Chili is the meal owners make again and again: one pot, several trays, and a shelf of complete dinners that need only hot water. Beans, tomatoes, peppers and lean meat all dry well together.
Write the fresh weight of each portion on the bag before drying. Rehydrating back to that weight gives the right thickness every time.
Prep and loading
- Cook chili with lean ground beef or turkey. Skim any fat on top.
- Cool it in the fridge, then skim again; fat sets on top when cold.
- Spread ½ inch deep on lined trays. Weigh each tray’s portion first if you want portioned bags.
- Pre-freeze.
- Break the dried sheet into chunks before bagging.
How to tell it’s done
- Chunks are dry and crumbly through; meat pieces are hard.
Not sure? The weight check compares two weighings and the expected dry weight for chili.
Problems and fixes
Greasy patches
Fat in the chili. Chill and skim before drying.
Too thin after rehydrating
Added too much water. Rehydrate by weight using the number on the bag.
Rehydrating and storing
Rehydrate: Boiling water to the original weight, stir, rest 10 minutes. By weight, 100 g of dried chili takes back about 322 g of water to return to fresh weight; the rehydration calculator does any amount.
Store: Mylar with oxygen absorbers, one meal per bag.
Ways to use it
- Dinner with hot water
- Chili dogs and nachos
- Backpacking
How much fits per batch
At a normal single layer, chili load at roughly 2.6 lb of fresh food per square foot of tray. That works out to:
| Machine | Fresh per batch | Dried per batch |
|---|---|---|
| Harvest Right Countertop 360 | 6.5 lb | 1.53 lb |
| Harvest Right Small | 7.8 lb | 1.86 lb |
| Harvest Right Medium | 12.2 lb | 2.89 lb |
| Harvest Right Large | 20.0 lb | 4.74 lb |
| Harvest Right X-Large | 40.6 lb | 9.64 lb |
Related guides
- Making Your Own Freeze-Dried Backpacking Meals
- Freeze Dryer vs Dehydrator: Which One Makes Sense for You
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: chili with beans, canned (water content)
- Utah State University Extension: Can I Freeze-Dry That? (2026)
- Penn State Extension: Let’s Preserve: Freeze-Drying
- Iowa State University Extension AnswerLine: Preserving by home freeze drying
Water content rounded from USDA FoodData Central (chili with beans, canned). Cycle times are typical ranges at default settings; thickness, load and your room change them. How we put these together.