If you’re new to freeze drying at home or are considering if a home freeze dryer would be useful, you might be wondering what kinds of foods you can freeze dry. We love experimenting, and so do our customers, so there’s no shortage of information on the subject.
Freeze Dry It
The short answer is, most foods can be freeze dried including:
- fruits
- vegetables
- meats
- dairy
- entire meals
- desserts
Don’t Freeze Dry It
There are a few foods that don’t do well in a freeze dryer. Remember, freeze dryers work by extracting water from food. It does leave behind oil, so oily foods don’t fare very well in a freeze dryer. Some foods are:
- peanut butter
- pure chocolate
- butter
- honey
- syrup
- jam
Freeze Drying Tips
Now that you’ve got the basics of what can and can’t be freeze dried (or reconstituted), here are some tricks to make your results even better:
- Peel or halve fruits and vegetables before freeze drying
- If you leave the skin, cut in half and place skin side down on the tray
- For small food such as grapes or cherry tomatoes, place a handful between two lids and slice between the lids with a bread knife.
- Blanch potatoes before freeze drying (or they’ll oxidize and turn black).
- Don’t be afraid to pour liquids such as soup, milk, raw eggs and broth onto the trays.
- Note that freeze drying times are not set in stone. Some foods require longer to process.
- Use parchment paper or silicone mats to help keep trays clean
- Label fish, meat or eggs that haven’t been cooked – freeze drying does not kill bacteria
- Buy food in quantities when it’s on sale. Freeze dried food lasts up to 25 years!
Join our community and see more tips to freeze dry like a pro on our Facebook page.
I need to find out if nuts can be freeze dried.
Yes. We have many customers who freeze dry nuts.
We are starting to backpack more. We have done freeze dry meals, fruits, vegs. Probably not benefit in weight savings to freeze dry nuts (since they are mostly fat)? What have others found?
For the calorie-weight ratio, nuts are an excellent choice. Look up “Ultralight Dandy” on youtube, he has excellent meals for ultralite through hikes.
can you tell me what nut types were freeze dried and which ones to avoid……should they be raw or roasted….I thought I had read elsewhere that nuts were a no go because of their oil content TIA
I personally have not done this, but I have seen some customers freeze dry pecans and walnuts. Some of this will be experimentation, but I have seen others do it with great success.
Can I freeze dry cold cereal like Cheerios?
I live on a 5th generation farm. I grew up watching my grandma and mom can all kinds of things we harvested on the farm, I continue to can today. I love this concept and am extremely interested to learn how to freeze dry food as an alternative to canning. I would put something like this to use for sure! I will definitely be looking into purchasing one!
Freeze drying is SO much easier than canning! I learned to can with my mom and I love having my work available to me all year, but this has been amazing! I’ll be freezing strawberries this year and making jam fresh with rehydrated strawberries to see how that works! I’m so excited!
Curious if you actually tried the jam. I was thinking doing that too.
Wondering too 😃
We went with the Large Machine. The trays are Deeper (Front To Back) It makes it nice to have more room, especially with having the 5th tray. I wish it had even more!! Also, One final note…I like to pre-freeze my product if possible before I put it in the Freeze dryer. It usually takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. off the dry time. I’ve learned to cut my fruit such as Pineapple in thicker pieces or cubes. At first I read that the norm is about 1/4 in. And they turned out good, but since my first batch, I’ve been slicing mine about 1/2 to 3/4 in. thick. The results were amazing!! Even more flavor than before!! It’s my kids favorite. GOOD LUCK!!! I would buy it again!
I can and freeze also.I like to freeze dry meals from my canning at the 3 year mark. It gives me room and ensures nothing goes to waste. I don’t have much room for storage of canned goods so this has worked out great for me.
I want one of these freeze dryers so bad but do not have that amount of money to buy one now. Do you have a payment program?
We have a great layaway program that is interest free. Many customers purchase their freeze dryers this way. Call to learn more.
Can coffee be freeze dried? I have had my freeze drier less than 2 weeks. Have a million questions. So far we haven’t made any disasters. Really need to know about the coffee. And if it can be freeze dried, would I make it just as always or stronger before freeze drying? Do you have any books, or know of any books to help me learn the different ways to process before and after freeze drying?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze dry coffee. Some customers brew really strong coffee and freeze dry it to create their own version of instant coffee powder. It’s said to taste better than store-bought. Along with your freeze dryer, you should have received a ‘Guide to Freeze Drying’ (Starter Guide) which has some helpful tips and guidelines to help you get started. You can also find a lot of information on our blog and all throughout our Facebook community. They are a very helpful resource!
Can you freeze dry coffee beans or ground beans?
Can you just freeze dry the coffee grounds? Or should you make the coffee and freeze dry the liquid?
Can you freeze dry coffee grounds as is or do you have to brew the coffee into liquid and freeze dry the liquid?
We see most customers freeze drying the coffee liquid. Some have made YouTube videos that show how they do it.
Can you freeze dry raw meat with other products?
I started double-strengthening my coffee, bc it takes forever to FD. I’ve been cold brewing gallon batches. I do not notice a negative change in overall taste and feel of doubling the strength. So I’m getting more coffee processed per batch.
ps… I started doing a second brew of coffee grounds using boiling water. It actually makes a decent cold refresher. I store in kombucha bottles in fridge.
I read an article suggesting freezing the coffee in shallow ice trays then freeze drying them.
Book
The Only Beginner Freeze Drying Book You’ll Ever Need.
How long does it take to freeze dry
Okra .
Can you freeze dry frozen potatoes or other vegetables and fruits which are already partly prepared? I’m interested in knowing about freeze drying directly from frozen items when i find them on sale. Thank you, Lee
Yes! I have freeze dried the Ore-Ida diced potatoes, Hash Browns, AND Hash Browns with peppers and onions. Turn out amazing!
I have also freeze dried all kinds of bags of frozen fruits and vegetables that I have found on sale at the grocery store. They freeze dry perfectly.
When freeze drying frozen fruits or veggies do you defrost them first or put right into dryer
You can put the frozen product directly on the trays and into the freeze dryer. No need to thaw them first.
Can you successfully freeze dry pure raw honey?
All similar products I see have granulated sugar added, which defeats the whole point. Is it because of the liquid content of honey?
Thank you for your feedback.
Unfortunately honey cannot be freeze dried, it is too high in sugar (and low moisture content). Honey is the one food, however, that will last forever without freeze drying. 🙂
What about maple syrup?
I read once where honey had been found in some of the pyramids in Egypt and was still edible! Take that for what it’s worth, but I have always heard that honey IS the one food that will seemingly last ‘forever’.
Ok, my motto is fire, ready, aim. I just loaded my trays and fired off the honey. Sounds like it will be a fail. Should I let it freeze and scrape it? Wait and see? Or just punt?
To answer my own question PUNT!! I did not and it was a disaster. The honey basically exploded and filled the machine with a sticky mess. I could not see it because it looked like a honey comb on the window. and was basically FULL!! Fortunately we did not get any in the vacuum pump.
BUT DON’T EVEN TRY, it’s a mess!! Took over 8 man hours between my wife and I to clean the machine. (ATTN MODERATOR – this should be posted to ensure others don’t do the same:)
It actually is posted under “what cannot be freeze dried”. I read it before I scrolled down to these questions.
Sorry you had to go through that — but thanks for the warning!
I have been reading about Harvest Right freeze dryers since they first came on the market. With the knowledge I have learned, I have promoted more dryers than I can count. So many of my online friends have purchased these beauties. I can’t afford one myself, but it gives me so much joy, sharing the knowledge and turning people on to this fantastic product!! Thank you Harvest Right, for making your product available to the public. One day….. I ( God willing) I will own one myself!
Go in on one with friends. My friends and I went in on one together. 4 of us
I pray that you WILL be able to get your own! I, too, have promoted this wonderful machine to many friends; still continue to do so and I’ve had mine for years, now! I LOVE this product!!!! Since downsizing in a home, I no longer have the room for a large freezer and, while I have a pantry, it does stay pretty full with basics. Still, it is much easier to store freeze-dried food in there than canned or frozen foods elsewhere (Think mylar bags, stacked neatly!) Start NOW, put one on layaway plan and before you know it, you’ll have it! You won’t be sorry and once you start putting that $$ into that plan, you won’t really miss it! I’m not wealthy at all, a senior widow, and I just ‘got lucky’ with an insurance rebate, that I quickly spent on my HR! I DO pray that you get yours soon; just start now, and don’t keep putting it off!!! What a lifesaver!
If you’re still promoting, ask HRight if you can do a link where you could get a bonus for anyone who purchases through your link or code. Since the have a lay-away program, I’m sure there’s a way to bank bonuses until you have enough to get your own.
I have been preparing my own meals and freeze drying them, and so far success. I am thinking about corned beef and cabbage, but my husband has concerns about the cabbage – any thoughts?
I know this is several years old, but I wanted to say I freeze dry cabbage all the time. Cabbage is something I like to have on hand for hot and sour soup or fried rice, but we wouldn’t use the whole head before it spoiled. Just shred and freeze dry.
Do you need to blanch the cabbage or just freeze dry fresh?
I know raw cabbage works! Being single, a head of cabbage goes a long way. So I shred and FD. I really like crack slaw. Yum.
I haven’t cooked and FD yet. The fat content in corned beef and cabbage might be a thing. Maybe as long as you remove extra fat it should be ok.
The biggest question, I haven’t heard yet from anyone….is how
much does it run up your electric bill…
Retired at 40 on YouTube answers that question! https://youtu.be/f1pgcIhchuw
He said that it was about $3.50 for a long (moist) run cycle that lasted I think 47 hours. Personally, I think that’s pretty reasonable considering how much I’d have to pay to buy something freeze dried already. And you could easily cut that cost nearly in half by freezing in a regular freezer and just running a dry cycle.
The owners manual says that you should never bypass the freeze cycle.
It goes from freeze, to vacuum freeze, to dry vacuum.
So would it “help” to freeze in regular freezer first then run complete freeze dryer cycle? Thank you!
Yes.
I’m fairly new at this, but on any of the other pages you’ll see a whole lot of people saying it cuts down on the time if frozen first.
I think it says it above als
Does the cholesterol in meat oxidize during the freeze drying process? If so,to what degree?
Very little oxidation occurs with the freeze dry process. This is one reason that it is far superior to canning and dehydrating.
What is a dry cycle?
Once the product completes the freeze cycle it starts the dry cycle. This is when the vacuum pump starts and removes air from the freeze chamber. The trays heat up and the frozen water sublimates and sticks to the cold chamber and freezing (ice). Not to insult your intelligence, but sublimating is when frozen water goes from solid to gas without becoming liquid again. This is the beauty of freeze drying.
Can you freeze dry frozen meats, or must be thawed first?
I have the same question.
I prefreeze all my foods before hand to save on the freeze cycle. No need to thaw anything you have frozen!
pre freezing is not necessary and the food in the machine still has to freeze to a much much lower temperature than a freezer atains
Yes. However make sure the meat is no more than 1/2 inch thick. I have freeze dried beef, chicken, fish, and port loin. Trim all the fat you can off the meat. Freeze it first then freeze dry according to your freeze dryers instructions.
Wondering how home made granola bars and little bites do in the freeze dryer machine. We use nut butters and maple syrup / other raw vegan ingredients. Anyone know how these do?
I noted that “Pure Chocolate” is noted as not being able to be freeze dried.. so does that mean Milk cholocate can be freeze dried? We bought a post Easter sale of choco bunnies… solid that we planned on breaking into chunks but also considered leaving them whole.
Did anyone ever answer you on this? I am curious about it too.
I saw a YouTube video where the creator freeze dried hot chocolate. It consisted of lots of milk with a good amount of 100% Dutch cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate chips (he used the Spruce Eats “Classic Dutch Hot Chocolate Recipe”). It worked great. I haven’t tried it myself yet but plan to.
I see freeze-dried bread for sale (at an astonishing markup), but I have never seen a video of anyone reconstituting it for it to be used as a sandwich.
Any ideas?
Yes, bread freeze dries really well. To rehydrate bread, just wrap with a damp paper towel, put it in a sealed plastic bag, and store in fridge overnight. It’s like fresh!
But, freeze-dried bread works really well just smothered in sausage gravy, SOS, or dipping it in soups, chilis, etc. We also have a lot of customers that make grilled cheese sandwiches, cut them into bite-sized pieces, and freeze dry them. It’s like a crunchy grilled cheese crouton that naturally rehydrates in a bowl of hot soup. Yum!
Here’s a link to a video that one of our customers made showing how they rehydrated banana bread (a different method than what we suggested above for sandwiches): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daLV8ktpXCc
WOW, I never thought of making crunchy grill cheese croutons for soups! I Love This and am definitely going to try this one! Yum with Tomato Basil Soup!!!
Can either coffee beans or ground coffee be freeze dried?
Can you freeze dry pepperoni? Will it be oily and how do you deal with the oil to properly store it?
did you ever figure this out im curious as well
Can foods that are already low in moisture be freeze dried? I was specifically thinking about sun-dried fruits.
They sell bulk bags of organic sun-dried blueberries & apricots @ Costco for a good price. I was thinking of putting them a freezer overnight, followed by freeze drying them for an optimum electricity, time & cost saving approach.
However, will the fact that they have very little moisture content to begin with cause a problem to the vacuum pump?
The optimal water content of honey is 18% as per USDA guidelines. Canada is 17%. If honey is higher it ferments and is referred to as ‘baker’s honey’.
If as you say the water content is too low, would a higher water content work ? To check water content, we use a refractometer.
Bakers honey is not wet honey. Honey above 18% will ferment and produce alcohol as it goes bad. Bakers honey is just low quality honey that has a strong or unpleasant taste due to whatever the nectar was that the bees were bringing in. Here in the South, saw palmento & goldenrod honey are usually bought only as bakers grade honey.
What of the following can I freeze dry to enhance their storage longevity => dry beans, coffee beans, brown rice, lentils, dried herbs, peppercorns, oatmeal, barley, tea, edible seeds, corn meal, flour, spices etc. that are already sort of dried? In general does it help to vacuum seal freeze dried food and then seal again in a Mylar bag? Which bag should get the oxygen absorber? Thanks!
You can freeze dry any of the mentioned products (and many others) that are already “dried” to some degree. Removing the remaining moisture and then placing the oxygen absorber directly into the pouch containing the dried product, and sealing the pouch, is sufficient to increase the storage longevity.
Keep the product away from heat and sunlight. Freeze drying planting seeds also increases their longevity and does not harm them.
Vacuum sealing freeze-dried food eliminates the need to add the oxygen absorber.
can you freeze dry liquid coffee or liquid tea
Yes. Liquids freeze dry very well.
Can I freeze dry canned tomatoes?
Yes, you can.
Do you freeze dry tfroxen potatoes from the store directly from the bag or do you have to cook/blanch them?
Hello,
I have certainly used and enjoyed our freeze drier – Thank you!
I have experimented a lot; however, this is one thing I want some advice on, as it may respond like honey.
I want to make date sugar. Do dates have too high a sugar content or will they freeze dry leaving my drier clean and pretty?
If I CAN freeze dry them, do you suggest making a date paste, pouring it on the sheets then grinding them in the blender when done OR do you recommend cutting the dates in half and placing the cut side on the tray to freeze dry them? I can blend them afterward as well (the second step seams like a better option as it has less steps/requires less time:)
Thanks for your help!
Beth
I do not have a freeze drier, but I use a lot of freeze dried foods, and intuitively what I would try is pit the dates then freeze dry (whole or halves as they are small and thin enough), then grind up the dried dates into a powder. No harm trying. Please report your results if do it.
PS: I based my intuition on the fact that I have noticed a huge difference between fresh dates and older dates that have naturally dehydrated. The longer they stay the drier they become to the point of being slightly powdery.
I want to know the exact thing! Someone please answer her!!!
In regards to freeze drying dates!!
From the other posts honey, I would just buy freeze dried honey, which is NOT pure honey but they must have found a way to mix it with cane sugar and freeze dry it.
Can I freeze dry heirloom seeds and rehydrate years later for planting
We have seen others do this successfully.
Can you just vacuum seal your freeze dried foods, instead of sealing in Mylar bags. does it effect the shelf life? I saw where one reply said if vacuum sealed there is no need for oxygen bag. I love my freeze dryer have had it about a month and trying a lot of different things. It is amazing how the flavor in fruit it heightened by freeze drying. My husband doesn’t like fruit but he loves it freeze dried.
Our freeze dryer has not arrived yet, but my plan is to use a vacuum sealer instead of Mylar bags. I don’t need the food to last 25 years, and Mylar bags are kind of a pain to work with.
I actually vacuum seal my mylar bags quite easily. Yes they require more attention to do it than regular vacuum bags but they are MUCH more durable and block light that regular vacuum bags do not.
If you have vacuum seal bags you can cut out the part of the bag that let’s air flow, throw away the smooth upper layer, and slide that into the mylar bag.
Can I freeze dry vegetables that I juice like carrots, cucumbers, spinach, beets, etc., and rehydrate them to make vegetable (or fruit) juice?
You sure can, Bev.
It may make more sense to juice them first then freeze dry the juice and store it as a powder. A powder would take up much less storage space and be quicker to use later than chunks of veggies.
We have a lot of sliced frozen fruit leftover from last year’s harvest. Can it be freeze dried directly from frozen?
Thanks
Jeff
Yes, it sure can. Just break it apart and spread it out evenly on the trays.
Does anyone else have a special needs child who has a feeding tube and requires special formula??? What happens to them in a disaster? Can the formula be freeze dried (her’s is a liquid form not powdered)?
I know milk can be freeze dried, so I would guess that her formula could be also, unless it has a high sugar content.
I was unable to find anything relating to freeze drying baby formula and decided it would be best to build up a supply. I looked at Amazon and was mortified by their prices so I looked on the can and saw the manufacturer name. We bought a 3 month supply canned formula from the manufacturer, it’s a little cheaper than the stores and they will ship for free (3-5 days) They will limit the amount you can purchase per order but just build up your stock and rotate it as needed.
can we freeze dry cream cheese? and will it still be tasty?
do you have any tips?
thank you so much for making this article
Cream cheese is so easy to freeze dry. And it’s a great staple to have on-hand because it seems like you never have fresh when you need it. The key, I think, is to powder it after it’s been freeze dried. When rehydrating, it can sometimes turn out gritty if you didn’t powder it well. Then I just mix in cold water with a whisk. Add just a little water at a time, if you need more, just add what you need. A mini food processor might work better than a whisk, but whisking has worked well for me in the past. I’ve used it for dips, cheesecake, you name it. Turns out great.
Can you freeze dry food that has already been frozen? Is there a way to skip that step?
Yes! Pre-freezing the food will help reduce the freeze time greatly. Your freeze dryer will automatically sense that the food is pre-frozen and will reduce the time.
Is it possible to freeze dry Mayonnaise or Kraft Miracle Whip?
If you ever made mayonaisse you will find it is really a lot of oil with an egg in it. It does not seem like a good candidate for any storage.
Can I take fruits and veggies from the freezer and freeze dry them?
Yes! This will actually speed up batch times. Many like to pre-freeze every batch this way.
Have seen above 3 years ago regarding freeze drying nuts. We have lots of pecans. Dry time we understand. What about the reconstituting? Storage time? Thanks for your input.
looking to getting one of these but one thing I’m interested in is seeing if I can freeze dry Almond Milk. I know you can do regular milk but what about almond milk
I just purchased our freeze dryer this past weekend and I have a lot of questions, but one in particular.
Can I freeze dry pre frozen food and non frozen food in the same batch?
Yes, you can do this. Make sure to select the non-frozen button if not all of the trays are pre frozen.
Has anybody tried freeze drying Nutella? The says says peanut butter doesn’t work well so was curious about Nutella.
I was given some Jimica and wondered if I could freeze dry it?
What is the texture of a lemon square after it’s been freeze dried.
Can you freeze dry canned pet food? Thinking in emergency situation, it’d be easier/lighter to pack a mylar bag than to pack a ton on canned food.
OMG….please someone answer if you can.
I’m somewhat of a prepper and I just had to throw away 20 cans of premium dog food because I’m down to one dog and the food spoiled.
I just purchased the freeze dryer yesterday and I am so excited!
Yes, you can freeze dry pet food. My cat is on a raw food diet and it’s the main reason I bought a freeze dryer. I don’t want to run the risk of a long term power outage and all the food spoiling. Canned pet food would be the same. It would store for longer and in a smaller space. Hope this helps!
Awesome to know! I have cases of canned dog food and am switching my 6 dogs to freshly made food. NOW I know what to do with the canned food, for an emergency!
We make our own dog food and freeze dry it. Works great on camping trips.
Why can you not freeze dry jams? What would happen to them?
Jams have lots of extra sugar added to them. Because of this they get very sticky when freeze dried.
Have had my freeze dryer for a bout a week. Have successfully freeze dried peas, corn, potatoes, pepper. Today I tried to freeze dry my home cooked green beans. Contains green beans, onion, potato and bacon cooked in bed broth. Use a bit of EVOO to sauté onion. Produced dried beans, potato and bacon that seemed thoroughly dried. But has areas that seem to have Hesse or oil on them. Where did I go wrong? Thinking this is not going to store long term due to oil? Suggestions?
I would think the bacon is the problem. Bacon is super fatty and fat/oil does not freeze dry. You may be able to cook the bacon and wash it off and pat dry. Better yet wash it in warm water to help pull as much fat out of it.
Can you freeze dry dates?
Can you freeze dry grains or flours?
I’m curious too, but if you freeze them for 3-4 days, thaw 3-4 days, then put in Mylar with oxogen absorbers it will last for years.
Can you freeze dry dried fruits like craisins, dates, etc? I would like to store them long term.
I am wondering if anyone has freeze dried fish. I have some cod in the freezer and am wondering if I should FD it raw or cooked? We travel in an RV and the freezer isn’t large enough for me to take many days worth of food, so I was thinking it would be great to freeze dry several days of meals.
The baked ham is done and is delicious, so now on to other items.
How did you rehydrate the ham?
Yes, you can freeze dry fish raw or cooked. Just space them out a little and don’t overload the trays.
Freeze drying raw fish will stink up your chamber and your oil.
I would recommend doing the fish just before you change your oil, then dispose of it. Then use a soft sponge with soapy water to wash out the chamber. Spray it with water to wash it out. Hand wash the rack and wash the trays in the dishwasher.
Otherwise, your next batch may be a bit “fishy!”
Have you received an answer? I want to know as well. Big fishing family over here. Thanks!
I have freeze dried frozen cod, catfish, shrimp, scallops & imitation crab. They smell fishy, texture is tough & rubbery. Shrimp & scallops not good. This was my experience. Many others say they FD fish with great success. I was raised on fresh seafood that we caught ourselves, which meant it was cooked within hours if not minutes of being caught. Wish I could be positive about FD seafood, I’m not.
Can I freeze dry raw oat muesli made with DEHYDRATED apples and fruit? I tried to package it in kykar bagsxwutb O2 absorbers but noticed the next day that the suction created with the O2 absorber disappeated so I opened the bag and it felt moist inside – I think from the dehydrated fruit, especially the apple bits! Can I freeze dry it and repackage it?? What happens when you freeze dry plain uncooked oats? What about fruit that’s already dehydrated (just to get ALL moisture out)?? Thanks!!
Yes. As I understand, dehydrated foods do not actually have all the moisture removed, which is why they help keep things like the granola moist. So go for it! At least try one batch…& then report back, please.
For long term storage, can you freeze dry oatmeal without cooking it first? Also, what about flour? If not why?
Can you re-freeze dry foods that were inadvertently removed before the process was fully completed?
Yes, this works great.
Wanting to know if you can freeze dry tortillas specifically spinach
Also tortilla chips
Can you freeze dry cooked garbanzo beans?
They will freeze dry great.
Can you make homemade pancake batter , leave out the oil , freeze dry it , powder it and reconstitute with water and oil?
I would think if all you mixed up for the batter was the flour, rising agents dried milk and egg powder, you could indeed freeze dry that. I would use freeze dried egg powder. However, in my case, since it takes no time to make pancake mix, I would just freeze dry the perishables (egg, and milk) then make the batter. If you are using whole wheat flour or other whole grain flours it would be worth freeze drying them, but white flour lasts a very long time as long as it is dry and bug free.
Has anyone tried to Freeze Dry BLUEBERRIES? I have a ton in our freezer after harvest and I either need to can or freeze dry and would prefer FD. Thanks for the help!
I’m a newbie, but everything I’ve seen re blueberries says the key is to prick the skin to let the moisture out or they won’t dry effectively. I think they also recommend cutting them in half and making sure they are skin side down on the trays. I wonder if a child could be given the task of pricking them with a kabob skewer, “Let’s see how many berries fit on a stick…” Then slide them off onto the tray? Would be pretty hard to do either version if they are pre frozen, though.
Yes, you can. My freeze dryer will not arrive for about another 2 months (10 week wait time quoted), but I have read and watched lots of videos of just this. My favourite freeze dried fruit to buy is blueberries. It is recommended that you slice or pierce the blueberries first as the thick skin makes it hard for the water to evaporate out. I have also watched a video where someone didn’t not pierce but just put in pre frozen blueberries (they said it was successful) and another video where a person used a meat tenderizer )the one that has prongs) to pierce a whole bunch of berries at one time (these may have been fresh berries but I am not positive about that one).
Yes you can freeze dry blueberries. You need to break the skins. I used a meat tenderizer and it did a great job.
Yes you can freeze dry blueberries
We have done about 40 lbs of them
We store them in a Mylar bag with an oxygen absorber
If you want to turn them into powder
Go ahead and put them in your blender blend them up we suggest putting them in the oven for one hour after you have turned them into powder form turn your oven to 175° let it get up to temperature turn your oven off and place your powder into the oven on a cookie sheet This will make sure that there is no water moisture to store the berry powder put them in a canning jar with an oxygen absorber and you’re all done
I have FD’d lots of blueberries. I freeze them before FD’g them, this ruptures the skin as the blueberry flesh expands during freezing. I have never pricked the blueberry skins. That being said, I have never FD’d FRESH blueberries. My pre-frozen FD’d blueberries dry totally.
Poke holes in skin. First batch I didn’t..fail second batch I poked a few holes in every berry. Turned out good. Time consuming poking those berries
This may be a silly of me, but if one wanted to make a powdered form of butter, wouldn’t that need to be done through freeze drying? But if butter has too much fat to freeze dry, that mustn’t be the case? Does anyone know how powdered butter is made if not freeze dried?
I believe it is dehydrated.
If the butter is dehydrated, can it them be freeze dried?
I don’t know about all companies who do it commercially, and I feel sure processes differ, the powdered butter I have bought in the past is powdered by adding tapioca maltodextrin, to convert/absorb the oil, then possibly freeze dried after that.
What fruits and veggies can I freeze-dry??
Can I freeze-dry dragon fruit, microgreens, is there a list of approved items to freeze dry? Thanks
Any fruit or vegetable can be freeze dried. Microgreens and dragon fruit both do very well.
We recently watched a Youtube video on freeze drying frozen pizza. We bought some pepperoni and sausage thin crust pizzas at Sam’s Club….4 for $10. My husband cooked them on his green egg grill on a pizza stone, then we cut them into squares and freeze dried them. They turned out amazing! We call them pizza crackers. They are ready to eat when they come out of the freeze dryer. We followed up by cooking some in the oven then freeze drying and they came out just as well.
What are the advantages of freeze drying chicken skin vs. dehydrating them?
Just purchased yesterday and I can’t wait!! My question is about alternatives storage for short term.
I make my own dog food (original reason why I got the freeze dryer, to save space and last in an emergency). I obviously would be using 2 portions of food everyday so I don’t want to waste a mylar bag for short term storage. Would a Ziploc bag hold up, if so for how long? If not, are there other/better options for short term?
Thank you.
I would just get the Mylar bags that are resealable. Just like a ziplock. Also, if you have a sealer (which comes with a freeze drier), it’s super quick and easy to seal. It literally takes 3-4 seconds.
Canning jars work great. When empty, wash & reuse. You pay for the jar once, you keep buying bags.
Can you freeze dry powders, like protein powder? How about vitamins?
Can someone please answer this?
It seems any type of powdered, dry food would easily freeze dry, but wondering if it is too dry and could damage the machine somehow.
How about pie dough? If I flatten the round to 1/2″ or so and weigh it before freeze drying would it work? I would just weigh it afterwards and write the difference down to know how much fluids to add back in.
I’m hesitant because pie dough usually has a bunch of butter in it.
I kind of know the answer but would like a verification.
Can frozen meat be thawed, prepared/sliced, and then freeze dried? I have a full freezer and would love to be able to freeze dry some of the meat.
Yes – In the YouTube videos the company puts out, they show freeze-drying prepared foods, including meats, casseroles (lasagna!), & side dishes (scalloped potatoes! Yum), so I think that would be a great way to use up your meat before they get freezer-burned, etc. As soon as mine gets here, I’ll do the same (how nice to have pot roast all ready to be reconstituted & eaten!).
Has anyone lined their trays with white freezer paper instead of parchment paper or silicone mats?
Can you freeze dry previously dehydrated foods?
Can you freeze dry roasted coffee beans?
Can I freeze dry homemade baby formula? I’ve heard of freeze dried breast milk where they crush it and make it into a powder that you can just mix with water and I’m wondering if I can do the same thing with homemade formula. Thank you!
I’m very new to freeze drying… in fact.. I haven’t even received my machine yet. I’ve been dehydrating for years and am very excited to extend the possibilities. We have a mixed farm and I’m most interested in long-term preservation of our harvests. But I’m also interested in whole meals for back country canoeing/camping. Any tips are appreciated.
Can dried apricots be freeze dried?
I’m looking for answer . I got dehydrated peaches, berries, cranberries from Azure but too chewy for me. I want to free dry them..:-)
I’ll try ….. 👍
Can you freeze dry items like frozen waffles from the store? Can you freeze dry a mixed batch of items that have already been frozen and items that have not? Is there a special setting to do this?
Can I freeze-dry my cat? It seems like it would be cheaper than taxidermy.
I freeze dry zucchini and squash for my over weight pup and she loves them. Very easy to do and healthier for her. A plus is I am not spending a ton of money on dog treats!
Can you freeze dry butter?
Can you freeze dry already frozen foods?
I understand that we can’t freeze dry honey but I am wondering about freeze drying a recipe with honey. Specifically minced ginger and mint held together with a bit of honey.
Can you freeze dry vegan meat?
Yes, you can. We have many customers who do; TVP, seitan, Impossible, tofu… all do great freeze dried.
Can tea bage or leaf tea or ground coffee and green coffee beans be freeze dried and stored in mylar bags
Yes you can it just takes the water out your tea will be very light and look like a feather when it is done.
Butter has to be rendered of all its fats and oils and I believe this is a cooking process before it can be freeze dried so I’m not sure if I would try it I’ve had my freeze dryer for over 5 years now I love it and that’s one thing I haven’t attempted to do. Hopefully this helps
Question
Can you freeze dry hemp hearts and how long would they be till?
Thanks for any answers!
Can you freeze dry canned peaches and other fruits and veggies?
done both, we just drained as rinsed off before, peaches we split long wise just to speed it up.
Can pearl barley or wheat kernels be freeze dried?
Great machine, wish i had just put it on a CC instead of waiting to have the cash to pay for it.
Pros, Tech supports on point, I would rather hear let me make sure and get back to you in a few then someone trying to bs me.
the upgraded oil pump is key and worth every penny simply for not having to filter it every run, oil is slow to filter and you will start to get pisted about it.
if you double your dinner/breakfast portions when your cooking your nightly meals and have “trays” to freeze the left overs on other then the trays in the machine, you will run it pretty much 24/7 and can get stocked up pretty fast.
cons- my user error it it would seem.
Love the machine, if your going to go hardcore use on it, or have a large family your storing for i would strongly suggest getting the large machine
Can boiled peanuts be freeze dried?
Can you freeze dry pig skin?
Can I freeze dry store bought canned fruits and vegetables such as peaches,
pears, corn, carrots, green beans, peas, black beans, pinto, and garbanzo beans?
Absolutely. I have run both canned and frozen produce from the store.
Hello, I’m wondering if you can freeze dry mushrooms that have been canned? Thanks
I haven’t tried canned mushrooms, but I did just finish fresh ones yesterday. I imagine they would work similarly. The fresh ones came out perfectly.
I like to cook all of my meat before freeze drying it. It helps with the contamination and botulism. However, you can absolutely freeze dry raw meat as well.
I have cased of canned fruit that needs to be used or donated. Can you freeze dry pineapple rings and chunks, mandarin oranges, pears, peaches?
Yes you can
Can fresh squeezed fruit juices be freeze dried to make a concentrate?
Has anyone freeze dried coconut milk successfully? Such as from either a can or a 1-litre tetra pack?
How should I sanitize the chamber after processing raw meat or fish?
Question? Could you freeze the honey first in silicone ice cube trays then freeze dry the honey?
How long does it take to freeze dry
Okra .
I’m super new at this! I attempted to freeze dry biscuits and gravy. Biscuits on one tray and gravy on a separate tray.
It seemed like the gravy needed more time, it was still cold and almost felt like it had some frost in it.
How can I tell if things are fully freeze dried, like gravy and next I plan soups.
What should not be freeze dried together? Was bread okay to be freeze dried with liquid or no because the bread may be done first and make the machine think it’s complete?