Why aren’t you eating…freeze-dried fruit

Freeze-dried strawberries

Have you tried freeze-dried fruit? Or more to the point, have your kids? Freeze-dried fruit has a consistency akin to…well, Pringles almost. They’re light and airy. My kids like to press the fruit between their tongue and the roof of their mouth until it gets squishy. They make for great snacks too since they won’t weigh down your bag and they’re fun to eat.

Freeze-dried fruit has a completely different consistency than dried fruit. If only I could freeze-dry at home! But the way the process works is that the fruit is flash frozen, then put into a vacuum chamber to remove the frozen water by converting it directly into a gas. The leftover fruit is drained of 75-90% of its water content but loses few of its nutrients. Also, freeze-dried fruit doesn’t have any added preservatives or sugars and it’s low in calories too. My serving of strawberries, which is a decent 2/3 cup, has only 45 calories, 4 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein. Not bad.

I’ve been noticing freeze-dried fruit popping up in store aisles from Costco to Target, Trader Joe’s to Walmart. But the small packets you find at the grocers can get pricey (it’s true that freeze-dried fruit tends to be more expensive in general but it lasts forever). I order my freeze-dried fruit in bulk online from

I found these at Costco

Emergency Essentials. You can try the freeze-dried fruit combo, which includes bananas, pineapple, peach, mango, strawberry, and raspberry, all 2-ounce cans for $39.95. My favorite is the mango, which come as little squares that taste kind of like good-for-you versions of Lucky Charms marshmallows. I’ve noticed the strawberries and raspberries tend to break into little pieces. I don’t let the fruit powder go to waste, I use it in smoothies or fruit sauces.

Your turn: Have you tried freeze dried fruit? What did you think of the flavor and texture?