted Pine Nut made her garland from 4 navel oranges. Hearth and Vine’s fuller 4 foot garland took about 11 oranges, 18 cinnamon sticks and around 250 bay leaves. Buy one or two more oranges than you think, because a few slices always come out uneven.
Where should you hang a dried orange garland in a small home?
Somewhere with light behind it, if you can. The slices glow when light comes through them, so a window is the best spot in a small home: across the top of the living room window, or hung in a few vertical strands down one side of it. Other good places:
- Wrapped around the Christmas tree with the lights, or as single slices hung like ornaments.
- Along the front edge of a mantel or a bookshelf, or tucked into an evergreen garland. It stays festive well past the holidays: see winter mantel decor ideas for after Christmas.
- Across the top of a doorway or along a stair rail.
- Down the middle of the table with greenery and candles, like the low runner in our Christmas centerpiece ideas.
Keep it out of steam and heat. Wholehearted Eats says not to hang it somewhere humid like a bathroom or above the oven, since moisture is what ruins dried fruit. Keep it off the mantel on nights the fire is lit. And because citrus peel can upset cats and dogs, hang it where they cannot chew on it.
Garland ideas for the rest of the house, including how much garland you actually need, are in Christmas garland ideas for a small home. If you rent, renter-friendly Christmas decor with no nails covers adhesive hooks and tension rods, and a light orange garland is an easy load for either.
How long does a dried orange garland last?
On display, all season. In storage, years. Fit Foodie Finds and My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia both say a properly dried garland lasts up to 2 years, and Fit Foodie Finds has had theirs on the tree 3 years in a row. Hearth and Vine told a reader hers was 5 years old and still looked pretty good, kept in plastic bins in the basement.
The color and the smell are what change. The slices darken a little each year, and Homestead and Chill says when to replace them is your call, since some people love the deeper color. The scent goes quickly. Hearth and Vine remembers hers smelling of orange for maybe a week, and suggests a few drops of essential oil if you miss it. Honestly, the look is the point. Orange garlands are decoration more than potpourri.
How do you store a dried orange garland for next year?
Somewhere cool and dry, where nothing gets stacked on top of it. Homestead and Chill folds or lays the garland flat in a bag or bin, with tissue paper around the fragile slices. The Ponds Farmhouse keeps her dried oranges in an airtight container with silica packs, and has used the same slices for a few years. A small lidded bin on a closet shelf works for one strand. Skip the garage, or a basement that gets damp.
Can you make other decorations with dried orange slices?
Yes, and it is a good way to decorate with the extra slices. A single slice tied with twine makes an ornament for the tree or a gift tag. Wire a few onto a wreath (our winter wreath ideas that last past Christmas keep orange slices up through February), tuck them into a jar on a shelf (see dried flower shelf ideas), or mix lemon, lime and grapefruit slices into the garland for more color. Grapefruit slices are bigger, so Paper and Stitch gives them 4 to 6 hours in the oven.
What to buy
Everything from above in one place, plus two things for making a garland every year. Cost: $ is the least, $$$ the most.
- Mandoline for even slices: OXO Good Grips Chef’s Mandoline 2.0 (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure., thickness set in half-millimeter steps and shown in inches, $$$
- Jute twine: Gardzen 3-ply jute twine, 4 rolls (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure., 2 mm thick, $
- Large-eye blunt needles: TLKKUE 12-piece yarn needle set (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure. in three lengths, $
- Wooden beads for spacers: 20 mm natural wooden beads, 300 pieces (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure. with a 4.5 mm hole that takes 2 mm twine, $
- Silica gel packets for storage: 5 gram packets, 50 pack (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure., $
- Food dehydrator: Cosori 6-tray stainless steel dehydrator (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure., set from 95 to 165°F, $$$
Check each listing before you order, since details change.
