Learn how to freeze dry apples at home with these expert tips. Freeze drying apples makes the best snacks and is great for long-term storage.
Our family is obsessed with freeze dried apples. I make a new batch every few weeks so that we always have some to snack on.
If you love the taste of fresh picked apples, follow these tips to make sure your freeze dried apples are flavorful and long-lasting in storage.
Let me walk you through everything you need to know about freeze drying apples at home. You may also be interested in my post about How to Freeze Dry Peaches and How to Freeze Dry Raspberries.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- They're light, with a slight crispy texture that immediately melts in your mouth.
- They're a great option for longer storage compared to dehydrated apples.
- They are perfect for snacking, baking, or tossing into cereal, oatmeal, or trail mix.
- It's an easy way to add freeze-dried food to your pantry for preparedness or everyday snacking.
Supplies Needed
To make DIY freeze dried apples at home, you'll need the following supplies.
A Home Freeze Dryer is needed to properly freeze dry the apples. I use the Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer and I love their customer service and reliability.
Parchment paper or silicone mats for the freeze dryer trays to prevent the apples from sticking to the metal trays.
A reliable scale to weight the trays to make sure the apples are fully dry.
An apple peeler corer slicer, or just a sharp knife.
Mason Jars or mylar bags for storage.
A mason jar vacuum sealer to keep the apples fresh in the mason jars.
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make freeze dried apples.
Apples are the star of the show. Any type of fresh apples will work and I've gone into more detail below about my favorite apple varieties to freeze dry.
Lemon Juice fresh or from concentrate to add to water to prevent the apples from browning.
Prep Your Freeze Dryer
Before freeze drying apples, check the chamber and door gasket to make sure there isn't any ice or water.
Make sure the oil level looks good too.
Check that your vacuum valve and drain valve are closed.
How to Make Freeze Dried Apples
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full recipe with ingredient measurements is below!
Prep the freeze dryer trays with parchment paper or silicone mats and fill a bowl with cold water and lemon juice.
Wash apples and dry them. You can either peel the apples or leave the skin on. Use a knife or an apple peeler corer slicer to make uniformly sliced apples.
Immediately put the sliced apples in the large bowl of cold water and lemon juice.
Take the apples out of the water and put them on a clean kitchen towel to drain the water off of them.
Arrange the apple slices in a single layer on the prepared trays.
Either place the apples in the freeze dryer and run it according to the manufacturer's instructions or freeze the apples on the tray in your freezer to be freeze dried after 24 hours of freeze time.
Once the apples are done freeze drying you can add them to mylar bags or mason jars.
How to Check if Apples are Done Drying
Many people ask how long does it takes to freeze dry apples. To know how do you freeze dry apples properly, you'll need to test for doneness.
Freeze-dried apples should have no cold spots. They should break cleanly with a crispy texture.
The best way to check that they are fully dry is to pause the freeze dryer, weigh each tray, and run the freezer dryer for another 4 hours. Then, weight each tray again. If the weight did not change then the moisture has been removed from the apples.
It can take anywhere from 20-48 hours to freeze dry apples, but it really depends on how many apples you load in the freeze dryer and your model of freeze dryer.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Slice apples evenly. Thicker slices take longer to freeze dry.
- Be sure to remove all the seeds from the apples. It takes the freeze dryer a lot longer to remove the moisture from seeds.
Specific Instructions for Stay Fresh Freeze Dryers
If you are a visual learner like me, these videos may be helpful for the settings for the Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer.
- How to Freeze Dry Apples with Your Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer is also linked below in the recipe card.
- How to Use Your Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer with Pre-Frozen Food if great for freezing trays before you run the cycle.
- How to Use Your Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer with Unfrozen Food is perfect for immediately placing the food into the freeze dryer and letting the machine do all the work.
The Best Apples to Freeze Dry
Honestly, our family has enjoyed all the varieties of apples we have tried from the local grocery store.
- Honeycrisp and Cosmic Crisp are two of our our favorites. They are sweet and very flavorful. We also love Pink Lady apples.
- Gala and Fuji apples are a little more mild in flavor.
- Granny Smith apples give a little tanginess on our tastebuds.
How to Store Freeze Dried Apples
- Long-Term Storage: Pack the freeze dried apples into mylar bags that are at least 7 mil thick. Add a desiccant pack to help control any moisture. They work better than oxygen absorbers for sweet fruits. Seal the bags with an impulse sealer. Then store them in a cool, dry place and away from direct sunlight.
- Shorter Storage: If you plan to enjoy the apples soon, store them in Mason jars and use a vacuum sealer to remove excess air. Without vacuum sealing, the apples will quickly lose their crisp texture.
- On the Go Snacks: For travel or quick snacks, add the freeze dried apples to small mylar bags and seal them with an impulse sealer.
Avoid using a regular airtight container. They don't block out enough moisture, and the apples will lose their crispy texture.
How to Rehydrate Freeze Dried Apples
Place the freeze dried apples in water for 10-15 minutes. Remove them from the water when they are soft. You can also just add them directly to dishes like oatmeal, muffins, or apple pie filling.
Ways to Use Freeze Dried Apples
- Snack on them plain as freeze dried apple chips.
- Add them to granola, trail mix, or yogurt.
- Toss them into smoothies.
- Rehydrate the apples for pies, crisps and cobblers.
- They are a great addition to food storage.
Flavor Variations
Try adding spices before drying the apples for different flavors.
- Cinnamon: add a very light dusting of cinnamon to the top of the apples before freeze drying them
- Pumpkin Spice: a very little bit of pumpkin spice seasoning dusted on top is perfect for fall.
Dried Vs Freeze Dried Apples
Dehydrated apples are made in a food dehydrator. They are chewy and retain some moisture.
Freeze dried apples are light, airy, and crunchy. They are also shelf stable for longer storage.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drying time varies based on your model of freeze dryer, how many apples are on each tray and how thick the apples slices are. Usually apples are done in 20-48 hours of dry time.
You can't truly freeze dry without a freeze drying machine, but a food dehydrator or oven can make dried apple slices as an alternative. However dehydrated apples have a chewy texture.
📖 Recipe
How to Freeze Dry Apples
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 pounds apples (approximately 6 pounds)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (bottled or fresh squeezed)
Instructions
Preparing the Apples
- Wash and dry the apples.
- Add parchment paper or silcone mats to the freeze dryer trays
- Fill a large bowl with cold water and add the lemon juice.
- Use a knife or an apple peeler corer slicer to make uniform sliced apples (both peeled or unpeeled apples are fine). As the apples get sliced, immediately add them to the bowl containing cold water and lemon juice.
- Scoop the apples out of the water and place them on a clean kitchen towel to drain off the water.
- Add the slices to the trays. If you are doing very thin slices you can add a second layer of parchment paper on top of the first layer of apples and do a second layer of apples on each tray (see video in recipe card).
Unfrozen Apples Instructions
- Follow the on screen prompts for your freeze dryer. Place the trays of apples 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
- Let the freeze dryer complete its cycle, then use the steps below to check for dryness.
Pre-frozen Apples Instructions
- Place the trays of apples into a freezer and freeze for at least 24 hours to make sure they are fully frozen.
- Follow the on screen prompts for your freeze dryer and load the frozen trays straight from the freezer to the freeze dryer. There are detailed instructions for Stay Fresh Freeze Dryers under the heading: Specific Instructions for Stay Fresh Freeze Dryers
- Let the freeze dryer complete its cycle, then use the steps below to check for dryness.
Check for Dryness
- Drying time can range anywhere 20-48 hours, depending on how full your trays are and how thick the apple slices were cut. Once the cycle is finished, pause the freeze dryer and open the release valve. The apples should be crisp and free of any cold spots.
- For the most accurate check, weigh each tray in grams, return them to the freeze dryer for 4 more hours, then weigh the trays again. If the weight decreases, that means more moisture was removed. Repeat this process until the weight no longer changes to ensure that the apples are completely dry.
- When your apples are fully freeze dried, carefully remove the trays and immediately package then in vacuum-sealed airtight containers or mylar bags with a desiccant for reliable long-term storage.
Video
Learning how to freeze dry apple slices is a great way to enjoy them year-round as a delicious snack or for long-term storage.
Let me know what your favorite type of apple to freeze dry! I hope you found this post on how to freeze dried apples helpful!
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