How to Make Dried Orange Ornaments: 13 Creative DIY Ideas

Explore 13 creative and easy-to-follow methods for making stunning dried orange slice ornaments.

Dried oranges are a great way to add a pop of color to your holiday decor, and there are so many things you can do with them. Not only can you make orange Christmas tree decorations, but you can also create simple garlands or a Christmas wreath.

Today, I am excited to share 13 creative ways to use dried oranges and dried citrus decorations to make homemade ornaments and Christmas crafts.

So follow along and learn how to make dried orange ornaments and how easy it is to make something beautiful with just a few simple slices.

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Why You’ll Love Making Dried Orange Ornaments

If you’ve ever wanted to create Christmas ornaments that feel simple, natural, and a little nostalgic, you are going to love this project. Dried Christmas oranges are easy to make, they smell wonderful, and they bring such a cozy old-fashioned charm to your holiday home.

They work beautifully on a nature-themed or neutral-colored Christmas tree, tucked into a wreath, or tied onto a gift. No matter where you use them, they add that warm little glow that makes the season feel extra special.

Here are a few more reasons you will enjoy making these dried citrus ornaments:

Beginner friendly
Drying oranges and turning them into dried orange Christmas tree decorations is so simple. You only need a few oranges and some time in the oven. Each slice dries a little differently, which makes every ornament feel unique and handmade.

Naturally pretty
These ornaments bring a warm pop of color to trees, garlands, and holiday centerpieces. They catch the light in such a lovely way and make your home feel extra inviting.

Great for gifting
Homemade dried orange ornaments make the sweetest gifts. You can tie them onto a package, tuck a few into a little bag for neighbors, or add them to a hostess basket. They are thoughtful, inexpensive, and always appreciated.

Budget friendly
A couple of bags of oranges go a long way, so this is an easy and affordable craft to make for the holidays. The finished ornaments look charming, natural, and timeless.

Supplies Needed to Make Dried Orange Ornaments 

How to Make Dried Orange Christmas Decorations

Before you can make these dried fruit ornaments, you need to dry your orange slices first! I like to use Cara Cara oranges, blood oranges, and small navel oranges for my handmade ornaments. These three varieties dry beautifully, and their colors turn out so bright and pretty. They always give the ornaments that extra little pop.

You can check out my post 3 Easy Ways to Make Dehydrated Orange Slices to learn the easiest ways to dehydrate citrus fruits.

It walks you through simple methods for drying citrus and making dehydrated orange ornaments that you can use for crafting, decorating, or adding a natural touch to your home any time of year.

Whether you choose the oven, dehydrator, or air fryer method, this informative post covers each technique in detail to ensure you get the best results during the drying process.

Once you have finished drying your orange slices, lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet with parchment paper or a wire rack and let them air dry for 4-6 hours before crafting with them.

13 of the Best Dried Orange Ornaments DIY Ideas

Now let’s take a look at how easy it is to make dried orange Christmas ornaments and create simple, budget-friendly decorations that bring a warm and festive touch to your home.

1. DIY Orange Rind Star Wreath Ornaments

• Gather your supplies. You’ll need wired twine, star anise, orange rinds, and a small star-shaped cookie cutter.
• Use a small cookie cutter to press out little stars from the orange rind.
• Dehydrate the stars until they’re completely dry and firm.

• Shape a small wreath using grapevine wire.
• Hot glue the dried orange stars onto the wreath.

• Add a piece of velvet ribbon for a nice finishing touch.
• Include a few small pinecones or an anise star for a little extra detail.
• Hang it on your tree and enjoy your handmade ornament.

2. DIY Stacked Orange Slice and Wood Bead Ornaments

• Start with a 2″ wood round and drill a small hole in the center 
• Using a thin twine or covered wire, fold it in half. Insert the folded end of the wire through the hole and tie the twine off underneath the wood round. 

• Add a small amount of hot glue onto the wood round.
• Place a piece of orange on top of the round and hold the thick slices until the glue dries. 
• Add a small amount of hot glue on top of the orange or wood slice and add a small wood bead.
• Continue this process until you have added 5-6 slices of oranges. 

3. DIY Layered Orange Slice Ornaments With a Bow

• Gather a few slices in varying shades of color and size and hot glue them together.
• Create a hole at the top of each dried orange slice and place a piece of twine through the hole to create an ornament hook to hang.
• Add a simple bow of velvet ribbon that gracefully drapes down over the orange slices. 

4. DIY Wood Slice Ornaments with Oranges and Greenery

• Start with a wood slice that has a hole in it to add a ribbon. 
• Hot glue the slice of dried orange onto the wood slice.
• Decorate it with a cinnamon stick, a few dried pinecones and a sprig of faux Christmas greenery. 
• Add a velvet ribbon to hang the ornament. 

5. DIY Dried Orange Ornaments with Whole Dried Oranges

• You can learn how to dehydrate whole oranges and hang them in your tree. They add a lot of color to your tree and smell so good. 
• Add a small eyescrew to the top of the fruit. You can drill a small hole and then screw the eyelet into the hole. If the skin is not very thick, you may need to add a small amount of glue to the screw. 
• You can leave them plain or decorate them with acorns, greenery, and pinecones.
• Hang with a thin velvet ribbon to display on the Christmas tree. 

6. DIY Star Anise and Orange Slice Wreath Ornaments

• Start by making a wreath shape out of the grapevine wire.
• Hot glue a few slices onto one side of the wreath. 
• Add 5-6 star anise. 
• Hang in your Christmas tree and enjoy. 

7. DIY Blood Orange, Cinnamon, and Wood Slice Ornaments

• Gather a variety of orange slices. I used a blood orange slice and a slice of Cara Cara orange.
• Hot glue them onto a wood slice. 
• Fold a piece of twine in half and place the loop end through the hole in the wood slice. 
• Lay a cinnamon stick on top of the two strands of twine, put the two ends of the twine through the loop, and tighten.  
• Add dried greenery, fresh pinecones or acorns, and a bit of Spanish moss. 

8. DIY Dried Oranges In a Teacup Ornaments

• Add a bed of Spanish moss to a teacup.
•  Hot glue a few pieces of dehydrated fruit on top of the moss.
• Hang the tea cup on the Christmas tree.

9. DIY Orange End Wreath Ornaments

• When dehydrating your oranges, dry all parts and do not waste any of the oranges. I used the very ends of the oranges for this wreath. 
• Make a wreath shape from the grapevine wire as in #6 above.
• Hot glue the orange slices onto the wreath.
• To decorate the wreath, I glued a few small pinecones into the caps of acorns. 

10. DIY Bowl of Fruit Tree Ornaments

Have you ever hung dishes on your Christmas tree? It is so easy and fun to do.

I use plate hangers with a hook on the back of my plate or bowls, and then wire them onto the tree; it’s that easy!

After the holiday, the fruit will come out easily and the hot glue will peel right off the bowl. 

• Hot glue a bit of moss and dehydrated fruit into your bowl. 
• Hang the bowl on the tree. 

11. DIY Dehydrated Orange Rind Wreath Ornaments

This is one of my favorites. I took the rind of the orange slices that did not come out of the mandolin whole, peeled the orange away from the rind, and dried them in the air fryer.

• Make a wreath shape out of the grapevine wire (same as #6).
• Hot glue pieces of the rind around the wreath on both sides.
• Add a few pinecones and a star anise.
• Add a graceful velvet bow.
• Hang on the Christmas tree.

12. DIY Saucer Dried Orange Ornaments

• This was super easy. I took an ornament I had made on a wood slice with a small pine cone or two and hung it in front of a saucer to make it look like a frame.
• I made the same ornament as #4 and then hung a plate behind it. (See how to hang china on the Christmas tree in #10.)

13. DIY Cookie Cutter Dried Orange Ornaments

These are one of the easiest ways to learn how to make orange slice ornaments with fun shapes like trees, stars, or simple rounds. Here are the directions:

• Using a small Christmas tree cookie cutter, cut out trees from the orange peel to make an easy natural ornament.
• Place a hole at the top of the tree with a wooden skewer. 
• Dry the orange rinds. (Try one of my three methods to dehydrate oranges.)
• Weave a piece of twine into the tree’s hole and hang the ornament on your tree. 
• Think outside of the box and try different shapes. 

How to Style Your Dried Orange Ornaments

Once your ornaments are finished, there are so many easy ways to style them throughout your home. They add a soft, natural look wherever you place them, and they blend beautifully with almost any holiday decor.

On your Christmas tree
These orange Christmas tree decorations look especially pretty on outer branches where the warm light shines through them.

Layered into garlands
Tuck a few into a fresh or faux greenery garland. They add a nice pop of color and a touch of rustic, homemade charm.

Added to wreaths
Place them around your wreath at different angles for a simple, organic look. They pair perfectly with dried pinecones, cinnamon sticks, and pretty velvet ribbon.

In a bowl or basket
If you have a few extras, pile them into a small bowl with pinecones, nuts, or star anise. They make such an easy (and affordable!) holiday decoration for your kitchen counter or style them on your Christmas coffee table.

Other Ideas to Use Dehydrated Oranges

You can use dehydrated oranges to decorate for the holidays in several other ways. Here are a few of my favorites for an old-fashioned Christmas.

Stack dried oranges in a jar to display in the kitchen.

Use orange slices with place cards at the dinner table. 

Serve orange slices with tea and dessert.

Use the orange slice to decorate the top of a gift.

Tuck a few dried orange slices into homemade wax sachets, which make a beautifully scented gift for friends and neighbors.

Tie a few slices onto knotted rope napkin rings for a simple, natural touch on the Christmas table.

Frequently Asked Questions