If you’ve been here a while, you know I love basil. If you are new (hello!), I love basil so much I named our dachshund Basil. Fresh basil is my favorite thing to have in a vase in the kitchen, growing in my garden, as a lingering scent on my hands.
Yep, even though it’s already winter out there, in my kitchen I’m still acting like it’s summer. Strawberries and fresh basil. Always a perfect pairing in my opinion, and this is one I have been wanting to do for a while.
Bird’s eye shot of my Vita Mix. See, told you she’s an Old Lady Vita. Look at that old school handle. I bought this in college and I keep saying I should stop bragging that I’ve used it with no problems for … um … many years. Don’t want to jinx her.
Don’t think I will.
Anyway, between the few minutes of chopping the berries and chiffonading the larger basil leaves and the ten seconds of blending, this “recipe” comes together quick. Well. Then there’s a couple hours of dehydrating.
I really wanted to tip this tray on it’s side and drink it. So good. Glad I waited though, because the fruit rolls are even better!
strawberry basil fruit rolls
gluten free, vegan, no added sugar
2 quarts fresh strawberries
1 large bunch (1 cup) fresh basil leaves
Blend in high powered blender until smooth. Pour onto solid sheet for dehydrator, spread to a 1/2 inch thickness (thinner might rip or crack). Dehydrate at 130 for 3-4 hours. Alternately, you can pour into plastic wrap on a baking sheet, place in oven on 120 with door open for… several more hours.
These taste amazing! They have the fruity sweet flavor of the strawberries, and the basil is strong in the best way possible.
Are you a basil fan? How about a Basil fan? 
Do you like fruit rolls? Favorite flavor?
{ 83 comments… read them below or add one }
These look delicious! Who would have thought that strawberry and basil would be complimentary flavors? I have to try this!
yep – they are SO good together! enjoy!!
Before I even read the “wanting to tip this on it’s side and drink it” part I was totally thinking the same thing. I don’t think the mixture would’ve made it out of the blender! Strawbs + basil…such a good combo!
yep. glad I was able to stop myself, though, because these turned out AWESOME. and there WAS some leftover in the blender…
Fruit leather was one of my favorite snacks as a kid, I haven’t had it in ages! I love the combo of flavors you used, mmmm….basil.
I really need to get a dehydrator – there are too many recipes I am missing out on without one. I actually just sent my parents an email to see if they still have one (so I can “borrow” it).
seriously – I love the basil flavor. I kept tasting the blender concoction and adding more, I wanted to taste it!
I have been wanting a dehydrator for so long, and I am loving that I finally got one! I hope your parents still have one you can borrow! 
Awesome idea. I’ll bet they’re delicious. I would have to go with the oven method. I’ve found dehydrators to be a tough cleanup. But maybe that’s just me.
so far mine has been easy, even when I did watermelon (I thought that would be a big sticky mess!). but oven should work??
cant wait for summer…
I need to start growing fresh herbs in my kitchen, it would be so simple! I do love basil. It has such a unique flavor. I especially love that you named your dog Basil! It is so fitting for him.
it DOES just fit him. such a cute little Basil
GREAT idea. I completely understand your basil lust. I love it when the smell of it gets all over my hands and I smell like basil for hours.
right?! me too. LOVE that smell.
Hey, these look so good. Strawberry and Basil sound so fresh together.
wow, I can’t wait for summer. beautiful pics too
I love basil AND BASIL.
I am so in love with making stuff in my food dehydrator and will have to make this! The last fruit rolls I made were pumpkin pie, which were okay. But, as I’ve said before, watermelon is the best. I tried cantaloupe once and it did NOT work.
I can do this! I can do this! I had a crappy strawberry roll up yesterday from a local Whole Foods store, how did you know I was disappointed?
This is awesome:)
This post reminds me of the Ronco Food Dehydrator infomercials that I would watch with my sister – he makes homemade fruit roll ups and we wanted to buy the machine just to make them (well, and banana chips too)
never would have thought of this!! going shopping for strawberries right now!
Girl, strawberry + basil is one of my absolute FAVORITE combinations. I want these so bad!
Alright, that’s it!! Surely I can get a dehydrator for pretty cheap at Walmart, right?
Oh, yes…basil
Yup…totally a fan, for many reasons! hehe.
So cool, I love roll-ups!
oh wow. love this… strawb & basil is such a delicious combo. and such a clean, healthy recipe! ha
Oh yumm!! Basil strawberry fruit leather, yes please!!
I DO love basil, & I totally agree that it has a place in desserts
I love it in fruit smoothies with fresh lemon juice, too!
Oooh I love basil and I’ll bet it’s perfect with strawberry in a fruit roll. How fun!
STOP MAKING AMAZING THINGS THAT I CANNOT EAT WITH YOU.
I loooove basil and I looooove Basil too!
wow those look incredible!!! we still have yet to make fruit rolls in our dehydrators, that needs to change!
Ok you have me wanting to make fruit roll ups and dust off the dehydrator of mine.
Gorgeous pics, too, of something that I could see being tricky to photograph but you did an amazing job on the pics!
The vegan/gluten-free bakery near me makes their own raw fruit leather. I’m very intrigued to try it
I loved strawberry fruit rollups as a kid – though far less clean and healthy of course. These, as everything you make, sound and look incredible. Love the simplicity in the ingredients but I have no doubt the flavors are anything but.
I, too, love basil in a criminal way. My last outdoor plant finally succumbed to winter—so it’s time to get an indoor one and pretend like summer never ended.
You amaze me yet again – this is the COOLEST recipe I’ve ever seen. I used to LOVE fruit roll ups as a kid! This version is WAY BETTER, my mouth is watering, seriously!
omg I want these in my face right MEOW!
I know I’ve said this before, but I really need a dehydrator! Max would flip out if I made him this! I LOVE basil…and Basil!
LOVE basil. I wanted to name my son Basil, but my partner wouldn’t let me… I reckon it’s a cool name
Your pup is a cutie!
I’ve made these so many times that I can’t count but it was from a recipe very similar I found on tastespotting months ago http://www.insockmonkeyslippers.com/strawberry-basil-fruit-leather I must have some sour strawberries becasue I can’t imagining making it without sugar but yours looks good! Love strawberry basil fruit leather.
I’m a basil fan AND a Basil fan! and a fruit roll fan, mmm.
I was SO excited about these – I love fruit rolls, and this was TOO easy!! Basil sends love and wags…
lovely.. i am getting a dehydrator next summer for sure!.. the produce is all going downhill already..
oh wow these look fabulous! You certainly are loving that dehydrator! I want one so badly your posts might just convince me to splurge
By the way I love that story about naming your dog! I always wondered how your pronounced your pup’s name, but now that I know you named him after the herb, well I know! hehe
I really am loving this dehydrator – it’s like a new toy! I have another fun one coming up soon…
thank you bettie, we just made this yesterday. only a TAD skeptical that no sweetner was necessary, until I tasted from the blender – perfectly sweet as is!!
what a clever monkey you are! i won’t/can’t bring myself to eat the processed variety you get in the stores – excellent alternative!
oh WOW!
first… the combo? brilliant!
next – that’s the prettiest little roll up I’ve ever seen!
and – yes – the PIX!
STUNNING.
lovely – oh – so – lovely !
thank you! the flavor is AAAAMMMMMAAAAAA ZING !
and thank you – I wasn’t really jazzed about the photos, but everyone else is liking them! 
I cannot believe this! Awesome awesome awesome!
(Oh, I need such a dehydrating thing ASAP!!! 
)
I know!! I so wish we were neighbors and I could bring you treats like these!
That would be heaven on foodie earth!
from the title, i thought for sure you’d pureed basil into a rollup =O
Basil PUP?? ouch. basil the HERB?? yes, and a lot. and it was GOOD.
haha yes i meant the pup but was joshin
I am picturing it now – you bending down to grab Basil and Basil RUNNING out of the kitchen!
Thinks to self: “I can’t believe she made a homemade fruit roll up. So very fancy.”
hi Josie!
I have wanted a dehydrator for SO long, and partly because I envisioned making these without all the junk that’s normally in them. they are seriously SO easy! (and actually I don’t know why I’ve waited – since making these I have had many people tell me they can be made in the oven!) 
anyway, wow – can you tell I’m excited by all this?
we made these yesterday in my new dehydrator, so good and very easy to boot! I am exploring raw so I like that these are, no cook no sugar and doesn’t need it! thank you betty
I will have to try these. We love fruit rolls in our house!
this one is my FAVORITE!! I hope you try it!
Tried them, they were delicious! Posted about it here:
http://wendellsmom.posterous.com/
Love your recipes, thanks for posting this!
so happy you liked them, Melissa!
Oh my gosh this looks DELICIOUS!!!!!! I want to eat it right now!
thanks, Katie… it was like a last CLINGING to summer flavors, I already can’t wait for next summer!
these look amazing! great photos and they sound so fresh and sweet!
Homemade fruit roll-ups?! Without sugar or preservatives?! Sign me up.
Can’t wait to try these in every flavor possible, haha!
wow, these are so great – I want a dehydrator so bad!!
OK, so even though the oven method sounds like it takes a looooong time I may have to try it for this delicious sounding recipe!
I hope you do, Jen – they are SO VERY good!
I am awaiting my new dehydrator, I can’t wait to make these!!
oh, you are going to have such fun with the dehydrator! I love mine, especially in the summer time!
interesting, these sound delicious!
made these again today, while I had you up I thought I’d once again thank you for your wonderful recipes you share
This recipe is originally from insockmonkeyslippers.com. I think it is a food bloggers responisbility to fact check and not copy anothers work.
hello Holly.
thanks for your insight. I have never heard of or read the website you are accusing me of copying from.
I thought of this on my own, and I have to say it does not surprise me that a two ingredient “recipe” has already been done. There are very few original ideas out there these days, and you might consider this before accusing someone publicly (especially someone you are communicating with for the first time).
I have never copied another’s work, if I have the slightest inspiration from someone else, I always site it. It absolutely is a food bloggers responsibility to site inspiration or adaptation, when there is one. I belong to two groups of professionals who hold these ideals as incredibly important, so I am confident in telling you this “recipe” had no inspiration other than dried fruit products that have been around for years.
Kristina
I just found the recipe you are accusing me of copying – it does not use a dehydrator, it uses several more ingredients and cooks them beforehand, there is nothing similar about the method and my method.
strawberry and basil is not a new pairing. if I was inspired by it, I would have cited it. once again, I had not been on that website or visited that recipe prior to this recipe.
thank you, though, “Holly247″ and “Ginna254″ for the two comments now referencing the other recipe – coincidentally from the same IP address.
I found these last night, went shopping last night, filled my dehydrator last night, woke up to amazing candy this morning, you are my hero this morning, my kids want to run away to you this morning. these are amazing!!
haa, thank you Crystal – so happy you all liked them so well, and what a great thing to wake up to! Cheers!
just made these, thank you for an easy no sugar recipe
what type of dehydrator should i use? because the one i have at home doesnt get up to 130 degrees!
hi Daniel, if you have a dehydrator these should work in it, whatever temperature it will go up to. it may take longer to set up, but these are not meant to be crispy, just set, so I don’t think it should be a problem with the one you already have. enjoy!
these sound so good, I will be trying these for sure. thanks!
hi Allison, glad you are going to make these, enjoy!
these sound so good – I love that you get this result without cooking AND sugar! natural and easy, thank you!
Katrina Cisson
you are so welcome, Katrina! the natural sweetness of the strawberry really is enough here. I have also made these with raspberries – very good!
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