How to freeze dry fruit?

Freeze drying fruit requires removing moisture through sublimation, where ice converts directly into vapor without turning into liquid water. The most reliable method is using a home freeze dryer appliance. Slice fresh fruit into thin, uniform pieces, lay them on metal trays, and run the automated freeze drying cycle, which takes 20 to 36 hours.

Without a specialized machine, you can approximate freeze drying using dry ice. Place sliced fruit in a breathable cloth bag, submerge the bag in a cooler filled with dry ice blocks for 24 to 48 hours, then store in airtight vacuum bags with oxygen absorbers. Traditional home freezers cannot properly freeze dry fruit because they lack vacuum pressure.