Find out how to freeze dry peaches at home and why freeze drying peaches is the best way to enjoy fresh fruit year long.
Fresh peaches are my favorite fruit, but peach season doesn't last long enough. I've started freeze drying peaches so my family and I can enjoy our homegrown peaches year-round.
Learn how to freeze dry peaches so that you will have crisp flavorful peach slices ready for snacking, baking, or even stirring into lemonade.
I love adding peaches to my salad and drizzling caramelized balsamic vinegar on top.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Freeze dried peaches are fantastic snacks that are lightweight, full of nutrients and perfect for long term storage.
- They can be used in many ways such as grinding them into a peach powder for desserts or drinks.
- Fresh fruit can bruise easily and the ripeness window is relatively short, but freeze-dried fruit is great for on-the-go snacks.
Supplies Needed
To start freeze-drying peaches at home, you'll need the following equipment.
- A home freeze dryer with a vacuum pump. I recommend a Stay Fresh Fresh Dryer for its dependability.
- Parchment paper or silicone mats for the freeze dryer trays to prevent the peaches from sticking to the bottom of the trays.
- Mason jars or Mylar bags to store the peaches in.
- A vacuum sealer for the mason jar to suck the excess air out.
- A scale to check the weight changes to make sure all the moisture has been taken out of the peaches.
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make freeze dried peaches
Fresh Peaches that are ripe and specifically freestone peaches are a great choice because they are easier to pit and slice.
Prep Your Freeze Dryer
Before freeze drying peaches, check that you're freeze dryer can handle the volume of water from juicy fruits.
Ensure that there isn't any ice or water in the bottom of the chamber of the freeze dryer or in the groove of the door gasket.
How to Freeze Dry Fresh Peaches
Here are some quick visual instructions on how to prepare peaches for freeze drying. The full recipe card is below.
Wash your peaches in cold water and dry them well.
Some variations of peaches will peel easily by hand when they are very ripe, but if you find it difficult to peel them you may want to blanch them quickly to make it easier to peel.
For the blanching process, use a sharp knife, score a small "x" at the bottom of each peach. Place peaches in boiling water for 30-60 seconds, then immediately transfer them to ice water. Allow them to cool for 3-5 minutes and the skin should easily peel off.
Take the pit out of the peach (for freestone varieties) and cut them into even peach slices.
Line the freeze dryer trays with parchment paper or silicone mats. Arrange the slices on the trays.
You can choose to freeze the peaches ahead of time and follow the instructions for your freeze dryer for pre-frozen fruit or load them into the freeze dryer unfrozen and select the settings for that.
How to Check If Peaches Are Done Drying
When finished, the peaches should be light, crispy, and not cold. Break a slice in half and if you feel any moisture or coolness in the center, add more dry time.
The best way to ensure the peaches are fully dry is to do a weight test. Pause the freeze dryer, weigh each tray with a scale, put the trays back in, and run for an additional 4 hours. Check the weights again to see if the weight changed. If the weight decreased then try again in another 4 hours. If the weight stayed the same then the peaches should be fully dried.
Specific Instructions Stay Fresh Freeze Dryers
For tips and detailed instructions on how to change the settings for your Stay Fresh freeze dryer check the following videos.
- How to Use Your Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer with Pre-Frozen Food if you plan on freezing the trays of food before running the cycle.
- How to Use Your Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer with Unfrozen Food if you plan on immediately putting the peaches in the freeze dryer without freezing them first.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Ripe peaches will give the best flavor and sweetness.
- Try to use freestone peaches to make slicing the peaches a lot easier.
- To preserve the vibrant color of the peaches, make sure to immediately freeze them or start the cycle on the freeze dryer before they begin to brown.
How to Store Freeze Dried Peaches
- Long-term storage: Pack the peaches into Mylar bags that are at least 7 mil. thick. Add a desiccant pack to reduce moisture in the bag. For sweet fruit desiccant packs are preferred over oxygen absorbers. Seal the mylar bags with an impulse sealer and store them in a cool place and out of direct sunlight.
- Shorter Use: Add them to a mason jar and use a vacuum sealer to take out the extra air. The peaches will soften quickly if you don't use a vacuum sealer.
- On the Go Snacks: Add them to small mylar bags and seal them with an impulse sealer.
- Storing the peaches in a regular airtight container doesn't prevent moisture from reaching the fruit. The crispness won't last long.
How to Rehydrate Freeze Dried Peaches
Place the peaches in a bowl and pour enough cold water to cover the peaches. Let them absorb the water for 5-10 mintues depending on how thick the freeze dried peaches are.
Drain the water and use a clean cloth to dab excess water off the peaches. Use the rehydrated peaches as desired. They may be slightly softer than fresh peaches, but they should hold their shape if you are gentle with them.
Ways to Use Freeze Dried Peaches
Sliced, freeze dried peaches can be used in many different ways.
- Add them to small Mylar bags for quick snacks.
- Put them into your next homemade trail mix.
- Rehydrate them and add them to peach pie or peach cobbler.
Powdered freeze-dried peaches are a great way to flavor almost any food. Use a food processor or blender for a fine peach powder. Or simply put the peaches in a plastic bag and crush them into a powder. Try adding the powder to the following:
- Add it to drinks like lemonade, iced tea, summer cocktails, milkshakes, smoothies, and more.
- Sprinkle it on top of ice cream or yogurt.
- Add it to baked goods like muffins or cakes.
- Whip it into frosting to create a peach flavored buttercream.
Dried Vs. Freeze Dried Peaches
Dehydrating peaches removes moisture from the fruit, making it a chewy texture. Dehydrated fruit has a shorter life span. Freeze drying peaches creates a light, crispy texture, has higher nutrient retention, and a longer shelf life up to 25 years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Freeze drying peaches usually takes 24-48 hours. The time depends on how thick the slices are, how juicy the peaches are, the amount of peaches you fit on each tray, and your specific freeze dryer size and model.
📖 Recipe
How to Freeze Dry Peaches
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 pounds peaches (approximately 10 lbs)
Instructions
Prepare the Peaches
- Wash and dry the peaches. Peel the peaches if desired. If the peaches don't peel easily you may want to blanch them by scoring an "x" on the bottom of each peach and putting them in boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Then immediately add them to ice water for 3-5 minutes. The skin should easily peel off. Cut the peaches into evenly sized slices.
- Put parchment paper or a silicone mat down on your freeze-dryer trays. Arrange the peach slices in a single layer on the tray. Optional: You can place a piece of parchment paper on top of the first layer of peaches to add a second layer on top of them.
- Make sure the freeze dryer is prepped to run. I've gone into detail in this blog post under the heading: Prep Your Freeze Dryer. This is important to keep your freeze dryer from malfunctioning or breaking.
Pre-Frozen Peaches Instructions
- Place the trays into a freezer and freeze for at least 24 hours to ensure they are fully frozen.
- Follow the on screen prompts for your freeze dryer and load the frozen trays straight from your freezer to the freeze dryer. There are detailed instructions for Stay Fresh Freeze Dryers under the heading: Specific Instructions for Stay Fresh Freeze Dryers
- Allow the freeze dry cycle to run and follow the instructions below for checking for dryness.
Unfrozen Peaches Instructions
- Follow the on screen prompts of your specific freeze dryer model. Place the trays of peaches in the freeze dryer and run the freeze drying cycle. There are detailed instructions for Stay Fresh Freeze Dryers under the heading: Specific Instructions for Stay Fresh Freeze Dryers
- Allow the freeze dry cycle to run and follow the instructions below for checking for dryness.
Check for Dryness
- The time will vary from 20-48 hours depending on how crowded the trays were and how thick the slices were.
- Pause the freeze dryer and turn the release valve. The peaches should be crisp with no cold spots. If needed add additional dry time. The best way to check is to weigh each tray in grams and put them back in for 4 hours and check if the weight changed (more moisture was removed).
- If the weight changed, repeat again for 4 hours and check the weight again. If the weight didn't change then all the moisture should be removed and the peaches are done.
- Once fully dried, carefully remove the trays and immediately package the peaches in vacuum sealed airtight containers or Mylar bags with a desiccant pack for long term storage.
Food Safety
- Freeze drying won't kill bacteria in the food. It is important to wash and dry fruit and vegetables.
Jen Talley says
I love the tip about blanching the peaches to remove the skin. It worked great.