Freeze Dry Math

Foods A–Z

What can you freeze-dry, and how?

Each food has its own page with prep steps, a typical cycle, signs that it’s done, what goes wrong and how it stores. 24 foods rate excellent, 33 good, 12 tricky and 3 are ones to skip.

Want everything in one table? See the freeze-drying times chart.

Fruit

20 foods

Berries, stone fruit, melons and citrus. Mostly easy, mostly long, and the sugar decides how long.

Sliced strawberries
Strawberries22–30 h Excellent
A large pile of fresh, ripe blueberries
Blueberries30–45 h Good
A close-up view of fresh, ripe raspberries
Raspberries18–26 h Excellent
A close-up view of fresh, ripe blackberries
Blackberries24–34 h Good
A pile of fresh, ripe cherries, some halved
Cherries30–40 h Good
Half peeled banana fruit
Bananas20–30 h Excellent
A pile of sliced apples sitting on top of a table
Apples18–26 h Excellent
A pile of ripe green and brown pears in bright sunlight
Pears20–30 h Good
Two whole peaches and one halved peach with a pit on a white surface
Peaches24–34 h Good
Pineapple fruit on white table
Pineapple36–52 h Tricky
A single ripe mango with green leaves against a solid orange background
Mango26–36 h Good
A close up of a kiwi fruit sliced in half
Kiwi20–28 h Good
Fresh watermelon slices and half on a white surface
Watermelon30–42 h Tricky
A whole and a half cantaloupe on a green background
Cantaloupe26–36 h Good
A bunch of grapes sitting on top of a table
Grapes36–48 h Tricky
Sliced orange fruit on blue surface
Oranges24–32 h Good
A pile of fresh, ripe cranberries
Cranberries28–40 h Tricky
A close-up of a sliced lemon surrounded by whole lemons
Lemons and limes22–30 h Good
Sliced avocado
Avocado24–32 h Tricky
Jars of applesauce sit on a wooden shelf
Applesauce24–34 h Excellent

Vegetables

16 foods

Blanch the ones you would blanch for the freezer, skip it for peppers and onions.

Three ears of fresh corn on a wooden surface
Sweet corn18–26 h Excellent
A bowl filled with green peas on top of a white table
Green peas18–26 h Excellent
Pile of green string beans
Green beans20–28 h Good
A bunch of fresh orange carrots with green leafy tops tied together
Carrots20–28 h Excellent
Close-up of fresh, green broccoli florets
Broccoli20–30 h Good
A fresh head of white cauliflower with green leaves in a wooden crate
Cauliflower22–30 h Good
A large pile of raw yellow potatoes with smooth skins
Potatoes20–30 h Good
A pile of pink and yellow sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes22–32 h Good
Rows of colorful bell peppers in yellow, orange, and red
Bell peppers18–24 h Excellent
A pile of fresh yellow and white onions
Onions18–24 h Good
Bunch of white mushrooms
Mushrooms16–24 h Good
Red tomatoes on brown wooden table
Tomatoes24–34 h Good
Hand holding a long green zucchini in a garden
Zucchini18–26 h Good
A pile of fresh green spinach leaves with thin stems
Spinach and leafy greens12–20 h Excellent
Assortment of pumpkins and gourds on a wooden surface
Pumpkin24–32 h Excellent
A pile of green jalapeños with one red pepper
Jalapeños and hot peppers18–24 h Excellent

Dairy and eggs

8 foods

Pasteurized only. Fat is the limit on how long these keep.

A grid of brown chicken eggs in a molded cardboard carton
Eggs22–32 h Good
Person pours milk into glass
Milk30–40 h Good
A bowl of yogurt with a spoon in it
Yogurt20–30 h Excellent
Wedge-shaped pieces of cheese arranged in rows
Cheese24–36 h Tricky
Vanilla ice cream with sprinkles
Ice cream20–30 h Tricky
Clear glass bowl with white cream
Sour cream24–32 h Tricky
A cup of coffee and a bowl of cottage cheese
Cottage cheese22–30 h Good
A bar of butter sitting on top of a wooden table
ButterSkip it Avoid

Meat and fish

8 foods

Cook it first, trim the fat, cut it small.

Raw meat on brown wooden chopping board
Ground beef20–30 h Good
Roasted chicken on white ceramic plate
Chicken20–30 h Excellent
A golden-brown roasted turkey in a roasting pan
Turkey20–30 h Excellent
A person slicing ham on a cutting board
Ham20–28 h Good
Cooked shrimp with herbs and chili flakes in a black bowl
Shrimp20–28 h Good
Two seared salmon steaks with lime wedges on a white plate
Salmon22–30 h Tricky
Crispy bacon, ready to eat!
BaconSkip it Avoid
A bowl filled with black beans next to limes
Beans18–26 h Excellent

Meals and starches

8 foods

Leftovers and batch cooking. Spread thin and break up clumps.

Rice in bowl
Cooked rice14–22 h Excellent
Penne pasta with meat sauce and grated cheese in a white bowl
Cooked pasta16–24 h Good
A bowl of chili next to other bowls of food
Chili24–34 h Excellent
Creamy pumpkin soup with parsley and bread
Soups and stews26–36 h Good
A bowl of mashed potatoes topped with chives
Mashed potatoes20–28 h Excellent
Tomato and tomato puree with parsley in bowl
Spaghetti sauce22–30 h Excellent
Freshly baked lasagna with a basil leaf garnish
Lasagna and casseroles28–40 h Good
Clear glass jar with yellow liquid inside
Bone broth24–34 h Good

Candy and treats

7 foods

Short warm cycles, big puffs, and bags sealed fast.

Skittles in a row
Skittles2–6 h Good
A pile of blue and white candies on top of each other
Salt water taffy3–8 h Excellent
Closeup photo of marshmallows on bowl
Marshmallows8–20 h Excellent
A colorful assortment of hard candies and chocolates
Jolly Ranchers and hard candy3–10 h Tricky
A lot of gummy bears that are all different colors
Gummy bears6–14 h Tricky
Assortment of chocolate bars and candy pieces
Candy bars4–10 h Good
A slice of cheesecake with a blueberry on top
Cheesecake24–34 h Tricky

Herbs, drinks and pantry

5 foods

Small batches that pay off: herbs, coffee, starter, smoothies.

A woven basket filled with fresh herbs, wildflowers, and radishes on wooden planks
Fresh herbs10–18 h Excellent
Shallow focus photography of coffee late in mug on table
Coffee24–34 h Good
Hands kneading dough in a patterned bowl
Sourdough starter12–20 h Good
Golden honey dripping from a wooden dipper into a glass jar
HoneySkip it Avoid
A vibrant berry smoothie topped with fresh mint leaves
Smoothies22–32 h Excellent